The Shivering Sand by Victoria Holt

I was feeling in the mood for a gothic romance, and I remembered that I used to love Victoria Holt. I haven’t read anything of hers since I was a teenager, so I thought I would give one of her books a try. I picked up The Shivering Sandsfrom the library. This book was just like the typical Holt that I remember from my childhood. The book was set in the late 1800s, and the heroine had a service role in the household with the dark, brooding hero. The heroine, Caroline Verlaine, was a woman in her late 20s who was a widow. Her husband was a famous pianist, Pietro Verlaine. Caroline had given up any notion of becoming a concert pianist in her own right when she married Pietro. Caroline also lived in the shadow of her parents and sister who were renown archaeologists. Caroline’s parents were killed together in a train accident, and then Roma, the sister, mysteriously disappeared shortly after Pietro’s death of heart attack. Boy, talk about tragedies! Caroline went to Lovat Stacey, where Roma had been investigating Roman remains, as a replacement for her former music teacher. The position got Caroline into the house, and introduced her to the family. Caroline’s wards were Edith (the recently wedded wife to Napier Stacy, the dark brooding hero), Allegra (illegitimate daughter of Napier), Alice (the housekeeper’s daughter), and Shelia (the pastor’s daughter). Caroline found that she was getting heavily involved in the family’s affairs, and in fact, that she was falling in love with Napier. Napier had a cloud of murder over his head, having accidentally shot his wonderful, older brother, Beau when they were teens. Beau died, Beau’s mom killed herself, and Napier found himself banished to Australian. Eventually, Napier was brought back home to marry Edith. When Edith disappeared, just like Roma, fingers started to point at Napier. Can Caroline solve the mysterious disappearance and clear Napier? Or will she find out that Napier is the guilty party?

Of course, Holt introduced a second love interest: Godfrey. Godfrey was the total opposite of Napier, and of course, Godfrey appeared to be in love with Caroline. Holt loved having her heroines not only facing danger, but she loved to give them the choice between two polar opposites. One was always the safe, sensible choice (Godfrey), while the other was sure to make the heroine’s life a roller coaster of danger and emotional upheaval (Napier).

The Shivering Sands lived up to my expectations. I got the dark brooding hero. The hero fell deeply in love with the heroine with very little contact or conversation. There was a ton of smouldering looks and touches. The book was really enjoyable, and a great choice for the recent cold and blustery days here in Pittsburgh. If you like the more typical gothic romantic suspense, give the The Shivering Sands a try. You won’t be sorry!

Silhouette in Scarlet by Elizabeth Peters

Vicky Bliss is one of my favorite fictional heroines. Why? Because she’s not like the typical romantic suspense heroine. She’s not the little dainty girl who can’t take care of herself. She’s not in her early twenties, and although she attracts the men, she doesn’t always end up with the hero in the end. Of course, Vicky’s flaw is that she does tend to jump into things without thinking, which is a typical “had I but known” reaction of heroines. In Silhouette in Scarlet, Vicky is in prime form. She receives a letter and reference to Karlsholm. Of course, she knows that the message is from John Smythe, her romantic counterpart in the Street of the Five Moons. A year earlier, Vicky met up with Smythe in Paris, where she was left facing the police when Smythe skipped out of the hotel room. When Vicky goes to Sweden, Smythe tries to avoid her. It seems he is being chased by some criminals, and Vicky is totally in the dark about what is going on. She meets up with Leif, a tall (taller than tall Vicky), muscular, Swedish type. Vicky also gets contacted by Gus, who thinks he’s her long lost, much removed cousin. Smythe is behind making Gus think that Vicky a relation because Smythe is trying to get Gus to let him dig in Gus’ estate pasture to look for Roman gold. Of course, the other gang members get involved, and before you know it, Vicky, Gus, and Smythe are imprisoned and in danger.

I don’t remember reading this book in the past (although I must have because I’m sure I read the whole series), and I really enjoyed the story this time. Would Vicky figure out what was going on? Would Smythe receive his just desserts from the criminals? Would they all escape to live happily ever after? I admit that I was surprised at the reveal of the criminal at the end. i didn’t suspect it although I suppose I should have. The clues were all there. What I love the most about Peters’ Vicky Bliss stories is the humor that’s mixed in with the suspense. When you read Peters, you know that you are going to go on a amusement park ride. It will be fun and thrilling, and when you finish the book, you are going to be gasping with pleasure.

Bond on Bond by Roger Moore

People say that your favorite actor in role played by many actors is the first actor you saw in the role. I would say that is true. My favorite Doctor Who is Tom Baker, and my favorite James Bond is Roger Moore. Of course, the first time I saw Roger Moore was as the Saint. The first Bond movie that I saw was Live and Let Die. Since then, I have seen every Bond movie and read a few of the books. With this past year being the 50th anniversary of Bond, I celebrated by reading Bond on Bond: Reflections of 50 Years of James Bond Movies by Roger Moore. The book is like getting double the bang for my buck. I get to read about the highlights of the past 50 years, all from the perspective of my favorite Bond!

