Mystery

Review: Thunder Bay

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Cover image for "Thunder Bay" by William Kent Krueger

Thunder Bay (Cork O’Connor Number 7), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781439157824) 2009

Summary: A search for Henry Meloux’s son leads to an attempt on Meloux’s life and a love story from the 1920’s.

This is a novel where Cork O’Connor learns things about people close to him that he had not known before. For one, that his studious, college-bound daughter, Jenny, is pregnant. And he learns that his wise advisor, Henry Meloux, has a son.

The latter revelation comes to light when Henry suddenly is afflicted with a heart condition, threatening his life. But the doctors can’t find a problem. When he tells Cork about his son and wanting to find him and Cork agrees to search, he suddenly gets better. Cork tracks him down to Thunder Bay, Canada, and tries to see him, using a watch with a picture of his son’s mother Henry gave him, as an entree.

There’s a problem. Henry’s son is a hermit, living on an island. But Cork makes a convincing case to be seen with his half-brother who had taken over the profitable mining business Henry’s son had formerly presided over. He gets the meeting, but not without a dustup with Hank’s bodyguard, Morrissey. And Henry’s son does not want to see his father.

Cork returns and assumes its all over and turns to deal with Jenny’s situation together with Jo. Until, that is, someone makes an attempt on Henry’s life, which costs the assailant his life. The assailant was Morrissey.

Why would someone try to kill Henry for wanting to see his long lost son? Cork, although no longer sheriff, wants to understand. He assumes Henry is still in danger. So Henry tells him the story, one that runs for 85 pages of the novel. As a young man, Henry had agreed to serve as a guide for a couple of prospectors, one of whom brought along his beautiful daughter. They fall in love beside a scenic lake in the north woods in Canada. They meet a Black man, Maurice, living in the woods who they befriend. He has a huge stash of gold, what the prospectors were seeking.

Sadly, the love affair between Henry and the girl is discovered. In a confrontation with her father, the father is fatally hurt. Things end badly, with Henry wounded and Maurice dead. Somehow, Henry survives and walks out of the wilderness, discovering his calling as a spiritual guide. The girl, Maria is pregnant, and marries the surviving prospector, Wellington, naming her son Henry. She dies a few years later and Wellington remarries and has another son, the half-brother running the company.

Despite the threat on his life, Henry wants to go to his son. Cork agrees and they take retired sheriff, Wally Schanno with them as backup. They discover the “hermit” is a front and locate where the real Henry is living. But murder pursues as well. Why the attempt to kill an old man? And will Henry see his son?

Obviously, the big feature of this novel is the development of the Meloux character, with an explanation of how he became a mide. And we also learn how Stevie gets a dog and what happens to Jenny. In it all, Krueger portrays the bittersweetness of life — of love and wonder and violence and loss — and that we must hold onto the former to sustain us when facing the latter.

Review: The China Governess

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Cover image of "The China Governess" by Margery Allingham

The China Governess (Albert Campion Number 17), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504087247) 2023 (First published in 1962).

Summary: An engaged orphan adopted by the Kinnits hires Campion to find his roots, stirring up a crime spree and a family secret.

Tim Kinnit is engaged to marry Julia, the daughter of a wealthy tycoon. There is one problem. Tim is a war orphan, rescued from a district of “ill repute,” the Turk Street Mile, during the war and adopted by the Kinnits, another well-to-do family. The worry is that there may be some mental defect in his background, whatever it is. He recruits Albert to investigate.

All of a sudden, a crime spree arises on Turk Street, now renovated. An apartment is ransacked and someone commits arson. Meanwhile, Campion’s investigations uncover a skeleton in the Kinnits’ closet. Thyrza Caleb was a governess to the family in the nineteenth century, accused of murder, and who reputedly took her own life.

Campion and inspector Luke try to figure out how the crimes on Turk Street are connected to Tim’s paternity, And what further danger does the criminal pose? Amid all the puzzlement, one thing is sure. Tim’s childhood nanny, Nanny Broome, believes in him and that he’ll make a good husband to Julia.

