I gobbled up several mysteries in April, getting through thirteen books in total. I have no idea how I had time to read them all but…

1. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
This is the first in a mystery series featuring 28-year old Isabelle (Izzy) Spellman whose family runs a private investigation firm. Fast paced and funny.

2. The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld
A mystery set around the real-life September 1920 bomb on Wall Street that killed 38 people and injured 143. Witnessing the blast are war veteran Stratham Younger, his friend James Littlemore of the New York Police Department, and Younger’s friend, a French radiochemist named Colette Rousseau. A fine mystery, second in the Stratham Younger series, but stands alone.

3. Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda
First in the mystery series featuring Jade del Cameron and set in 1920 British East Africa (Kenya). My review is here.

4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
This classic WWI tale is told from the point of view of an eighteen-year-old German soldier. His experiences, common to men on both sides of the conflict, make clear the horror of war. I read the illustrated edition which includes many period photos.

5. February by Lisa Moore
On February 15, 1982 the oil rig The Ocean Ranger sank in Canadian waters off Newfoundland. with all hands lost. February is the fictional account of one woman whose husband died in the disaster.

6. The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family by Peter Firstbrook
Firstbrook traces the history of the Luo tribe in Kenya, of which Barack Obama Sr was a member. The book details the life and character of President Obama’s father and grandfather. Interesting history.

7. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice: Or On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King
First in the mystery series featuring Mary Russell, a young English woman who meets her neighbor – a retired Sherlock Holmes, and apprentices with him to become a super-sleuth. If you like Sherlock Holmes stories, you’ll love this.

8. Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
Featuring Miss Marple and considered to be one of the best books written by this author. Great mystery and wonderful period piece.

9. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
An earlier Miss Marple story, slightly convoluted but still worthwhile.

10. They Do It With Mirrors (also published as Murder with Mirrors) by Agatha Christie
Another Miss Marple, with a slightly different flavor. You’ll solve it if you choose the correct paradigm – but therein lies the challenge.

11. In the Queens’ Parlor, and Other Leaves from the Editors’ Notebook by Ellery Queen
Behind the scenes observations on authors, publishing, plotting, naming and other mysteries of mysteries by Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay who wrote scores of mystery novels as the fictional Ellery Queen. First published in 1942 and updated several times, the last in 1957. Out of print, but I was lucky enough to get a copy on inter-library loan from Halifax. Loved it. (It’s available used on Amazon.)

12. The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette by R. T. Raichev
First in the Country House Crime series set in England. I knew from the second chapter what happened to Sonya on the day of the 1981 royal wedding of Charles and Diana. Kept reading, hoping for surprises, but there were none.

13. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen
First in the mystery series featuring Constable Evan Evans of Llanfair, Wales. A very good mystery with all the necessary clues and lots of red herrings. If you like M.C. Beaton’s Hamish MacBeth, you’ll enjoy this series. I’ll be reading more of Evan Evans.

Links for my Canadian readers

Evans Above: A Mystery

P.S. If you click through the affiliate links in the book titles, you may notice a different cover. I like to see the cover that’s on the copy I read – and it’s usually different than Amazon.com because they display the American release, and I read the Canadian. Again, the links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.