Amos Fortune free man by Elizabeth Yates 4

 

"You'd set all the world free if you could, wouldn't you, Amos?"    Violet

"Just the part of it that I can touch. That's all any man can do."     Amos

This book won the coveted Newberry Medal in 1951 so I knew it would be special. It was written for youth, but the story is universal. I am not exactly sure of the genre---biography, maybe fictionalized? It is based on an actual man who became known as Amos Fortune.

At-mun was prince of the At-mun-shi people in Africa when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Boston as a 15-year-old. Fortunately, he was chosen by a Quaker man who treated him kindly. Renamed Amos by his owners, he learned quickly, worked very hard and rose above his sad beginnings. He would finally purchase his freedom at age 60 and then proceeded to save his earnings to purchase two wives who did not live long and a third, Violet, along with her daughter, Celyndia, who became a great support in their home in Jaffrey, NH. 

Amos became a very well-known tanner and was respected by the community in spite of the prejudice toward blacks at the time. He continued to buy freedom for and help many people before he died at the ripe old age of 91. (Illustrated by the quoted conversation above.)

An inspiring story of resilience and generosity! Rating: 4

Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1

"Hateread--to endure a book in order to write a scathing review." I recently learned this term from Dictionary.com. Sadly, that is what I was doing while reading Our Man in Havana. I believe I read another novel by this author years ago and liked it. This one however was awful. I read some 40% and had no idea what was going on! I decided life is too short to keep reading a book I hated. A rating of 1. (You may notice I found no quote worth sharing!)

While looking for an image to include I saw a summary. Maybe if I had read that ahead of time the story would have made more sense, but I doubt it!

Heartwood by Amity Gaige 4

 

"Some lost people don't have the skills but instead they have something else. I don't know what to call it. Heart. They survive because of their love of life or of the dear ones in their mind. They stay present. They keep their eyes open. Often when these people are rescued, they report feeling a sense of wonder out there. For the moments they had left. For the privilege of being alive at all."         

           -Lt. Bev Miller, from the novel

Heartwood is the Page Turners' May selection. I am not sure I would have selected it, but it was a page turner, a fast-paced thriller. I am giving it a 4 rating.

Three main characters alternate their experiences in moving the plot. Lt. Beverly Miller is the Maine State Game Warden in charge of the search for a missing woman who has disappeared from the Maine portion of the Appalachian Trail. It is a race against time to rescue her.

The missing woman is Valerie Gillis who is writing a letter to her mother which is actually like a diary. She was to meet her husband at a certain location but failed to show up. A member of the "tramily" (trail family) had to leave her and she is alone and lost and without means of communication.

Lena Kucharski is a 76-year-old woman living at Cedarfield Active Life Plan Community in Connecticut when she finds news of the missing woman and becomes fixated on the search. I found her interesting because I am close to her age and live in such a community. She writes about her scooter, the slowness of her neighbors (She wishes for a fast lane.), ladies who are into jigsaw puzzles and other things I see quite often where I live.

It was rather fascinating how the stories of all three women come together. The one thing I didn't like was the somewhat choppy writing style.

At first, I had a hard time getting into this story. I am not a true outdoor person so 'lost in the woods" is something I find hard to imagine. My husband, on the other hand, once dreamed of hiking the AT, as it is called in the book. I fondly remember reading My Side of the Mountain when I was teaching 5th grade. Lt. Miller mentions having read the novel in her youth.

I wonder what our group will have to say about Heartwood.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 4

 

"If all of this amounts to you as nothing more than drivel, then you might also consider a simpler value of the written letter, which is, namely, that reaching out in correspondence is really one of the original forms of civility in the world, the preservation of which has to be of some value we cannot yet see. The WRITTEN WORD, Mr. Watts. The written word in black and white. It is letters. It is books. It is law. It's all the same. I had some notion of this from as far back in my life as I can remember, and I've been writing letters out into the world since I could form a sentence with a pen (age nine).

                    -Sybil Van Antwerp, from the novel

The Correspondent was highly recommended to me by a close friend, and I had seen it near the top of the Best Seller list for quite some time, so I figured it had to be special. This was the third book I have read lately in the epistolary style; the plot is revealed in letters written by and to the main character.

In 2012, Sybil Van Antwerp is turning 73 and experiencing a vision problem that will ultimately leave her blind. She is a divorcee, a retired attorney, an avid reader and prolific letter writer, thus the title. She is also wrestling with guilt from events in her past.