Allingham has always had complicated plots, but I found this one particularly hard to follow. The “China Governess” part of the plot seemed extraneous. And Campion, once eccentric, seems muted and uninteresting, in contrast to Lugg and Luke who seem to grow more interesting as the stories go on.

Review: Lieberman’s Day

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Cover image of "Lieberman's Day" by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Lieberman’s Day, Stuart M. Kaminsky. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781480400207) 2013 (first published in 1994).

Summary: Abe’s nephew is killed and his wife shot in a mugging while a murderer stalks the abused ex-wife Hanrahan is sheltering.

Moments after walking out the door from a dinner party on a cold winter night, David Lieberman and his wife Carol confront two muggers. Things go awry and one mugger shoots David, the other, Carol. David dies, but Carol, critically wounded and pregnant, survives. Abe Lieberman, who hasn’t yet fallen asleep gets the call at 12:02 am. David is Abe’s nephew.

The book chronicles the next twenty-four hours as Abe, and his recovering-alcoholic partner Bill Hanrahan track down the killers. At the same time, Abe must try to comfort his brother and sister-in-law in the loss of their son, drawing on the help of his tight-knit Jewish community, including the Alter Cockers, a group of older men who hang out at his brother’s diner.

Abe relies on his street connections, cutting a deal with El Perro, a drug kingpin, to find the killers. Shooting a pregnant woman is an offense even to them. Meanwhile Hanrahan learns that the violent ex-husband of an abused woman and her son, who he has sheltered, is back in town. Will Hanrahan find him before he finds them?

Both men also struggle with domestic issues. Abe’s daughter’s marriage has broken up but now she struggles as her former husband is seeing another woman. Abe is loyal to his daughter while liking the father of his grandchild. He’s met the woman he’s seeing and likes her as well. Bill’s wife walked out some time ago. Despite a relationship with an Asian woman who is ready for more, he cannot let go.

Meanwhile the plot is building toward double climaxes in Bill’s apartment and Carol’s hospital room. For one of the killers, Carol, while alive, is a threat.

This is a relatively short novel. The fast-paced double plot unfolds in the span of one very long day during a very cold Chicago winter. Amid all this, I enjoyed Lieberman’s street-savvy wisdom combined with the restraint that accompanies others in their grief, never saying the stupid thing.

Review: One, Two Buckle My Shoe

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Cover image of "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" by Agatha Christie

One, Two, Buckle my Shoe (Hercule Poirot Number 23), Agatha Christie. William Morrow Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780062073778) 2011 (originally published 1940).

Summary: Poirot seeks the murderer of his dentist, found dead not two hours after Poirot visited him.

Like many of us, Hercule Poirot does not like going to the dentist. But his appointment with Dr. Morley goes off uneventfully. Except for complaining of the unexpected absence of Miss Nevill, his assistant, their conversation, as much as was possible, was pleasant. Two hours later, Poirot learn Morley has died, in what was an apparent suicide.

But Poirot is not so sure. Even after the inquest, when evidence came out that his last patient, a Greek man named Amberiotis, died in his hotel room of an overdose of the painkiller Morley used. The authorities believed that Morley killed himself for his mistake. But Poirot, having interacted with him, and talked with others who knew him, isn’t so sure.

For one thing, the telegram calling Miss Nevill away was a decoy. There were several other patients, including successful financier Alistair Blunt, former actress Mabelle Sainsbury Seale (who Poirot briefly encountered), and Amberiotis. Also, an American, Howard Raikes came, and not wanting to wait, left. One other, who did not have an appointment, also came. Frank Carter was Miss Nevill’s fiancé, and not approved of by Dr. Morley. He had come to plead his case with the doctor, including the new job he’d just gotten. Finally, Dr. Reilly, his partner, appears to have a drinking problem, and his practice is not going well.

