A Trick of the Light

Finished January 21

A Trick of the Light by Ali Carter

This mystery is part of a series featuring painter Susie Mahl. Susie specializes in landscape painting, but also has quite a reputation for her pet portraits. Here, she is invited to be the teacher at a small class hosted by the owner of a highland estate. The estate's large house will not only be the location for the classes, but will also provide rooms for all the participants. The estate owner, Fergus, Earl of Muchton, and his wife Zoe have arranged the course and the registration of participants. There are two scholarship students as well. 

The estate is a large one, and the house is large too, with several wings. There are issues with electrics, and the heating isn't up to par. One of the wings is closed off. As Susie gets to know her students and observes the people around her, she falls into her usual habit of curiosity, trying to learn more about everyone. Susie has recently learned some upsetting news from her parents, who she is close to, and she has been ghosted by a man she thought she might spend the rest of her life with. 

There are some triggers for her which appear in the plot. 

I found the art information very interesting. She discussed a lot of techniques for painting and how to approach it, that I found useful. The author is a painter herself and it shows. The plot was interesting and many of the characters were intriguing although only the main character had real depth. 

This was a fun and enjoyable read that I also learned a fair amount from. 

The Blackhouse

Finished December 1

The Black House by Peter May

As always with May, I found so much more in this book than just the mystery. The main character here is Edinburgh detective Fin Macleod. Fin was born and grew up on the Isle of Lewis, one of the northernmost and remote parts of Scotland. Fin has been on leave for the past month after the death of his child Robbie. He is called in to be assigned a case, one that the computer system HOLMES has suggested him for. Earlier in the year, he had a case in Edinburgh that wasn't solved. Now a similar crime scene has turned up on Lewis, near where he grew up. 

The case takes Fin back to the island that he hasn't been to in years, since his maternal aunt died. It also takes him back to the people he knew then, the friends, the enemies, the people he loved and the people he hated. And it brings him back to the events that happened shortly before he left the island for university, ones that he still doesn't fully understand. 

Besides the very interesting character of Fin, this book acquainted me with the Isle of Lewis. The details of the landscape are drawn well by May, and provide a real sense of the island, as well as the lives lived there. There is also an event that happens annual that is specific to one village on the island and a small uninhabited island to the north. May relocates it slightly, but the event really happens and has its roots in antiquity. From at least the Iron Age, men from this village have been going each year to the small island and killing birds for food. They go for a couple of weeks, during nesting season and take birds of a specific age. The prepare the birds, plucking, burning off the pin feathers, and preserving them before bringing them home. The island is small and rocky, with precarious cliffs and only one landing spot for boats. There is an unmanned lighthouse with a small helipad, that is maintained a couple of times a year, and the island is otherwise protected by law. 

I found this particularly interesting, and after reading the passages in the book about this event, I found a video showing some of the real men who do this. It is fascinating. 

This book is dark and has much sadness in it, but it is also a book that brings people to the truth, and shows a community in all its complexity. A great read. This is the first book in a trilogy set around Lewis, and I look forward to reading the others.

Death of a Village

Finished February 28

Death of a Village by M.C. Beaton

This is part of the Hamish Macbeth series, set in the Highlands of Scotland. I have dipped into the series, reading them completely out of order. This is the 18th book in the series. 

There are quite a few plotlines happening in this one, making for a fast moving story. The village in question is a remote fishing village named Stoyre, in Hamish's beat. When he decides to go see it, as he hasn't in a while, he finds things very different. People are more quiet and seem very wary. There is a new preacher in town, and Hamish wonders whether he is a powerful speaker, as there seems to be a religious element to the situation. 

Another plotline is Hamish's love life, whether the local reporter Elspeth Grant is a possible love interest, or just an occasional partner in dealing with suspicious situations. 

There is also a local seniors home where one option for residents is to sign away their home for a place to be cared for. More than one local seems to have died shortly after moving in, and an older lady in his village elects to go in to see what is happening. She gets more than she bargained for, but finds an unexpected ally. 

