If you're looking for my reviews of a certain author or genre you can check my tags list. You can also see my list of book reads in 2007 & 2008 and 2009.

Book Title: The Twylight Tower
Author: Karen Harper
Genre: mystery
Rating: 2/5

Summary (from book cover): It is May 1560. As sinister storm clouds gather overhead, twenty-six-year-old Queen Elizabeth dispatches William Cecil, her most trusted adviser, to Scotland for crucial negotiations. Handsome, ambitious Lord Robert Dudley is at her side. But their leisurely midsummer idyll is cut short when the court's master lutenist plunges to his death from a parapet beneath the queen's window. The loyal retainers of Elizabeth's privy council do not accept the official verdict of accidental death. Their fears are borne out when another tragedy rocks the realm, and points the way to a conspiracy to bring down Elizabeth and seize the throne. As ill winds of treachery swirl around the court, and suspicion falls on those within Elizabeth's intimate circle, a vengeful enemy slips from the shadows... a traitorous usurper who would be sovereign.

With The Twylight Tower, Karen Harper brings a legendary era to life, drawing us into an intoxicating world of majesty and mayhem, political intrigue and adventure... where danger is everywhere... and where a young queen journeys to greatness in the long shadow of her bloodstained past.

My thoughts: And it's more of the same. Another murder that seems to have nothing to do with the queen and in the end it has everything to do with her. Once again the characters are far away of what they could be, especially Elizabeth who becomes more annoying (and I doubted that it was possible), her relationship with Robert Dudley, which could bring something more to the story, is nothing more than tepid. The other characters, which I think were more interesting, as Meg, are almost absent in this book and the development of their stories didn't bring anything special to the story.

It's all very predictable and I think the main character is so obnoxious that I couldn't care if the killer could reach her or not. I expected more from this series but it was a real disappointment so, after a brief glance over the other volumes I have, I think I'm done with this series.

Book Title: The Tidal Poole
Author: Karen Harper
Genre: mystery
Rating: 2/5

Summary (from book cover): It is the crowning day of twenty-five-year-old Bess Tudor's life as she returns from exile to become England's queen. But even as her magnificent procession wends its way to Westminster Palace, a shot rings out, muffled by the jostling crowd. Within moments of becoming England's ruler, Elizabeth learns of the brutal murder of a highborn lady of the court, the sister of one of her dearest friends. Elizabeth cannot refuse her friend's request to find the killer – especially since the prime suspect is too close to the crown – and her friends – to overlook.

Elizabeth must be circumspect. Trust can be deadly. So she summons her small band of loyal retainers and plunges into a cauldron of conflicting loyalties and deadly intrigue. From the pomp, pageantry, and insidious gossip of the court to the lethal tidal pools swirling under London Bridge, the passionate young queen must seize the reins of her empire – and find a killer determined to destroy the crown itself...

My thoughts: The previous volume of this series introduces us to Queen Elizabeth I of England who solves mysteries or murders that may or may not be connected to her royal self. It wasn't the best books I've read this year and this one follows its footsteps. Yes, in this volume one can feel himself in the sixteenth century, but the characters continue to be a real bore. Queen Elizabeth I, the main character, still leaves much to be desired, and believe me when I say it does not improve in the following book and which I'm about to finish reading.

This time the story begins with Elizabeth's coronation ceremony, and on the same day that she is shown to the people of London as the new queen of England, the sister of one of her dearest friends (that we learn to have been by her side when Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London) is discovered dead in a non conventional position for a lady of the court. Fearing that her friends are involved in this crime and that it hides an even greater crime, an attempt on her life, Elizabeth and her "Privy Plot Council" set themselves to solve the mystery and catch the real culprit.

The story is quite predictable and once again the characters are not that interesting, although we find out something more about Meg's history, and leave much to be desired. The only positive point of this book was to know a little of the political games of the court, but even that is very superficial.

I'm really thinking of putting this series away. It will only be good for those who really like mysteries and this period of history, for those who have nothing to read, or those looking for a reading that does not require much of the reader.

Book Title: The Poyson Garden
Author: Karen Harper
Genre: mystery
Rating: 2/5

Summary (from book cover): The letter came in secret, with a pearl eardrop from an aunt long thought dead, resurrecting the forbidden past. Banished by her spiteful half sister, Queen Mary, to Hatfield House in the English countryside, twenty-five-year-old Princess Elizabeth cannot refuse the summons. The Boleyns are in grave danger. And Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, is marked for death by a master poisoner whose reign of terror may have royal sanction.

