The Owl in the Cellar

 The Owl in the Cellar (1945) by Margaret Scherf

Charlie Murphy is a young man with all kinds of troubles. He's home for a vacation, but his dreams of time to do whatever he wants whenever he wants die quickly. His mother is trying to set him up with a young woman who gives him a pain in the neck. Another young woman is dogging his footsteps wherever he goes. And the gangly, overall-wearing young woman next door keeps dragging him into murders. Well, not exactly. Charlie comes home late one evening to a mother who wants to know where he's been and who he's been with (and how on earth are you going to be awake enough to go play golf with Constance [the pain-giver] tomorrow?). Oh, and by the way, would he take care of the exotic bird in cellar before he goes to bed? Huh?

But Charlie, ever the dutiful son, goes down and finds an ordinary owl. He opens the cellar window and tries to encourage the bird to fly away. The owl has other ideas. He's taken a fancy to Charlie and refuses to go. So, Charlie leaves the owl and the open window and toddles off to bed. Later, he hears a noise and goes to investigate. The owl is still there...and so is a dead man dangling from the open window. When the police arrive in the person of Lieutenant Ryan, a wheelbarrow track leads directly to the house next door and blood is found on the Regents' wheelbarrow. The bodies start piling up and it begins to look pretty bad for someone in the Regent household. Charlie has developed a soft spot for Blue Regent (is that a name or what?) and plays hero, apparent accomplice, and amateur detective all at once. But is it possible his lady love is a killer after all?

As with most of the Margaret Scherf mysteries I've read, this one is great fun and a little off-the-wall. Charlie's mother is bigger-than-life Irish and the most meddlesome woman ever. If I were Charlie, I'd be moving out pronto. Of course, he's got bigger troubles than "Mayme" (as he calls her)--what with trying to dispose of guns and a second murdered man and Lt. Ryan implying that he might get locked up at any minute. But Charlie and Blue come through in the end and help Ryan nab the culprit. I had a sneaking suspicion "who" that was--but I didn't realize who the "who" was. (I promise that makes sense when you read the story...). Lots of frantic to-ing and fro-ing by Charlie and Blue and Daffy (Blue's sister) as well as others. Lots of bullets flying (though few hitting anything vital). Lots of clues and red-herrings and action. Just plain lots of fun. ★★★★

First line: "There's a bird in the cellar, Charles."

There was nothing of the silent, enigmatic sleuth about Ryan. He did all of his thinking out loud, and for him out loud meant halfway across the harbor.

Last line: Audrey is the worst sister anybody ever had.

******************

Deaths = 5 (one stabbed; three shot; one natural)

Crows Are Black Everywhere

 Crows Are Black Everywhere (1945) by Herbert O. Yardley & Carl Grabo

Peggy Cameron is the spoiled daughter of an influential newspaper publisher. But she is determined to be a good reporter and flies to Chungking China to get the real story of the Sino-Japanese battles of the early years of World War II. The U.S. hasn't entered the war yet and is actually more pro-Japan--still sending materials and doing business with the country that would soon send war planes to Pearl Harbor. The officials all want to shuttle her through official Embassy channels, but Peggy knows they won't show her what it's really like on the ground in China. On the way in, she makes friends with Ted, the pilot, who promises to get her in contact with the Americans in China who are trying assist the Chinese efforts to repel the Japanese who will in turn help her interview Chinese citizens. 

Although she says she wants to report the facts, she does come with a certain bias and she'll have to learn to overcome it if she's going to do her job properly. It isn't long before she's in the thick of things--just when there are rumors of Chinese traitors and even Americans helping the Japan bombers find their targets in the blackout. She meets Bill and Henry, Americans helping to train the Chinese fighters, and Tina, Olga, Mei-Ing are women of various backgrounds (mixed, Russian, Chinese) who are also assisting the cause. There are others whose loyalties are uncertain. When Henry intercepts coded messages originating from their location and directed at the Japanese, the hunt is on for the traitor(s), but can they find them before a devastating attack?

