The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne - A Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery by M. L. Longworth.

The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne: A Verlaque and Bonnet Provencal Mystery.  M. L. Longworth. Penguin Mystery Original. September 2015. 320 pp.  ISBN#: 9780143128076.

“He couldn’t help walking. He loved it: it took him places where nature’s shapes showed him what to put on the canvas.”  This, then, is the magic and inspiration that can be seen in every painting by this artist who was early in his career jeered at, ignored and rejected.  Color always blended into the objects and nature behind each scene, a technique that some saw as a kind of Impressionistic style but which seemed to go far beyond that artistic school.  One painting that was rather unusual color is the object of the mystery within this novel, a portrait of a woman who lived in Aix, France and who seemed dynamically alive in color and facial features in a way that was not evident in any of Cezanne’s other paintings.

The story begins with the relationships of our main characters, Antoine Verlaque, a Magistrate Justice, and his girlfriend and friends.  He loves his life in this small city of Aix, the place where Cezanne worked and painted.  The residents appreciate art because of this connection and also have an especial love for certain foods that are so well-described herein that one can taste their delicious components and smell their delightful fragrance, such as the “gallettes des rois.” 

Now a friend in Verlaque’s cigar club asks him to visit Rene Rouquet who seems highly excited about a canvas that he has found rolled up in his apartment which was once owned by Cezanne.  When Verlaque arrives, he finds a stranger art history professor standing over Rene’s dead body and there is no canvas to be found.  So begins the complex mystery that Verlaque and his friend and investigator, Bonnet, pursue. 

The mystery involves the beautiful art history professor, a woman who looks like a beautiful fashion model, who always seems to appear where she is least expected and is always dressed in a style that defies her academic salary.  It also concerns a former art auctioneer who claims a Cezanne painting that is found is really a very good fake copy.  A man reputed to be a mobster also has an eclectic but very expensive art collection.  And finally there will be another death associated with the art of Cezanne that is now worth millions of Euros. 

Interspersed within this mystery are chapters in which Cezanne meets a very special lady who fully appreciates the forms and intentions in his paintings, a woman who makes him relax and who truly understands his expression of beauty and form in nature and all who blend into its presence.

The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne… is a fine read that never gets ahead of its quest.  Verlaque and Bonnet get along and are more than highly capable of detecting clues that the average person would miss but take time to connect motivations and connections that will reveal the surprise discovery of who is really the guilty party!  In the process our heroes will grow to appreciate the loved ones in their own lives – an unexpected but delightful addition to the central puzzle herein!

Fine mystery reading that lovers of this genre will find intriguing and highly enjoyable!  Nicely done, M. L. Longworth!

The Gates of Rutherford Park: A Novel by Elizabeth Cooke

The Gates of Rutherford Park: A Novel.  Elizabeth Cooke. Random House Publishing Group. September 2015. 384 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9780425277195.

Today is the day Charlotte Cavendish will marry!  Charlotte has always been the feisty one who takes on any challenge with zest, but today she’s teary and not at all sure she’s made the “right” choice.  It’s a family habit, it seems and this third Rutherford novel has a more reflective tone than the previous two stories in this engaging series that has frequently compared to the TV series Downton Abbey.  It certainly has enough life and death scenes, dramatic and conflicting dialogue and overwhelming consequences to deep the reader flipping the pages and abandoning all other work or chores.

So to begin with we experience Charlotte marrying a man who was blinded in the War; it is 1917 and England has certainly seen its share of wounded warriors the brutal and unrelenting war has produced.  There’s irony here in that everyone believes Charlotte has the normal wedding jitters while others like Charlotte’s mother, Olivia, have abandoned their own spouses for a happier relationship.  But Charlotte’s tears are really about something she doesn’t realize yet, a horrendous secret (at that historical time anyway) not to be uttered.

Olivia is living with her lover, American John Gould, and her husband, William, is recovering from a heart attack and seems a shattered man, albeit still stuck in his cold, aristocratic ways that are such a turnoff to his wife and children.  For now, though, his daughter Louise is providing him the comfort he needs right now.

There are several juxtaposed characters who give unique perspectives on the course of post-traumatic stress syndrome, a consequence pitied yet scorned by many at home as just lazy dallying.  The descriptions are heart-rending but also beautiful in the revelations each suffering character shares, more powerful and searing than any anti-war demonstration or speech.  A former groom at Rutherford, tends healthy and wounded horses, mules, etc. in the war until his mind and body have had enough.  A German prisoner of war cannot hold any objects without dropping them and is scorned by his captors for shirking his work.  On and on it goes with no available medical treatment or understanding for these victims.

David Cavendish is not ready to relinquish flying in spite of his wounded leg.  Another character is powerless to stop David from proceeding in a very famous WWI battle.

There is so much more than what is described above that makes this novel a comprehensive, horrific and beautiful rendition of all aspects of global and familial conflict. Interestingly, its scenes are far from stereotypical because the author takes us to the more intimate and honest aspects of love, pain, death, joy and peace.  It’s a story you will never forget, and its author, Elizabeth Cooke is one very talented craftsperson who has provided a very special historical account that this reviewer oh so highly recommends.

