Claire Ladds

Crime and suspense author

book challenge

Spell the Month in Books: July

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A new month brings a new blog post in which I spell the month in books. There was no post for June, due to various reasons, but I’m back again now!

This is a short month – in letters, anyway, so I have just four books for you. As usual, I’m putting my own crime spin on this book challenge, and there are a couple of my favourite detectives in this month’s haul. So, without further ado, let’s see what I’ve got in my bookstack.

Jewel that was Ours (The) – Colin Dexter

I’ve said before that I love Inspector Morse, whether it’s the novels or the TV series. This novel is no exception.

Oxford is used to having international visitors, and 27 American tourists is just par for the course. But then one of them turns up dead in his hotel room. To all intents and purposes, it looks like a terrible accident. Yet an antique has been taken from the man’s pocket, and no one seems to care. No one except Morse. When two days after this dreadful occurrence, a naked and battered body is found in the river, Morse is determined to prove that there’s a link between the two deaths.

It’s great to ‘watch’ Morse at work, solving the crimes while negotiating his way around the visiting Americans. Morse’s feel for the respectable and the rumbling irritability that often lurks within him always make such quietly amusing contrasts as he goes about his detection. Oh, and if you’ve never watched the Inspector Morse series, I thoroughly recommend it. It’s not for those who want a fast-paced detective programme, but if you like your detecting to be somewhat more cerebral, and if you love the idea that Oxford – including its university – is the setting, then this is for you.

Under the Dragon’s Tail – Maureen Jennings

When an abortionist is murdered, it comes as no great surprise to Murdoch, because she was a greedy woman who held her ‘clients’ in contempt. She may have been very discreet, but she left too many people who crossed her path angry at their treatment. Then a boy is found murdered in the abortionist’s kitchen. Why? Murdoch doesn’t know, and what’s more puzzling and disturbing is that he isn’t sure if he’s on the hunt for two separate killers, or whether there’s a link between the murders and he’s searching for just one. But who could want an abortionist and a boy dead?

Victorian/Edwardian surroundings, progress and inventions fascinates me. I recommend Murdoch Mysteries to anyone who loves a cozy mystery and a great detective story with strong characters.

Love Lies Bleeding – Edmund Crispin

I have a set of half a dozen Edmund Crispin novels involving the English professor and amateur sleuth, Gervase Fen, on my shelf, and I am sad to say that I have not yet had the opportunity to read any of them. However, I have started this one and I can say that the humour woven into the Gervase Fen books has already had me sporting a wry smile while I’m reading, and sometimes laughing out loud.

Professor Fen has been invited to hand out the prizes at Castrevenford school’s Speech Day. But trouble isn’t very far away, as the night before he is due to fulfil his engagement, two staff members end up dead. Gervase Fen is asked to put his sleuthing powers to work and find out what happened, and all kinds of shenanigans ensue!

This is a classic Golden Age mystery, with the added quirkiness and comedy not always found in all Golden Age mysteries. If you like a light-hearted tone in your mystery, then Gervase Fen might be the sleuth for you.

You Let Me In – Lucy Clarke

Finally, after using this book in previous Spell the Month in Books posts (who’d have thought I’d have such difficulty finding a crime book on my shelves beginning with a ‘y’?!), I have managed to read the novel! I can most definitely say that I’m glad that I did.

Elle hasn’t felt right since she moved into her rented house. She has the creepy feeling that someone is watching her. Everything about the atmosphere feels – strange. But she convinces herself that it’s her own imagination because she’s a writer. And she’s likely to have strange imaginings because of that, isn’t she? As paranoia and terror takes over, she knows someone is out to get her…

I absolutely loved this! I have no intention of spoiling the story, but I will say that if suspenseful books are for you, then this is a book you definitely have to read!

So, there we have it, the first post about crime, mystery and dark books for the second half of the year (where is the time going?!). Next month my Spell the Month in Books post will be a bit longer. August has more letters! šŸ˜ If you try any of these books, or you’ve read them, do feel free to let me know in the comments. As always, my disclaimer: this post contains a few affiliate links if you’re an Amazon US user, but only to books I’ve personally read and recommend.

If you want to tell me what you’ve been reading, or are planning to read this month, you can tell me in the comments, or find me on Facebook or Instagram. And if you’ve read one of my books, I’d love to hear from you! New ones are in the pipeline. More on those very soon…

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Spell the Month in Books: May

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Welcome to my Spell the Month in Books for May. With only three letters in the month, this is going to be a pretty short post!

Once again, I couldn’t resist including an Agatha Christie book. The film adaptation of the novel I have chosen is one of my favourites. I’ve also included a book from a lovely series of hard-to-get and forgotten mystery novels, brought back to life by the British Library Crime Classics series. And blimey, who knew I’d still be having problems finding paperbacks on my shelf beginning with a ‘y’?! Anyway, without further ado, here are my choices for this month.