As various other crimes are resolved by Hamish and he gets both media attention and accolades from his superiors, he worries about being promoted out of his comfortable life, and works to find a solution that will leave him where he is, but not jeopardize his job. 

As always, I enjoyed the various plots, and like how Hamish gets along with the various people in his village and isn't afraid to take on a challenging situation. 

Death of an Addict

Finished August 20
Death of an Addict by M.C. Beaton

This book is part of the Hamish Macbeth series. Hamish is a policeman in the small village of Lochdubh, responsible for a large area of the country around it. The nearest big town, and where he reports into, is Strathbane. Hamish has done well for himself, and turned down promotions several times as he likes where he lives and what he does.
Here, Hamish goes to see a crofter Parry McSporran that he knows is renting out cabins to see how it is going. Two of the cabins are on long lets, one to a young English woman environmentalist Felicity Maundy, and one to a young man Tommy Jarrett who is working on a book. The latter's name sounds familiar and Parry has him do a check to see if the young man has a record. He does have one for possession of drugs, and Hamish goes to talk to him and decides Tommy is being honest when he claims he is clean now.
The day after Hamish visits, Tommy is found dead, with suspicion of an overdose. This doesn't sit right with Hamish and he decides to dig a little, against the wishes of his superiors. His digging leads him to the drug world and has him going undercover with a young female officer, who is superior to him in rank.
As usual, Hamish is quite a character, a man who pays attention to details, but who is a bit naive at times. He gets in over his head a couple of times here, but he learns a lot and uncovers some criminal activity. Blair, the man he reports to in Strathbane is on leave as the whole thing begins and isn't pleased when he returns to discover Hamish is impressing their superiors once again.
As always I enjoy this series and Hamish.

Blue Lightning

Finished May 1
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves

This mystery featuring Jimmy Perez of the Shetland police, takes place on Jimmy's home island of Fair Isle. Jimmy is visiting his parents with his fiance Fran. It is her introduction both to the island and to his parents. The weather is gearing up for a storm as they arrive, and the flight in is a bumpy one.
A lighthouse station at the north end of the island has automated and been renovated into a field centre for studying birds and plants. The head of station is Angela, with her husband Maurice doing most of the administrative work. Angela's assistant is Ben, and the cook and housekeeper for the centre is Jane. This is not a busy time for bird watchers, but there are four staying at the centre as this novel begins, two men and a married couple. Maurice's youngest daughter from his first marriage, Poppy, is also there.
Jimmy's parents have planned a party celebrating his engagement, and booked the field centre with Jane catering as the venue. The party goes well, but when a woman is found dead at the field centre the next morning, and the storm has hit in earnest, Jimmy finds himself investigating alone, something he isn't entirely comfortable with. It seems like the suspects are limited to those at the centre itself, but Angela's past behaviour and competitiveness have Jimmy looking into many motivations to make sense of the crime. When a second body is found, he knows that the killer is desperate and he must move quickly to prevent further deaths.
This is the fourth book in the series and seeing Jimmy back in his home island is interesting. I like both him and Fran as characters, and found the island fascinating.

If Books Could Kill

Finished December 21
If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle

This is the second book in this serie, but the first that I've read. It's a light mystery, but not a cosy. Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder and rare book dealer. She is in Edinburgh to attend the city's book fair. She is doing a couple of workshops herself, and hoping to meet up with some old friends. After stopping for a quick refreshment to help her with the jet lag from her trip from the west coast of the United States, and a disappointment at the end, she meets up with a friend she hasn't seen in some time, Helen Chin. Helen and her were close until Helen's marriage to another book dealer, Martin. But now Helen says the marriage is close to over, and she's back to her old self, and involved seriously with someone new. They agree to get together later.
Brooklyn meets up with another previous acquaintance, but a less friendly one when she stops for a snack, and decides to get some fresh air. On her walk to reacquaint herself with the city, she is stopped again by another old friend, Kyle, who wants a favour. He has a rare book in wonderful condition, and wants her to help authenticate it. But the book is controversial and someone has already threatened him over it. Brooklyn agrees and takes the book.
When she and Helen stumble across Kyle's body on their tour that evening, Brooklyn can't help but connect it to the book he gave her. But she has more to worry about than the book, as it looks like Kyle was killed with one of her own bookbinding tools.
As the plot thickens, Brooklyn's parents and best friend Robin arrive, and get involved, as does the British man she is beginning to be involved with, Derek. Brooklyn can't help doing some sleuthing of her own as she tries to defend herself against the police's suspicion. But is she putting herself in even more danger?
Her family is quirky, but loving, and she has some interesting friends. Brooklyn is skilled at her profession, and that likely threatens some of the people who have taken a dislike to her. There is a lot going on her, and as Brooklyn gradually eliminates some suspects, she finds there is more to this than a historical scandal.

