In this 2nd book in the 'Thomas De Quincey' mystery series, the opium eater/detective is on the trail of a murderer who's threatened the Queen. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
This story takes place in 1850s London, just when England's government is collapsing because of the Crimean War. Bizarre, horrific murders are occurring among London's elite and a message is left at each crime scene that seems to threaten the life of Queen Victoria.
Queen Victoria
It soon becomes clear that the perpetrator of the crimes is seeking revenge for something that happened to his mother, father, and two sisters many years before.
In an effort to catch the perpetrator and protect the Queen the crimes are investigated by two amateur detectives, Thomas De Quincey (the famous 'English opium eater');
his daughter Emily;
and two Scotland Yard detectives, Becker and Ryan. Though the team is unconventional the members work well together, with knowledge and skills that are complementary.
David Morrell skillfully depicts the ambiance of London at the time, both the filth and squalor of the slums......
London slum
and the wealth and elegance of the ritzy neighborhoods.
London ritzy neighborhood
He also includes a good chunk of authentic London history (according to his own essay at the end of the book). The rich, aristocratic people of the time apparently believed that 'their class' never committed violent crimes and consistently blamed the poor, especially the unwelcome Irish immigrants.
During the course of their inquiries De Quincey and Emily - who have known lifelong hunger and poverty - get to purchase some new duds (albeit funereal wear) and have dinner with the Queen and Prince Albert. This is an amusing scene during which Emily, fearing she and her laudanum-addicted father would be thrown out sooner rather than later - tries to eat as quickly and as much as possible.
For the most part, though, the story is gritty and violent, with the murderer pursuing his agenda and British nobleman (literally) fighting between themselves over a woman.
The book alternates points of view between the murderer and the third person narrator, and contains excerpts from Emily's journal. The reader, therefore, has a good idea of what's going on in everyone's mind. For the first two-thirds or so the book is suspenseful and compelling with plenty of action. The story then reaches a climax after which it takes too many chapters to wrap up. Moreover several of the story points that emerge in the final chapters are not believable, culminating in an unsatisfying ending. All in all I'd say this book works better for its history than its mystery.
Rating: 3 stars
In this 10th book in the 'Detective D.D. Warren' series, the investigator looks into the death of a traveling salesman. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
In this mystery, Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren of the Boston Police Department has two deaths on her mind, both linked to the same woman. A 32-year-old pregnant high school teacher named Evie Carter has been arrested for killing her husband Conrad Carter, who was shot three times. Evie claims she came home and found Conrad dead, then picked up the pistol and shot up his computer.
D.D.'s suspicions of the woman are heightened by the fact that Evie was involved in another death at the age of 16, when her father, Professor Earl Hopkins, was killed with a shotgun. At the time Evie said she had discharged the weapon accidently, and since her mother concurred, Evie wasn't charged with a crime. Still, Evie being in the vicinity of two homicides gets D.D.'s antennae quivering.
Things get even more complicated when D.D.'s confidential informant, Flora Dane, recognizes Conrad Carter from his photo on television.
Flora says she'd seen Conrad in a Florida bar about seven years ago, when she was the prisoner of long-haul trucker Jacob Ness. Ness had kidnapped Flora when she was a college student on spring break, and held her for 472 days - until she was rescued by the FBI six years ago.
Ness occasionally took captive Flora out to a bar, and on one such occasion they met up with Conrad Carter. Flora - who's now an activist and victim's advocate - believes Carter was a predator like Ness, and she now makes it her mission to find the connection between the two men.
The story is told from the rotating perspectives of D.D., Evie, and Flora, so we get a 360° view of what's going on.
- D.D. is somewhat puzzled by the Carter homicide, because there was an eight-minute gap between the shots that killed the man and the shots that killed the computer. D.D. would love to know what was on that machine, but the information is unrecoverable.
- Evie clams up about her husband and hires high-powered defense attorney Mr. Delaney, who's an old friend of her family. Evie does, however, renege on the story about her father. She now says that her dad - a highly-regarded math genius - committed suicide, and her mother cooked up the 'accident' tale to protect his reputation.