She writes letters, emails, and notes to, and receives responses from, her brother, her best friend, her neighbor, a suitor, a young man she is mentoring, and favorite authors, among others. It is fascinating to see how an author can establish a plot purely through correspondence. I am rating the book a 4. I loved the references to authors and books, some of which were familiar to me. I could empathize with Sybil since I am near her age and suffering my own infirmities. I thought it was not realistic that so many people in the 2000's would be writing letters, especially a next-door-neighbor. It does seem like a lost art, which is somewhat unfortunate.

Sinning Like a Christian by William H. Willimon 4

 

"If I were making a list of Deadly Sins, Greed would be at the top of my list. Maybe this is just personal, or maybe it is the result of living in this society. We tell the world that we go to war in the Mideast to bring freedom and democracy, whereas much of the world is convinced it's all about oil. Greed has a way of turning everything that's gold into dross. As James Ogilvy says, 'Greed turns love into lust, leisure into sloth, hunger into gluttony, honor into pride, righteous indignation into anger, and admiration into envy. If it weren't for greed, we would suffer fewer of the other vices.'"

       -from Sinning Like a Christian

Our pastors chose this book to inspire a series of Lenten studies. Since I would not be attending the classes, I purchased the book and took my time reading it, maybe a chapter a week. I found it easy to read, very interesting, even enjoyable. My rating is 4. The author shows his considerable knowledge of the Bible, quoting scripture as well as a number of theologians and philosophers on the subject of sin. He presents his commentary in a non-preachy, unthreatening way, He frequently includes some humor, often self-deprecating.

The subtitle of the book is A New Look at the 7 Deadly Sins. I liked the quote above because it lists all the 7 Willimon covers and shows how Greed is often the root cause of the other 6. I regret I didn't get to attend the classes at church to see how it was presented. 

Beach Music by Pat Conroy 5

Here is my post from August, 2017. I have just reread the novel and will add comments at the end.

"Once I was a wide-eyed captive of those times and there was no twelve-point program to wean me off the addiction to drivel I succumbed to during that dreary era of the Vietnam War. The greatest tragedy of that war was not the senseless death of young men on strangely named battlefields, but that it turned the whole country stupid overnight. It also made enemies of the closest group of friends I had ever known."
                                    -Jack McCall, from the novel

At 700+ pages, I thought I would never finish this one but I was determined to get to the end! I believe  it actually could have been about 3 novels. I am a huge fan of Conroy and this one did not disappoint. It definitely rates a 5 from me.

The protagonist is Jack McCall, a young father, who suffers the tragic loss of his wife to suicide and takes his daughter to Rome to live. He feels he is justified in leaving his home of Waterford, South Carolina, and the rest of his family behind. He seems to be trying to escape from the pain and hide from the past. When he receives word that his mother is dying of leukemia, he makes his way home where he must come to grips with many emotions he has tried to stifle.

Conroy is a storyteller extraordinaire and captivates with horrifying narratives of the Holocaust told by secondary characters of his parents' generation and descriptions of the 1960s and how the Vietnam War affected him and his peers. (See quote above) Even the flashback story of a fishing trip with his high school buddies---a trip gone very wrong---is quite intense.

Conroy is a gifted writer. I am in awe of his sometimes poetic descriptions of the Low Country that is so familiar to him personally. The chapters were long which I don't always like but it was a true page-turner, just the same. The abusive fathers of this story are reminiscent of characters in other Conroy novels and touch on autobiographical details of his own father (The Great Santini). Also the main character, Jack McCall, is a food critic and cookbook author and loves to cook. Conroy has also written a cookbook, The Pat Conroy Cookbook, and in South of Broad, protagonist Leo enjoys being chef for his friends just as Jack does in this novel.

I have yet to read all Conroy's work but I am getting there!

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Second reading, April, 2026

As a big fan of Conroy's writing, I decided to reread this book. It didn't take long to realize it was SO LONGGG! Once I started reading though, I found I couldn't stop. I had forgotten so much of the plot (and subplots!) and I am so taken with Conroy's writing, I wanted to keep going. I think it took me 3X as long to read as most other novels.

At any rate, I am still rating it a 5. No need to say more; I would just be repeating myself.