Roger Moore dishes on a variety of Bond topics: cars, gadgets, girls, villains, locations, and other Bonds. Of course, all are discussed from Roger’s point of view. There isn’t much that is new or earth-shattering, but then would you really expect there to be? The book is full of beautiful photos, and it’s a quick read.Bond on Bond isn’t meant to be a comprehensive analysis of the Bond movies. Note that the subtitle contains the word reflections. It’s meant to be a reflection by Roger on the phenomenon that is James Bond. Some people complained that there wasn’t much new here. That was fine with me. The book gave me what I wanted: a coffee table piece written by my favorite Bond. Maybe I’m biased, but I loved the book. I would recommend it for the movie fan, the Bond fan, or just the Roger Moore fan.

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

As some of you may remember, Miss Marple is one of my favorite fictional detectives. I love reading Agatha Christie, in general, but for some reason, I find Miss Marple more entertaining that Hercule Poirot. I think that part of it may be because Miss Marple is more self-effacing. Others toot her horn more than Miss Marple does. I’ve randomly read her novels over the years, and it’s been quite some time since I read A Caribbean Mystery. This is one of the later books of the twelve Marple novels, published in 1964. The book was made into a movie with Helen Hayes, which is also very enjoyable.

In A Caribbean Mystery, Miss Marple was vacationing in the Caribbean as a treat from her nephew, Raymond West. Miss Marple had been feeling poorly, and a vacation in a tropic area was just the ticket for recovery. Miss Marple found herself involved in murder when a fellow guest, Major Palgrave was murdered after offering to show Miss Marple the photograph of a man who had murdered a couple of wives. Of course, Christie explained to the reader that people just don’t listen to the repetitive stories of the elderly. As Miss Marple tried to get a glimpse of the photo and get the authorities to confirm if Major Palgrave died due to natural causes, another housemaid turned up dead. An investigation showed the Major Palgrave was poisoned, and the housemaid must have known who did it. Miss Marple knew that the way to catch the murderer was to figure out who was the murderer in the photograph. As Miss Marple explained to the rich, crotchety Mr. Rafiel, the person in the photo must have been planning another murder! There were plenty of suspects, but with the help of Mr. Rafiel and his manservant, Jackson, Miss Marple saved the day.

Although this book is one of the later books, the story wasn’t as rambling as some of the other books. We did get to see things more from Miss Marple’s perspective than we have in other novels. Usually, the teller of the story was someone else, and Miss Marple was a supplemental character. I think that having the story from Miss Marple’s viewpoint allowed Christie to give some perspective on old age. Miss Marple realized that she wasn’t as mobile as she was. Christie also complained about the eagerness of doctors in prescribing medications and finding health problems with people. We have that same problem today. Doctors are quick to prescribe antibiotics for colds and a variety of pills for the most routine ailments.

Of course, the most interesting interaction was between Mr. Rafiel and Miss Marple. Miss Marple took the role of Nemesis. Hence the title for the succeeding book Nemesis, where Miss Marple looked into a mystery for Mr. Rafiel as a request from his will. I really enjoyed reading A Caribbean Mystery. It wasn’t the best of the Christies, but it had a good mystery and interesting characters. As Mr. Rafiel said to Miss Marple at the end, “Ave Caesar, nos morituri te salutamus.” Christie, I salute you!

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I spent a good portion of the University winter break reading The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. It is the second book in the Heroes of Olympus. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians told the story of the Greek demigods of Camp Half-Blood. This current series has a mix of Greek and Roman demigods. In the first book, The Lost Hero, Annabeth and Camp Half-Blood was looking for Percy Jackson who had gone missing. Jason Grace showed up, with a case of amnesia, and after Jason and Annabeth, Piper, and Leo from Camp Half-Blood freed Juno, Jason realized he was a Roman. In The Son of Neptune, Percy came back into the story. He had been missing for eight months. Juno had blocked his memory of who he was. Percy found himself making his way to Camp Jupiter. Percy had to prove himself to the Romans of Camp Jupiter, and of course, he does. Mars, aka Ares, appeared at camp, claimed Frank Zhang as his offspring, and told Frank that three of them would have to journey to Alaska to free Thanatos, the god of Death, who was imprisoned in Alaska. In order to free Thanatos, Because Thanatos was captured, people can’t die. In particular, monsters can’t die. Frank, Hazel Hazel Levesque, and Percy Jackson will have to kill the giant, Alcyoneus. We learned the back story of Frank, who was a mix of Roman and Chinese god, and would die when a particular piece of kindling he has burns out. Hazel died in the 1940s trying to prevent the rebirth of Alcyoneus. She was a daughter of Pluto, and was brought back by her half brother Nico di Angelo to right her wrongs.