More strange things happen. For one, Mabelle Sainsbury Seale disappears. A month later, police find a body in the lodgings of a Mrs. Albert Chapman. Mabelle’s clothing is found on the body, but dental records reveal her to be Mrs. Chapman. Both had been patients of Dr. Morley. Then Blunt, who had just survived one assassination attempt where Frank Carter was present, invites Poirot to his estate, to persuade Poirot to search for the missing Mabelle. While they are talking, a shot is fired, but misses Blunt. The gun, a match for the pistol by which Morley died, is at Carter’s feet. Carter’s “job,” as it turns out was as a gardener at the estate.

Things are not looking good for Carter, who is hardly of the most exemplary character. But Poirot comes to think that a trap has been laid, not only for the hapless Carter, but for himself. Carter professes innocence to both crimes, saying he came upon Morley after he was shot. The key, Poirot believes, is finding the “missing Mabelle.”

The title rhyme carries through the titles for each chapter. Poirot, as always, thinks as much as he “detects” and it is a reference to a Psalm that puts him on the trail of the killer. This was Christie at the height of her powers in 1940 in a well-paced mystery with a number of “red herrings.”

Review: The Holy Thief

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Cover image of "The Holy Thief" by Ellis Peters

The Holy Thief (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael number 19), Ellis Peters. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781497671614) 2014 (first published in 1992).

Summary: During a flood in Shrewsbury, the relics of St. Winifrid are stolen; a dispute over their disposition and a murder follow.

On a hot summer afternoon, Geoffrey de Mandeville, who set up his control of the Fens at the Abbey of Ramsey goes out to survey his lines without helmet or mail. An arrow grazes him, infection sets in, and he dies. Consequently, his leaderless forces disperse and the monks can return to Ramsey. Alas, it has been ransacked and requires major restoration. The Abbot sends for help to other abbeys. So Sub-Prior Herluin and young Brother Tutilo arrive at Shrewsbury seeking to collect aid. Meanwhile, a traveling musician, a woman enslaved to him, Renata, and a servant, Benezet also arrive. Renata and Tutilo know each other.

Sent to Longner Manor, Tutilo plays and sings for the dying Lady Donata. She gives him jewelry and Longner donates lumber. The town and abbey also contribute generously. But to the zealous young Tutilo, this isn’t enough. If only Ramsey had relics like those of Saint Winifrid. As Herluin and Tutilo prepare to leave, a flooding Severn endangers the Abbey. Everything movable is moved to higher quarters, including the relics. Meanwhile a wagon is loaded with the lumber and a secured box with the money and jewels to be sent back to Ramsey while Herluin and Tutilo visit other abbeys. As they finish, a brother comes out and asks Aldhelm, a shepherd, to help move one more item to go at Ramsey, a long, wrapped box.

After the flood recedes, the brothers discover St. Winifrid’s relics are missing. The only ones to leave were the wagon to Ramsey. But before they can follow the wagon, two of the wagon drivers return, badly beaten. They were ambushed, and the wagon and horses taken. The hope is that the thieves dumped the wagon’s contents. A party from the Abbey, Hugh Beringar, the sheriff, along with Herluin and Tutilo return to the spot. The lumber is there. The box with the jewels and money is empty, and the relics are intact. The Earl of Leicester, on whose land they are, also shows up. When Herluin argues to claim Winifrid for Ramsey because she prompted the “mistake” in loading the relics, the Earl plays along, and lays claim as well, saying she stopped on his lands. The party returns to Shrewsbury to resolve the dispute.

A key is to figure out whether the relics were taken by mistake or deliberately stolen. They seek out Aldhelm. Through overheard whispered conversation between Prior Robert and Brother Jerome, the word gets out to Benezet, who tips off Renata, having noticed her interest in Tutilo. She gets him off the Abbey premises so Aldhelm can’t identify him. But Aldhelm never comes. When Tutilo returns, it is to report that he has stumbled on a dead man. When morning light comes, they see that the man is Aldhelm, killed with a blow to his head.

The question is who murdered him and why? Tutilo, the leading suspect, is held. While Cadfael and Hugh search for evidence to convict or absolve Tutilo, Abbot Radulfus proposes an unusual test to resolve the question of the relics disposition. Meanwhile, Renata is not done.

