REVIEW: The Affair at the Bungalow

 The Affair at the Bungalow
Author: Agatha Christie

The Affair at the Bungalow is the 12th story of 13 tales told by the Tuesday Night Club. Half of the stories were told by the group at their Tuesday night meetings and the rest related around the table at a dinner party. Each member of the group relates a strange or mysterious occurance, and the rest of the group has to guess the truth behind the matter.

The stories are short, quick mysteries. Nothing fancy or elaborate. Christie published these stories in magazines in 1930, and then they were collected in one volume, The 13 Problems, in 1932. 

The Affair at the Bungalow is the final story told by the group at the dinner party. This time, the tale is told by the actress in the group. She relates a story about a playwright, a jewelry robbery, and mistaken identity. This story had a little bit of a different twist to it. Fun! Very entertaining! 

I read the story in my copy of Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories while listening to an audio version with Joan Hickson narrating. Hickson played the elderly sleuth in the Miss Marple television series. She does such a great job reading the short stories! Hearing her voice again makes me want to rewatch the series! 

Only one more Tuesday Night Club story to go! The final story is called: Death by Drowning. Can't wait! 

REVIEW: The Herb of Death

 The Herb of Death
Author: Agatha Christie

The Herb of Death is the 11th out of 13 stories featuring Miss Marple and the Tuesday Night Club. The story was first published in Story-Teller magazine in 1930 and included in the short story collection The 13 Problems in 1932. 

I love these little quick mysteries by Christie! She has been my favorite author since I was a little girl and fostered my life-long love of mystery novels. Before now, I only read her novels. I never delved into her short stories. These early Marple stories are just short snippets (like the earliest Hercule Poirot tales) meant to propose a problem and get quickly to the solution. Just a sort of showcase for the character of Miss Marple. So, the stories have no character or setting development or any real build to a climax. They are just one-minute sort of mysteries....just enough there to show how wonderful Miss Marple's mind can be. :) Fun to read! And the idea of a group of friends gathering to share strange stories is intriguing. One person tells a story....and the rest of the group have to figure out the truth of the matter. Wouldn't that make for a fun twist on the Murder Mystery night sort of party? 

This time it's Colonel Bantry's wife who tells her story.  It's quite an intriguing story of accidental poisoning. Did the cook accidentally mix foxglove in with the greens at dinner? 

I was curious so I looked up foxglove. It really is quite poisonous, but I don't see how those leaves could be mistaken for salad greens. I would suppose if you cut it up small and mixed it in with fresh herbs or some such that it could lurk un-noticed. It was quite a scary thought of it growing in among the the edible plants where it would be unknowingly mixed in the food for an entire supper party. Yikes! 

Great story! I read it in my HB copy of Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories while listening to an old audio version recorded by Joan Hickson. Hickson played the senior sleuth in the Miss Marple television series from 1984-1992.

Just two more Tuesday Night Club stories to go! The next story is: The Affair at the Bungalow.

REVIEW: A Christmas Tragedy

 A Christmas Tragedy
Author: Agatha Christie

A Christmas Tragedy is a Miss Marple short story first published in 1930. The story was originally titled The Hat and the Alibi when it first appeared in the Story-Teller Magazine. In 1932, A Christmas Tragedy was published as part of The 13 Problems, a short story collection featuring all the stories told by members of the Tuesday Night Club. The Tuesday Night Club is a group of friends, including Miss Marple, that met on Tuesday nights to share mysterious or unusual stories. One member would share a story and the others would try to figure out the truth behind it. Or, rather, Miss Marple would figure it out....

These stories are very short. They focus only on the bare details and the reveal. There is very little character or setting development. But -- and this is important -- there isn't meant to be any. The purpose of these short stories is to introduce a mystery or unusual circumstance....then quickly get to the reveal. Agatha Christie published many of these short tales in detective and fiction magazines. Smart marketing move on her part! The short stories got people interesting in her characters, which helped her sell more novels. These tales were never meant to be fleshed out short stories....just short snippets to showcase Miss Marple. A hook for the book, so to speak. Both casual readers and Christie fans will have a much better time reading these in that light. Don't expect anything more than a quick one-minute mystery from these early short mysteries (both the ones featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple). These 13 stories featuring the Tuesday Night Club were later woven together into a story collection, The 13 Problems. Christie just added in a bit of segue here and there, then published the stories in book form for her readers who hadn't read them in the magazines. 

