A good week with three books published by three favourite authors.
The first was Crook O'Lune by E C R Lorac, one of the writers rediscovered and republished by the British Library Crime Classics. Not all of them, interesting thought they are, have been to my liking but this author I do like. I read one recently These Names have Clues which I found rather tedious so approached this with a little trepidation. It is set in Lancashire and Inspector MacDonald who has appeared in many previous titles is contemplating retirement and rather fancies buying some farmland. He is visiting his friends, the Hoggetts, who have featured in an earlier book and, needless to say, while he is there is drawn into investigate a case of sheep stealing. An empty house is set on fire as a distraction while the sheep are stolen, but turns into a case of murder when it turns out the house was not empty after all.
I found this book slow moving, but in the right way. Lorac has obviously visited Lancashire and has a deep love of this country side and it is beautifully written with quite lyrical descriptions of the fields, trees, sky and sunshine. I really enjoyed it. Not a riveting smack you in the face kind of mystery, but very satisfying.
Next up Linda Castillo The Hidden One. All her books are set in Amish country and, as with Midsomer Murders in the UK, they seem a murderous lot and this amount of death and destruction might give one pause, but suspension of disbelief is all and I love these books.
It starts with an Amish bishop keeping a rendezvous which he is dreading after he received a letter "I know who you are. I know what you did. I know your secrets. All of them". He knows he is probably going to his death and indeed he is. Eighteen years later a field is being ploughed and his skeleton discovered and suspicion points towards Jonas Bowman who had threatened him when he was younger. He is arrested and kate Burkholder is asked by elders of the church to come and help him as she knew him when she was a young Amish teenager.
He was her first love and so she returns aware that she might be risking her relationship with her lover Tomasetti.
As always, well written and compulsive reading. I have read all of these books by Castillo and though there is a certain formula to them now, I love them. Long may they continue.
And, finally, Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen. It has been a couple of years since the last Rizzoli and Isles book, a series to which I am addicted and after I had spent a morning reading Castillo I then spent an afternoon reading this one.
The story is told from the viewpoint of several characters and you have to be patient as each strand will come together. Having read Gerritsen and know the way she leads you up the garden path I was happy to go along for the ride. The main strand that I really found interesting and amusing is the section from the eyes of Angela, Rizzoli's mother who is rather puzzled by the neighbours who have moved in across the street. The curtains are drawn, the husband and wife stay inside all the time and the woman seems frightened and nervous and never goes out. Angela gets a little too nosy and puts herself in danger and though I guessed who the neighbours were it did not spoil the story which bowls along beautifully. I could not put it down until I had finished it.
So a good week and up comes a reminder on my Amazon page that there is a new Michael Connelly coming out later this year so that is flagged up straight away,
I am still going through the Miss Silver books but coming to an end though she has written other non Silver books which will keep me going for months, but I may take a break. I have decided to re-read some Freeman Wills Croft and have just started on Fear Comes to Chalfont and am already hooked again.
