I’ve
been doing a lot of reading lately and I thought I’d share some of the gems I’ve
come across:
Racing the Devil, an Inspector Ian
Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
No Shred of Evidence, an Inspector Ian Rutledge
Mystery by Charles Todd
An Unmarked Grave, a Bess Crawford Mystery
by Charles Todd
Yes,
I’m on a Charles Todd kick. Charles Todd is the nom de plume [well, sort of] of an American mother-and-son writing
team, Caroline and Charles Todd. The two series are set during and just after
World War One.
Bess
Crawford is a nurse who works on the front lines in France during the war, and
who stumbles across mysteries and murders. I love the layered background of her
life, with a childhood in India, a mysterious father and his aide, and her
willingness to get grubby to bring justice to bear.
After the war, Inspector
Ian Rutledge returned to Scotland Yard a changed man. Suffering from PTSD, he
now lives with a voice in his head of a soldier he executed for refusing a
direct order. This damaged man clings to his work as his only salvation.
I’ve
also been reading some excellent science fiction and fantasy, all with a
mystery bent:
Company Town, by Madeline Ashby, was
shortlisted for the most recent Canada Reads contest, in which five famous
Canadians champion a different Canadian book. This is how the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which organizes the contest every year,
describes it:
Canada
Reads is a "literary Survivor,"
with celebrities championing books. Books are voted "off the
bookshelf," one each day, until one book is chosen as the title the whole
country should read this year.
Set
off the Canadian east coast, Company Town
tells the story of the fearless Hwa, a young woman who works as a bodyguard on
the city-sized oil rig they all call home. There are death threats, alternate
timelines and a series of interconnected murders, and Hwa must choose between
protecting herself and protecting those in her charge.
Loved,
loved, loved the story. I gobbled it up.
And
finally, I’ll finish off with a novella, Death by Effigy, by my friend, Karen L. Abrahamson.
I know I could be biased, but I’m not. This is
a lovely, lovely story featuring a murder mystery set in exotic 19th century Burma.
It features an old singer and a magical Burmese puppet, the impish, ancient
Yamin, who so desperately wants to be taken seriously by the humans and the
members of his puppet troupe. Fascinating culture and unusual, endearing
characters.
The one thing all these books have in common are
strong, engaging characters, characters that the reader wants to follow on
their adventures. It’s something I strive to achieve in my own writing.
Okay, now it’s your turn. What stories have you read
lately that you would recommend? Any non-fiction?
