NinieB Decorates with Orchids in 2024

I'm Ninie (rhymes with shiny) and I'm an avid reader in beautiful upstate New York. I've participated in the Category Challenge since 2019. I love finding books that satisfy the CATs, KITs, and BingoDOG, while trying to read from my groaning shelves (and boxes).

I found a lovely collection of orchid photos for my category toppers. They are all by Ronincmc, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

The categories are almost the same as 2023--I found that this setup works really well for me. I don't spend time fussing over which book goes where, I keep track of the KITs and CATs and Bingo, and I have space for challenges that come up as the year progresses. I've added one category, Viragos and Persephones.

Classics (before 1900)

20th Century

1. The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy
2. The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates
3. The Setons by O. Douglas
4. Miss Mole by E. H. Young
5. The Reef by Edith Wharton
6. Mary Colter, Builder upon the Red Earth by Virginia L. Grattan
7. Fidelity by Susan Glaspell
8. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCulles
9. Olivia in India by O. Douglas

21st Century

Keating Mysteries (books on H.R.F. Keating's list of 100 Best Crime & Mystery Books)

1. Nobody's Perfect by Donald E. Westlake
2. The Cellar at No. 5 by Shelley Smith
3. Gideon's Week by J. J. Marric
4. Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

20th Century Mysteries

1. Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden
2. The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis
3. The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis
4. An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis
5. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
6. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
7. Monk's-Hood by Ellis Peters
8. Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
9. The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters
10. The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
11. The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters
12. Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters
13. The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters
14. An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters
15. The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters
16. The Brooklyn Murders by G. D. H. Cole
17. The Death of a Millionaire by G. D. H. Cole & Margaret Cole
18. The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters
19. The Blatchington Tangle by G. D. H. Cole & Margaret Cole
20. A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

21st Century Mysteries
1. The Funeral Boat by Kate Ellis
2. The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis
3. A Painted Doom by Kate Ellis
4. The Skeleton Room by Kate Ellis
5. The Plague Maiden by Kate Ellis
6. A Cursed Inheritance by Kate Ellis
7. The Marriage Hearse by Kate Ellis
8. The Shining Skull by Kate Ellis
9. The Blood Pit by Kate Ellis
10. A Perfect Death by Kate Ellis
11. The Flesh Tailor by Kate Ellis
12. The Jackal Man by Kate Ellis

Virago Modern Classics and Persephones

1. Miss Mole by E. H. Young
2. The Reef by Edith Wharton
3. Fidelity by Susan Glaspell

CATs and KITs

CalendarCAT
May: The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates

HistoryCAT
May (middle ages): The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters

PrizeCAT
May (doubling up): The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy
June (book lists): Gideon's Week by J. J. Marric; Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

AlphaKIT
May (P): The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters
May (N, P): Nobody's Perfect by Donald E. Westlake
May (N, P): The Cellar at No. 5 by Shelley Smith
June (J): Gideon's Week by J. J. Marric
June (B): Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

MysteryKIT
April (series): The Marriage Hearse by Kate Ellis
May (Golden Age): The Brooklyn Murders by G. D. H. Cole; The Death of a Millionaire by G. D. H. Cole & Margaret Cole; The Blatchington Tangle by G. D. H. Cole & Margaret Cole
June (author new to you): Gideon's Week by J. J. Marric, Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

RandomKIT
May (art & architecture): Mary Colter, Builder upon the Red Earth by Virginia L. Grattan
June (initials): Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin

BingoDOG



3. (only title & author on cover) The Brooklyn Murders by G. D. H. Cole
4. (featuring twins) The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates
7. (epistolary or diary) Olivia in India by O. Douglas
9. (book from LT "similar library") The Plague Maiden by Kate Ellis
11. (three-word title) The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis
12. (paper based item in plot) The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis
15. (person's name in title) Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
16. (set in a city) The Death of a Millionaire by G. D. H. Cole & Margaret Cole
17. (less than 100 copies on LT) Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden
19. (author 65 or older) One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
20. (featuring water) The Skeleton Room by Kate Ellis
21. (warriors or mercenaries) The Funeral Boat by Kate Ellis
24. (set in multiple countries) A Cursed Inheritance by Kate Ellis

Special Projects

Welcome--the door is open!

Looking forward to following along - especially the H. R. F. Keating list!

What a great setup! I love the beautiful orchids and I'm looking forward to seeing what you read, especially the Viragos and Persephones!

Beautiful orchids! Happy reading in 2024.