With her few loyal retainers, Elizabeth escapes to Kent. Here, in her ancestral Hever Castle, now held by the Queen's loyalists, Elizabeth seeks to unravel the plot against her. And here, in the embrace of intrigue and betrayal, the princess must find a brilliant, powerfully connected killer – before the killer finds her...

My thoughts: I decided to pick up this book because I thought it would be a lightweight reading. And it was light... too light and in a very bad way. I love mysteries, at least I love the mysteries by Agatha Christie, with interesting characters and even peculiar ones, as Poirot, with storylines that tie us from the first page to last due to all the suspense created around a particular event or character or because the twists are ingeniously introduced here and there. None of this happens in this book.

To begin with, I was unable to feel that I was in the sixteenth century. Second, the characters are one-dimensional, including the protagonist, the (still) Princess Elizabeth who, exiled in Hatfield at the command of her half-sister Queen Mary (Bloody Mary), receives a letter from a next of kin she thought to be long-lost finding in this way that she and her family, those of the Boleyn's branch, are in the sights of a killer who uses powerful poisons as a weapon. Fortunately, Elizabeth has the help of her faithful servants and two other characters who she comes to know: Ned Topside, an actor who saves one of Elizabeth's cousins, and Meg, a young woman with a blurry past and the knowledge of master herbalists. These two characters, along with the killer, were the most interesting ones but still poorly developed. There is no depth, not even motivations to these characters but the main character is even worse. Honestly, I just didn't care about her and I have to say that, even knowing little of English history, it was a turn-off to start following this princess who supposedly has a killer after her and know that somehow she would survive because, after all, she became queen... :/

Several times I felt like quitting the book but decided to continue the series (I have 5 more books at home) because it pains me to "get rid" of books, especially books I won on a lucky giveaway, without having read them. I also hope that the following are better, that they can make me feel right in the Renaissance period and in the middle of the court games and intrigues.

Book Title: Aristotle and Poetic Justice
Author: Margaret Doody
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Goodreads): 330BC: it is the year that Alexander the Great sacked Persepolis and won the greatest fortune the world had ever known. The night of the Silent Dinner when Athens placates the spirits of the dead passes with a creeping mist accompanied by eerie portents and a strange disappearance. Stephanos, son of Nikiarkhos and his teacher, the philosopher Aristotle, are drawn into solving the perplexing abduction case of Anthia, the heiress of a prominent silver merchant. Someone has snatched her from her home, but what is the motive: rape, a forced marriage or murder? All that is known is that the abductor and the heiress are on the road to Delphi and its ancient oracle.

Stephanos and Aristotle pursue them but along the way there are plenty of distractions: it's spring time and the country is full of reborn life, the thought of romance and marriage is never far from young Stephanos' mind, and rumours of mysterious strangers passing in the night abound, of disguises and swapping of identity. Then the actuality of murder shatters the idyll. It seems that there is a psychopath on the road pursuing abductor and heiress. But who the abductor is and who the murderer is are mysteries that only Aristotle with the aid of the Delphian oracle will be able to solve.

My thoughts: After having read and enjoyed the previous book, it was with some expectation that I picked up this book and while I liked it, it wasn't as good as the previous one. It loses some points as the narrator, once again Stephanos, isn't so involved in the case. He appears more like a sidekick, like a true captain Hastings, telling the story that he gets to live due to his friendship with Aristotle, who is approached by a man of silver, a merchant of that metal, whose niece disappears. However, once again, the plot thickens when, on the road to Delphi where they think she and the alleged kidnapper are, bodies begin to appear and doubts arise about what is really behind the disappearance.

The story seems a little more complex, at least I didn't find it so predictable, quite the contrary, but I wasn't so captivated by the story. However, I liked how the society was portrayed, especially the relationship between citizens and slaves, most notably in the behaviour of the narrator. Another positive aspect was the entire description of Delphi and of the religious rituals, namely how one would contact with the Pythia.

Still it was a good read, the story is quite interesting for those who like mysteries set in Classical Antiquity, but I think a map would help to better understand the journey from Athens to Delphi. The previous book, which I read in English, had one and it was with some surprise that I noticed that this book hadn't one as, in general, they are always present in this kind of books. Also there was another problem with the Portuguese edition, there was a hole in the middle of some pages, but nothing that would disrupt the reading.

Book Title: Aristotle Detective
Author: Margaret Doody
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from book cover): Athens 332 BC – a city uneasy under the sway of the Macedonian Alexander the Great, now fighting the King of Persia for control of the East. In this time of fresh ambition and furtive discontent, an eminent citizen is brutally murdered.