I wish I could see a copy of even one edition of these old detective magazines that ran her stories! I have seen an illustration here and there, but never a full copy. It would be so much fun to see what else ran in these issues, the advertisements, the other writers who were included, the page layouts, etc. :) 

A Christmas Tragedy is the 10th story featuring the Tuesday Night Club. The group is gathered at a dinner party, sharing tales of crimes and other unusual happenings. Miss Marple tells a story this time about a tragedy she witnessed at a spa. 

For me, this is another fun story showcasing Miss Marple's keen insights into human nature! I read along while listening to an audio book version narrated by Jean Hickson who played the elderly sleuth in the Miss Marple television series. Very entertaining! 

It does make me wonder though if Christie pulled any of these little stories out of her own experience? Maybe she knew a gossipy tale or two of murders, disappearances or robberies....made a change or two....and let her fictitious detectives have a go at the solution?? :) 

Moving on to the next short story -- The Affair at the Bungalow!

Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old and bought a box set of Hercule Poirot novels at a garage sale. After that summer spent reading those 5 novels, I have had a love for her classic mysteries. I always wanted to read everything she wrote, but back in the day living in a very small town in the middle of nowhere (too small to even have a book shop!), it wasn't easy to get ahold of some of the books. I couldn't even get an exhaustive list! Now with my kids raised, book shops within easy reach and the internet, I'm on a mission -- Agatha Christie's works...all of them....in publication order. Having so much fun!! :) I'm taking my time....going down rabbit holes to research little tangents when I want....and backtracking when I make a mistake in book order....just having a great time! 

REVIEW: The Four Suspects

 The Four Suspects
Author: Agatha Christie

The Tuesday Night Club members are sitting at a dinner party relating strange and mysterious stories, when the conversation switches to unsolved or undiscovered crimes. The group finally turns to Sir Henry Clithering who is a former Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Do crimes ever go totally unpunished or undetected is the group's main question. Sir Henry gives his answer by telling a story about a murder that had four suspects. All could be guilty....but only one suspect did the deed. The truth of the deed has to come out, or all four suspects will live under the shadow of perceived guilt. Can the Tuesday Night Club ferret out the truth behind Sir Henry's story?

The Four Suspects is the 9th story about the Tuesday Night Club, a group of friends that gather to share stories about crimes or mysterious happenings. One member tells a story....and the others have to figure out the truth. The stories are short with little in the way of character or setting development. This is by design. The stories are meant to be simple, quick one-minute mystery sort of tales. 

The Four Suspects was first published in 1930 in the Story-Teller Magazine in the UK and Pictoral Review in the US. It was later included in the short story collection, The 13 Problems. 

I listened to an audio book version of this story read by Joan Hickson who played Miss Marple in the television series from 1984-1992. I like listening to the story while I read....makes it more enjoyable to hear the right accents and correct pronunciations of any foreign words or place names. So I listened to Joan read while I read from my HB copy of Miss Marple: the Complete Short Stories. 

Another entertaining quick mystery featuring Miss Marple! I'm loving these stories! 

On to the next: A Christmas Tragedy! 

REVIEW: A Christmas Carol (audio)

 A Christmas Carol (audio)
Author: Charles Dickens
Narrator: Tim Curry

A Christmas Carol has been my favorite classic book since I was a child. I have several copies of the book on my shelves, and multiple movie variations. When I saw this reading of the book by Tim Curry listed on Audible, I just had to listen to it! Short of finding a time machine and speeding back through the years to attend a reading by Dickens himself, I cannot think of a better narrator than Tim Curry for this wonderful book about giving and redemption.

The audio is unabridged and runs just a bit over 3.5 hours. Tim Curry gives an awesome performance! I listened through the Christmas holiday, and was thoroughly entertained!

This book remains my favorite. I usually re-read the book every year, but ran out of time this year. I'm not sorry that I had to resort to audio to get my re-visit accomplished by Christmas day this year....in fact, I think I will listen to this performance again and again! 

God Bless us, every one! 