Gorgeous photos! Have a great reading year :D

Beautiful theme! Glad you have so many categories with mysteries, I'll be following closely.

Orchids are so beautiful. Good luck with your reading in 2024.

Oh, wonderful flowers! Have a good reading year!

>13 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy. I'm trying to read 2 per month because I'm ready to move on to other lists!

>14 MissBrangwen: Aren't the orchids beautiful, Mirjam? By adding the Virago/Persephone category I'm trying to keep myself reading what I buy.

>15 pamelad: Another orchid admirer! Happy reading to you too, Pam.

>16 rabbitprincess: And so nice of the photographer to share them. I wish you a great reading year as well!

>17 VivienneR: I read about half mysteries in 2023, and I expect similar numbers in 2024! I always follow your mysteries too, Vivienne.

>18 lowelibrary: Glad you like the orchids, April, and good luck with your reading as well.

>19 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit. Happy to have another flower fan!

Nice photos! My sister-in-law used to grow wonderful orchids - she had a magical touch. Looking forward to the Keating reads and the Virago & Persephone books.

Beautiful orchids. Good luck with your 2024 reading plans!

I'll be here often, to enjoy the flora and the books! Happy reading!

Best wishes for your 2024 reading -- I always get lots of BBs from your thread!

>21 dudes22: My mother-in-law could grow orchids as well. She had a magic gardening thumb, to be sure. Thanks for stopping by, Betty!

>22 Tess_W: Good luck with your reading plans too, Tess!

>23 kac522: Looking forward to your visits, and I'll be on your thread often, too, Kathy!

>24 christina_reads: Thanks, Christina, and best wishes for your reading as well!

Love the photos. Especially, of course, looking forward to the VMC and Persephone category. Hope you find some new green VMCs in 2024. I think my charity shops have no more to offer, but there is always hope!

>26 JayneCM: Thanks! And you never know what might turn up, so keep checking those op shops!

Beautiful orchids! I have a "collection" of my own, but they're just the green bits (have yet to work out how to get them to rebloom.) Looking forward to seeing what you read this year!

>28 beccac220: Thanks, Becky! Stop by anytime!

Hi there! Lovely photos, reminding me of when we were on a cruise and at a few of the stops we visited flower gardens, some of which contained orchids of many varieties.

I love your pictures! I've never been good with orchids, though I've had one or two. Maybe next time someone gives me one I'll figure it out :) Wishing you the best of reading (and flowers) in 2024!

>31 antqueen: The great thing about gardening is we always get another chance! Thank you for the good wishes!

>33 NinieB: Beautiful graphic! And all the best reading in 2024 to you!

>34 kac522: Thank you, Kathy! All the best reading for you, as well!

Love your orchid pictures. I have one that I try and keep alive. Not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do with it, but it;s not dead yet!
Hoping you have equally as blooming a reading year.

Getting orchids to flower seems to be where the magic happens and where the green thumb is needed!

Thank you and have a wonderful reading year.

Those are beautiful orchid photos!

>38 mathgirl40: Thanks for visiting, Paulina, and sorry to be so long.

Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden is a 20th-century Gothic romantic suspense. My paperback's cover depicts a girl in a nightgown with a house in the background. Lois and Rodney meet in London and promptly marry. They then go to live in Rodney's family home, Crow Hollow, with his three eccentric aunts and his autocratic grandfather. Rodney is quickly swept up in his busy job as a doctor, leaving Lois to contend with not just the family but increasingly frightening events.

I read a lot of this kind of thing when I was in high school, but I never read Dorothy Eden. Based on this book, I'd say she's pretty good, not as good as early Victoria Holt, but worth exploring further.

The Wesley Peterson series by Kate Ellis is really good, so good that I binge-read the first 14. It helped that they are all available for reading on Internet Archive. Wesley Peterson is a CID officer (initially Detective Sergeant, then Detective Inspector) in a smallish Devon town (fictional of course). At university he studied archaeology before becoming a police officer. His classmate Neil Watson is on the county archaeological team. Each book features a modern-day murder and an archaeological dig that in some way ties into the modern-day case. These police procedurals are not too gritty, although some of the later ones have a darker tone. If you enjoy a good British mystery as well as historical-archaeological stuff, you will probably enjoy this series.