A Small Weeping

Finished July 21
A Small Weeping by Alex Gray

This was a new author for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery novel set in Glasgow. The main character here is DCI Lorimer and the case begins with the discover of a prostitute's body in an elevator in the railway station in the wee hours. The station is closed at this time of day, but the murderer appears to have avoided any of the cameras. She has been strangled to death and then placed carefully, with a flower between her hands, which are set as in prayer.
With little to go on, Lorimer asks psychologist Solomon Brightman (Solly) to assist by creating a profile of the killer. He has some ideas, but the case seems stuck until another murder occurs with the same positioning of the body. This time, the victim is a nurse at a private mental institution, and both the staff and the patients come under scrutiny.
The case focuses on the people in a big way, which I always find interesting and although the action mainly takes place in Glasgow, there is a lovely sidetrip to Skye.
There are some side stories here as well: the growing relationship between Solly and Rosie, the very competent pathologist; a visiting police officer from Florida, Lipinski, sharing methods and practices; and Lorimer's wife Maggie, a schoolteacher with dreams of her own.

Standing in Another Man's Grave

Finished August 1
Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin, read by James Macpherson

I hadn't read an Ian Rankin in years, but spotted this one that features Rebus and grabbed it. Rebus here is not with the police exactly. He is a civilian working for the police, specifically a unit that investigates cold cases. When he meets a woman, Nina Hazlitt, trying to link her daughter's disappearance years before with several other missing women, one of which is a new case, he becomes intrigued and listens to her story enough to request the case files for the earlier women. All disappeared along the A9 highway.
With what he has learned, he approaches the detective on the current case, who just happens to be an officer he worked with closely, Siobhan Clarke, to convince her to explore the link between these old cases and her own. Not to mention get him involved back on a current investigation.
But Fox in the Complaints department also has his eye on Rebus, and notes his relationships with supposedly retired crime boss Ger Cafferty, and current crime boss Frank Hammell, who is also linked to the latest girl to disappear.
I like the way music, lyrics and song titles play roles in these books, and this one has several instances of that. I also like the way Rebus relies on his instincts and finds ways to prove that those instincts are spot on, even if it means breaking the rules. Rebus truly cares about the victims and pushes himself to try different approaches to a case. Seems like there is hope for more from Rebus after all.

Light read

Finished April 22
Death and the Lit Chick by G.M. Malliet
This mystery takes place at a mystery writers' conference in Scotland. Staying at Dalmorton Castle, are a publisher, several authors, agents, and a Cambridge DCI who is scheduled to speak at the conference. When the trendiest, and most successful of the authors is found dead there is no shortage of suspects. DCI St. Just is on hand and joins with the local authorities in solving the case. I was quite enjoying it until the scene where all suspects are brought together and each's reasons for doing things are fleshed out. That felt forced, awkward, and unnatural. The rest was good and an enjoyable escape read.

