Mystery Book Club at the Ligonier Valley Library

"Murder, Mystery and Mayhem" Book Discussion Group

Reader's Choice Summer Picnic
September 16, 2007

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (4-Stars) - reviewed by Janet
When renowned opera conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room, the victim of cyanide poisoning, Guido Brunetti, the Vice Commissario of the Venice police, must sift through several suspects.

Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker (4-Stars) - reviewed by Susan
Rescued from an orphanage by Will Trona, a politician, Joe is swept into the maelstrom of power and intimidation that surrounds his adoptive father, but when Will is murdered and Joe hunts for the killer, he learns of his father's many secrets.

The Old English Peep Show by Peter Dickinson (2-Stars, but funny) - reviewed by Linnea

Miss Julia Strikes Back by Ann Ross (3-Stars) - reviewed by Linda
Miss Julia discovers that her Princess Diana ring replica and other jewelry pieces have been stolen, and she packs up Little Lloyd, Etta Mae Wiggins, and an inebriated private investigator in order to catch the thieves in Palm Beach.

Skeletons by Kat Wilhelm (4-Stars) - reviewed by Barb
Drifting without direction through college, Lee Donne house sits for her grandfather in Oregon, but in the wake of a strange death and the discovery of disturbing photographs, she comes to fear her family may be connected to the Ku Klux Klan.

Still Life by Louise Penny (3 ½ - Stars) - reviewed by Louise
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bow hunter. From publisher description.

Simple Truth by David Baldacci (3 3/4 - Stars) - reviewed by Emma
Mike Fiske and Sara Evans, clerks for the Supreme Court, are trapped in a struggle that links a convicted murderer, serving a life sentence in a Virginia military prison, to the Court.

The Book of Air & Shadows by Michael Gruber (4-Stars) - reviewed by Ann
Desperately typing out the details of a case that puts him at the center of a deadly conspiracy, intellectual property lawyer Jake Mishkin recounts how a bookstore fire led to the discovery of the whereabouts of one of the most valuable historical items in the world.

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (3-Stars) - reviewed by Rita
Unconvinced that a former convict and millionaire philanthropist has been murdered by his suicide victim ex wife, detective inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Mary Mary, battle internal politics while uncovering a plot involving money laundering, bullion smuggling, and asylum seeking titans.

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde (4-Stars) - reviewed by Rita
A second installment of the satirical Nursery Crime series that began with The Big Over Easy finds Jack Spratt, having been demoted for his poor judgment during the Mr. Bun poisoning, pursuing leads about the disappearance of star reporter "Goldy" Hatchett, whose case is bizarrely related to the Gingerbreadman serial killer investigation.

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (4-Stars) - reviewed by Kathy
"These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests. Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a long standing physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that Sir Edward has been murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers the damning paper for herself, and realizes the truth."

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton (3-Stars) - reviewed by Robbie
Finding a killer becomes an all too personal quest for Kelly Flynn when she returns to Colorado from Washington, D.C., to uncover the truth about the death of her beloved Aunt Helen, turning to the knitting regulars at the House of Lambspun for a few lessons in knitting and in capturing a murderer.

Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton (4-Stars) - reviewed by Robbie
When Kelly Flynn takes a group of tourists to visit Vickie Claymore's alpaca farm, she is greeted by a dead body and must unravel the truth in order to bring a clever killer to justice.

The Enemy by Lee Child (4-Stars) - reviewed by Rose
Former army cop Jack Reacher finds himself questioning the instincts that made him an elite soldier when his latest case forces him to choose between obeying the law and becoming a renegade.

RATINGS: 1-5 Stars (5 being the best)

Book Descriptions mainly from NoveList