The Merchant's House
The Armada Boy
An Unhallowed Grave
The Funeral Boat
The Bone Garden
A Painted Doom
The Skeleton Room
The Plague Maiden
A Cursed Inheritance
The Marriage Hearse
The Shining Skull
The Blood Pit
A Perfect Death
The Flesh Tailor

I had read one or two Brother Cadfael mysteries in the past but hadn't really cared for them. This time around something clicked and I've been happily reading through the series, again on Internet Archive. A Benedictine monk who discovered his vocation later in life, Cadfael is the gardener at St. Peter & St. Paul Abbey in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. He has a deep knowledge of medicinal plants and regularly doctors not only the monks at the Abbey but also the townspeople of Shrewsbury. His familiarity with the human body leads him to discover murder where it is otherwise not suspected, and his friendship with Under-Sheriff Hugh Beringar allows him to collaborate on investigating murder in Shropshire. Characters at the Abbey and in the town frequently recur in the stories. Ellis Peters does a great job of world-building in 12th-century England.

A Morbid Taste for Bones
One Corpse Too Many
Monk's-Hood
Saint Peter's Fair
The Leper of Saint Giles
The Virgin in the Ice
The Sanctuary Sparrow
The Devil's Novice
Dead Man's Ransom
The Pilgrim of Hate
An Excellent Mystery
The Raven in the Foregate
The Rose Rent

The Brooklyn Murders by G. D. H. Cole is the first of the Superintendent Wilson mysteries written by Cole and his wife Margaret in the 1920s-1940s. Wilson is a high-ranking officer at Scotland Yard. In this one, Wilson and Inspector Blaikie investigate the mysterious deaths of Sir Vernon Brooklyn's two nephews and primary heirs, George Brooklyn and John Princeps, on the same night at Sir Vernon's London residence. The initial mystification is that the clues found at the two scenes implicate George in the murder of John and John in the murder of George. As this is apparently impossible, Wilson and Blaikie must dig deeper. Amateur detectives Joan Cowper and Robert Ellery lend a hand as well.

This mystery is in the classic Golden Age style, with the focus being on tracking clues and alibis. I find these mysteries great fun but am well aware not everyone enjoys the style!

The Death of a Millionaire was the Coles' second mystery. Also set in London with side jaunts to Warsaw, Siberia, and Brittany, it is about the murder at a high-class hotel in London of the American millionaire Hugh Radlett. Particularly mystifying is that the apparent murderer, Radlett's secretary Ivan Rosenbaum, took the body away with him in a trunk! Wilson and Blaikie have their work cut out for them, with the first order of business being to find Rosenbaum and the trunk.

The Coles are very clever here in how they untangle the mystery. At 350 pages, however, The Death of a Millionaire is about 100 pages too long.

>40 NinieB: I’m enjoying a Dorothy Eden binge courtesy of KoboPlus. Reading Winterwood now. She’s a good find.

>45 pamelad: I have Darkwater on the shelf so I'll read that one next.

ETA: Actually I read Darkwater in 2021. Don't remember it at all!

>42 NinieB: I'm glad the Cadfael books finally clicked for you! I love the series and recently reread my favorite, One Corpse Too Many.

>47 christina_reads: The series is now in my mental category of "books where I want to hang out with the characters"!

>41 NinieB: I have The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis and I'm happy to read your opinion. Looking forward to it.

>49 VivienneR: The archaeological/historical story lines are tailormade for me, and I really like police procedurals as well. I hope The Merchant's House works for you!

>40 NinieB: My girlfriends and I also read a lot of those romantic suspense/gothic novels when I was in high school. I think I own (and read) all of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, and they are the copies I bought when I was in high school, college, and beyond.

>51 LadyoftheLodge: I had a lot of Victoria Holts when I was in high school (and read them too). At some point, though, I had to slim down my book collection, and I got rid of most of them. I kept my favorite, Bride of Pendorric.

I'd wanted to read The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy for a while, so when the May PrizeCAT prompt was to read a book that won two awards, I went for it.

It's February 1940 in Montréal. Florentine LaCasse, 19, works in a five and dime as a lunch counter waitress. She gives most of her paycheck to her mother Rose-Anna, who is pregnant with her 12th child. The depression has taken its toll on the LaCasse family, with father Azarius losing each job he gets. Young Daniel is continually sick. Oldest son Eugène has just enlisted; he promises Rose-Anna that she'll get $20 per month. When Florentine meets handsome Jean Lévesque, and later his friend Emmanuel Létourneau at the lunch counter, her life is about to change.

The Tin Flute is one of the great Canadian novels. I didn't quite get all of it (it's definitely on the literary side), but I loved it nonetheless. A sense of tragedy pervades the story. It's night and day from Roy's second novel, Where Nests the Water Hen, but Rose-Anna reminded me of Luzina (the mother in Water Hen), probably because each is the mother of so many children.

