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Tag Archives: discussion group
Agatha Christie’s “Parker Pyne Investigates”
Our “classic” author for Just Desserts in June was Agatha Christie, perhaps best known for her two primary sleuths, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. We’ve chosen to explore one of her lesser known detectives, Parker Pyne, in Parker Pyne Investigates. From the moment Mr. Parker Pyne takes a seat on the Orient Express, crime follows him like a shadow. It takes him from the ruins of Petra to Baghdad to the tombs of the Pharaohs — where a helpless woman is given her daily dose of death…
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on June 26, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!
Steve Hockensmith’s “Holmes on the Range”
In May, it was back to a contemporary author. Our title: Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith. “It’s 1893, a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper’s Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes. When the boys come across a dead body that looks a whole lot like the leftovers of an unfortunate encounter with a cattle stampede, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired deducifiyin’ skills. Putting his ranch work squarely on the back burner, he sets out to solve the case.”
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on May 29, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!
Dorothy L. Sayers’ “Gaudy Night”
In April, the Just Desserts group returned to a “classic” mystery author, in Dorothy Sayers. Our selected title is part of her Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vale series — Gaudy Night. “In this Lord Peter Wimsey whodunit, mystery writer Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the “Gaudy”. But the festivities are haunted by a series of ghastly warnings which threaten murder. Soon Harriet and her paramour, Lord Peter Wimsey, find themselves ensnared in a nightmare of terror.” Originally published in 1936.
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on April 24, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!
Robert B. Parker’s “Trouble in Paradise”
Our Just Desserts title for March 2008 was Trouble in Paradise, the second Jesse Stone novel by Robert B. Parker. Robert B. Parker and his legendary Spenser series have long been considered the ne plus ultra of detective fiction. But the critics’ praise for Jesse Stone’s debut in Night Passage proved there was room for an addition to the Parker literary canon. “A novel as fresh as it is bold? Parker’s sentences flow with as much wit, grace, and assurance as ever, and Stone is a complex and consistently interesting new protagonist. His speedy return will be welcome” (Newsday). “Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees Stiles Island as the ultimate investment opportunity: all he needs to do is invade the island, blow up the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his investment, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons — all experts in their fields — including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man — a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse. As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in triplicate: his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault; he’s begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell; and he’s still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin’s attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it’s up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.”
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on March 27, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!
Ngaio Marsh’s “Grave Mistake”
In February 2008, we discussed a classic mystery by Ngaio Marsh. The title to read was Grave Mistake, one of her Inspector Alleyn novels. “A bit snobbish and a trifle high-strung, Sybil Foster prides herself on owning the finest estate in Upper Quintern and hiring the best gardener. In fact, she is rapturous over the new asparagus beds when a visit from her unwelcome stepson sends her scurrying to a chic spa for a rest cure, a liaison with the spa’s director…and an apparent suicide. Her autopsy holds one surprise, a secret drawer a second. And Inspector Roderick Alleyn, C.I.D., digging about Upper Quintern, may unearth still a third…deeply buried motive for murder.” From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh’s work has remained legendary, and is often compared to that of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. During her celebrated fifty-year career, Marsh was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, was named Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, won numerous prestigious awards, and penned 32 mystery novels.
This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on February 28, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!