Suspenseful Audiobook

Finished September 25
Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride, read by Stuart MacBride
Polish men are turning up with their eyes gouged out and the sockets burned. None of them is willing to tell the police anything about the attacks. They are always found abandoned on building sites. Letters telling of the attacks arrive at Police Headquarters, telling of more attacks if the police do not take action.
DCI Finnie is in charge of the investigation, and DC Logan McRae is kept on his toes trying to please both the DCI and his own DI, a lesbian who is trying to make her wife happy by getting them a child.
When DC McRae and his DI come upon an attack before the perpetrators have left, they finally have a witness, but he's on the run and trying to stay safe himself.
Logan isn't sure who to trust and ends up being shot at, threatened, blown up, kidnapped, and threatened some more before he finally comes to the end of the case.
This book is fast moving and the author's reading of it is engaging and kept me gripped.
A great adrenaline-pumping read.

Mystery Audiobook

Finished September 14
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton, Read by Graeme Malcolm
Hamish Macbeth has just returned from a disappointing vacation in Spain, and finds that there is a newcomer in the village. Catriona Beldame is living in one of the old cottages and appears to be offering potions and powders to cure various ails. The local men are particular users and this has outraged the women in the village. When Hamish learns that the men are not getting the effect they desired, he expresses his outrage to Beldame and tries to get her to leave the village.
When Hamish goes to confront her again, he finds her murdered and then her home is destroyed. Hamish works to find out what brought her to the village and who might be behind the murder while fending off accusations from his boss, Blair. Hamish also deals with advances from the new forensic investigator, and secrets within the village.
As usual, Hamish gets to the bottom of things, as well as dealing with his personal life.
An entertaining book.

Scottish Mystery

Finished January 11
White Nights by Ann Cleeves, read by Gordon Griffin
This great mystery, set in Shetland in midsummer starts in the present but the mystery originates in the past. The title refers to the time, midsummer, where the sun never sets. Some people find this unnerving and it may influence behaviour.
When a mysterious stranger makes a scene at a gallery event and then claims to not know who he is, the mystery comes to life. Detective Jimmy Perez, a Shetland native is at the art gallery and worries about the stranger. When he is later called to the discovery of a body hanging in a shed on the jetty near the gallery, things become more murky.
As Perez and his mainland boss investigate, they discover more than meets the eye in the small community where the events took place. Everyone in Biddista has their own worries, and when a second body is discovered things get very serious.
This is a great story and a great setting.

Vacation Reading

I've just come back from a week away, so here is what I've been reading.


Finished August 23
Borderlands by Brian McGilloway
I've been carrying this one around for a while in my purse for waiting in lineups and at offices. It is the first in a new series featuring Inspector Devlin of the Garda in Ireland.
Local teen Angela Cashell's body is found on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. There is a ring on her finger, and a photo placed with her body.
As Devlin and his team work the case, they are led back to a disappearance of a woman 25 years before and clues that link to many men, on both sides of the law.
The personal life of Devlin and his fellow police officers is also brought into the book. His wife Debbie is no pushover and she often gives him useful advice.
I liked this book and will look for more as the series progresses.


Finished August 27
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
The subtitle of this book is "a sheep detective story," and that is definitely what this is. George the shepherd is found dead, a spade through his body. The sheep find him first and after the initial shock try to work out what happened. George read to his sheep regularly and on many subjects including sheep diseases and romance novels (what the sheep call "Pamela stories"). The sheep are led in their detective work by Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in Glennkill. Also taking on significant roles are Mopple the Whale, the memory sheep; Othello, a black Hebridean four-horned ram, and Zora, a brave black-faced sheep. The characters of the sheep are well-developed and show individuality. There is much humour here and great fun. This is a good summer read, and I left it with my mother to be passed around among her needleworker friends.


Finished August 28
The Postcard by Tony Abbott
This book is for 8-12 year-olds and I found it to have a unique story. Jason Huff is sent off to Florida after his grandmother's death to assist his father in packing up her belongings. His grandmother, Agnes Monroe Huff was the daughter of a wealthy man, who owned a hotel among other holdings. Jason receives a strange phone call that leads him to the discovery of a postcard among his grandmother's things. The postcard shows the Hotel DeSoto, the hotel owned by Jason's great-grandfather. He also finds a magazine, Bizarre Mysteries, with a story that seems to be about his grandmother. At the funeral, Jason notices many strange characters. As Jason follows the clues left to him, and is joined by Dia, a young friend of his grandmother, he finds himself more and more interested in his grandmother and her life.
Jason is an interesting boy, respectful of adults, yet not a goody-goody. The story developed in interesting ways and was theatrical in plot.
I've left this book with my eight-year-old niece to read.