The Tin Flute won the Prix Femina in 1945 and the Governor General's Literary Award in 1947 in English translation.

The Darling Buds of May (1958) by H. E. Bates is a British comedy about the Larkin family and their happy-go-lucky life on their farm. When the tax inspector shows up--Pop Larkin has apparently not filed taxes in some time--they seduce him into their lifestyle. Not what I was expecting. It's a very quick read of 2 or 3 hours and great fun.

>54 NinieB: The TV series featuring was wonderful. Catherine Zeta Jones had the part of the Larkin's eldest daughter, that provided a screen breakthrough for her. H.E. Bates wanted to portray an idyllic life in the English countryside - the kind that only happens in our imagination.

>55 VivienneR: I'll have to look for the TV series! I did find myself thinking that the scale on which the Larkins ate had to have been something many or most Britons could only dream of at that time.

>56 NinieB: Yes, free love, lots of food, no illness, always sunny, bargains of all sorts easy to find… The series was televised back in the 90s, might be hard to find.

>57 VivienneR: Turns out it's on Britbox, which I don't have but keep thinking about!

My first book this year from the H. R. F. Keating list of 100 best crime and mystery novels was Nobody's Perfect by Donald E. Westlake. I've enjoyed everything I've read by Westlake and Nobody's Perfect was no exception.

John Dortmunder is your everyday thief. He's hired by Arnold Chauncey to steal a painting from Chauncey so Chauncey can claim the insurance money. Dortmunder assembles his team, and on the appointed evening they break into the house. From there things go wildly out of control in a very funny story.

Westlake, in addition to the humorous Dortmunder series, wrote as Tucker Coe a series of hardboiled private detective books that are definitely worth reading as well.

>59 NinieB: Reading Nobody's Perfect from Keating's list introduced me to Donald E. Westlake and now I can't get enough of both his Dortmunder and his stand-alone stories!

>60 DeltaQueen50: We don't hear enough about Donald Westlake, do we? The standalone I've read is Help I Am Being Held Prisoner; it was very funny too.

Another Keating book, and a real gem: The Cellar at No. 5 (originally The Party at No. 5) by Shelley Smith. Mrs Rampage is living alone in a large house full of trinkets and treasures. Her niece Cissie comes across a woman who needs a place to live--Mrs. Roach--and convinces Mrs. Rampage to let Mrs. Roach live with her as a companion. To say that it doesn't work out is putting it mildly. The cat and cat game that they play (not cat and mouse--they are both the cat) is utterly absorbing.

Judy wrote a great review of this book a couple of years ago: https://www.librarything.com/work/3520137/reviews/192498270

>62 NinieB: Not only has the Keating list given me some excellent reads, it has also introduced me to a slew of authors that I didn't know about previously. So it's a win-win for me!

>63 DeltaQueen50: Yes, many good books and authors I hadn't previously known about. I'm trying to push through again--I'd love to finish by the end of 2025.

The Setons by O. Douglas (pseudonym of Anna Buchan, sister of John Buchan) was supposed to be my bus book since I was reading the free Kindle version. I was quickly sucked into the story, though, and I read most of it this weekend--it's not super long.

Elizabeth Seton is the daughter of a minister in Glasgow, with the story starting in 1913. She keeps house for her father and raises her youngest brother, Buff, her mother being dead. Two other brothers are living in India. Elizabeth spends much of her time visiting members of her father's church. Perhaps not surprisingly, given it's about a minister's family, this 1917 novel has quite a bit of religion in it. There's also some Scots dialect--occasionally I wasn't sure what the characters were saying but mostly it was easy to read.

This story is on the sentimental side. Moreover, not much happens for the first two-thirds of the story. But the characters were interesting and the story well written. And it provides an interesting perspective on World War I, as it was written while the war was ongoing.

Miss Mole by E. H. Young is a character study of the title character, a thin, shabby, almost-40 spinster with a humorous, ironic view of the world and an unquenchable fascination with other people. Making her living by serving as a companion to elderly ladies, Hannah Mole inevitably loses each job through her irrepressible tongue. This time her cousin Lilla finds her a position as housekeeper to the widowed Robert Corder, a Nonconformist minister. There, she develops a close relationship with his daughters Ruth, a nervous child, and Ethel, a coltish young woman obsessed with finding a man. But Hannah is distressed when a newcomer to the neighborhood recognizes her from her past life.