Herbert Yardley was a code breaker in World War I. He also served as a personal adviser to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and later as an adviser to the Canadian government. So, he knows his onions when it comes to codes and situation in China. Carl Brabo was a professor of English at the University of Chicago. The story is a pretty standard war-time spy thriller novel. But it was definitely interesting to see a World War II novel from the American point of view, but set before America officially entered the war. And so many of the war-time thrillers I've read have been set in the European theater, so it was also interesting to have one set in Asia. Pretty good characterization and good background on a part of the war I didn't know. ★★★

First line: For three hours the plane had been flying over the Rice Bowl of southern China on its way to Chungking.

"Indiana is in America," Ho replied loftily as to one unenlightened. "It is a city famous for its swear words. So Number Three told me."

Last lines: "No," Bill said. "I don't think you'll forget. And none of us will forget either. I won't forget, Peggy."
*****************

Deaths =  7 (three shot; one natural; three bombed)

Twice Retired

 Twice Retired (1970) by Richard Lockridge

Professor Emeritus Walter Brinkley bounces his way into another murder investigation. That's the way this round little man is described as moving about...he never just walks into a room; he always bounces. He may be emeritus, but he definitely hasn't lost his vitality. This time Brinkley returns to Dyckman University for a book party. He's finally finished and published his A Note on American Regional Accents (having grown from a "note" to a 515 page tome) and the university wants to celebrate him in proper style. But getting to the Faculty Club is quite an ordeal--it's 1970, the Vietnam War is on, and the undergraduates are protesting the war, the establishment, and the police. Roughly in that order. Police are trying to direct traffic away from the center of campus and if the good professor really insists on going to the Faculty Club...well, then he'll have to detour quite a ways around. After the party, Brinkley returns to his car to find a dead man in his backseat. The body is General Philip Armstrong, chair of the board of trustees and a strong believer in putting down the protestors. Someone has put a pig mask on him, making it appear that the general was the target of the protestors--the pig masks had been used to mock the police. Lieutenant Stein and Assistant District Attorney Bernie Simmons have several avenues to follow--from an attack by one of the protestors to a disgruntled professor who just found out he's not getting tenure due to Armstrong's influence to family members who may not have been as devoted to the general as they would like everyone to believe.

I really love the Lockridge mysteries with the bouncy little professor. He doesn't show up quite as much throughout this story, but the opening with him and his little cameos later are perfect. It is somewhat fortuitous that I picked this one up just now. The background for the story is the deep unrest on college campuses and the protests taking place across the country. Here at the university where I work (and at many across the U.S.) we went through a period of protest at the end of the semester. And our brilliant (read that in the most sarcastic tone you can manage) university president decided to call out the state riot police on students peacefully protesting in (take note of this) the designated place on campus for protests and free speech. We had snipers on the roof of our student union building with their scopes on our students. It was appalling. [sorry for the momentary soap box moment...]

The students in Twice Retired aren't peaceful. They're openly mocking and baiting the police and administration. They're throwing things and destroying property. There's plenty of opportunity for someone to get hurt and for someone to get killed. The question is were they killed because of the protests, as a direct statement on the part of the protestors--or were the protests used as a cover for something more personal? After all of the characters are introduced and interviewed after the murder, it isn't difficult to answer that question. The interesting part is following Stein and Simmons to see how they will catch the culprit--how will they break an alibi? Very entertaining. ★★★★

First lines: Walter Brinkley searched his vocabulary, which was more extensive than most, and came up with the word. The word was 'pudgy.'

Last line: It was almost, Bernie thought, as if she's running to open the door.
*******************

Deaths = 5 (two natural; one wartime; two hit on head)

Bodies from the Library 4

 Bodies from the Library 4 (2021) by Tony Medawar (ed)

Another fine collection of little known, rarely (if ever) collection, sometimes unpublished stories by Golden Age detective novelists. Medawar has tracked down stories that appeared in newspapers, magazines, and long out-of-print anthologies. Also radio plays that were never aired or aired long ago, and a few unpublished works discovered among the author's things after death. We have whodunits, whydunits, and howdunits. Stories of murder and thievery and a closed circle mystery where it seems the detective may not get his man (or woman) because the circle has closed so effectively against the law. There is a little something for everyone who loves classic crime.

