I Only Read Murder - Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson

Oh. my. gosh. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud. But brothers Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson did just that - many times over with their new book, I Only Read Murder. 

Miranda Abbott played a crime busting, karate kicking Pastor for many seasons on television. But, the offers are few and far between now. When a cryptic postcard arrives, she is sure things are on the upswing, so she happily packs her bags and heads to the small town of Happy Rock.

Here's the thing - Miranda still sees herself as a star. Her perceptions, actions, dialogue and certainty that she is still fodder for the gossip columns is priceless. "But no one recognized her, or if they did, they were too intimidated to approach." 

Happy Rock is home to a large cast of quirky characters - all who could be found in the pages of a book. There are many characters but its very easy to remember who's who. Again, the interactions and dialogue is so very good. Much more laughing from me! 

One of townsfolk is the owner of the local bookstore - that only sells murder mysteries. The one passion that the entire town has is their beloved yearly play. Hmm, could a role in it be a comeback for Miranda? And then, a cast member is killed. On stage. or And no one saw who did it. Perhaps Miranda's Pastor Fran skills, combined with the the knowledge that can be gleaned from a murder mystery book, could be of use? Especially the cozy mystery tactics!

The authors have excelled at weaving every facet of a cozy mystery into their homage - amateur sleuths, small town, quirky residents, misdirection, every player one is a suspect, no sex, overt violence or profanity. Instead it's a comfortable, entertaining, light hearted and truly very funny read. An easy five stars.

This is the first in a planned series. This reader can't wait for the next entry. See for yourself. Read an excerpt of I Only Read Murder. 

harpercollins.ca  Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for a review copy of I Only Read Murder. This in no way affects my review. 

The Retreat - Elisabeth De Mariaffi

The Retreat is Elisabeth De Mariaffi's newest novel. The locked room premise is a favourite of mine, so I was eager to check out The Retreat. 

Maeve has taken herself to an arts retreat high up in the Rockies. She was a prima ballerina, but with a failed marriage, two children and an aging body, she has now has her sights on having her own ballet company. The two week retreat will give her inspiration and help her plan. 

The choice of profession for the protagonist was quite different. As Shakespeare said..."Though she be but little, she is fierce." The six other staff and visitors in residence are quite the varied cast. There's something off about each and every one of them. And Maeve feels the tension right away. Personally, I would have turned and ran. But she stays...and an avalanche ensures that no one is going anywhere in the near future. The dead body is definitely going anywhere.

With the avalanche cutting the group off, the murderer has to be one of them. The first bit of the book was a bit slow for me. But the action picked up after the murder and kept racing forward from there on to the final pages. This is the bit I enjoyed the most. De Mariaffi has ensured that the reader will suspect everyone right down the final pages. I did find the murderer's 'why' to be a bit of a stretch. And as much as I thought I should, I never really bonded with Maeve as a lead character.

The Retreat was a good read, but not a standout for me. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Retreat.

The Chestnut Man - Soren Sveistrup

I love the cover of  Soren Sveistrup's new novel The Chestnut Man. Those few black strokes conjure up something ominous... And then I discovered that Sveistrup was the creator and screenwriter of The Killing - a show I really enjoyed. And I knew I was a for a really great read!

A killer is on the loose in Copenhagen. His signature? A small little man made of chestnuts and matchsticks left at every murder. Forensics makes a startling discovery - the  fingerprint of the daughter of a high ranking politician is on each one. Trouble is - she's been missing for a year.

Great premise and I was hooked. But what makes or breaks a great premise are the protagonists. I'm happy to say that Sveistrup has created a great pair in Detectives Thulin and Hess. Thulin is a single mother balancing parenting and detecting. She's tough, intelligent, happy to work on her own and doesn't suffer fools. But that's what she fears she's been paired with when she inherits Hess from Europol. He has messed up there and until things are cleared, he's assigned to partner with Thulin in the Major Crimes Division in Copenhagen. But, really Hess just wants to coast until he can get back to Europol - where he also coasts along. This pair reminded me a bit of the two detectives in The Killing. Seemingly polar opposites. But as things progress, they grudgingly start to work together. I really enjoyed this pairing - and hopefully they cross paths again in another novel.

Their work is cut out for them. The case is hindered by politicos and complicated by multiple suspects. Just when I thought I had sussed out the killer was, another possibility popped up. I quite enjoyed being led down the garden path. And I have to say, I was surprised by the final answers. Well done. (Which I really appreciate as I read a lot of mysteries).

The ending has a nice little gotcha that opens things up for a possible follow-up. A wonderfully dark and gritty read for those who love Scandi noir (puts hand up). See for yourself -read an excerpt of The Chestnut Man.  (And on a side note, Netflix is making a series based on this book).

Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz's latest release - Magpie Murders - is well, simply brilliant! The writing is so very, very clever. Mystery fans - this is a must-read for you - especially if you love Agatha Christie style mysteries!

An unnamed narrator warns the reader about Magpie Murders in the first few pages..."As far as I'm concerned, you can't beat a good whodunnit: the twists and turns, the clues and red herring,s and then finally, the satisfaction of having everything explained to you in a way that makes you kick yourself because you hadn't seen it from the start. That was what I was expecting when I began. But Magpie Murders wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all. I hope I don't need to spell it out any more. Unlike me, you have been warned."

Well, who could resist such a warning? Not I! I settled in with delicious anticipation - and was rewarded. You see, Horowitz has written a novel within a novel. Our narrator starts reading a period murder mystery set in the 1950's in Britain. "...the golden age of British whodunnits with a country house setting, a complicated murder, a cast of suitably eccentric characters and a detective who arrived as an outsider." That outsider is Private Investigator Atticus Pünd. (Who will call Hercule Poirot to mind) This book kept me enthralled for over two hundred pages - then we go back to our narrator on page four. (who turns out to be the author's editor) And discover that there is a mystery to be solved in the present day. But we're left on tenterhooks, awaiting the reveal of the final whodunnit of the 1950's book.

Confused? Don't be - the novel reads seamlessly and is so very, very addictive. I've tried to say much without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, that Magpie Murders is highly recommended - easily one of my favourite reads this year. Read an excerpt of Magpie Murders.

I received this book from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.