It's delightful to see Miss Mole slowly blossom in a household where she's able to sometimes speak her mind--not to the pleasure of Mr. Corder--and with friendships that develop. The writing style is a bit dense (I thought it was just me, but the introduction mentions it as well) but it is well worth your reading time to get to know Hannah.

>66 NinieB: I enjoyed that one too!

>66 NinieB: I loved that one--so far it's my favorite of hers. I've read quite a few of her books published by Virago, and enjoyed them all except The Vicar's Daughter. I still have Celia and Chatterton Square left to read.

>67 VivienneR: It seems like a popular one! I was definitely hooked by the time I was halfway through.

>68 kac522: It's my third Young, and I think it's my favorite too.

Kate Ellis writes a serial killer plot in The Jackal Man. It's a bit grittier than her previous Wesley Peterson plots. I was OK with that, as she isn't one to dwell on unpleasant details. I did find it long, though; most mysteries and thrillers don't need to be 400 pages. But as always she hides her killer well.

>66 NinieB: I downloaded this book for 99 cents! Thanks!

>71 LadyoftheLodge: I hope you enjoy it, Cheryl!

>66 NinieB: I liked Miss Mole and The Misses Mallett, and must read some more of E. M. Young's books.

>73 pamelad: I'm not sure whether I'll read Jenny Wren or William next--maybe Jenny Wren.

>74 NinieB: Jenny Wren is the first of a 2-book series; the second book, The Curate's Wife, features Jenny's sister Dahlia, although both sisters are in both books. William is a stand-alone.

>75 kac522: I have The Curate's Wife as well so it would be nice to get Jenny Wren read. But it's hard because there are so many books on my TBR!

>76 NinieB: Yeah. I read them both in 2022 and I was immediately going to read her last two (Celia and Chatterton Square)........Of course, they're STILL staring at me on the shelf......

>77 kac522: Late last year, I made an elaborate plan for reading more Viragos this year. Of course it all went to nothing the first few months this year when I was not in the Category Challenge mindset, but if I stay the course Jenny Wren is a possibility in October.

>78 NinieB: I know the feeling...I even made one of my Challenges this year to read 24 Virago/Persephone books as I have about 70 unread. So far I've read 5, and I'm in the middle of one I hope I can finish by the end of the month. Still that's way behind what I wanted to accomplish.

The Reef by Edith Wharton is a great book, mostly. Wharton took a plot that would work well in a soap opera and made it into art. My only complaint is that IMO the last 50 pages or so kind of fizzle.

George Darrow, an American diplomat posted in London, is on his way to France to propose to Anna Leath. Anna is the widow of a wealthy American; she has a 9-year-old daughter, Effie, and a grown stepson, Owen. But George's plans are disrupted when Anna telegraphs him not to come because of temporary "obstacles". Disappointed and doubting whether she cares for him, George coincidentally meets young, pretty Sophy Viner, whom he knew slightly in London, and decides to travel on to Paris with her. Sophy is also an American, who, having argued with her employer, is penniless and has a vague plan of taking up acting in Paris. George and Sophy end up spending a full week together.

Several months later, George and Anna are back in touch and George once more makes his way to Anna's chateau, where Anna promptly accepts his proposal of marriage. Then things take a wrong turn.

I'll stop there with the plot because I definitely enjoyed watching it unfold. (Note--the LT reviews are chock full of spoilers.) I also loved Wharton's beautiful writing and her handling of the very complex emotions that the characters experience. I will say that I had to consciously think about the mores of 1912 to fully appreciate the story and the reactions of the characters, because certainly things are different now.

I read another Golden Age detective story by the Coles, The Blatchington Tangle. It's not as good as the first two. The "tangle" is mostly caused by the characters (hosts and guests at a country house weekend) lying about where they were and what they were doing on the night of the murder. I think it was intended to be a lighter, more humorous mystery--for example, Lord Blatchington walks around naked after taking a dip in the pool.

I hardly ever read nonfiction these days, but for something different I picked up Mary Colter: Builder upon the Red Earth by Virginia L. Grattan. In the first half of the 20th century, Mary Colter was an architect and interior decorator for the Fred Harvey Company, which operated the restaurants and hotels owned by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. In this role, the Harvey Company played a major role in developing tourism in the Southwest of the United States. Mary Colter designed buildings and interiors that drew upon what we now think of as a Southwestern aesthetic. Several of her buildings can still be seen on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. This short biography included many pictures, which I appreciated.

Here's Judy Garland singing The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe from The Harvey Girls.