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick 4

"Now we truly felt like family. I remembered that the first day we'd arrived, Zanhua had recoiled when Marsha tried to hug her. But now the two women had a long embrace, celebrating their collaborative motherhood. I wished that they could have really talked to each other about their lives and frustrations as young women, their sacrifices. And yet they seemed to intuit what they had in common. I thought I might have detected a tear in Zanhua's eye at saying goodbye again to her daughter."

           -from the author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

I doubt I would have selected this book to read; my nonfiction choices are rare. It was selected by our Page Turners for April and although it wasn't exactly a page-turner, I am glad I read it. My rating is 4.

The subtitle of the book is very revealing of the context: From China to America, A True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins. When Zanhua and her husband had twin girls they were aware of the single-child policy established in Communist China in 1979. In fact, they had already been fined for having multiple children and so they decided to give one twin to relatives, hoping to hide her from the Family Planning Police. Unfortunately, it worked only briefly and the little girl, Fangfang, is ripped from her aunt's arms and taken to a government facility. From there she would be adopted while still a toddler by an American family and end up with them in Texas.

One reason for my 4 rating is that I learned a great deal about Chinese history and culture. I knew a bit about the one-child rule (lifted in 2015, by the way) but not how children were stolen and basically sold to families who thought they were saving an orphan but not realizing the harm that was done to loving Chinese families.

Our book group gave the book an average of 3.9 and we had a very interesting discussion. Some of us, including myself, had personal stories of adoption to share. A few had been in China and shared experiences. We agreed the author's research was thorough and her reporting was honest. She certainly was the catalyst for the reunion of the twins as teenagers. I believe most of us were glad we read the book.

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen 3

 

"...that it made no sense whatsoever to throw ourselves into the middle of an ocean crawling with U-boats on a quest to find a monster that probably didn't even exist, especially as a way of proving his worth to people who were too ignorant to realize he was as honorable as any of them. We knew the truth. I knew the truth. It would be difficult, but together we could withstand the scrutiny until the war ended."

                        -Maddie's thoughts, from the novel

Water for Elephants by this author is one of my all-time favorite books. In fact, I've read it twice. At the Water's Edge did not measure up. It took me a while to get into the story, maybe because 3 young Americans going to Scotland to film the Loch Ness monster and become famous is pretty far-fetched. 

Ellis Hyde is driven to find and document the monster, partly for fame but mostly to earn his rich father's respect (and inheritance). He is accompanied by his long-time friend Hank Boyd and the two of them coerce Ellis's wife, Maddie, to go along. This Atlantic crossing will take place while WWII still rages. (see quote)

The three stay in an inn run by Angus Grant. While Ellis and Hank disappear for days at a time, Maddie becomes friendly with the help, Anna and Meg, and Angus. Maddie and the others soon find her husband is verbally abusive and the marriage is loveless.

I rated this book a 3---I liked it but didn't love it.

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory 4

 

"So blind people are still able-bodied, with full command of their intelligence and abilities; they just use alternative techniques on their journey through life. And sometimes those techniques can even be superior to the techniques of light-dependent people."   -Michael Hingson

The subtitle of this book is almost a summary: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. I can't say I really enjoyed this book, but I was educated by it. For that reason I gave it a 4 rating. Thunder Dog was chosen as our book club's March selection by a member who is blind and has a guide dog. I really look forward to hearing what she has to say about the book.

Author Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center, north tower, at 8:46 AM on September 11, 2001, that day that lives in infamy. The reader who experienced that terrorist attack only through television gets an up-close and personal perspective of the horror through Hingson's account. And it is so interesting to know the teamwork that helped him and his dog, Roselle, to survive an event that so many others did not.

I thought Hingson was a bit arrogant, but I guess his intelligence and self-confidence served him well, along with others he helped and encouraged. Roselle was very likeable!

Though it wasn't particularly entertaining, I am glad I read the book.

Bone Valley by Gilbert King 5

 

"This isn't simply a story about guilt or innocence. It's about what happens when the legal system locks itself into a version of events and refuses to let go, even when the facts no longer support it. Sometimes an injustice isn't the result of prosecutorial oversight, or bias. Sometimes it's something else---a calculated series of choices: quiet, deliberate, and capable of destroying a life."

