Women of Mystery

[vamysteryfan]

All mysteries by women this time.

Small Plates: Short Fiction by Katherine Hall Page. This was an enjoyable set of short stories. Most of them featured her series character Faith Fairchild. Faith gets out of the kitchen, which broadens the scope of the stories. Some of the plots were really ingenious and the secondary characters all likable. My favorite was “The Two Marys,” the longest story that also closes the book.

The Alpine Yeoman by Mary Daheim. I’ve read this series from the beginning and we’re now up to #25. I always wonder what will happen to the alphabetical mysteries (Kinsey Milhone!) when they use up the letters. This book does require some familiarity with the series. The author finally tied up Emma’s relationship with Milo, which was a long time coming. The secondary characters have been developed all along, so the relationships would be confusing if you haven’t been following. I wish she’d spent a little more time on the mysteries and less on the domestic scenes. But it was still a fun read.

Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron. This was a good entry in the Deborah Knott series. It was family-heavy, lots of relationships I had trouble keeping track of. There were some very cute family scenes as well. The resolution of the mystery pressed one of my “don’t like” buttons – the secret that is no secret. But I do like her characters and her sense of place. I loved the auction house side story.

By Its Cover by Donna Leon. Not the best in the series but still enjoyable. Brunetti’s Venice is full of venal politicians and corruption. He enjoys his family and makes a stand where he can. Any booklover would be incensed by the crime solved here – selling pages out of books and entire books from libraries. I was a little surprised by the second culprit but I shouldn’t have been. As always her descriptions are exquisite.

The Night Searchers by Marcia Muller. I’ve gotten back to enjoying her books. Her main characters change and grow in natural ways. I wasn’t totally convinced by the way the two plots came together but that’s a minor quibble as both were interesting. I like the way she uses the Internet in her stories. No super-techs, just honest depictions. She captures San Francisco so well too. Sharon has been around a long time, maybe even longer than Kinsey. I’ll look forward to more.