The Gilded Hour: A Novel by Sara Donati

The Gilded Hour: A Novel.  Sara Donati. Penguin Group (USA). September 2015. 752 pp.  ISBN#: 9780425271810.

1883 – What’s it like to be a woman doctor, a female doctor of color, a defenseless orphan unable to speak English, a physician working with poor women who are unable to practice birth control and more?  The Gilded Hour… is a novel about individuals who are willing to do anything to guarantee justice, who will attempt the impossible in order to assure integrity and control for those least likely to possess or receive either. 

Dr. Anna Savard and Dr. Sophie Savard are adult survivors.  They were fortunate enough to be orphans who were cared for by strong-minded people who gave them unlimited opportunities.  But they are still fighting a system that would deny them practicing among the poor and disenfranchised female population of New York City.  Anna, a respected surgeon, is first moved to care about the plight of Italian immigrant children when she visits children who need to be vaccinated in order to be granted entry into America, who are separated from each other by a system that seeks to profit from children who have no one to protect their best interests.  Rosa is the child who haunts Anna for Rosa will not be cajoled into silence about her missing brothers.

Sophie, a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist, refuses to marry Cap, a tubercular patient in the latter stages of the disease. Initially he rejects her because he does not wish to spread his contagious disease and she rejects him as she does not want her eventual children to be scorned as children of color. Eventually, however, when Cap receives the opportunity for experimental treatment, they will both reconsider their options, only to be thwarted initially by formidable circumstances. 

Anna begins to care about Jack but is extremely hesitant to allow herself to care and perhaps have a different future because of her own past history.  Their search for the missing Italian boys and then search for justice during a medical trial offers them both a chance to control their own destinies rather than be bound by inner lies. 

It’s fascinating to see how organizations operated and manipulated the medical community by making birth control, abortion, etc. criminal acts that could not only guarantee jail time for said physicians but ruin bright, caring careers.

The Gilded Hour: A Novel is fascinating reading about a very volatile historical period as well as a fine, engaging read, with a little romance added as a quietly but poignant touch! Nicely done, again, Sara Donati!

The Paris Key - A Novel by Juliet Blackwell.

The Paris Key: A Novel.  Juliet Blackwell. Penguin Group (USA). September 2014. 384 pp.  ISBN#: 9780451473691.

Genevieve Martin learned the art of the locksmith as a child from her Uncle Dave who lived in a lovely little village in Paris, France.  She lost her mother, Angela, at a very young age and has never fully recovered from that devastating loss.  Now she knows she’s at a dead end in life and now decides to get a divorce from her husband.  For the time being she has come to Paris after being notified of the death of her Uncle Dave. He has left her his locksmith shop; and while there will be many difficulties getting a permit to work in France and obtain a locksmith license, she arrives in Paris to see what happens.  Her husband has been unfaithful to her, just once as he says, but that is enough to energize her to make the changes she knows are pivotal for her own survival.

Her arrival in Paris is not a quiet one.  Her Uncle’s home is dirty and old-looking, more like an antique shop than a modern hardware store for locks.  But what is even more astonishing, delightful and even rather overwhelming is the immediate and constant flow of Parisian neighbors, friends and acquaintances of her Uncle.  They know of her love for her Uncle and are determined to help her settle in and learn to love their beloved city.  By the time you are done with this novel, you will want to travel to the City of Lights and experience all you read about in these pages so carefully, sincerely and dramatically presented.  It’s a place to fall in love with and here Genevieve begins her new life.

The story is told in the third person and fluctuates with not only Genevieve’s story but also that of her mother, Angela.  There’s an added mystery that involves Uncle Dave, a Basque artist, a Parisian baker, underground tunnels that were used in WWII by the Resistance to hide Jews and other political characters escaping imprisonment and death by the Nazis and ghosts of the past from long, long ago.

The Paris Key… is a unique story that is a different type of romance, mystery and coming of age tale.  It’s even better than a travel guide because it carries the essence of friendship, food, drink, story, and history that one can only convey through Parisian residents. Delightful and highly recommended!

Marbeck and the Gunpowder Plot: A Historical Mystery (A Martin Marbeck Mystery Book 4) by John Pilkington

Marbeck and the Gunpowder Plot: A Historical Mystery (A Martin Marbeck Mystery Book 4). John Pilkington; Severn House Publishers; 2015; 208 pp.; ISBN: 9780727885142.

Martin Marbeck is tired, mentally and physically weary, of weaving his way through the snares of the devious plots in the Court of King James in 1605 in England.  He travels under several pseudonyms and is not recognized by his real name until later in this fourth novel of his spying activities.  The country is awash in Papists a/k/a Catholics and those who seek them out for extinction.  But Martin through an excellent source believes there is a more sinister plot being planned that could mean the death of the King and most of his high-placed and favored ministers.

Distractions abound and cleverly keep Marbeck (or John Sanders as he is currently known) from pursuing his instinctive inclinations.  The first is to follow the activities of Thomas Percy, a Papist, who seems to escape from Marbeck’s search at every turn. 

A young and beautiful Charlotte de Baume succeeds in seducing Marbeck but very soon becomes a lethal opponent. Marbeck is enthralled and yet wary of her, with excellent reasons.