    -Gilbert King, from the Prologue

This a true story of the worst travesty of justice I've ever known. In Lakeland, Florida,1988, 22-year-old Leo Schofield was accused of killing his 18-year-old wife, Michelle. He declared his innocence from the very beginning. He had an unprepared defense attorney, and they faced an unethical, or worse, prosecutor. The investigation was shoddy, critical evidence was ignored and there was a serious rush to judgement and even official misconduct. Leo was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. 

In multiple appeals, new prosecutors and judges seemed determined to uphold the guilty verdict regardless of any new evidence. Fast forward 30 years and Gilbert King hears Leo's story and along with an assistant Kelsey Decker begins his research into this perversion of justice. They would invest some 6 years on the project as Leo remains in prison being disappointed time and again.

I found this story gripping and all the more so as I got to know Leo. I've rated it a 5. I read King's Devil in the Grove, a Pulitzer winner, several years ago and it was a similar story of outrageous injustice in Florida. King mentions Bryan Stevenson's book Just Mercy which I have also read. All have made a lasting impression on me. Photographs at the end of the book make Leo's story even more personal.

This is like a true crime story but with a moral imperative. I couldn't help but think: what if the jury had recommended the death penalty? Totally different story!

Camino Island by John Grisham

"When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction - Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn."        -Nick Carraway, from The Great Gatsby

First Reading October, 2017

I guess I chose this book for our Page Turners to read in October because I have long been a fan of John Grisham, our group has not read any of his work and Camino Island was on the Best Seller list for quite a while. I am rating it a 3; I liked it but didn't love it. It is not the usual legal thriller that has earned Grisham an elite reputation as a novelist---not a courtroom in the story although there are a few lawyers, rather obscure characters. I have really enjoyed many of those earlier works especially A Time to Kill (his first?) and The Client. Perhaps I just didn't find any really likeable characters and for that matter, no insightful quotes, thus the quote from Gatsby.

To begin this novel 5 thieves plan an elaborate heist of original manuscripts by F. Scott Fitzgerald which are securely stored in the Firestone Library at Princeton University. It was interesting that our book club read The Great Gatsby, one of the stolen works, a few years ago and most of us didn't like it. Rather ironic since in this story the original is greatly valued.

There are stories of the thieves, a book store owner who collects and deals in rare books and a young woman author with severe writer's block interwoven into an interesting plot. Bruce Cable is the owner of Bay Books---New and Rare on Camino Island. Mercer Mann is the author reluctantly recruited to work undercover for the company who has insured the Fitzgerald masterpieces to help recover them.

Camino Island has been a big part of Mercer's past as she spent a great deal of time with her late grandmother, Tessa. They had been lovingly involved with Turtle Watch. The references to sea turtle protection reminded me of another book I read recently, Beach Music by Pat Conroy.

I'm guessing that Camino Island is a fictionalized version of Amelia Island, Florida, since it is described as a small barrier strip just north of Jacksonville. As a Floridian, I enjoyed the references to familiar places. I am not sure how I feel about main character Bruce Cable having attended Auburn University, where I studied for two years and became a fan. I really didn't like Bruce much.

In teaching students to write I often advised them to write about things they know and are passionate about. I believe Grisham should go back to his courtroom drama!
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Page Turners met today and voted an average 3.9 for Camino Island, votes between 5 and 3.  Most agreed the plot made it a page-turner. It was interesting that some liked the characters even though they weren't examples of moral behavior, by any means. I was surprised that one member compared Bruce Cable to Gatsby in Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Even though I had chosen a quote from that classic which refers to Gatsby, I hadn't thought of any similarity to Cable.

Part of our discussion centered around the ending---some were satisfied while others thought it was too hastily "wrapped up." Most members have read other Grisham novels and a few agreed with me that this one was disappointing.

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2nd Reading February, 2026

Since this was a Page Turner selection and since I read it almost 9 years ago, I reread it. I haven't changed my mind. Still a 3 rating.

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer 2

 

"And who'd hired Rupp to investigate Baker? Wass it the person Baker had stolen the money from? It was real easy to believe Rupp had taken on a drug dealer as a client. It seemed like a perfect skeezeball match, actually. But it still left the question on who'd killed Rupp and dumped him on Mrs. Highsmith's lawn. The big boss?"            -Mike, from the novel

I am glad this novel was a free selection because it would have been a waste of my money. It didn't do much for me, in fact I was happy to be done with it.