My favorites of the collection are "The Police Are Baffled," "Shadowed Sunlight," "After You, Lady," and "Signals." These have quite nice little twists to them that made them very interesting. The Lorac story is also good--but a bit short. I found "Child's Play" to be a little more brutal than Crispin's usual fare (particularly given the young victim) and "The Only Husband" by Bailey really didn't catch my fancy. I generally have enjoyed the Reggie Fortune short stories that I've read, but Reggie's conversation in this one leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, a strong outing. ★★★★

"Child's Play" by Edmund Crispin (Bruce Montgomery): A dark story about a governess who notices that three of the children in the house aren't the innocents you'd expect. And when their orphaned cousin dies, she suspects foul play instead of child's play. [3 deaths]

"Thieves Fall In" by Anthony Gilbert (Lucy Malleson): Three people on a bus bound for London. There is a theft and a surprise in store for the thief.

"Rigor Mortis" by Leo Bruce (Rupert Croft-Cooke): Sergeant Beef teaches a Scotland Yard man a thing or two about the importance of paying attention to people instead of fiddling little details like the state of rigor mortis.[one death]

"The Only Husband" by H. C. Bailey: Lord Avalon calls up Reggie Fortune to ask for help with a "family matter." But Reggie arrives too late to prevent his death--he'll have to settle for justice. [2 deaths]

"The Police Are Baffled" by Alec Waugh: A tale of two murders--in which the killers outwit the police using a device that another detective novelist would make even more famous. [2 deaths]

"Shadowed Sunlight" by Christianna Brand (Mary Milne): Involves a charity ball where a valuable emerald is stolen and a boat race with a murder. [2 deaths]

"The Case of Bella Garsington" by Gladys Mitchell: Caratet is a prosecuting attorney in this short radio play. He questions the daughter-in-law of a murdered man and uses her own words to prove her guilt. [one death]

"The Post-Chaise Murder" by Richard Keverne: Sir Christopher "Kit" Hazzard investigates what is first taken to be a simple case of highway robbery gone wrong. But there is a deeper reason for the man's death in the post-chaise.[one death]

"Boots" by Ngaio Marsh: A man confesses to stabbing his wife, but his friend produces testimony that seems to clear him. Inspector Alleyn must decide if it really does.[one death]

"Figures Don't Die" by T. S. Stribling: Dr. Poggioli figures out who is responsible for the death of an accountant--but there is no proof. Justice is served up anyway.... [2 deaths]

"Passengers" by Ethel Lina White: The short story that let to The Wheel Spins which led to Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. When a young woman insists that an older woman has disappeared from a train, her fellow passengers and the train authorities all treat her like she's crazy and insist the woman never existed.

"After You, Lady" by Peter Cheyney: A mob boss thinks he's come up with the perfect plan to get rid of a returning rival. After all, who would dare to interfere with him? Well.... [one death]

"Too Easy" by Herbert Adams: When a man is poisoned, all evidence points to his secretary. But she insists she's innocent. Will the police arrest the right person? [one death]

"Riddle of an Umbrella" by J. Jefferson Farjeon: An umbrella leaned against a train signal leads an inquisitive young man to a hat in the middle of the tracks which leads him to a dead body.He then finds a second dead body...what exactly happened in the signalman's hut that night?

"Two White Mice Under a Riding Whip" by E. C. R. Lorac (Edith Caroline Rivett): The solution to the kidnapping of a young boy lies in the titular image given by the boy's mother to a psychologist sent to discover the cause of her inability to speak or walk. It takes Remaine, the barrister, to figure out what it means.