REVIEW: The Companion

 The Companion
Author: Agatha Christie

As 2020 closes, I am still on my mission to read all of Agatha Christie's writing in publication order. It has been a goal of mine for decades. With the advent of lovely things like the internet, ebooks, info websites and online bookshops, I am finding it so much easier to acquire her books, short stories and plays than it was in the 1980s when I first started collecting her paperbacks. It was a losing battle back then, as I was from a small town with no local book shop, UK titles were not readily available to me and I had no way to get an exhaustive list of all of her writing. Today, I have the time (all kiddos raised but one) and the ability to research (ahhh the blessing of the internet!)...so I have been having a glorious time working my way through all that is Christie! :) 

Before now, I never really read any of her short stories. I'm finding I really love her short works just as much as her novels. I thoroughly enjoyed her first stories about Hercule Poirot. I find her introduction of the character to the public through short stories printed in detective magazines to be marketing genius. Give them snippets...get people reading...then give them novels. Smart! I have now worked my way into the days where lovely Miss Marple joined the literary party. I'm currently reading my way through thirteen stories about the Tuesday Night Club, which were later gathered into a short story collection called The Thirteen Problems (1932). The Tuesday Night Club is a group of friends (including Miss Marple) that started meeting every Tuesday night. Each member told a story, and the group had to guess the final outcome or the truth behind the tale. After they had all told a tale, the stories branched out to tales told around the table during a dinner party. They are all simple, short and marvelous!

The Companion was first published in 1930 in the Story-Teller Magazine in the UK and in the Pictoral Review in the US. It's the 8th story told by the Tuesday Night Club. Told by a medical doctor, the story relates the tale of a drowning victim. 

Very enjoyable short story! It's a bit longer than some of the other tales and very entertaining. I listened to an audio book version of this story while reading along in my copy of Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories. The audio copy I found is read by Joan Hickson who played the sleuth in the television series Miss Marple. Great performance!

On to the next story: The Four Suspects!

REVIEW: The Cat Caper

 The Cat Caper
Author: Molly Fitz

Angie Russo has become accustomed to her finicky feline sidekick. She's gotten used to Octo-cat talking to her....used to his demands for her time and attention....used to his demanding to only drink Evian and eat Fancy Feast in his special bowl. He's a big part of her life....

And, he's missing. 

The Cat Caper is the 5th book in the Pet Whisperer, P.I. series. Someone has taken Octo-Cat, and Angie is determined to get him back. The case will lead her ask for help from some unexpected sources...but she's willing to do anything to get her bestie back!

I enjoyed this book! The plot is engaging....there's some nice character development...and some new characters I hope come back in later books. Fun read! I enjoy the mix of humor and sleuthing. Angie is a capable main character. Nan is a rock. And, Octo-Cat is snarky but lovable. 

I'm definitely going to keep reading this series. Always entertaining and fun!

REVIEW: Dog Eared Delinquent

 Dog Eared Delinquent
Author: Molly Fitz

When Angie Russo's boss, Bethany, hires an annoying slacker to "help" Angie with her workload, it kicks off a chain of events Angie could never have expected. Not only does she discover more about how she gained the ability to talk to her cat, but also knowledge that some people are totally not what they seem.... 

Dog Eared Delinquent is the 4th book in the Pet Whisperer P.I. series. I love Angie as a main character and Octo-Cat is just wonderfully snarky and entertaining. This book took the series for a bit of an unexpected detour....but I enjoyed it. (If you don't like stories that contain magic or paranormal situations, then skip this one. It won't hurt your enjoyment of the series to just jump to the next book.)

There is a lot of investigation in this one -- but no murder. This story goes completely another direction. It was a nice surprise! 

As with most cozies, the plot is not overly complex, but had enough twists and entertaining moments to keep my attention from beginning to end. I didn't a lot of the situations that cropped up for Angie and her feline sidekick this time. 

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Ann Richardson, the audio is about 3 hours long. It was an easy, entertaining listen as usual. I like Ann's voice. She reads at a nice pace and does a great job voicing Angie, Octo-Cat and all the other characters. 

All in all, a fun (and very different) addition to the series! 

It appears that I have run out of audio books for this series. I listen to a lot of books these days due to problems with my eye sight. But, I like this series enough to put on my very strong glasses and enlarge the type size on my kindle to read the next book -- The Cat Caper! Can't wait to find out what's coming next for Angie and Octo-cat! 

REVIEW: Death at a Country Mansion

 Death at a Country Mansion
Author: Louise Innes

Daisy Thorne is a hair stylist. Not typically someone who jumps into murder investigations. But Daisy also has an interest in forensic psychology. Her after work studies actually come in handy when her best friend's mother is found dead in her country home. The deceased was a very flamboyant diva -- a former opera star who definitely made an impression on those around her. But...who wanted her dead??

This first book in the Daisy Thorne mystery series actually caught me by surprise. I expected the usual simple cozy set in an English village, but the plot actually had a lot going on. There were several twists and turns I didn't expect. The mystery moves along at a nice pace. I liked the village and the local characters. Daisy is an intelligent and interesting main character. And the plot had more going on than most cozies. 