The murder mystery is told with two points of view: Lorraine Highsmith, an advice columnist with a mysterious past, and Micheala "Mike" Zenoni, the only female detective in her unit, always fighting for the respect she deserves. I found nothing to like about Lorraine right from the beginning, but I was rooting for Mike's success in solving the two murders, referred to in the title. Apparently, this is book one of a Lorraine Highsmith series. I guarantee I will not be looking for #2!

The revelation of the perpetrator was a big surprise but if I were you, I wouldn't bother. I was going to rate this a 3 until the ending where I changed my mind!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain 5

"I want you to get word to the king that I am a magician myself---and the Supreme Grand High-yu-Muck-a muck and head of the tribe, at that; and I want him to be made to understand that I am just quietly arranging a little calamity here that will make the fur fly in these realms if Sir Kay's project is carried out and any harm comes to me."

        -Connecticut Yankee Hank Morgan

I read this novel many years ago, but I remember being rather fascinated by it. It was no less intriguing this time through. Although it took me longer than it should have for an under-300- page book, I am so glad I reread it. Mark Twain was a master writer, in my opinion. His attention to detail and wit make his work enjoyable. The only drawback here was the old English which slowed me down, as well as very long sentences and paragraphs. I rate it a 5 on creativity and entertainment value.

A 19th century Connecticut engineer Hank Morgan experiences a severe blow to the head and is transported back to medieval times, to the realm of King Arthur. He is soon arrested and threatened with execution, but he realizes his strength is in knowing the future and pretends to be a magician and prophet. His first act is "conjuring" a solar eclipse, one that he knows from history is about to occur. The people, including King Arthur, are awed by his "ability." In fact, the King appoints him chief minister.

The "Yankee" is distressed at the total authority of both the monarchy and the Catholic Church and what was essentially a caste system. He sets about trying to make democratic reforms and industrialize the country.

An especially humorous part was when Arthur decides to travel the kingdom incognito with his chief minister. It is almost impossible for the "Yankee" to teach the king to act as a commoner!

The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister by Erle Stanley Gardner 4

 

"Sylvia Atwood sat in the client's chair in Mason's office. Her [green] eyes were fixed steadily on the lawyer now. There were no more flickering glances. She was regarding him as cautiously as a poker player appraises someone who just shoved a stack of blue chips into the pot."          -from the novel

I do like a good murder mystery, and I enjoyed the television series "Perry Mason" years ago, so I thought I'd give this novel a try. I didn't love it at first, but when the trial began, I could hardly put it down.

At start, a woman named Sylvia Atwood came to Perry Mason, attorney-at-law about an attempt to blackmail her father and ruin the family reputation. The perpetrator was J.J. Fritch, a known bank robber. There was a tape recording held by Fritch that would presumably implicate Sylvia's father in an illegal act. A private investigator named Brogan had offered to broker the deal for Ms. Atwood, so she sought legal advice from Mason.

When Fritch was found murdered, the race was on to find the killer, especially urgent when it looked like Sergeant Holcomb (not a nice guy) was suspicious of Mason. Eventually an unlikely suspect was put on trial, and it fell to Mason to defend the accused and reveal the real murderer.

I have rated this one a 4.

Nanaville by Anna Quindlen 4

 "It's a complicated relationship, being a good grandparent, because it hinges on a series of other relationship. It's an odd combination of being very experienced and totally green: I know how to raise a child, but I need to learn how to help my child raise his own. Where I once commanded, now I need to ask permission. Where I once led, I have to learn to follow."        -from the memoir

I enjoyed this book selected for January by our Page Turners committee. It reminded me so much of experiences with my 4 grandchildren. It was profound at times but quite funny in places, as well. My rating is 4.

The book's subtitle is "Adventures in Grandparenting." Here are some of Quindlen's points about that adventure:

A chance to love without "the thorny crown of self-interest."

"Most grandparents are tethered but not tied, connected but not compelled, except by choice."

"We have to be our best selves around our grandchildren."

"Reading connects us [with our grandchildren]. Always and forever."

"There are only two commandments of Nanaville: love the grandchildren and hold your tongue."

"Grandparents usually get the best-case-scenario kid, and even when they don't, their time together has a sell-by date. The parents return. The grandchild leaves."