Murder in Piccadilly – Charles Kingston

Bobbie Cheldon’s ideas of love and marriage vary greatly from the woman who captures his heart in a Soho nightclub. Whereas he is looking for the perfect marriage, Nancy the dancer is much more interested in the money that Bobbie will inherit from his wealthy uncle. But there is a problem – Bobbie’s uncle isn’t going to hand over ten thousand pounds a year to make Nancy’s life more comfortable, just because she thinks it’s a great idea! But there may be a solution, and it leaves the way open for murder. Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard has to untangle all sorts of scandalous Soho shenanigans in order to get to the truth.

This was my first British Library Crime Classics purchase and since then I have gathered a number of them and have really enjoyed all the ones I have read so far. Itā€™s wonderful, being able to gain access to stories through the British Library Classics editions that you struggle to get hold of otherwise. Iā€™m gradually working through the collection. In fact, I remember mentioning that I fancied collecting them, and, come Christmastime, found myself unwrapping half a dozen of them from my kids. If you enjoy Golden Age mysteries you may well love these books.

Appointment with Death – Agatha Christie

The American Lady Boynton is a widow, ridiculously wealthy – and also a hideous human being. So when she is discovered by members of her dysfunctional family, sitting there, surveying her surroundings, and with a puncture mark on her wrist as the only sign that she has been murdered by a lethal injection, there are plenty who are in the frame as suspects. Even Poirot thinks she was a dreadful woman, but he has just 24 hours to discover her killer.

I really loved this novel, for its characters, its plot and for the many possible reasons the truly hateful Mrs Boynton could have been murdered. It kept me guessing at every turn. I remember reading this book when I was in my twenties, and being thoroughly absorbed by it, so much so that I dreamt about the characters for weeks. I’ve also watched the film of the book starring Peter Ustinov several times. I re-read it more recently after watching the film adaptation starring David Suchet on countless occasions, and was fascinated by the differences between the original novel (and the Ustinov film) and the TV film starring David Suchet as Poirot. For me, the changes in location, plot and the motivations driving various events are just brilliant, but I won’t spoil it for you. I do believe, however, that you will get very different experiences from reading the book and watching the more recent Suchet film (and if you happen, like me, to like John Hannah, then you’ll definitely get an experience from watching the film!)

You Let Me In – Lucy Clarke

Since Elle rented her house, things have seemed strange. There is a weird atmosphere, and she has this really creepy feeling that someone is watching her. She tries to convince herself that it’s her writing job, her imagination, that is causing the problems. But as threats come in that are all too personal, and she becomes more and more paranoid, everything about her new home becomes a prison she can’t escape. Just who has found a way into her head and is doing this to her?

I still can’t tell you from personal experience what I think of this book, as it’s stuck in my TBR pile, and likely to be there for some time yet. But I bought it because it sounds creepy, and brilliant, and I can definitely tell you that I’ve read some fantastic reviews about it from book reviewers on Instagram. I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

There you go – short(ish) and sweet! Or at least short and crime-filled. šŸ˜Š Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned this time round, or do you have any crime books that you’d love to recommend to others? Do feel free to pop them in the comments, if so.

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Read Christie 2021: my March book choice – Death in the Clouds

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I am back once more with my #ReadChristie2021 challenge choice, this time for March. This one was under threat all month due to my fingers being slavishly glued to the keyboard in an attempt to complete the first draft of my next book by the end of the month. Somehow, though, I’ve managed to squeeze in my reading through some matchstick-propping of eyelids. šŸ™‚

The remit for this month was a book containing a society figure. The recommended read was Lord Edgware Dies, but I chose to read a story that I haven’t read since I was about fourteen. I picked Death in the Clouds, partly to see how much of the original story I remembered, and partly to see how it differed from the film version starring David Suchet as Poirot.

#ReadChristie2021 my March read

The setup for the story is as follows: After a visit to France, Poirot and others, some who have been to watch the tennis, some who had other reasons to be there, head to England on a plane. Poirot is among a small group of passengers in the first class compartment but, as he hates flying, he wraps himself up and tries to block out the trip altogether. As they approach the end of the flight, one of the stewards discovers one of the passengers is dead. At first glance, it appears she has been stung by a wasp, but on closer examination, it’s blatantly clear that a poisoned dart has stabbed her in the neck and a blowpipe is discovered in the back of one of the chairs, right near where Poirot had been sitting. And poor Poirot isn’t trusted, then, by most of his fellow passengers or by certain members of the authorities.

It turns out that the dead woman is a notorious money-lender, publicly known as Madame Giselle, and who targeted people with secrets which she could hold over them in order to ensure repayment of their loans. One of the passengers in that first-class compartment must have killed her somehow, even though it seems impossible that anyone could have blown a dart at the woman without being seen. But someone did, and there are a number of distinctly likely candidates. Poirot is determined to help Inspector Japp solve the case – if only to reclaim his respectability!

