Tag Archives: mystery

Cruel as the Grave

Posted on April 28, 2020 by smellincoffee

Cruel as the Grave: A Medieval Mystery © 1998 Sharon Kay Penman 274 pages Justin de Quincy has a problem. Several problems, actually.   Chiefly, there’s the fact that his king is presumed captured overseas, and possibly dead, while the king’s … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Of murder and meaningful ground

Posted on March 4, 2020 by smellincoffee

A friend recently introduced me to the terms lentic and lotic, referring to stagnant and fast-moving bodies of water, respectively.  My Lenten series has so far been very lentic,   as I’ve been distracted by life’s goings-on.    I have done a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Bodies in the Library

Posted on February 22, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Bodies in the Library © 2019 Marty Wingate 336 pages Hayley has a secret: she doesn’t know a blessed thing about Agatha Christie’s fiction. Or Dorothy Sayer’s.   Her literary expertise is all things Austen, but thanks to a friend … Continue reading →

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Prague Fatale

Posted on February 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Prague Fatale © 2011 Phillip Kerr 432 pages Bernie Gunther is a man contemplating suicide.  Once, in the Weimar years, he was a happily married policeman. But his wife died,  he fell into the bottle, and not long after that Germany itself … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Brains, cotton mills, and vanilla legal thrills

Posted on January 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

January is off to a solid reading start, largely because I’ve developed some ankle woes and my gym/hiking/cycling time has become extra reading time for three weeks running. I’m about to see an orthopedic specialist, though, so here’s hoping I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Agatha Christie and Tony Soprano

Posted on October 21, 2019 by smellincoffee

Over the weekend I finished two titles that don’t bear elaborate reviews. First up was Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party,  a murder mystery set during this spooky-fun season.  Not everyone is having fun, though, especially not little Joyce, who – – … Continue reading →

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Altered Carbon

Posted on June 6, 2019 by smellincoffee

Altered Carbon© 2002 Richard K. Morgan416 pages Takeshi Kovacs,  soldier-turned-commando-turned rogue,  is rudely awakened with a job.  Imprisoned for two hundred years, he’s now being offered the chance of parole if he can solve a murder.  Or should it be … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Alice Roosevelt, Linux, and Death

Posted on March 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Approaching the end of the month, as we are, time to post a few also-reads: Alice and the Assassin, R.J. Koreto. Entertaining historical fiction following the infamous pistol-packing Alice Roosevelt and her cowboy Secret Service bodyguard.  Following the assassination of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

I, the Constable

Posted on November 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

I, the Constable© 2017 Paula M. Block and Terry Erdmann150 pages Deep Space Nine once made a throwaway reference to the Mike Hammer novels of Mickey Spillane,  and featured Constable Odo reading I, the Jury.  I, the Constable,  plays with that … Continue reading →

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The Black Ice

Posted on September 12, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Black Ice© 1993 Michael Connelly336 pages A body discovered in a sleazy motel on Christmas Eve connects a handful of otherwise dead cases, and sets Detective Harry Bosch against his own department, culminating in the pursuit of a half-chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments