Books from the Backlog - The Man From the Train

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The Man From the Train: The Solving of a Century Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James

Blurb:  Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.
Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station.

When celebrated baseball statistician and true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn, they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America.

Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:   I've bought several historical true crime books but need to actually try reading them.  

Death at a Scottish Christmas - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery #3) by Lucy Connelly

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt.

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed the first two books in this series.

My Impression:  I've very much enjoyed this Christmas-y murdery read!  Em is getting used to her life on Sea Isle and is excited to experience her first Christmas.  Of course there's a murder and since Em is the coroner as well as the local doctor she's pulled into the mvestigation.  

I loved revisiting the community of Sea Isle.  I love Abigail and Tommy and the group of friends that Em has created.  I think even if there wasn't an intriguing mystery at a fast pace I would still want to read it as I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them interact and watching their lives slowly evolve.  I also really liked that Ewan wasn't as in charge as he normally is.  He's not a person used to having things outside of his control so added a bit to his character.

The mystery was a good one and kept me guessing.  I enjoyed following Em as she investigated and ran tests.  I also really like how a lot of the investigating is done in sounding board style with characters discussing theories.  

This is a good cozy mystery with the amateur-ish sleuth and the small town community feel but it never slid into quirky territory which I think would make it a great series for all mystery fans even if they're not a fan of cozies. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're a mystery reader you should definitely try this book!  Like most series I think it will be more enjoyable if you start from the beginning but you can definitely start with this one.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Was Assigned to Read in School

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books I Was Assigned to Read in School.  I didn't really have much assigned reading in college as my degree didn't require many literature classes so I'm having to really dust off the shelf and go back to what I was assigned to read in high school.  I read a lot more than the ten mentioned here but these are the first that come to mind for various reasons.

1.  Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - I'm not sure whose brilliant idea it was to have a bunch of 17 year olds read this stream of conscious novel but it was not a good one.  I never did figure out what was going on and have zero interest in giving it another try.  Have you read it?  Should I reconsider?

2.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I really enjoyed this one even at 16.  It helped that my teacher that year was fantastic and did a great job discussing Austen's use of social satire and whatnot.  

3.  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I did not have such a great teacher this year (I was 15 maybe?) and thoroughly detested this one.

4.  Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner - I'm not a big Faulkner fan and this one especially didn't work for me.  I don't think I've ever been so confused by what was going on.  I remember reading the Cliff Notes for this one and even they were confused by the book.

5.  Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - This was another one I read at 17.  I feel like senior year was World Lit for us?  I'm sure I missed quite a bit of subtext but I did enjoy this one fairly well after I got used to the fact everyone has about 6 names.

6.  Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert -  I question having a bunch of 17 year olds read this one as well.  I remember the teacher not really wanting to discuss it but that wasn't necessarily connected to the subject matter but more on the fact that she enjoyed assigning far more than she enjoyed discussing regardless of the book.  I liked this one but I'm sure I would get way more out of it now.

7.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I enjoyed this one quite a bit at 14 though I remember getting quite bored with Janes trials and tribulations.  

8.  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - I've reread this one several times and saw it in play form since reading it at 14.   I enjoyed this one so much then that I sought out more books by Steinbeck and enjoyed them all with the exception of The Pearl which was assigned later on.

9.  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - This one had the opposite effect of the book above.  I hated this one so much that I refused to read anything by Dickens for decades and finally just read A Christmas Carol (which I loved) in the last few years.  I did retry this one but am still not a fan.  One day I'll try more Dickens.

10.  Mill on the Floss by George Elliot - I remember enjoying this and that it was depressing but nothing else about it.  I really should reread it.

What did you read in school?

Blue Christmas Bones - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Blue Christmas Bones (A Sarah Booth Delany Mystery) by Carolyn Haines

Rating:  Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends can’t help falling in love with Christmas this year, which they plan to spend celebrating the King of Rock n’ Roll at the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo. The main attraction is an Elvis impersonator competition, drawing impersonators from all over the world to honor the king.

