Review: Drawn and Order by Cheryl Hollon

This is the second book in the Paint 'n Shine series. I have to confess that I have not read book one, but am a huge fan of Webb's Glass Shop series.

I like Marinda Trent, the main character. She reminds me of many of the strong women I grew up with in Kentucky. I also liked her description of the gorge and the rock climbing group. Marinda's rock climbing adventure is cut short by the discovery of human bones near the trailhead. Those bones turn out to be the remains of her cousin. The sheriff sees a rock climbing accident but Marinda and her family aren't buying that explanation. Marinda promises to find the truth and discovers the rock climbers are hiding a lot of secrets.

The only reason I give this one four stars instead of five is that I found the length of time it took for doing Google searches unbelievable. This pulled me out of an otherwise excellent story. I think the great characters and strong knowledge of the Red River Gorge area more than makes up for the Google thread. I look forward to reading more of the series and will definitely go read the first book.

The Queens of Crime

Golden Age of Detective fiction produced a group of female mystery writers that dominated the industry. For the most part, their careers began in the interval between World Wars One and Two and continued the rest of their lives. I am simply listing them here for your consideration. I will do a more detailed piece on each of them in the future. 

 

Agatha Christie (1890–1976)

Elizabeth Marsh (1895–1982)

Margery Allingham (1904–1966)

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957)

Gladys Mitchell (1901–1983) 

Elizabeth Mackintosh (Josephine Tey) (1896–1952)

Technically, only the first four are dubbed "The Queens of Crime" but while Mitchell and Tey fell out of favor for some decades before being rediscovered by mystery readers, their work warrants their inclusion in the group. The body of work these women left behind captures my awe, particularly when I consider that neither the computer nor word processer was available to them. 

Augusta Groner (1850-1929)

 

Augusta Groner (1850-1929), was a detective's writer who sometimes appeared under the more masculine pseudonym of August or Auguste Groner. She also published under the pseudonyms Olaf Björnson, A. of the Paura, Renorga, and Metis. 

We don't know a lot about her early life. She was the daughter of an accountant. She was born in Vienna on April 16, 1850, and was first published in 1869.  One of her brothers was the painter Franz Kopallik, and another was the theologian Josef Kopallik. She worked as a school teacher until she married journalist, Joseph Groner in 1879. Around 1890, she turned to crime fiction, creating the first serial police detective in German crime literature, Joseph Müller, who appears for the first time in the novella The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow, which was published in 1890. Her first novel, The Case of the Lamp that Went Out, was published in 1899.

Outside of Austria, she is most known for her crime stories. Although, she wrote several juvenile stories and historicals. Groner's work is often overlooked in the lists of women pioneers of detective fiction. I am sure that part of the reason she remains unknown to many American readers is that her stories were written in German. Fortunately for us, Groner's work has been translated and adapted by Grace Isabel Colbron (1869-1948). 

Review: Three Treats too Many by Debra H. Goldstein

 

Three Treats Too Many is the third book in the Sarah Blair mystery series. In this installment, Sarah has partnered with her sister Emily and Emily's significant other Marcus to open a new restaurant in Wheaton, Alabama. Things don't get off to a good start when the final inspection delays her opening. Then her husband-stealing nemesis, Jane, opens a competing restaurant across the street. While they struggle with red tape in completing inspections, Jane and her new chef, Riley, are earning rave reviews for Riley's vegan offerings. 

When Riley turns up dead on the night of an event at Jane's Place, the police are convinced that Sarah and Emily's friend, Jacob, killed her in a fit of jealousy. Pulled into investigating by Jacob's sister, a local politico, Sarah enlists the help of her lawyer boss and friend, Harlan, as well as others in her circle to find out the truth. Jacob's troubles only deepen when the building inspector and fellow biker dies doing a motorcycle stunt and Jacob is suspected of tampering with his bike.

This well-written and entertaining mystery features a great cast of characters, which includes Sarah's cat RahRah and new puppy Fluffy. Being an animal lover, I adore that Sarah's devotion to her pets is a theme that is woven throughout the book, and actually plays a part, indirectly, in the mystery.

Wheaton is one of those charming, fictitious towns that you wish were real (murder notwithstanding!) because of how well the author has conceived of and describes the location and the residents. The mystery is well-plotted. I had not started to suspect who the killer might be until I was nearly at the end of the book. The motive for Riley's murder turned out to be a big surprise. I look forward to reading about the further adventures of Sarah, RahRah, and the rest of the gang!