"Signals" by Alice Campbell: A barrister is passing an inn one night when he notices an odd thing--a woman's silk stocking dangling from the pub sign. Curious, he goes in and finds a scantily clad woman being accused of murdering another of the inn's customers. Determined to see fair play, he proves that the woman couldn't be responsible, could she? [one death]

"A Present from the Empire" by G. D. H. & M. Cole: Lady Bowland hates going to the annual dinner for the "Malaria empire-builders." Not only is it boring as anything, but she doesn't care to be reminded of Malaria. This year she finds an old acquaintance seated on her right at dinner....part of what she doesn't want to remember about Malaria. But what will be the outcome of this chance encounter? [two deaths]

First line (1st story): "And of course," said Mrs. Snyder, "you'll have to make allowances for Pamela, at first."

Last line (last story): "It is just a complete mystery."

Sepulchre Street

 Sepulchre Street (2023) by Martin Edwards

The fourth book in Martin Edwards' Golden-Age-inspired mystery series finds Rachel Savernake asked by the victim to solve her murder before it happens. Damaris Gethin is a surrealist artist whose work has confounded the general public. She's been out of circulation for a little over a year and invites Rachel and several other very special guests to her grand return exhibition at the new Hades Gallery. In the audience, are former lovers, rivals, and persons who appear to have no connection to Damaris--but appearances are deceiving. Journalist Jacob Flint is also on hand--but his interest is in the flamboyant socialite who is rumored to have ties to a Very Important Person.

The exhibition's theme revolves around famous murderers--with live actors portraying "waxwork" figures and waiters dressed as policeman. Damaris takes on the role of Marie Antoinette, complete with a guillotine. The onlookers are somewhat amused when the artist goes to the extent of placing her neck in the contraption, only to be appalled when the blade falls and Damaris is killed. Rachel is ready to look into who could have interfered with the works to murder Damaris, but it isn't long before it's clear that Damaris did it herself--on purpose. The only way to fulfill her promise to the artist is to discover who drove the woman to such a desperate act. Running underneath (to the side?) the main story is a hint of secret service--a certain top secret group are very concerned that the socialite will ruin the Very Important Person and are willing to do anything to prevent that. Does that have anything to do with Damaris and her death? Rachel will need to discover the answer to that question too.

This particular entry in the series is closer to the thriller/adventure story than the classic mystery--though there are definitely clues to pick up and a detective plot to unravel. Jacob finds himself in the role of the thriller's hero even more than usual and gets himself into ticklish situations right and left. At one point it looks like he might get himself put away for murder. But Rachel keeps him out of the police's way while tracking down the culprit. Edwards provides us with a nice twisty solution that is very satisfying. I wish I could say I saw it coming, but I missed some of the clues he points out to us in the "Clue Finder" at the end of the book. ★★★★

First line: "I want you to solve my murder," said the woman in white.

Last line: Rachel shook her head as she raised her glass. "To living dangerously."
*****************

Deaths = 13 (one beheaded; one heart attack; four shot; one hit on head; one drowned; one smothered; two car accident; one stabbed; one beaten)

The List of Adrian Messenger

 The List of Adrian Messenger (1959) by Philip MacDonald

Adrian Messenger presents his old friend George Firth with a list of ten names with addresses. While he is on a short trip to America, he would like Firth, an official with Scotland Yard, to check up on these men--without knowing the whys or wherefores. He just wants the answer to one simple question: Are these men living at these address? Firth owes Messenger many favors, so, of course, he agrees. But Messenger never makes it to America. The plane he's flying on goes down over the Atlantic. Three people make it out of the plane alive--including Messenger--but he dies of his injuries before help can arrive. A tragic accident. Or is it?

Raoul St. Denis, famous French journalist & former member of the French resistance during the war, was also on that plane. And he was one of the survivors. St. Denis is very familiar with the sound of explosive devices and he's quite certain that one went off before the plane went down. It begins to look like someone didn't want Messenger to make that trip to America...especially when reports begin to come in on the ten men. Every one of them but one has died in an accident within the last five years. Or what has been officially declared an accident. Firth calls on General Anthony Gethryn, former intelligence officer and master at unraveling out-of-the-way puzzles. Could someone be orchestrating this deliberate elimination of the men on Messenger's list? Would someone really blow up a plane and (in another instance) derail a train to get at a particular man? And, if so, to what purpose? 