- Flora tries to launch her own investigation into Carter and Ness, her aim being to find out whether they were part of the same predator network. She also hopes to identify Ness's (presumed) previous victims. To accomplish this, Flora partners up with a true crime aficionado/computer expert named Keith. She also hounds the FBI for their files on Jacob Ness, but the fibbies don't just pass out files willy nilly.
We learn that dead Conrad Carter, a window salesman, traveled frequently for work and had a lot of secrets. He also probably communicated with Jacob Ness.....perhaps on the dark web.
To investigate this, the authorities take another look at Ness's old computer, which had been wiped clean when they confiscated it six years ago. However, computer whizzes can sometimes work miracles....
As the story unfolds we find out a lot about Evie and Flora's past traumas: Flora because of the kidnapping and Evie because of her seriously neurotic mother, who'd do anything to present a picture of perfection to the world. Some of these scenes, especially those about Flora's captivity, are disturbing.
There's a lot of speculation among the authorities - and some additional felonies - before the truth about everything comes to light.
I like the book but some of the plot points strain credulity to the breaking point. I find it hard to believe that Evie who has above average smarts AND a tendency to snoop, knows so little about her husband of ten years. Moreover, Evie seems totally blasé about her husband's death, though she says she loved him. In fact, Evie doesn't spend one second mourning Conrad's loss. Is this realistic?
On the positive side, it's fun to get a peek at D.D.'s home life - with her husband, little boy, and adorable mischievous dog.
I'd recommend the novel to readers who enjoy mysteries, especially fans of D.D. Warren.
Rating: 3 stars
Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928, was an African-American poet, singer, actress, writer, director, producer, composer, and civil rights activist. This first book of Angelou's seven-part autobiography covers her childhood and adolescence, up to the age of seventeen.
Angelou had a turbulent childhood, beginning with her parents' divorce when she was three years old. At that time, Marguerite and her beloved four-year-old brother Bailey were sent from their father's home in California to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their paternal grandmother Annie Henderson.
Little Marguerite Annie Johnson
Map showing Stamps, Arkansas
Stamps was a southern town, and Angelou notes, "In Stamps the segregation was so complete that most black children didn't really, absolutely know what whites looked like." Unfortunately, Marguerite's limited interaction with the racist white population made an everlasting impression on her.
Marguerite and Bailey's grandmother, whom the children called Momma, was an entrepreneur. She owned a plot of land and lived in her shop, called The Store, which sold food and candy to the Negro population of Stamps.
Momma was strict, and Marguerite and Bailey were expected to go to school, do their homework, finish their chores, and help in The Store before going out to play or perusing their books. The children were avid readers who knew their multiplication tables by heart thanks to crippled Uncle Willie - who tested them regularly. Marguerite's favorite treats from the shop were foil covered chocolate kisses and canned pineapple - which was a very rare treat.
Momma was a devout Christian who prayed each morning and took the children to Church every Sunday. In addition, Momma periodically hosted Reverend Howard Thomas (Elder Thomas) who presided over the local church district. Elder Thomas visited Stamps every few months, and ate and slept at Momma's house. Marguerite and Bailey disliked the man because he was big and pompous and prayed so long over breakfast that the food became cold and congealed.
Marguerite became anxious when she had an errand in the white part of town because she was frightened of whites - who disdained and mistreated Negroes. This impudent attitude even extended to white trash youngsters, who - when they bought snacks in Momma's Store - were rude and insolent. Once, when a few shabby, grime-covered little white girls made fun of Momma, Marguerite was reduced to tears.
Stamps was especially dangerous for black men, who were in constant danger of being lynched.
When a 'friendly sheriff' came by to warn Momma that a group of white men was looking for a black troublemaker, Grandmother hid disabled Uncle Willie deep under the produce in a vegetable bin. It was good that the white men didn't come by, because Uncle Willie moaned loudly all night.
All this prejudice and hatred had a profound impact on young Marguerite, who sometimes fantasized that she was a pretty white girl with silky blonde hair.
When Marguerite was eight, her father came to get her and Bailey, and brought them to their mother Vivian in St. Louis, Missouri. Marguerite didn't want to go, but upon arrival was charmed by her beautiful vivacious 'Mother Dear.' Unlike Momma, Vivian smoked, laughed, joked, danced, and made parties.
