Book review – Page 18 – Books,dogs and cats

Posted on Aug 12, 2017Oct 5, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

After the untimely (and mysterious )death of her husband, Elsie is sent to her husband’s ramshackle country manor. The manor is surrounded by a bleak scenery, an hostile village and a decrepit church.That should be enough to make one feel a bit tense but there is more:a 17th century diary, strange wooden figures and many,many secrets .This is in every sense a classic ghost story (haunted house, forbidden rooms,noises in the night…)but what makes this special is the fact that the ghostly part is very good ,but there is also an excellent mystery story underneath.

Posted on Aug 2, 2017Oct 5, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

A Season in the Sun by Robert Rees

Things are not going well in London for Henry Fanshaw (of the Fanshaw dynasty )when he(luckily )inherits a beautiful colonial house and a cricket club in the amazing Seychelles. Being a bit of a pompous Englishman, Henry has to adapt to both this island in the sun and to his fellow club members (a (swearing)vicar and a priest,a chief of police, a dope smoking top player, a heartbroken captain…)But even in paradise evil lurks, in this case,gambling evil…

This is the perfect read for fans of Death in Paradise and Jerome K.Jerome.And it has the kind of setting that makes you want to book a flight to Mahé right away !

Posted on Jul 29, 2017Oct 5, 2017 by booksdogsandcats

Murder in Little Shendon by A.H.Richardson

An absolute perfect read for a rainy afternoon. A very classic(think Agatha Christie,Ngaio Marsh…)British murder mystery with all the right trimmings:a charming village, eccentric villagers(yes,there is a Major present,a grumpy gardener,a Polish countess and many other strange creatures …)and of course murder most horrid.And yes,everyone is a plausible suspect…But what is so nice about this story(especially when we are (willingly or not) immersed in stories with graphic ,bloody details and rather depraved humans)is that,notwithstanding murder,it has a kind and wonderfull atmosphere.Frankly,I would move to Little Shendon right away(or at least spend my holidays there )

Posted on Jul 21, 2017Feb 10, 2019 by booksdogsandcats

Continental Crimes

Anthologies are, generally speaking, a tricky business. Whether they are written by one author or by several authors. But “Continental Crimes” happily avoids these traps. These are solid British murder mysteries set in different countries on the continent. There are stories by Agatha Christie, Josephine Bell, Arnold Bennett, Arthur Conan Doyle, G.K.Chesterton and many others…Of course, not all the stories are brilliant, but they are very good and some are brilliant which makes this a surprisingly very good anthology.