Great start to a new series! I will definitely be reading more!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: A Serpent's Tooth

 A Serpent's Tooth
Author: Craig Johnson

Things are going just fine in Absaroka County. It's nearly time for the Homecoming football game. Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear have been asked to attend the game because their former jersey numbers are being retired. It's a small town fall....until a boy from a nearby Mormon sect wanders onto the scene looking for his mother. She has disappeared. When the case starts getting larger, crossing state lines and becoming much, much more than just a missing person's case, Longmire finds his life and the lives of his deputies are in danger. 

I love this series! It is definitely one of my favorites. I love the setting, the characters, the lore and culture that Johnson weaves into his plots -- I love it all. I loved it so much I even watched the television series (several times in fact) and didn't complain when they deviated from Johnson's characters and plots. It was like getting an extra dose of Longmire on top of the books. This is a series where I have the physical books on my keeper shelf all lined up in a row...matching editions. And I also listen to the audio books through my local library because George Guidall brings the stories and characters to life. 

This story has a lot of character development moments, some bizarre twists and turns, and just plain weirdness. Normally, I might have raised an eyebrow and thought to myself that there is no way that people would actually behave this way or do these things. But.....after 2020.....and the things I have seen and witnessed people doing, saying and believing.....I just embraced the weirdness and went with it. Great story as usual! 

Full stars from me -- I love the Longmire series! 

REVIEW: To Hold Up the Sky

 To Hold Up the Sky
Author: Cixin Liu

I wanted to read The Three-Body Problem. But, the waiting list for the book at the library was MONTHS long. I still haven't gotten access yet! With my book buying budget pretty well dead in the water due to 2020 and it's continuing calamities, I'm still waiting in line for a digital library copy. Luckily, this collection of short stories popped up for review. I jumped on it immediately! 

I read through this collection of eleven short stories slowly, and then read them all again. Wow! Liu's writing combines Chinese culture and hard hitting science fiction. His work is not an easy read -- this is hard science fiction -- but these stories are wonderful! I still want to read one of his novels though. After finishing this story collection, I think I will dedicate a portion of my meager book buying budget to buy a copy of The Three-Body Problem. 

This collection was not a quick read for me. I enjoy savoring short story collections. I read carefully, especially when it's science fiction. Oftentimes, I end up researching actual technology or science topics after reading a really good sci-fi short story. This collection was a deep read for me. I ended up doing side reading on all sorts of tech and Chinese culture, politics and history. Very interesting! 

This is my first delve into Cixin Liu's writing. I want to read more! Excellent science fiction! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Tor Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Big Kibble

 Big Kibble:The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry
Author: Shawn Buckley, Oscar Chavez, Wendy Paris

Did you ever wonder what is in the big colorful bags of pet food lining the pet aisle of every major grocery store chain? I come home every two weeks with a big blue bag for my cats and a big yellow bag for my dogs. Happy looking pets adorn the fronts of both bags, with lovely charts about nutrition and wanting the best for fuzzy companion(s). My pets are set in their ways. I have tried multiple times to switch them to "better'' brands of food...and they won't eat it. I tried mixing it with their fav food.....I tried cold turkey. I tried everything. Nope. They want the blue bag and the yellow bag. So I bring home the same brands every time. 

But what is actually in the food? And how is it made? Is it really good for my pets?

When I saw the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it. And, I'm not going to lie -- this was a difficult read for me. The authors don't pull punches when they hit their message home -- pet food is often filled with less than savory ingredients that are not the best choice to feed our furry buddies. I already knew that basic premise...but this book filled in a lot of facts I was not aware of. 

The authors talk about the history of pet food, what goes into pet food, and that it's an industry that generates $75 billion in revenue. The pet food industry is poorly regulated and very brand driven, with a handful of companies pretty much running the show. The book focuses on dogs specifically, touching on basic nutrition for dogs, what foods can safely be eaten by dogs and the basics of cooking for dogs or otherwise supplementing or replacing their kibble-based diets with better choices. 

This book is interesting, although quite distressing in places. And the authors make sure to stress that their advice and information is not meant to replace the input of reader's local veterinarian. This is definitely a must read for anyone who owns dogs, especially when there are frequent reports about dogs dying from badly manufactured pet food, factory mistakes, dangerous ingredients in treats or other problems. Some of their recommendations are just not going to ever happen -- like tax deductions for pet owners -- but I do see where they are coming from. 

I'm glad I read this book, even though I found some of the information hard to read. It is amazingly distressing what goes into pet foods. Yuck.