Vivian Baxter (Maya Angelou's mother)
Young Marguerite, who had nightmares, would sometimes sleep with Vivian and her boyfriend Mr. Freeman. Unfortunately - when Vivian left for work - Mr. Freeman would touch Marguerite inappropriately.....and he eventually raped her. Mr. Freeman threatened 8-year-old Marguerite with dire consequences if she told anyone, so the terrified child kept mum.
Marguerite at age nine
Vivian found out anyway, which resulted in an arrest, a trial, and EXTREME vigilante justice by Marguerite's uncles. Afterwards, Marguerite and Bailey were sent back to Stamps, but the girl was so freaked out - thinking her testimony had led to Mr. Freeman's death - that she stopped speaking for several years.
It took finesse - and books - from a caring educator called Mrs. Bertha Flowers to get Marguerite talking again, and perhaps to foster the girl's interest in a literary career.
Before leaving Stamps for good Marguerite had another unpleasant encounter with a white person. Marguerite's habit of sneaking candy bars from Momma's store resulted in horrific tooth decay and an excruciating toothache - so bad that Marguerite hoped the house would collapse on her jaw.
There was no black dentist in Stamps, so Momma took Marguerite to the white dentist, Dr. Lincoln - who had borrowed money from Grandmother during the Depression. Dr. Lincoln didn't even look at the suffering child, and told Momma, "I'd rather stick my hand in a dog's mouth than in a n*****r's." Grandmother then shamed 10 dollars of "interest" out of the nasty man, and took Marguerite to a Negro dentist in Texarkana.
A few years later, after teenage Bailey was horrified by the bloated body of a Negro killed by whites, Momma decided the children had to leave Stamps for good. Grandmother made sure the children got settled with their mother in San Francisco, where glamorous Vivian ran gambling clubs, hung out with a wild crowd, and lived with her beau (and later husband) Daddy Clidell. Unlike Mr. Freeman, Daddy Clidell was a fine man who was good to Marguerite.
Marguerite continued attending school and - at 15 years of age - became the first black conductress on the streetcars of San Francisco. To get the job, Marguerite claimed to be 19 and lobbied hard for weeks, showing the mettle that served her so well in life.
Conductress Marguerite
Afterwards, during a summer visit with her father Bailey Sr. and his girlfriend Dolores in southern California, Marguerite had a wild adventure in Mexico. Marguerite and her dad went across the border to 'buy tortillas' and - after a raucous night of drinking and philandering - Bailey Sr. was completely knocked out. Marguerite loaded him into the back seat of their car, and - though she'd never driven before - transported Bailey Sr. 50 miles down the mountain before she had a minor accident.
This incident was followed by a physical altercation with Dad's jealous girlfriend Dolores, who cut Marguerite badly. Teenage Marguerite then ran away and lived on the streets of southern California for a month, where she made friends with other homeless kids and slept in junkyard cars. Finally, Marguerite returned to San Francisco to continue school.
Meanwhile Bailey Jr. - observing his mother's unconventional lifestyle and feeling jealous of her zoot-suited friends - started acting out. He became surly, took up with an old prostitute, and acted like he was a big man - though he was only 17. This got Bailey Jr. thrown out of the house.....much to Marguerite's dismay.
Man wearing a zoot suit
Lack of proper sex education left Marguerite confused about her sexuality, and physical changes in her vagina made the girl think she might be 'becoming a lesbian.' To put the matter to rest, 16-year-old Marguerite seduced a handsome young neighbor boy....and promptly became pregnant.
Marguerite's mom Vivian, busy working - and opening a club in Alaska - noticed nothing until the girl was very far along. When Vivian finally learned of her daughter's pregnancy, she stepped up and became a solicitous and helpful grandma. The birth of Marguerite's son ends the book.
There are many additional scenes and people in the autobiography, including young Marguerite's best friend Louise; pre-teen Bailey Jr.'s first girlfriend Joyce (a 'loose' gal); sketches from the Depression; Marguerite's proud 8th grade graduation; and much more. All this gives us a good feel for the children's early years. Sadly, Marguerite and her brother were damaged by their parents' casual neglect, and made to feel inferior by blatant white bigotry. This deeply affected Marguerite for her entire life.
