Tag Archives: mystery

Charade (1963)

Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) is a young married woman who’s not sure she ought to be married. Her husband, Charles, is keeping something from her; she just knows it, and she can’t live with the uncertainty. She goes on a trip to try to sort things out, and while gone, she meets Peter Joshua, (Cary Grant) a fascinating man who seems interested in her. She, however, is interested in keeping her distance. My favorite line in the movie takes place when she’s meeting Peter for the first time and asks him if he’d like to get to know her. She … Continue reading →

Author Review – Tony Hillerman

Tony Hillerman is one of my mother’s favorite authors. Let’s take a closer look at this man who has become famous for his Navajo mysteries. Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, is located near a Benedictine mission that served the Citizen Band Potowatomie Tribe. When Tony was born there in 1925, he was one of many farm boys who attended a boarding school for Native American girls, there being no other school nearby. Tony’s books ring with an authenticity hard to duplicate through mere research; this early immersion in the ways of the People explains how he achieved such reality in his writing. … Continue reading →

A Falcon for a Queen – Catherine Gaskin

A gothic novel set in Scotland, “A Falcon for a Queen” by Catherine Gaskin is the story of Kirsty Howard, a young woman who has traveled a long way to seek out the story behind her brother William’s death. She and her brother were raised in China, but he went to Scotland to seek out their grandfather and establish a relationship there. Not too long into his visit, he was killed, and Kirsty feels she must find out more – very little information was given. She has his letters, and a scroll he sent which contains strange Chinese symbols. She … Continue reading →

Vanished – Lynn Gardner

Maggie McKenzie has just landed her dream job as a newspaper reporter in California. A small town girl from Idaho, she didn’t think it would ever happen to her, but she won a journalism contest and the prize was this job. Stepping into the newspaper office for the first time, trying to appear confident, she’s surprised when the receptionist drops the phone in shock when she sees her. It turns out that Mr. Lawson, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, had a daughter kidnapped seven years ago, and Maggie is a dead ringer for that girl. Lily, the receptionist, doesn’t want Mr. … Continue reading →

The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries – Emily Brightwell

After enjoying and reviewing “Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake” last week, I decided to go to the beginning of the series and read the book that started it all. Today’s selection is “The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries,” by Emily Brightwell. When we start this book, we can see that Mrs. Jeffries has already been working for the Inspector for a while and helped him with a few cases, so this first book in the series is not the first case she ever helped him solve. However, in this book we get more of a backstory on the major characters and … Continue reading →

The Case of the Amorous Aunt – Erle Stanley Gardner

Having just met author Erle Stanley Gardner in our author review yesterday, I thought it would be fun to take a closer look at one of his novels. “The Case of the Amorous Aunt” begins as most Perry Masons do, with a client coming in to the office to visit the famous California lawyer. This time it’s a young engaged couple, Linda Calhoun and George Latty. Mason receives them in his private office, with his confidential secretary Della Street sitting nearby, notebook at the ready. Miss Calhoun’s aunt Lorraine has been corresponding with a gentleman friend for some time, and … Continue reading →

Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake – Emily Brightwell

An installment in the “Victorian Mysteries” series, “Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake” is the first Emily Brightwell novel I have read, but it will not be the last. I was quite taken with the premise and the characters and will return again soon. Inspector Witherspoon is a hard-working Scotland Yard detective with a superb record for cases solved. He has received much acclaim for his amazing ability to see through to the heart of the case and solve the most difficult mysteries. What his adoring public does not realize is that the good Inspector wouldn’t know how to solve a … Continue reading →

Get a Clue (2002)

First a Disney Original Movie aired exclusively on the Disney Channel, “Get a Clue” is now available on DVD to enjoy anytime. Lindsay Lohan stars as Alex Gold, a reporter for her high school newspaper. Right now she does the advice column, but someday she wants to cover the hard news, like her father does. The editor of the school paper, a boy her age named Jack (Bug Hall) thinks that her stories are fluff, and she’s determined that someday, she’s going to break a major story and become a real reporter. She’s already on her way – she discovered … Continue reading →

Author Review – Mary Higgins Clark

New York Times Best-Selling author Mary Higgins Clark is a master at the art of the psychological thriller. From the moment she penned her first suspense, “Where are the Children?,” her name has been synonymous with thrills, chills, and reading with one hand on a large iron skillet, just in case someone were to break in. Mary is a born and bred New Yorker, but was not destined to stay there. Determined to see something of the world, she became a stewardess and by chance was on the last flight going in to Czechoslovakia before the Iron Curtain went down. … Continue reading →

Author Review — Phyllis A. Whitney

While gathering information online about the novel “Spindrift,” which I reviewed a short time ago, I happened upon a fact that nearly made me drop my teeth. The author of that novel, Phyllis A. Whitney, is 103 years old and currently hard at work on her biography. It’s a rare treat to find someone who had reached that advanced age, and even more delightful to discover that they are still able to do the things they have loved doing throughout their lives. I decided then and there to do an author review on this remarkable woman. As I read, I … Continue reading →