Young Philemon, as exile formerly guilty of manslaughter, is accused of the bizarre homicide. In his absence his cousin and nearest male relative, 23-year-old Stephanos, must conduct Philemon's defence and attempt to clear his family's name of this bloody murder.

Stephanos seeks the help from Aristotle, his former teacher... and Aristotle turns Detective.

My thoughts: I've stumbled upon this book by chance, as when making an online purchase I was offered the second volume of this series. As I do not like to read series starting by the middle, namely in this genre as, though not always the older cases are needed to understand the background of characters, there are some mentions from time to time that help to understand more of the stories. It happened to me once, while reading Steven Saylor's A Murder on the Apian Way, and since then I always try to read a series in its straight order. However, although I quite liked the said book I feared this historical mystery wouldn't match my expectations, as another previous book, Nick Drake's Nefertiti was a disappointment.

In this book we follow Stephanos who tries to defend his cousin, Philemon, from the murder of an important figure in the city of Athens. Their defence is focused around the fact that Philemon wasn't in town because he had been voted into exile for manslaughter, incurring in the death penalty if he ever came back. But Stephanos finds a very thick plot thus requiring the help of his former master, Aristotle.

I liked the main characters, Stephanos and Aristotle, and found their dialogues very entertaining and philosophical. It reminded me some of the interaction between Poirot and Captain Hastings, or even Sherlock and Watson. I could not stop laughing at some lines like:

"If Philemon did not do it, someone of the class non-Philemon did it."

"Goodbye, Stephanos - and, by the way, say nothing of that last purchase of mine, or I'll do you a mischief. Think of the lewd jokes it would cause! But if ever I seem overbearing and foolishly proud of my intellect, you may always murmur to me, 'That leather bag contained stones.'"

I also thought it curious the interest of Aristotle in pottery and some of his conversations around that topic seemed too similar to others I had while attending classes. He seemed just like one of my teachers, but when Aristotle discoursed on Greek pottery, my teacher would have talked about Roman terra sigillata. :D

The story despite having a somewhat predictable end, the killer seemed obvious to me, had sufficient twists to make one stuck to the book. The only drawback I can point out is the lack of notes to clarify some of the terms used, as the months or prodikasia. However, the context makes it easy to understand what they mean, so it isn't such a fault as that.

Certainly a book I advise one to read, especially those who like mysteries set in Classical Antiquity.

Book Title: Silent in the Grave
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from book cover):

London, 1886

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it sould be noted, was still twitching upon the floor...

For Lady Julia Grey, her husband's sudden death at a dinner party is extremely inconvenient, not to mention an unpardonable social gaffe. However, things take a turn for the worse when inscrutable private investigator Nicholas Brisbane reveals that the death was not due to natural causes.

Drawn away from her comfortable, conventional life, Lady Julia is exposed to threatening notes, secret societies and gypsy curses, not to mention Nicholas's charismatic unpredictability...

This sparkling witty tale is the first in a captivating new series featuring Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane.

My thoughts: Again I was influenced by the beautiful cover (I rather like this one to the other editions) and a very positive review. Even the synopsis gets you interested. And the first sentence is something (see quotation above), getting your attention. Unfortunately is the only sentence to do that. I was hoping more from this book.

The story takes place in the Victorian era and it starts with the death of Edward, the protagonist's husband, Lady Julia Grey, but it seems His death was everything but natural, in spite of suffering from a heart disease. Confronted by Nicholas Brisbane's, a sort of private investigator, information that her husband was receiving threatening letters and the finding of one of them, Lady Julia decides to find the real culprit.

Even though the story starts with the murder, this almost passes to a second place as the protagonist continues to live her life while revealing other mysteries about those who surround her. And it's these characters, specially the March family, the family of the main character, which give something more to the book, as well as the portrait of the Victorian era. It's nice to see their eccentricities in a time so close minded and that give so much importance to good behaving and etiquette. The main character is also nice to follow and it's easy to get along with her, which is good since the story is told as a first person. Nicholas Brisbane however seemed a cheap copy of Sherlock Holmes, apart from being too perfect, which bored me. He's able to do anything, very accomplished, has a mysterious past (easy to uncover), and has a burden, the sight... Concerning the killer, I only found out who it was when she prepared to confront the culprit and it was somewhat dull. Nothing of the big finale I was hoping for. It was big, I assure you, but not big enough for me. I know, strange...

