Set sail for murder

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

Stephanie Barron has written a series of Jane Austen mysteries and "Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor" is the first one. This is for Jane Austen fans and readers of historical fiction. Many footnotes explain the traditions of the times as the author unfolds her story. The pace is slow, the story is full of rich details, with a good description of the characters. There are many characters to keep up with, two brothers I kept getting confused, Tom and George Hearst, one a Lieutenant and one a man of the cloth. Intriguing court case toward the end of the book as Jane's friends are accused of murder and have to stand trial. A good mystery. Stephanie Barron also writes as Francine Mathews.  

Delicious by Ruth Reichl

Billie Breslin starts her new job as a assistant to the editor on the food magazine, "Delicious". She starts to work at Fontinelli's Italian cheese store in New York City. She has an extraordinary palate that recognizes flavors. The magazine closes and she is kept on to honor the guarantee, working in the building all by herself. She discovers the locked up library to do research for her clients. She and Sammy the traveling correspondent for Delicious discover a secret room in the library and make an amazing discovery. The story reveals that she has a secret about her sister and it hold clues why she doesn't cook any longer. A good fresh story about a cook and her past. Reichl was the editor of Gourmet magazine for ten years before they closed their doors and stopped publishing an old magazine due to the downturn in publishing in general. Writing is her forte and this is her first work of fiction. Well done

Sunday, March 6, 2016

All Things Wise and Wonderful

In "All Things Wise and Wonderful" James Herriot tells about his time with the RAF during World War II, but mostly his memory goes back to his veterinary practice and his wife Helen. I usually like the stories about the Farnon brothers the best, although there is the tender tales of Helen which I also enjoy. His son is born while he is away. He doesn't share much of his RAF days, but he does tell of an operation that he had which made him unfit for flying after all his training. He sits out the war at various duties with the RAF, but not combat duty. He goes absent without leave when he worries about Helen and her pregnancy, but slipping away reassures him of her health and makes the trip home on the bus worth his risk. The continuation of the trials of a country vet are heartwarming. He is humble in the retelling of his early years as a country vet in the late 1930's. These books were bestsellers in the 1970's.