The trail leads them back to France to discover the secrets of Madame Giselle – including any information they can find out about the secret daughter who inherits everything. Back in England, and with the aid of two of the younger passengers, Jane grey, a hairdresser, and Norman Gale, a dentist, (and who form the beginnings of a romantic attachment as a nice little sideline) the plot gradually unfolds, despite the many attempts to misdirect and misinform Poirot, until the culprit is revealed.

So, where does the society figure come it, then? Well, of course, she is one of the suspects. Lady Horbury is an addicted gambler – and she’s also addicted in other ways, too. She really is one of those characters who make me ‘bristle’. I struggle to find anything at all in the way of a redeeming feature. And she is, as you can well imagine, a strong suspect. Whether she did a very clever job on the woman to whom she was in debt and who knew way more about her than she wanted leaking to the press or other members of her society circle, I shall not tell you – obviously!

I’m going to be honest and say that this is not one of my favourite Christie stories, but as ever with books, this is just my subjective opinion. I do, however, think that the plot device used to enable the perpetrator of the crime to do their dastardly deed was very clever. It is one Christie used several times, for example in the short story ‘The yellow iris’, which she extended and which also became the novel Sparkling Cyanide. If you’ve read them, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, I’m not going to spoil it for you!

As ever when I use affiliate links I let you know. Links in this post will take you to Amazon.com. I may earn a tiny commission if you choose to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you (if you shop on Amazon US, that is).

Have you decided to join in the Read Christie challenge this year? If you have, I’d love to hear about what you’ve been reading. If not, I’d still love to hear about what you’ve been reading – I’m always happy to add to my ‘to be read’ pile! Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments.

Happy reading!

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Spell the Month in Books: January

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I began getting involved in ā€˜Spell the Month in Booksā€™ on Instagram last year, having come across the hashtag and decided it looked like fun. If you donā€™t know, the idea is that you gather together a bookstack of titles and create the name of the relevant month with the first letter of the title of each book.

This year, I have decided to try and find books that fit into the crime and/or mystery category, and which I currently have in paperback in my bookcases. I can tell you already that finding certain letters of the month has been a challenge, and as much as I would love not to repeat a book in the twelve bookstacks for the year, I get the distinct feeling that there might be one or two that I have no choice to repeat, unless I go out and deliberately buy books beginning with specific letters! Iā€™m resisting doing that, as I have so many unread books that Iā€™m determined to use ones Iā€™ve got.

This is my chosen Spell the Month in Books bookstack for January:

Jamaica Inn – Daphne du Maurer

Among the Mad – Jacqueline Winspear

Nemesis – Agatha Christie

Under the Dragonā€™s Tail – Maureen Jennings

A Shilling for Candles – Josephine Tey

Return of Sherlock Holmes (The) – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

You Let Me In – Lucy Clarke

Youā€™ll notice a few Golden Age (or modern versions of Golden Age) mysteries among this lot – and being the Agatha Christie obsessive that I am, I couldnā€™t resist adding one in. However, this group ranges from Victorian to contemporary, and spans detective, suspense and thriller books.

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Read Christie 2021: my February book choice – Sad Cypress

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The Read Christie 2021 challenge for February was to read a book featuring love. I knew immediately which one I was going to read. Sad Cypress is a novel I read when I was in my early teens and it has truly stuck with me for decades. I can vividly remember where I was, the weather, the seat I was on (in case you’re wondering, it was a sun bed in the back garden), and exactly how I felt when I devoured this book the first time. It, I believe, was completely responsible for my lifelong wish to write books containing poisons (which I did manage to achieve in Baby up the Chimney). Anyway, back to Sad Cypress.

Plot

Elinor Carlisle stands in the dock, accused of murdering Mary Gerrard. Elinor was in line to inherit the estate of her aunt, Mrs Welman, but after an anonymous letter, it seems that Mary Gerrard might have been getting a bit too close to Mrs Welman for some people’s liking. To make matters worse, Elinor’s boyfriend’s sudden love for Mary causes the engagement to be broken off. Meanwhile, Mary, encouraged by the local nurse, nurse Hopkins, has made a will, and now it seems she has something to leave to its recipient. Elinor, too, has made a will, leaving everything she inherits to Roddy, the ex boyfriend.

While clearing out the house and the lodge, Elinor makes sandwiches, and invites Mary and nurse Hopkins who has taken a shine to Mary and is helping out, to have lunch with her. An hour later, Mary is dead.

So, did Elinor poison Mary Gerrard with Morphine in the sandwiches, like the police think she did? Or has someone got it in for Elinor and is framing her for the murder? The local doctor is determined to get Elinor off at all costs, and enlists the help of Hercule Poirot to do so. And Poirot searches for the truth, even if that means he discovers that Elinor is guilty of murder after all.

Okay, so there’s much more to the plot than that, but I really don’t want to give you any spoilers. Onto the book itself…

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