Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie 4

 

"The mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small."

      -Hercule Poirot, attributed to philosopher Sextus Empiricus

I had not read an Agatha Christie novel in some time, and I was looking for Christmas stories, so this one called my name. I have read 3 other mysteries by this very prolific author and seen film versions of a few others, and they do seem to follow a pattern. A murder and numerous suspects with motive and twists and turns of plot.

Wealthy and aging Simeon Lee has called his family together for Christmas at his mansion, Gorston Hall. The gathering included 4 sons and their wives and a Spanish-born granddaughter. When on Christmas Eve, the deceptive old man is found brutally murdered in a locked room, it falls to Chief Constable Colonel Johnson, Superintendent Sugden and Hercule Poirot, who just happened to be in the vicinity, to solve this shocking crime.

The circle of suspects includes the family members mentioned above plus a few servants of the manor---valet, butler and footman. After the discovery of a diamond theft and the revealing of a few family secrets, Poirot puts his "little grey cells" to work to point out the killer. 

I enjoyed the book, rather a page-turner and a rating of 4.

The quote I began with is mentioned more than once in the novel. In case you aren't familiar with the quote, here is what I found on Wikipedia:

The phrase "the mills of God grind slowly" conveys the idea that while divine justice may not be immediate, it is inevitable and thorough. 

One hopes this is true.

Twice by Mitch Albom 4

 

"Twice. I get two shots at everything. The thing is, I have to live with my second try. There's no going back. Over the years, I have found this to be the price that I pay for this gift."          -Alfie, from the novel

I selected this book because it was on the Best-Seller list and I recognized the author's name. It turns out I have not read others by this author, but I think I will now. I am rating it a solid 4--easy to read and an entertaining story but hard to "suspend disbelief." I guess the genre is magical realism---not a favorite of mine.

The quote above gives a big hint about the plot. Alfie Logan has inherited a gift from his mother and grandmother. He can "do over" events in his life. In the course of the novel, he does this several times. I found it hard to wrap my head around the concept.

The story begins in Nassau with Alfie's arrest for cheating a casino out of millions. Detective Vincent LaPorta is interviewing him at intervals through the book. Alfie doesn't have much to say, only a composition book which he has kept like a diary, and which he reads or has LaPorta read. These are flashbacks for the reader to understand Alfie's life, especially his almost life-long love of Gianna Rule, and his unique ability.

The reader must keep guessing as to whether Alfie cheated the casino or not. And I'll not tell....

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb 5

 

"You hoped we would cease our fighting for Christmas Day. Well, much to my shock and that of all the other men, my commanding officer called a truce for the day. We crawled out of our holes, the Germans too, and shared a biscuit or two sent from home, or a smoke. Evie, to lay down our arms and shake hands with the Germans like comrades---I can't describe how incredible it was."   

            -Thomas Harding, 1914, from the novel

I found this book just after experiencing an opera called "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914." The truce was a very small part of the novel, but I selected the quote that referred to the same event as the opera.

This book is epistolary which means the story is told through a series of letters, telegrams and the like. Another such novel is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows which I read several years ago and loved. I adored this one, as well. It gets a 5 rating. 

In 1914 Thomas Harding goes to war along with good friend, Will Elliott, brother of Evelyn Elliott, an almost lifelong friend of Thomas. The three Brits continue correspondence for much of the book, particularly Evelyn called Evie and Thomas called Tom. Evie also writes to her friend Alice on nursing duty in France. Other correspondents are family members and work associates. It is amazing how vivid a story can be when told in this way. I actually found it a page turner.

I forgot to mention the Prologue set in 1968 when Tom is an ailing octogenarian heading to Paris for Christmas with his caregiver to fulfill a promise. The story flashes back to this setting a few times and the Epilogue, 1969, fills in some blanks in the story.

Last Christmas in Paris is thoroughly researched, extremely well-written and a captivating story. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

All Things Christmas by Melissa Hill 3

"What is it about life that we are all always so eager and willing to line up for the next race? When the one we'll never, ever win is that which we run against ourselves."

     -Cathy Moore, from the novel

The Moore family of 5 have celebrated Christmas together for many years in Dublin. After the death of Cathy, the mother who has held it all together, grief, stress and quick tempers drive the siblings, Romy, Matt and Joanna apart.

Their first Christmas without Cathy will certainly be different but somehow, they all make the effort to be home for their dad, Bill. Feelings are still raw but the discovery of Cathy's journals urging them to continue the holiday traditions leads to healing.

I selected this book because I wanted a Christmas story. It was interesting enough, but I was put off by the poor editing of the novel to the point that I was thinking a 2 rating, but the plot kept me reading and I decided a 3. I felt the title was odd, having little to do with the story. Probably will not look for another by this author.

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown 4

 

"Death is not the end. There's more work to do, but science continues to discover evidence that there is indeed something beyond all this. That message is one we should be shouting from the mountaintops, Robert! It's the secret of all secrets. Just imagine the impact it will have on the future of the human race."    

        -Katherine, from the novel

I was very excited to find Dan Brown's newest novel at my small local library when it looked like I might wait months for the public library to have one available. What I didn't pay attention to was the length---671 pages! I don't really like tackling more than 450. I thought I might never finish but then it became a page-turner, and I was racing toward the end.

This was another thriller featuring Robert Langdon, a renowned symbologist. Here he travels to Prague accompanying Dr. Katherine Solomon, a noetic scientist who has been invited to give a lecture about her trailblazing work on human consciousness. The two long-time friends have become lovers so when Katherine disappears and her completed book manuscript is stolen from the publisher, he sets out to find her. In the process he finds plenty of trouble!

I am rating this novel a 4. Descriptions of landmarks in Prague made me wish I could visit. The story was compelling, the writing was excellent but the subject matter was more than a little beyond my comprehension. Examples of what I've called psycho-jargon: deep spectrum panoramic displays, fractals, neural plasticity, anterograde amnesia, eidetic memory, photolithograph, nano electric biofilament, dissociative identity disorder and numerous others. All of these relate to Solomon's work: noetics, defined as "of or relating to the mind."

Add into this intellectual stuff a mysterious "monster" and some nefarious experimentation by foreign powers and you definitely have another gripping novel by Brown. I can't say much more without revealing secrets.