Grandparents think they are supposed to spoil the grandkids but "parents aren't that wild about grandparents who indulge too much, because it sometimes makes them feel one-upped or disrespected."

All of these points rang true for me. My grandchildren are all grown, ranging in age from 31 to 19 so the book brought back memories.

It was interesting that the author as a grandmother would be called Nana---it is an anagram of her given name. 

When our group met, much of the talk was sharing of our own experiences with our grandparents and/or grandchildren. Most of us liked the book with ratings of mostly 3's and 4's.

I strongly recommend the book to grandmothers!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 5

"If nothing else, I hope these characters and their story shed some light on the sufferings and strength of the people of the Channel Islands during the German Occupation. I hope, too, that my book will illuminate my belief that love of art---be it poetry, sculpture, or music---enables people to transcend any barrier man has yet devised."

    -Mary Ann Shaffer, from Acknowledgments
 

The Page Turners Book Club read this book in 2010 and loved it. Fifteen years and over 150 books later, it is still the highest rated book---4.9 out of 5! When I read it then, I liked it enough to want to read it again at some point. I saw the film version recently and enjoyed it so much, I knew it was time to reread the novel!  I still give it a 5.

The novel is epistolary, a story told through letters, telegraphs, or other written communications. The main character is Juliet Ashton, an aspiring writer. She corresponds frequently with her publisher, Sidney Stark and his sister, Sophie, her close friend.

In 1946, just after WWII in London, Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a pig farmer on the island of Guernsey. He has found her name in a book of works by Charles Lamb and asks her how he can find more of his writing. She answers his letter and begins a correspondence in which he reveals he is part of a book club, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and describes other members of the group. Soon some of the others begin writing to Juliet, as well.

Juliet finds the stories of these letter writers compelling enough that she travels to Guernsey and falls in love with the place and the people, particularly a little orphan girl, Kit.

Through letters, the characters are developed beautifully, and the reader learns much about the horrors of the German occupation. It is easy to develop a fondness for most of the characters and, of course, silently cheer Juliet on in her quest.

I recommend this book highly. Maybe you could tell.

The Widow by John Grisham 5

"The grinding machinery of American justice was often slow to start, but once the disparate elements finally came together at one time and in one place---the courtroom---there was no stopping the train wreck."

      -from the novel
 

I am a fan of John Grisham; I've enjoyed many of his novels so it's not surprising that I found this book a page turner. 

While many of Grisham's legal thrillers involve a lawyer serving a client, this one features a struggling small-town attorney, Simon Latch, who is charged with murder in the death of his client, 85-year-old widow Eleanor Barnett. She had come to him to make a new will and indicated she had millions in stocks and no family unless you could consider two no-good stepsons, and she did not want them to be heirs to the fortune.

With the help of his well-known defense attorney, a former girlfriend who happens to be an FBI agent and a quirky denizen of the dark web, Simon must prove his innocence. This reader had a lot of empathy for Simon. He is not only facing the possibility of a long prison sentence but also a ruined reputation and great emotional damage to his family. The Widow is very suspenseful, and I am rating it a 5.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict 5

"Writers merely playact at detective work, resolving bloody crimes from the comfort of their desks and armchairs. What if we got our hands dirty and found an actual murderer? How could the male Detection Club members think us anything but eminently worthy? No one would dare slight us or question our place in the club then."
    -Dorothy Sayers, from the novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery which had been recommended in one of my book clubs. I give it a 5 rating.

In 1930 London, 5 well-known female mystery writers come together with the intention of joining the predominantly male Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers calls together the other 4--- Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, the Baroness Emma Orczy and Agatha Christie. Christie was the only one I really knew of, so I looked up the others to make sure they actually existed and yes, they did. 

The quote hints at what the women decide will help them get the respect they deserve from their male counterparts. They will try to solve an actual murder. They learn of the discovery of the body of a young English nurse found in France after her mysterious disappearance several months previous. The murderer has not been found, and it looks to the women, who have dubbed themselves the Queens of Crime, as if the investigation has been shoddy. They set out to solve the crime themselves, at first to prove a point, as I already mentioned, but as they get further into their research, it becomes more personal and they really want justice for May Daniels, the woman who was killed.

There are twists and turns in the story as there would be in any good murder mystery, making for a real page-turner. Benedict must have spent untold hours researching the personalities and work of these "queens of crime." I will, no doubt, look for other novels by this author.