But before the revelry can get underway, a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of a belt once worn by Elvis is stolen from its display case, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are roped into one of the biggest heists in the history of Mississippi. Soon suspicious minds are lurking around every corner, with one eyewitness even claiming to have seen Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s long deceased and highly questionable manager, prowling around the festivities. Sarah Booth will have to find the devil in disguise or she might just end up singing Jailhouse Rock herself.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:   The blurb looked really fun and I've been wanting to try the series for awhile.  

My Impression: This is a long running series so since I'm coming in now I'm a bit on the back foot with understanding the relationships and getting up to speed.  It took me a bit longer to get into this book - whether because I'm new to the series or just because the start was slow I can't say for certain.  However, once I got into the story I did really enjoy it.  

This is an ensemble cast with Sarah Booth being the primary focus.  She seems to be haunted by a young woman named Jitty who shows up sometimes to help and sometimes to cause general mischief both of which are pretty fun.  The mystery of the stolen belt gets going pretty quickly and more than a few people have strong motives to steal it - not just for its value but to get revenge against the owner or its creator.  Neither of the two have made many friends or inspired much loyalty.  

This book has a fairly sizable cast and it did take a bit for me to get everything figured out but I did enjoy the read overall.  I have zero interest or knowledge about Elvis or his music but despite that I did find the discussion of him and his music interesting.  Despite the slowish start I did enjoy the read and getting to know the characters.  This is a series I'm looking forward to reading from the beginning.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would!  I'm looking forward to going back to the beginning of the series and getting to know all the characters

Would I Recommend this Book? If you like quirky Southern cozies this was a fun read and looks to be a promising series.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Ordeal by Innocence - Classic Mystery Review

 Goodreads:  Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:   According to the courts, Jacko Argyle bludgeoned his mother to death with a poker. The sentence was life imprisonment. But when Dr. Arthur Calgary arrives with the proof that confirms Jacko’s innocence, it is too late—Jacko died behind bars following a bout of pneumonia. Worse still, the doctor’s revelations reopen old wounds in the family, increasing the likelihood that the real murderer will strike again.

Genre: Mystery - Classic 

Why I Picked This Book:  This was the September pick for the 2024 Read Christie challenge

My Impression: If I remember correctly this was one of the books that Agatha Christie herself was the most satisfied with and I can see why.  As seen in a number of her books Christie likes to experiment with the pyschology of guilt and the ramifications for the people around the murder.  In this book she shows what happens when the easy solution isn't actually the solution.  Two years after the murder of Rachel Argyle and the death of her adopted son Jacko who was in jail for her murder it is proven that Jacko was actually innocent of the crime.  

Over the previous few years the Argyle family had come to terms with Jacko's guilt and was breathing a sigh of relief as Jacko was never an easy person and always involved in someting shady.  And now that Jacko is proven innocent the family has to start side eyeing each other - who actually killed Rachel Argyle that night.  Each family member has motive and opportunity but which one actually did it?  Rachel Argyle is the type of victim Christie often uses - an overbearing mother who means well but never actually listens to the people she's trying to help.  This always allows for an interesting mix of motives and feelings of guilt and resentment.  I really liked each of the kid's stories and how they came to live with the Argyle.   

I remembered how this story played out but that didn't stop me from being completely pulled into the story and feeling invested in watching the story play out.  I can absolutely see why Christie enjoyed writing this book so much and why she was the most satisfied and I so enjoyed my reread.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I'm really looking forward to The Mirror Crack'd which is the October pick.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  This is a standalone mystery so none of Christie's usual detectives make an appearance.  This is an interesting mystery with a bit of an interesting perspective.  

Friday Fives - Five Short Reviews for Series I'm Currently Reading

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I'm working on catching up on series and decided to put a few reviews of them all together here.

