Reading Roundup #12: Round Up the Usual Suspects

Hello, reading friends! After a week without internet, I am back and ready to tell you about all the lovely books I read while buried under a mountain of blankets. Nothing like a little murder to heat things up, eh?

The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry #1) by Sujata Massey: This one kept popping up on my radar, so I finally gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did! A murder mystery, set in 1920s Bombay and following a lady lawyer, is right up my alley. I wasn’t sure at first, as the opening is a slow build, with lots of stage-setting, and you know I already struggle with that, but once the mystery got going in earnest, I was hooked. I’m looking forward to more adventures with Perveen and her family and friends, so be on the lookout for a review of the sequel, The Satapur Moonstone, soon!

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor: Hm… honestly, I was disappointed by this one. I’ve been a fan and on-and-off listener of the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast for years, and I love it’s morbid, quirky storytelling and characters. But while that’s definitely present in the delightful “modern” day sections, the main bulk of the story is pretty generic and flat. Maybe it’s the writing style or maybe it was just my mood, but this book sadly isn’t for me.

The Defense (Eddie Flynn #1) by Steve Cavanagh: Here, though, we have a winner! My friend picked this for book club, promising me thrills, cons, and legal drama, which are all things I love – and she knows that if she can compare a book to the TV show Leverage, I’m sure to read it. I could nit-pick about some of the timeline and legal issues, but when a story is such good old-fashioned fun, why worry about such things? I couldn’t put it down, and I’ll certainly be checking out more from the series to see what trouble Eddie stirs up next!

“Gaslight Mysteries” #12–19 by Victoria Thompson: …. I had a lot of time on my hands, okay?? And these stories match my current cravings exactly. This was a particularly good stretch of installments, as many centered around or at least propelled development for our major players. Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue is a particular favorite, as the supporting cast take the spotlight to solve a murder while Frank and Sarah are unavailable. It proves that, as much as we love the leads, Thompson really has created a world that functions and entertains even when they’re not around. At this rate, I’ll be caught up on the “Gaslight Mysteries” by this time next week. What will be my next obsession, I wonder? And how will I bear the wait for new installments of this to come out?

–b