Using his few free days to follow his increasingly certain suspicions, Marbeck for the remainder of this novel will court danger, as well as past and recent acquaintances, to prove what he would mean absolute disaster for England and its loyal residents. 

Pilkington presents an accurate and harrowing tale that shows the varying states of English people, from the glorious dress and elaborate housing of the King and his Parliament members to the lice-ridden, malodorous homes and taverns of the common folk.  He also knows precisely where to arouse and ease tension with an increasingly complex set of characters.  For the Papists are a serious and impassioned group, as seen in the demeanor of a captured Jesuit priest, who are not afraid to risk a certain execution in order to fulfill their mission of bringing souls to Christ within their own faith.  However, Pilkington also includes other nefarious characters who believe there is a better way to change the Protestant domination of the King, a plot that is quite unholy!

Marbeck and the Gunpowder Plot… is a superb historical mystery that this reviewer thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommends, as well as the previous installments in this Marbeck series.  This would make a superb film series as well!

Blind Justice: A Thriller by Ethan Cross

Blind Justice: A Thriller.  Ethan Cross. The Story Plant. August 2015. 352 pp.  ASIN#: B00ZRR4XG.

Deacon Munroe, a blind investigator, is called to work on the deaths of a friend, a top-ranking general and his wife.  The reader already knows that the General died without revealing what his killer demands to know.  However, the killer makes the General kill himself and so it looks like the General killed his wife and then himself.  But Deacon, a remarkably skilled investigator, immediately realizes something is wrong with the crime scene. And so begins an unbelievable tale in which there is a far larger conspiracy to carry out a drone terrorist attack in the middle of Washington, D.C. at the National Mall.

This is a middle-sized novel that packs enough action that it’s over the top of tension.  The extremely perceptive skills of Deacon Munroe, accompanied with a calming sense of class and style, make the entire story fascinating as the rest of it feels like a montage of every crime novel that’s been written in the last five years.  The success of a crime or thriller novel lies in including something unique that can’t be found in any other story or a particular style that enhances the stereotypical criminal story.  Deacon Munroe is that person!

Early on in the story, Munroe, suffers a great loss and soon thereafter he realizes that he’s always been in love with his late friend’s sister.  But the hunt for answers lies larger than that attraction and Annabelle is not ready for Munroe’s brief attempts to get closer. 

The task at hand is to stop a killer from getting his hands on something that could be responsible for a chemical attack that would kill thousands. 

I’m not sure how I felt about this novel riddled with deaths, violence and surprising evil.  No break in the action allows one to grab one’s breath.  The reality of the possible terrorist action being planned is probably what is responsible for the tension one feels while waiting for how this action will unfold!

Nice characterization and plot, Ethan Cross!  Great for lovers of the mystery and crime genres!

Thoreau in Phantom Bog - A Henry David Thoreau Mystery by B. B. Oak

Thoreau in Phantom Bog: A Henry David Thoreau Mystery.  B. B.Oak. Kensington Books. September 2015. 320 pp.  ISBN#: 9780758290274.

Phantom Blog is located outside of Plumford, Massachusetts and its name arises from a tale about a runaway slave who still haunts a bog that escaping slaves still have to occasionally cross when being pursued by formidable, relentless bounty hunters or owners.  Now the tale comes to the attention of Henry Thoreau as a farmer who lived not far from the bog is found murdered.  As he was a member of those assisting slaves attempting to flee to Canada, a group known as the Underground Railway, the assumption is that he was helping a slave when he met his violent demise.  The question is obviously who killed him?

A friend of Henry, Julia, is also eager to help by becoming part of the Underground Railway but she is not so readily accepted because of its secretive nature and because she’s a woman.  Add to that she is separated from her husband who is all for slave-catching.  Julia, however, couldn’t care less because she’s in love with the town’s doctor, Adam, and having an adulterous affair with him.  Now the two lovers are about to become deeply involved with Henry Thoreau in the aforesaid murder and later on a different murder. 

Add to the cast of characters a Sheriff who is all accusatory bluster without much substance, an old granny who is bedridden but knows everything going on and predicts what is to come, a slave who practices voodoo medicine in a way that heals people who cannot be healed by a regular physician, a slave owner and catcher, and more intriguing people at every turn of the page.

B. B. Oak knows how to create a good mystery while lacing the story with enough tension and fascinating scenes that keep the reader riveted to the story to the very last paragraph.  We also learn of the virulent and passionate sides taken in this divisive issue with very little middle ground in the mid-19^th Century.  Slaves were owned by men and women who saw this possession as a financial boon not to be interfered with or as a rabidly poisonous and demeaning practice that needed to be abolished.

Also there’s an interesting aside about the Thoreau and Emerson (Ralph Waldo for those not of a literary mind) families that might be fact or fiction – more mystery!

A good mystery slowly but powerfully demolishes the assumptions of characters and readers about the “who done it” presentation of pivotal characters.  This is the remarkable gift of Henry (and the author’s vivacious skill) that makes him the singularly intriguing sleuth he is herein.  Highly recommended historical mystery!!!