Messenger's only comments to Firth about the situation was that "It's so big, and so--so preposterous, I daren't tell anyone yet." The only way for Gethryn and the Scotland Yard men to track the culprit is to find out what ties these ten men together. Their first clues come from St. Denis, who gives a near-verbatim recital of Messenger's last words before his injuries got the better of him But even then they don't catch all of the clues before the villain starts on the second part of his plan...They're going to have to move fast to catch him before he completes it.

This was the first MacDonald book I ever read...many moons before I ever even knew what a blog was. And it was one of the first mysteries I read where a killer was working his way through a group of people for purposes of his own; purposes that our detective had to discover in order to make sense of the apparently randomness of the group. And definitely one of the first where the motive wasn't psychologically driven. I thought it was a knock-out book that kept me reading like mad to get to the end. It made enough of an impression on me that once I got settled in again, I remembered what the connection was. But the book is so good that it didn't matter. I loved following the investigation with Gethryn and the way he worked with St. Denis in the last half of the book. And I still love the poetic justice (mentioned in the last line of the book--below) that comes to the killer in the end. 

Outstanding book that was made into a movie in 1963 with Kirk Douglas and George C. Scott (among others). Now I just need to find time to sit down and watch it too. ★★★★★

First line:For several years after it was all over, there was understandable resistance in high places to the public telling of the story, and even now the project is eyed askance.

Last line: "What you would call, I think, a justice poetic..."

**********************

Deaths =  14 (two airplane (bomb); one cycling accident; three fell from height; four car/motorbike accident; two drowned; one shot; one hit by a bus)

Write Murder Down

 Write Murder Down (1972) by Richard Lockridge

Once again Lieutenant Nathan Shapiro, the Eeyore of the NYD detective branch, is--according to him--in over his head. Captain Bill Weigand has this tendency to give Shapiro cases where he has to deal with people he just doesn't understand...from artists to actors and now authors. He just doesn't understand what a smart man like Bill Weigand is doing giving these investigations to a man who's just good with a gun. But as Weigand points out to him (for the umpteenth time), he always manages to get his man (or woman as the case may be) without needing his gun.

When Miss A. Jones is found dead in her apartment--an apparent suicide involving pills and slit wrists--homicide detective Nate Shapiro is given the case because of one little detail. The body is chock full of barbiturates and there is nary a pill or pill bottle in the near-empty room. Finding a room key for the Algonquin Hotel leads Shapiro to the discovery that Miss A. Jones is really Miss Jo-An Lacey, a recent best-selling author. Apparently Miss Lacey was using the apartment as a writing hide-away. But the typewriter she worked on and the huge stack of typewritten pages containing what was meant to be her next best-seller have disappeared. Shapiro, assisted by his right-hand man Detective Tony Cook, is going to have to make his way through the foreign world of publishers, agents, options and contracts. A world where someone just might kill to get their hands on a sure-fire best-seller...and most likely has.

Despite his woe-is-me attitude, I like Nate Shapiro. He is a very smart and observant man (his own opinion notwithstanding). He knows when something doesn't look or sound right and when the clues aren't adding up to the obvious solution. But I really like Detective Tony Cook. His work on the cases and his relationship with Rachel really make the Shapiro books for me. It would have been interesting if Lockridge had decided to bring Cook to the forefront in a series of his own. He and Shapiro work very well together and have a good relationship beyond the work. Lockridge is very good with characterization and even characters who aren't on stage for long seem like real people. Since Lacey and her brother (who is on the scene because he had been worried about a lady like his sister being at the mercy of a Northern big city) are Southerners (deep South Southerners--dilapidated family plantation and all), Lockridge is able to provide an interesting contrast to his usual cast, as well as make some subtle comments on race. There are unpleasant racial stereotypes in play--but Lockridge makes it clear where he stands on the subject. Our heroes always look askance at anyone who employs such language and make it clear that they don't hold with such views.

