Funerals Are Fatal by Agatha Christie

Funerals Are Fatal by Agatha Christie ISBN-13: 9780553350166 Hardcover: 226 pages Publisher: Bantam Released: 1953; May 1984

Source: Borrowed from the library.

Book Description from Goodreads:
When Richard Abernethie, the master of Enderby Hall, dies, his heirs assemble at the vast Victorian mansion to hear the reading of the will. It is then that Cora, Abernethie's sister, comes out with an alarming proposal: "But he was murdered, wasn't he?" The next day Cora is found brutally bludgeoned to death in her home.

None other than Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot is summoned to Enderby in pursuit of the murderer. Suspects abound including a wayward nephew unlucky with women and horses, a favorite and seemingly blameless sister-in-law, two feuding nieces, a nosey housekeeper, and a disingenuous art collector.


My Review:
Funerals Are Fatal is a historical mystery (though it was a contemporary at the time it was written) set in England at about 1952. This story can also be found under the title, "After the Funeral."

Poirot was asked to solve if Richard had been murdered, and of course he solves the whole sequence to discover whodunit. While Poirot knows whodunit for some pages before the reveal, I also figured out whodunit at the same time. It helped that I had a day to think all the clues over. I was tickled that I got the whole sequence right, including motives. I love it when the clues are all there, but the answer isn't immediately obvious.

We didn't get to know any of the characters very well, but they were interesting and had varied personalities. The details about the setting and time period were minimal but interesting. There was a very minor amount of bad language. There was no sex or gore. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Amazon's Look Inside feature.

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama ISBN-13: 9780312144074 Trade Paperback: 211 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Released: May 4, 1995

Source: Bought at a library book sale.

Book Description from Goodreads:
The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener.

Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.


My Review:
The Samurai's Garden is a historical novel set during September 15, 1937 to October 29, 1938 in Japan. It's written in a diary format, but it reads more like a fully detailed narrative story. It's a story for those who are interested in other cultures and time periods as the details immerse you in that world. The story moved along at a slower pace, but that pace suited what the story was trying to convey.

The characters came across as real people dealing with real struggles, and I cared about what happened to them. The story is as much about Matsu and Sachi as it is about Stephen. There were relationship tensions between family members and between friends as well as how a Chinese outsider staying in Japan is treated as the Japanese invade China.

There were no graphic sex scenes, though there was a dream about sex with a little more description than kiss-and-fade-to-black. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer

Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer ISBN: 0-553-11040-3 Mass Market Paperback: 250 pages Publisher: Bantam Released: 1961, 1979

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Sampson Warrenby was shot with a bullet through his brain under an oak tree. His niece, Mavis, discovers his body and stands to inherit, but many of the people in the village disliked Warrenby. Unfortunately, those who had the greatest motive were at a get-together at the time Warrenby was killed. Only Chief Inspector Hemingway can uncover who had both motive and opportunity.


My Review:
Detection Unlimited is a humorous historical mystery set in England (though it was a contemporary when written in 1953). The story is full of quirky but generally likable characters. Chief Inspector Hemingway is clever and has a sense of humor, but the story also follows the speculations of the village folk about the murder.

The mystery was clue-based. I was pretty certain of whodunit from the beginning and turned out to be correct, yet the answer wasn't as obvious as I'm making it sound. It could have easily been someone else.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of explicit cussing and some swearing (using "God"). Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Murder at Hatfield House by Amanda Carmack

Murder at Hatfield House by Amanda Carmack ISBN-13: 9780451415110 Mass Market Paperback: 282 pages Publisher: Obsidian Mystery Released: October 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
1558. England is in tumult under the rule of Queen Mary and her Spanish husband. Confined to house arrest at Hatfield House, young Princess Elizabeth is the country’s greatest hope. Far from court intrigues, Elizabeth finds solace in simple things: the quiet countryside and peaceful recreation, including the melodies of her chief musician and his daughter, Kate Haywood.

But Kate will prove herself most valuable when an envoy of the queen—sent to flush out heretics in the princess’s household—is found dead on the grounds of Hatfield. Acting as Elizabeth’s eyes and ears, Kate is sent out on the trail of a killer whose mission could destroy her family, friends—and the future of England


My Review:
Murder at Hatfield House is a historical mystery set in the autumn of 1558 in England. Purely as a historical novel, I enjoyed the story. The historical details brought the time period vividly alive in my imagination. The main characters reacted realistically to events and gained my sympathy. I felt suspense about the physical danger to Kate and Princess Elizabeth even though I knew how it had to turn out; yes, they'd survive, but at what cost?

However, there were some serious flaws with the mystery. I could quickly guess who was intended to be whodunit by the hints given throughout the story, yet logically that person couldn't be whodunit. The murderer would have had to know something no one else knew and be at two places at once during at least two murders. I expected the author to explain these problems away, but they never were explained.

[VAGUE SPOILER] Whodunit would have had to know when the target, Braceton, would be coming to Hatfield House. However, no one at Hatfield House expected him. He was running late by his own schedule. Even if someone knew when he was coming, they'd have to wait for him for some time and hope their absence wasn't noticed. Whodunit was then closely pursued into the house after the murder. When you know who the murderer is, though, this seems impossible for whodunit to pull off, or at least with no one noticing anything.[END SPOILER]

There was no sex. There was one use of "modern" bad language and a minor amount of swearing using God's body parts (teeth, toe, wounds, blood). Overall, I'd recommend this as a historical novel to Queen Elizabeth fans, but not as a mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.