>83 pamelad: You know, I don't think I've ever seen that movie. Something to look for, definitely.

>51 LadyoftheLodge: I also have many of these books. I should re-read.

>50 NinieB: You might like the Elizabeth Peters' books about Egypt and archaeology. They are mysteries and a series.

>86 mnleona: Thanks, Leona. I read The Crocodile in the Sandbank about 30 years ago, and at that time it didn't work for me at all. But over and over I've seen my taste in books change, so maybe I should try the series again!

Fidelity by Susan Glaspell was published in 1915. It's a novel in the realism style, about Ruth Holland, a young woman raised in a small midwestern town. She and Stuart Williams, an older married man, fall in love with each other and eventually leave town together and go west. Now, 11 years later, Ruth's father is dying and she returns to Freeport to see him. Ruth's behavior has caused most people in town, including members of her own family, to shun her; exceptions are her friend Dr. Deane Franklin and her younger brother Ted. The novel explores how Ruth's return affects her old friends and family and Ruth herself.

If you like, say, Edith Wharton, you might give Susan Glaspell a try. Ruth seems like a very real person to me (even if I keep wanting to call her Emma, for no good reason).

As a companion piece, I read Glaspell's well-known short story A Jury of Her Peers. It's a gem of a story and readily available online; I read it on Internet Archive.

Gideon's Week by J. J. Marric is one of Keating's 100 best crime and mystery novels. Published in 1956, it was the second in a long series of police procedurals focusing on George Gideon, a very high-ranking Scotland Yard officer. In this one, Gideon is concerned about the whereabouts of Syd Benson, a murderer who has escaped from a Midlands prison. Scotland Yard is protecting Benson's wife (she gave the crucial testimony that caused him to be convicted). Another case on Gideon's plate is the murder of a young woman, apparently by her boyfriend. The boyfriend's sister, however, insists that he was at the movies with her at the time of the murder. In addition to seeing Scotland Yard and Gideon in particular in action, we're introduced to Gideon's home life with his wife and six children.

J. J. Marric was one of John Creasey's many pseudonyms. I was pleasantly surprised by Gideon's Week--I liked it more than I thought I would--and I can definitely see myself reading more in the series.

Death of My Aunt by C. H. B. Kitchin is a short Golden Age detective story in which the narrator, Malcolm Warren, tells about the murder of his rich aunt. Malcolm, an unsuccessful stockbroker, is invited down to Aunt Catherine's for the weekend. He's delighted to learn that she wants to give him a chance to work with some of her money. And then . . . she drinks a concoction called "Le Secret de Venus."

Malcolm's descriptions of his various family members and his interactions with them are delightful. It's a good mystery too, with its Golden Age focus on clues and opportunity. I have another Kitchin mystery, Death of His Uncle, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

>89 NinieB: I've enjoyed dipping into and out of the Gideon series. Some are better than others, but they are all nice short reads.

>90 NinieB: I've also enjoyed C. H. B. Kitchin's books and have read Death of My Aunt, Death of His Uncle and Crime at Christmas - the inexpensive ones. I like the humour. A couple of others are on my wish list: Ten Pollitt Place and Birthday Party.

>91 rabbitprincess: Good to know that they are good for dipping in and out. I don't see them that often, but now when I do I'll be willing to pick them up.

>92 pamelad: You don't mention having read it, so you should be aware that The Cornish Fox is on Internet Archive. I took a peek and indeed it is a Malcolm Warren detective story.

I was traveling for a few days and finished two pending books on a cross-country flight.

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers is really good. The setting is small-town Georgia during World War II. Frankie Addams is 12 and her summer is not going the way she would like. Her best friend moved away and the older girls don't want her in their club. So she's left with John Henry, her 6-year-old cousin, and Berenice, the cook. Now her brother's about to get married, and all Frankie can think about is having the bride and groom take her away with them. I will definitely read more by Carson McCullers.

Olivia in India by O. Douglas is an epistolary novel about Olivia's trip to India to visit her brother. Olivia is a Scottish woman, and sometimes in her letters she reminisces about her Scottish childhood, but really this is mostly about the trip to and around India. I read this because it was free on Amazon and I had liked The Setons. It was mostly harmless fun, although I did find myself hyper-aware of Olivia's interactions with the native Indians. She really only sees them as servants, never as people who live in India.

>94 NinieB: - My book club book for August is The Heart if a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers so I'll be reading it in July.

>90 NinieB: Thank you!

>95 dudes22: Ooh, I will look forward to your review, Betty!

>96 pamelad: Enjoy!