My one complaint about this (and several of the Lockridge books) is the lack of real suspects. There aren't many to choose from, so the mystery itself isn't terribly complex. The real difficulty as far as I can see is proving it. I'm just not sure the District Attorney is going to have a solid case to go to court. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: They walked down Sixth Avenue from Charles Restaurant.

Last line:He poured them fresh drinks.
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Deaths = 3 (two airplane crash; one stabbed)

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Cold Bed in the Clay

 Cold Bed in the Clay (1947) by Ruth Sawtell Wallis

FBI agent Eric Lund has come to a Midwestern university town in search of a wanted criminal. At the university's commencement ceremony he sits in the stands of the stadium and spends more time looking at others in the crowd than at the graduates. One of these innocent-looking townspeople of faculty is the man he's after, but which one? You see, there is no detailed description of the wanted man. Was Lund's presence the catalyst that put events in motion that ended in tragedy? Or was it the arrival of young Mr. and Mrs. Adriance? Don Adriance is a recent addition to the faculty--returning to academia after a few years absence? What happened in those missing years? And why does Audrey Adriance watch him so closely with apprehension and what appears to be fear? And why does she seem unsurprised when he doesn't come home one night?

When Don Adriance is finally found--a victim of a hit-and-run driver, Audrey's lack of surprise seems suspicious to Chief of Police Peterson. If he could find a way to link her to a car (the Adriances had none), then he'd arrest  her in a minute. But Lund, who is staying with Professor Dexter under cover of a lecture of crime he's giving to the university, has met a small group of people at a party which introduced the Adriances to Don's faculty colleagues and he picked up on certain nuances that lead him to believe that someone other than Audrey is responsible. And it just might tie in with the real reason he's come to the State University town.

So, this started slow. And even though I'm a sucker for academic mysteries, the setting and the characters never really reeled me in the way this subgenre should be able to. This was also another case where I often felt like I had missed part of the conversation. I'm not sure if Covid-brain was still kicked in at that point or if the story itself was at fault. Things did seem to pick up in the second half--in part because things started happening. It helped that Lund took a larger role in the lead-up to the big reveal. Chief Peterson just didn't do much for me. He seemed very apt to stick with stereotypical answers than to really investigate. I'm glad he was willing to let Lund help out. And, like Kate over at Cross Examining Crime, I was disappointed that the werewolf clue led nowhere--despite coming up several times. The solution did hold my interest, if the first third or so had been stronger, I would have upped my rating. ★★★

First line: Seated high on a cement ledge, the man with the scars around his mouth looked down, down into the enormous blue eye.

Last line: "My wife is going to have a baby."
**************

Deaths = 2 (one hit by car; one poisoned)

Assistant to the Villain

 Assistant to the Villain (2023) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Synopsis [from the back of the book]:  With an ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So, when a mishap with Rennedawn's most infamous Villain results in a job offer--naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don't find evil so attractive, Evie. But just when she's getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat...and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn and someone wants to take the Villain--and his entire nefarious empire--out. Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work...and ensure he makes them pat. After all, a good job is hard to find.

