I have been having some brain fog issues off and on for the past several months, which could be due to either stress or perimenopause. (I've had bloodwork done and ruled out several other causes.) Because of this, I have been reading less than I usually do. (To be clear, I usually read 12-15 books in a month, including audiobooks.) I read 7 books in January and 6 in February. (I am aware that there are many people who don't read that many books in a whole year.) I've already read 4 books in March, though, so things are looking up! Three of the books that I've read recently have been detective novels that I'd like to share here. (To be completely transparent, this is for the Detective badge.)
Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt
I picked this book up for another badge (World Reading Day 2025, the monthly badge for March). The assignment was to read a book with dragons in it. I thought it would be fun to see if I could find a mystery with dragons and zero expectations that this search would be successful. Lo and behold (Lowe and behold?), Kim Watt has written a cozy mystery series that takes place in a small English village where there happen to be dragons. This is the first in the series. The vicar is poisoned and suspicion falls on the members of the Women's Institute, who also happen to know some dragons living near by. The dragons aren't about to let their friends be falsely accused of murder and so they team up with two ladies of the Women's Institute to find the real culprit.
This book was silly but a lot of fun. It reminded me of the cozy mystery shows on TV. In fact, I think it would be a great TV show. Lots of fun, quirky characters, including the dragons. Some really funny scenes that would be even funnier in a visual medium. It wasn't the most challenging mystery but I could tell that the author was trying hard to be fair play. Also, this was the first book in a series so we spent a good deal of time on set up. There are two more books in this series at this time and I bet they are equally fun to read.
The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes
I have long been a fan of the Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes. Last year, John and I started listening to them together. He is new to the series altogether and I haven't read the early books in a very long time. We were up to book four, The Dirty Duck, when (coincidentally) there was a prompt in the World Book Day badge to read a book with "duck" in the title. (I did also consider reading Duck for President, an excellent entry in the Click Clack Moo picture book series by Doreen Cronin.) We listened to the book on Hoopla, thereby probably costing my library thousands of dollars. (Just kidding, sort of. Google Hoopla and libraries if you want to know more about how much your Hoopla usage is costing your library.)
The plot centers around a tour group from the United States whose members are being killed off by what appears to be a poetry loving serial killer in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Richard Jury happens to be on holiday there, along with his friend, Melrose Plant, and they get dragged into helping out. Melrose's aunt Agatha is also present, providing a great deal of comic relief, although most of the usual gang from Long Piddleton are not present in this one.
I don't like to give away too much about plots, preferring to go in cold myself, so I will just say that this was a really solid mystery. We were guessing and second-guessing all the way to the end. Although the crimes are serious, the book never feels grim. I will also say that I could do without the romantic subplots of the main characters. It only adds unnecessary complications to the stories. I assume I am in the minority here, since I know that they will continue throughout the series.
Crooked House by Agatha Christie
I just finished listening to this yesterday. (I was listening on my own.) This is really one of Agatha's best books and, if any is needed, proof that she was NOT a writer of cozy mysteries. Again, I don't want to say too much. Aristide Leonides has been poisoned and the murderer must be someone in his family, all of whom live with him. (Aristide was 87 and the family that lives with him include two adult sons, their wives, and children. It's a weird setup, which the book acknowledges.) This mystery is top notch. The clues are fairly laid out and Agatha will fool you anyway.
I also enjoyed the glimpses of post-WWII life that we get and would have enjoyed hearing a bit more about that, actually. Sophia, one of the Leonides grandchildren, who is in her late 20s, has recently returned from serving overseas during the war and is adjusting to life at home, with no job. There are other books that focus on that more (There is a Tide goes into quite a bit of details about this.) so it makes sense that Agatha didn't dwell on it here. Plus, it wouldn't have been as interesting for her readers, as it was just how life was for them. They didn't need it explained or explored in the same way.
So there you have it. Three mysteries I recently read/listened to, all of which were enjoyable in one way or another.
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