Still, it was an interesting reading and I must confess myself curious to read the next books. But I would rather prefer they would come to me, like this one, than buying them.

Book Title: Parker Pyne Investigates
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): Mrs Parkinson felt alone, helpless and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advert in "The Times" which read: "Are you unhappy? If not, consult Mr Parker Pyne."

My thoughts: This is a collection of 12 short stories that have as a protagonist Parker Pyne. In the first 6 stories he has an indirect role, as he's only told the cases and then arranges what is necessary to see them to a good end, without him having an active role. In the last 6 stories he has a more active role as in holidays he is approached, on the various places he passes, by his traveller companions to resolve the problems that appear.

I enjoyed mostly the short stories entitled The Pearl of Price, which has a curious quote about archaeologists, and The Oracle at Delphi. The other cases also have some interest but they don't entangle us so much as other works by the author.

Book Title: Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. On the rocks below he finds a crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man says, "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Haunted by these words, Bobby sets out to solve the mystery.

My thoughts: The title refers to the last words of a dying man Bobby Jones finds, in the bottom of a cliff, while playing golf and to whom he would never give a second thoughts if he hadn't become also a victim. With the help of his friend, Lady Frances, both get on a journey to find who and what are behind the tragic occurrence.

Being a story by Agatha Christie, one can expect sudden plot twits. Once again she eludes and guides us through clues, which brings us as close and as far from the real culprit. It got me on the edge of my seat. It was a really pleasant reading, as most of her novels are.

Book Title: The Listerdale Mystery
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): A collection of 12 cases including the curious disappearance of Lord Listerdale, a strange encounter on a train, a domestic murder investigation, an astonishing marriage proposal and a necklace hidden in a basket of cherries.

My thoughts: Once again, a series of short-stories with some of easy solution. Still they're interesting, even if none of them stand out.

Book Title: Murder on the Orient Express
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

My thoughts: This must be Agatha Christie's most famous book and now I know why. Although I knew the end before picking up the book, due to the several adaptations I've seen, I couldn't it put down until the end. Poirot is simply clever, with his grey cells, his attention to details, with the knowledge of humans' psyche. Though he fights crime, so to speak, he still has compassion towards its perpetrators, as it had already happened in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The last still is my favourite, but I understand why so many people like this one too.

Book Title: The Hound of Death
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): Twelve unexplained phenomena with no apparent earthly explanation, including a dog-shaped gunpowder mark; an omen from the "other side"; a haunted house; a chilling seance; an elderly lady's hold over a young man; and a mysterious SOS.

My thoughts: This book is composed by a series of short-stories that revolve around paranormal cases. Not being a usual theme on this author writings, it surprised as it resembled a fresh air breeze. Every short-story is interesting and sometimes it gives you the creeps.

Book Title: Lord Edgware Dies
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): Poirot had been present when Jane bragged of her plan to 'get rid' of her estranged husband. Now he is dead and Jane had a cast-iron alibi, she was dining with friends at the time and after all he had granted her a divorce, so what motive did she have?


My thoughts: We follow another Poirot's case. This time an actress declares out loud how she would like to kill her husband, who didn't want to give her a divorce in spite of them living apart. When he shows up dead, it isn't difficult to blame the actress, however she has an alibi. But, as always, not everything is how it seems and Poirot takes over the case. Once again, the author does an amazing job leading us through a number of clues, making us doubt of our own opinions as to the real guilty.

Book Title: The Thirteen Problems
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from Amazon.co.uk): On Tuesday evening a group gathers at Miss Marple's house and the conversations turns to unsolved crimes: the case of the disappearing bloodstains; the thief who committed his crime twice over; the strange case of the invisible will; and the death-bed message that red "heap of fish".

My thoughts: Some of the enigmas were of easy resolution, but what I liked most was the narrative aspect of this book. A group of people, that gathers to spend a good evening, try to solve crimes. Every element of the group tells a story, in which was involved or have the knowledge of, being the only one who knows the end of it. The others have to discover the truth. It was a different but interesting way of using the little grey cells and put to practice what everyone knows about human's nature. I'm starting to like Miss Marple.

Book Title: A Caribbean Mystery
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from book cover): "Would you like to see a Picture of a murderer?" So asks a stranger of Miss Jane Marple while she is vacationing on luxurious St. Honoré. Before she has a chance to answer, the mystery man vanishes, only to be found dead the following day. Now Miss Marple is asking the questions: What happened to the curious photo? Why is the hotelier prone to nightmares? Why doesn't the most-talked-about guest, a reclusive millionaire, ever leave his room? And why is Miss Marple fearing for her own life?