I can confidently say that if this hadn't seemed like the most reasonable choice for this particular prompt in the bonus round of the Book Challenge by Erin (where, if I want to fulfill the bonus round I have to read a book selected by someone else...and the someone elses' tastes in this challenge have very little in common with mine)...then I doubt I would have ever picked up this fantasy meets romance meets mystery. The synopsis sounded pretty good. But I was pretty under-whelmed. The romance is not really all that. It's more like a high school crush. There's very little character or world building going on here. Beyond being told that Evie is an "innocent" and must work to support her family, we really don't know her at all. Beyond the fact that we know that The Villain (aka Trystan) became a villain because he has some sort of vendetta going on against the king, we learn very little about him or the backstory to why he hates the king's guts so much until about 10 pages before the end of the book. It would have been nice if we had gradually learned some things about these characters along the way. I wanted to root for Evie and her adventures with Trystan, but it was very difficult to get into the story when I didn't feel like I knew them at all. And...where exactly are we? Is this an alternate, fantasy earth with unexplained magic (we never really know how or why the magic works; it just does)? It really could be any medieval-type fantasy world. The final disappointment was the cliff-hanger ending. Seriously? You take us through 300+ pages, telling us basically nothing about the main characters until the last few pages and then you leave us teetering on the edge in order to make us read/buy the next book? Do I want to know what happens next? Kindof--especially if we're actually going to have some real story and action and character-building. But not if we're going to have to wade through 300 more pages just to find out a teeny, tiny bit more about these people. And I don't think I'm going to take a chance that the next book will be more interesting and engaging over a longer period of time. ★★

First line: Once Upon a Time...It was an ordinary day when Evie met The Villain.

Last line: Or become one trying.
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Deaths = 2 stabbed (more killed, but nameless)

The House of Dies Drear

 The House of Dies Drear (1968) by Virginia Hamilton

Thomas Small and his family--Dad, Mom, and brothers--move from North Carolina to an old house in Ohio. Thomas's father is a history professor who has always been interested in the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape to Canada during the Civil War era. When he learns about the Dies Drear house--a major station on the railroad, complete with secrete passages and tunnels--he is eager to take up residence in the home and learn everything he can. But the house comes with a legend of ghosts. Dies Drear, the man who ran the station and assisted slaves, was murdered as were two of the runaway slaves. And now it is said that their ghosts haunt the house where they were killed. The Small family doesn't believe it, but as soon as they move in add things begin to happen. Someone is entering the house at night and leaving artifacts and then the family finds every dish and glass in their kitchen smashed to bits.Who is behind the destruction? Is it really ghosts or is someone trying to drive the Smalls out of the house for purposes of their own?

This young adult Edgar Award winning mystery is beautifully done. Excellent backdrop, wonderful depiction of an African American family in the Midwest, written by an African American with a cast of African American characters. Hamilton brings her readers into the story and we absorb the cultural significance without lectures or obvious references. Young people reading this novel will learn facts about the Civil War without realizing it--because they'll be so caught up in the mystery of the house and the adventures that Thomas and his family have. It's not a complicated mystery (one know very soon who is behind everything), but it's very entertaining and educational. ★★★★

First line: Thomas dreamed he walked a familiar forest, following a timeworn path of the Tuscaroras.

Last lines: And they didn't mind waiting, not this day nor the days to come. They had years.
*******************

Deaths = one shot

The Midnight Library

 The Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig

From the book flap: Between life and death there is a library. 
Up until now, Nora Seed's life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. When she finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. Each one contains a different life, a possible world in which she made different choices that played out in an infinite number of ways, affecting everyone she knew as well as many people she never met. With the help of an old friend she can now undo every decision she regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. but things aren't always what she imagined they'd be and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

My take: So, the synopsis sounded really good. A magical library with books that represent every possible twist and turn your life could have taken. A chance to try those other lives on for size to figure out the perfect combination. I'm not much into the descriptions of most magical realism stories (and I really needed one for a challenge a signed up for), but a story about books and books filled with alternate realities? I was all set to enjoy that. But....I didn't. Or rather I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. It's a perfectly good story. It has a nice little moral to it. And that's all fine. But the alternate realities weren't all that interesting. And Nora is supposedly extraordinarily bright...but she's a little slow on the uptake when she steps into a new life. Each time she's like, "Man, this is weird. Why is everything so different?" (Oh, I don't know...maybe because that was the whole point--that things would be different and you wouldn't be so sad about your life and want to end it all?) A terrific concept, but the follow-through was not up to expectations. I started out with 3 1/2 stars...but I've thought it over and I don't think it's that good. ★★ and 1/2

First line: Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford.

Last line: And Nora smiled as she stared at all the pieces she still had left in play, thinking about her next move.