Finished August 29
Like Eating a Stone: Surviving the Past in Bosnia by Wojciech Tochman, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
This book was a finalist for the Nike Polish Literary Prize and for the Prix Temoin du Monde. First published in 2002, this is the first English translation. The book begins with a quote from Tadeusz Mazowiecki about the Bosnia War: "Humanity unites us in misfortune, in experiencing it. If only people understood that." Tochman does his best to help us do that.
The stories cover the Serb Republic (not Serbia) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
His stories of survivors searching for family members as well as their remains are poignant. Over 100,000 people died in the wars, and it was years before the mass graves began to be exhumed. The book includes a picture to begin each chapter. One chapter talks about the displays of victims clothing, and the codes that indicate how much of the victim's body was found. Another talks about life in the refugee camps. There is mention of the abandoned towns and villages and some attempts to repopulate these. One key figure in the stories is Dr. Ewa Klonowski, born in Poland and now living in Iceland. She spends all her time trying to identify bodies, and it has become her life. She talks about how the bones speak to her.
While this is a short book, it is a book that touches the reader.

Finished August 31
Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn D.Wall
This mystery is set in Kentucky in 1938. Olivia has run Harker's Grocery since her father died and she recovered from a car crash. Her mentally unbalanced mother Ida lives in a tarpaper shack out back. With Olivia lives her grandson William who she has raised. This year someone is hunting the silver wolves that live on Olivia's land and as she tries to find out why, she also finds out that she and William are also under threat.
The reappearance of William's mother begins the revelation of terrible secrets among the community and about Olivia's family. As Olivia searches desperately to save herself and her friends, she must confront the evil that has bound her community for years.
This story is riveting and intense and Olivia is a genuine rebel who has friends in both the white and the black people in her community. She has raised William to be strong as well and he fights for what he feels is right alongside her. This story takes the reader to a specific region and time period and brings it alive. I found it engrossing.

Suspense in Scotland

Finished July 25
Written in Bone by Simon Beckett
This is the first book I've read by Beckett, but this is not the first book in the series featuring Dr. David Hunter a forensic anthropologist working out of London.
Here he has been up in Scotland working on a case and is on his way home when he gets called to look at a suspicious dead body on a small island in the Outer Hebrides. This change of plan puts some pressure on his relationship back home, but he feels compelled to do it.
The body he has been called to look at is indeed a strange situation, charred almost beyond recognition, but in a cottage not much harmed by the fire. His examination of the remains lead him to determine that the victim was murdered and he calls in Scene of Crime police from the mainland.
This is where the weather and bad luck steps in. First weather delays getting the police in, and then communications with the mainland go down. With two more murders, Hunter and the police are getting desperate for answers. There are lots of twists and turns, close calls and mistaken beliefs. Hunter is an interesting character in and of himself, conflicted between his job and his relationship and trying to find a way through.

Audiobook Mystery

Finished May 1
Death of a Maid by M.C. Beaton, read by Graeme Malcolm
This is another tale of the wondrous Hamish Macbeth, a village policeman in the highlands of Scotland. Macbeth is self-effacing, eschewing promotion for the life he loves as the anachronous village policeman. This tale starts with the apparent murder of a local cleaning woman, Mrs. Gillespie. She is not much liked and is a snoop. As Macbeth starts to investigate her death, he is led to believe that she is a blackmailer. As he delves into the lives of the people around her, including her employers, he finds much to take his attention. When his old girlfriend Elspeth takes a vacation in the area, he finds her assistance in the case helpful, but is confused by his feelings regarding her. As Macbeth follows the various paths to unbury the secrets Mrs. Gillespie held, he finds his own life in danger.
An amusing tale, with a lively lead character and lots to interest the reader.