My thoughts: I'm not a fan of Miss Marple, but I couldn't leave to be read another book by the Queen of Crime. As the other books I've read by her, with the exception of the previous one, it left me guessing who was the killer until the end of the book.

Book Title: The A.B.C. Murders
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from book cover): "Mr. Hercule Poirot – you fancy yourself, don't you, at solving mysteries that are too difficult for our poor thick-headed British police? Let us see, Mr. Clever Poirot, just how clever you can be." Was the anonymous note a brilliant challenge or a crackpot hoax? The answer ia as loud and clear is a woman's scream – precisely that of Alice Ascher, a shopkeeper in Andover bludgeoned to death on the job. Next to her corpse, a clue that's as simple as ABC. Alphabetically speaking, the master Belgian sleuth suspects it's now a matter of one down, twenty-five to go...

My thoughts: Contrary to other books by the same author, this one didn't impressed me much, although it had a very nice beginning, not only due to the letter Poirot receives, but also, for having at times a parallel story to the one told by Hastings. However, this one didn't surprised me, since I figured out who was the killer somewhere in the middle of the book.

Book Title: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from book cover): Introducing Hercule Poirot, the brilliant – and eccentric – detective who, at a friend's request, steps out of retirement – and into the shadows of a classic mystery on the outskirts of Essex. The victim is the wealthy mistress of Styles Court, found in her locked bedroom with the name of her late husband on her dying lips. Poirot has a few questions for her fortune-hunting new spouse, her aimless stepsons, her private doctor, and her hired companion. The answers are positively poisonous. Who's responsible, and why, can only be revealed by the master detective himself.

My thoughts: I've already read this book a couple of years ago, so I picked this book up thinking this time the genius of Agatha Christie, master in leading us through clues that keep us away from the real killer, wouldn't be able to deceive me again. But it did! The story is so beautifully weaved and written that, just like Poirot does to Hastings, Agatha presents us new clues every now and then that put in doubt what we took for granted before, making us suspicious of everyone.

It's amazing how she can use the written word. She does really have the skill of diverting the readers' attention from the small details with big revelations through the story, which in the end come to nothing. Strangely, I think it is exactly what would happen if we, readers, would find ourselves in such situation in real life.

In few words, Agatha Christie is simply a genius!

Book Title: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: mystery
Rating: 4/5

Summary (from book cover): Dr Henry Jekyll's friends are horrified by his acquaintance with the vile and villainous Edward Hyde. Jekyll seems unable and unwilling to escape the clutches of this man, whose crimes and appetites become ever more unspeakable. But what terrible secret gives Hyde his power?

My thoughts: Although it's a very tiny book, it took me a long time to read it. The rhythm is somewhat slow, it doesn't have that many situations, spinning mostly around the question "who is Mr Hyde and how does he have so much power over Dr Jekyll?" This is revealed on the last chapters, the most interesting part of all and which leads us to question the dual nature of Man. The last chapter is really magnificent, showing both natures fighting each other: one part wanting to satiate all his appetites, taking advantage of is 'other half' being a respectable man and, that way, be able to delude the society who pursues him for his crimes; the other, trying to hide (the key word!) those appetites and try to mend the crimes committed by his 'evil side', without having a friend to share the burden exactly for fearing society.

Book Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: mystery
Rating: 3/5

Summary (from book cover): The always unflappable Sherlock Holmes solves the world's most baffling puzzles with the able assistance of Doctor Watson. Mysteries of disguise, madness, red-headed members' clubs and missing thumbs must all be untangled – and the only woman to ever beat the sleuth must be faced.

My thoughts: After reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, which was a deception to me, I've tried to give Sherlock Holmes a new chance to get into me. He didn't succeed.

This book contains short stories telling the adventures of Sherlock and his loyal friend Watson, who narrates them as memoirs. Just like in The Hound of the Baskervilles, I have to point out the clichés and common places (maybe this is on purpose (?) since Sherlock mentions, several times, the common places on the crimes he has investigated) of the stories, which ends didn't surprised me. For moments I even felt more clever than Sherlock, mainly on the first case (the story with the only woman to beat Sherlock), which I don't think it should happen. Much that I like to make my own assumptions and get to the right conclusion, I also love to be surprised and I don't care if I'm dumber or more stupid than the main character, like what happens with Agatha Christie's stories. I don't mind the author keeping something to himself/herself, only revealing it at the very end and getting me by surprise. That doesn't happen with Sherlock Holmes.

It's just not for me.