One of the fun things in this story is the contrast between the rigid Herluin and the Earl, who forges a friendship with Hugh that may come into play later. As always, Cadfael plays a role of both devotion to his rule and discerning the spirit versus the letter of the law.

Review: The Grey Wolf

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Cover image of "The Grey Wolf" by Louise Penny

The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Number 19), Louise Penny. Minotaur Books (ISBN: 9781250328144) 2024.

Summary: Gamache, Jean-Guy, and Isabelle seek to avert a plotted catastrophe, trusting no one but each other.

It was worth the wait. It’s been two years since the last in the Gamache series, Penny taking a year off. The result was a riveting, edge-of-the seat work involving a scary plot in which tens of thousands could die.

It all begins on a quiet August Sunday, interrupted by a series of phone calls to Gamache’s private line. Finally, he picks it up, listens, says “Go to hell,” and hangs up. Not a wrong number but a wrong person, Jeanne Caron, responsible for adding to the suffering of Gamache’s son Daniel as a payback for Gamache’s refusing to bend the law for a political favor. She wanted to meet and called on a number known only to family and friends.

Then more strange things occur. While at the bistro, the alarm goes off to a flat they owned in Montreal. It appeared to be a faulty sensor. Leaving the bistro, Gamache sees a man who is vaguely familiar. At the Montreal flat, nothing was amiss. Except for a jacket, mailed back to Gamache with a cryptic list of herbs in the pocket and a request to meet at a cafe.

A man shows up for the meeting, a freelance biologist with a drug-abusing past. He hints at a terrible plot but leaves it to Gamache to figure out. As they leave the cafe, a driver heads toward them. Gamache leaps to save a grandfather and grandchild. The biologist is killed.

All this sets Gamache and his team in pursuit of the killers, one of whom they find executed, and what Langlois, the biologist, was trying to tell him. But it quickly becomes apparent that Gamache can only trust Jean-Guy and Isabelle. Thus, who is friend and who is enemy is not clear. For example, even his superior, the woman Gamache recommended when he stepped down from the position, is suspect. And Jeanne Caron? Why did she call?

And that familiar man at the bistro? It was none other than the abbot of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, Dom Phillippe (see book eight). But this was no random visit. He leaves a message for Gamache at the village church, a piece of paper connected to the paper in his jacket pocket. And a bottle of Chartreuse at the bistro.

This leads a hair-raising flight to the remote location of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups. No Dom Phillippe but they find a map from Langlois. Meanwhile Isabelle travels to DC, the Vatican and an abbey in France. And Gamache continues to search for notebooks Langlois left behind, increasingly convinced that what Langlois died trying to warn him about was a plot to poison Montreal’s water supply.

Not able to trust insiders in the Surete, Gamache goes outside. For example, he offers dirt on himself to a blogger hostile to him for her investigative efforts. He gains the trust of the crusty Mission director, where Langlois sought refuge for a time. The pattern of reaching out to those on the margins, those discounted by others, continues.

But will their fevered efforts be in time and enough? And who is behind this plot? And why? Penny keeps us turning the pages to find out.

The residents of Three Pines play a supporting role to Gamache’s family, sheltering in Three Pines, but little more. Given the focus of the plot, there is little room for development of these characters. That said, Ruth acts totally in character. There are indications of a deepening rapprochement between Daniel and Armand.

And the title? Wolves turn up at several places but key is a story Armand tell Jean-Guy about Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, which means Saint Gilbert Between the Wolves. It comes from a story a Cree chief told the first abbot about two wolves inside us, a grey and black one, the first strong, compassionate, and wise. the second, cruel and cunning. The question is, which wolf will win? The answer: the one we feed. In this book, we learn of a grey wolf. And in the after matter, we learn that Penny’s next book, in 2025, is titled The Black Wolf. So, strap in folks, for more good reading ahead!

For Gamache readers, if you want to refresh your memory of the preceding books (and especially book 8, The Beautiful Mystery), you might find my blog post, The Reviews: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series, helpful.