1.  Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates - Lucy and Connor are married!  And while the wedding went smoothly and the reception was a good time (with the exception of a few unwelcome plus ones) but the aftermath proves a bit bumpy when a missing wedding guest is found dead in a closet.  The mystery was fun and I enjoyed seeing Lucy and Connor start to settle in newly married life.  I did guess the killer before Lucy but I didn't guess the motive and it was fun getting to the reveal.  This is an enjoyable cozy mystery series with a fantastic bookish setting.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  The Solace of Bay Leaves by Leslie Budewitz - This series is just getting better.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one and loved spending time with Pepper as she tried to untangle the mystery of who would have wanted to shoot her friend Maddy, how that could connect to the murder of her friend's husband several years before, and how did the new chef get his hands on another chef's proprietary spice blend.   This was a fun read with lots of enjoyable day in the life scenes as Pepper runs a business, takes care of her hope, interacts with those around her, deepens her relationship, and has some pretty yummy tasting food.  The unraveling of the mystery kept me engaged and I enjoyed the book from beginning to end and I'm already looking forward to visitng Pepper at her Pike Place Market shop again soon.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

3.  Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell - I do love some ghosts with my cozy mysteries and especially when home renovation is involved.  Mel has taken over the running of her family's renovation business and discovered that she can talk to ghosts to add a bit of chaos.  Now she has the option to bid on a job partly because of that ability.  This is a fun series with a good group of side characters and a dog.  There's also a bit of home renovation with the focus on history and old history all of which makes me happy.  This wasn't the most memorable of mysteries but it is one I enjoyed and is a series I'm looking forward to continuing with.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

4.  Jane Austen's Lost Letters by Jane K. Cleland - I fear this is the last book in this series as it came out in 2021 and there has been nothing else heard from Josie.  That said, if the series must end this was a pretty good place to end as we get to see more of Josie's life on the tv set and there are some fairly major developments in her personal life.  The mystery was a good one and really focused on the world of antique appraisers which I enjoyed.  I did miss seeing more of the day to day running of Prescotts but I suspect the author was gently showing that Josie career has gone past the day to day bits.  I enjoyed this series - some books more than others - and am a bit sad to see the end of Josie and her friends.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries and are fascinated by antiques this is a series that I think you would enjoy.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  Letal Licorice by Amanda Flowers - In this second book of the Amish Candy shop series and Bailey King is not only getting used to life in Ohio but is competing an Amish Candy Competition.  But pretty quickly things go a bit haywire.  Not only is Bailey's entry in the competition controversial but there's also a missing pig and a murder.  I'm really enjoying this series.  I love all the candy references as well as Bailey's relationship with her grandmother.  The Amish vs English issues are interesting and a bit different than the usual cozy controversies.  The mystery was interesting with a bit of a surprising end.  I did feel a bit sorry for Emily, Bailey's assistant for the competition, as Bailey kept running off to investigate leaving Emily with quite a bit of heavy lifting with the competition.  I'm looking forward to book 3.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - The Berlin Letters

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

Blurb:  Near the end of the Cold War, a CIA code breaker discovers a symbol she recognizes from her childhood, which launches her across the world to the heart of Berlin just before the wall comes tumbling down. November 1989 —After finding a secret cache of letters with intelligence buried in the text, CIA cryptographer Luisa Voekler learns that not only is her father alive but he is languishing in an East German Stasi jail. After piecing together the letters with a series of articles her grandfather saved, Luisa seeks out journalists Bran Bishop and Daniel Rudd. They send her to the CIA, to Andrew Cademan—her boss. Luisa confronts Cademan and learns that nothing is a coincidence, but he will not help her free her father. So she takes matters into her own hands, empties her bank account, and flies to West Berlin. As the adrenaline wears off and she recognizes she has no idea how to proceed, Luisa is both relieved and surprised when a friend shows up with contacts and a rudimentary plan to sneak her across the wall. Alternating storylines between Luisa and her father, The Berlin Letters shows the tumultuous early days of the wall, bringing Berlin, the epicenter of the Cold War, to life while also sharing one family’s journey through secrets, lies, and division to love, freedom, and reconciliation.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I have really enjoyed the other books I've read by this author and this sounds fantastic!