As with the other books that Riordan wrote, this book had lots of good action and lots of mystery about what the future would bring. Would Frank die? What is his mystery? Will Hazel stay alive and right her wrongs? Would Percy get his memory back and rejoin Annabeth? Some of the questions were answered; others weren’t. Ever more questions were brought up before the book ends. Will Percy, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Annabeth, Leo, and Piper succeed in the Prophecy of the Seven? We’ll just have to read the other books to find that out. This book was a great example of Riordan’s action adventure for kids that even adults could enjoy. If you haven’t read Riordan, start with The Lightning Thief, and enjoy the journey!

Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters

I have been busy with the end of term, and the best remedy for the stress is a good, ripping yarn! So, of course, I turned to Elizabeth Peters. Peters knows how to write a funny, entertaining story, with a bit of thrills and suspense. Since it’s been a while since I’ve read one of her Vicky Bliss novels, I chose the second one in the series, Street of the Five Moons.

Vicky Bliss is not your typical romantic suspense heroine. She is tall, blond, beautiful, smart, and able to take care of herself. Well, she has to take care of herself because she’s always getting herself into jams because she doesn’t stop to think about what she is doing. Street of the Five Moons is one of my favorites because it is the book that introduces Sir John Smythe, who we later learn is really John Tregarth. In Street of the Five Moons, the story begins with a dead man who has a fake copy of the Charlemagne necklace sewn into his clothes. This is brought to the attention of Vicky’s boss, Herr Professor Anton Z. Schmidt, who is the head of the museum that houses the Charlemagne necklace. Schmidt finds out that the necklace in the museum is really the real one, but he sends Vicky off to investigate the mystery. She talks to the police and figures out for a cryptic note in the dead man’s pocket that 37 Street of the Five Moons is the source of the necklace. Of course, she realizes that this is a street in Rome. Schmidt gives her the time off to investigate, and off goes Vicky. Of course, when she breaks into the antique store at that location, Vicky finds a list of names and a hungry Doberman. Vicky, although smart, isn’t sensible, and she goes back to the store the next day. She meets Smythe, and later winds up getting kidnapped. Smythe, although one of the bad guys, rescues her and tells her to get the heck out of Rome. Does our Vicky listen? No, of course not! Instead, she has figured out where she was taken while kidnapped. And of course, she manages to finagle an invitation to meet the people she thinks are the masterminds behind the crime. What else would she want to do? Well, before you know it, Vicky and Smythe are running of their lives, and murder is on the horizon.

The story is quite entertaining, and once I started reading, I didn’t want to put the book down. Peters knows how to write repartee, and Vicky and Smythe are quite likeable. Eventually, Peters tied in Smythe’s history to the Emersons, of the Amelia Peabody Emerson line. The youngest daughter of Ramses and Nefret is Smythe’s grandmother. The whole series is fun and entertaining. Smythe is an entertaining answer to other British criminals, like Raffles. I have the next book, Silhouette in Scarlet on my TBR pile from the library. If you haven’t read a Vicky Bliss, get Street of the Five Moons now. Read it; you’ll love it!

Trouble in the Brasses by Alisa Craig

I think that I have reached the saturation point with the Madoc and Janet Rhys mysteries. I just finished the fourth in the series, Trouble in the Brasses, written by Alisa Craig (aka Charlotte MacLeod). This one was really confusing for me, and definitely not my favorite. Madoc was called in to investigate trouble in the brass section of the orchestra that his father, Sir Emrys, was conducting. The book started with Madoc arriving at the concert. One of the guys in the brass section, Wilhelm Ochs, became ill and wound up dead right after the concert. Then a select few of the orchestra, singers, Sir Emrys, Lady Rhys, and Madoc go onto their next destination by private plane. Unfortunately the plane has an emergency landing in a secluded area. The story trundled on about the characters on the plane, how they were lost, how Janet must be thinking they are all dead, etc. Another murder, and plane-loads of news crews, but no rescue later, Madoc finally figured everything out just in time to hand off the murder to the local police.

As you might be able to tell from my description, I became disgusted with the book shortly into it, and it was quite a chore to get through the book. I found that it was taking forever to get through the book, which was surprising considering how short the book was (190 pages). The first thing that got to me was the even though Madoc was called in by his parents because of trouble in the brasses (hence the title), they seemed to be clueless that there was actually trouble. The characters all seemed rather two dimensional to me, and Janet Rhys only made an off-stage appearance at the end. That means that a message from Janet is relayed from Madoc to his parents. There’s only one more book in the series, but I just can’t bring myself to even be interested in wanting to read it. I think that if I continue with any other books written by Charlotte MacLeod, I’ll try another series. The Madoc and Janet Rhys series is as weak as skim milk. Okay, but not really filling.