|
|
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by C. Alan Bradley
Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, begins her adventure when a dead bird is found on the doorstep of her family's mansion in the summer of 1950, thus propelling her into a mystery that involves an investigation into a man's murder where her father is the main suspect.
A delightful read and shorter than last month!
Available in paper and as a Libby ebook and audiobook.
|
|
The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
Four readers met to discuss The Moonstone, originally published in 1868. Wilke Collins is considered by many to be a pioneer in the genre of the English detective novel. Like Charles Dickens, his books were originally serialized, and are longer and more complex than most current mysteries. Nevertheless, readers found much to enjoy, such as strong character development and humor. We also found some parallels between Wilke Colins' life and details in the story.
There are many devices used in this book, including multiple (unreliable) narrators, a crime inside an English country house (essentially a locked house theft, in this case), a celebrated professional detective, a bungling local constabulary, a gentleman detective, red herrings, a large number of false suspects, a reconstruction of the crime, an unlikely suspect ultimately guilty, a solution that is a pretty complex puzzle, surprising twists even at the end, and social commentary. These all became common in later detective novels, although rarely all in the same novel!
|
|
|
|
The woman in white
by Wilkie Collins
The mysterious appearance of a woman dressed in white leads to the discovery of a complicated plot involving a stolen inheritance and an escape from a mental institution.
This book focuses a bit more on the romance and on the difficulties of being a woman in 19th century England.
|
|
The Paris apartment : a novel
by Lucy Foley
Arriving in Paris to stay with her brother Ben, Jess learns that he has gone missing, and to find him, starts digging into his life, realizing even though she has come to the City of Lights to escape her past, its his future hanging in the balance.
This is a book that wouldn't exist without The Moonstone: multiple (mostly unreliable) narrators, a crime in a large house, an inside job, red herrings, multiple twists up to the end, many suspects, and ultimately an unlikely one guilty. The author may not have even read The Moonstone, as these are common in many books now, but something about the combination makes it seem like a good read-alike.
Available in print and as a Libby ebook and audiobook.
|
|
|
|
Lopez Island Library 2225 Fisherman Bay Rd Lopez Island, Washington 98261 360-468-2265www.lopezlibrary.org |
|
|
|