Review of "Freddy's Magic Garden: Incredible Cat Stories" by Angelina Dayan

 

These true cat stories are narrated by a feline named Freddy and his (human) Mum, who live in France, not too far from Paris. Freddy's Mum always liked cats and finally ended up with more than fifteen felines, either in the house or as permanent garden guests.

When Freddy came along Mum already had seven Maine Coon cats, and their stories - and others - make up the tales in this book. The stories - which are suspenseful, adventurous, happy, and sad - will make cat lovers laugh, thrill, and occasionally shed a tear.


Freddy

For example: Freddy's story begins when he and his sister Caramel are born in a vacant lot, where they live with their (cat) Maman. Things go well for a time but the weather heats up and food and water become almost nonexistent. Maman goes out to find sustenance for her family, but the poor feline is so weak she collapses in someone's garden, unable to move.

As it happens, Maman collapses in Mum's garden and Mum - seeing Maman from her office window - runs out with water and food. As the story unfolds, Mum discovers where Maman, Freddy, and Caramel live and continues to provide sustenance. Then disaster strikes: a bulldozer arrives to dig up the cats' vacant lot, and Maman, Freddy, and Caramel run away. Mum looks EVERYWHERE for the cats, searching under bushes, examining fences, ringing doorbells, leaving her phone number, etc.

Long story short, after various dangerous/exciting adventures the cats are reunited with Mum. Freddy takes up residence in Mum's house with Mum's seven Coon cats, including daddy Uddy and mommy Tahiti; Caramel - who prefers the outdoors - lives in Mum's garden; and Maman comes and goes as she pleases.


Uddy


Tahiti

Other stories detail adventures of still more cats, including Pearl - who's thrown out of a car and abandoned; Chili - whose (cat) Mummy goes off to find food and never returns; Vicky - who goes on a hunger strike to get her way; Princess - who's accidentally left at a rest stop and walks 200 miles to get home; Kelly - a kitten found in the woods without her (cat) mommy; Maggie - whose human family moves away and leaves her behind and more.


Vicky


Maggie

Many of these cats are adopted by Mum, who has a big big heart for felines. Photos of many of the cats are included, which adds fun to the narrative.....as does the 'catification' of some words. For instance, the cats describe a music lover as playing Meowzart, Barkhoven, and Ratmaninov and refer to a certain billionaire, space-loving human as Mewlon Husk.

The stories have happy endings, so the book is appropriate for animal lovers of all ages, including children.

Thanks to Netgalley, Angelina Dayan, and Angelina Dayan Publishing for a copy of the manuscript.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Crow Trap: A DI Vera Stanhope Mystery" by Ann Cleeves

This first novel in the Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope series introduces us to the frowsy Northumberland sleuth and her forbearing assistant, Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth.

*****

When businessman Godfrey Waugh proposes to excavate a large quarry in England's Northumberland region, an environmental assessment agency is commissioned to evaluate the project's ecological impact.



The assessment agency is run by Peter Kemp......



.....who hires three local women to do the appraisal: Rachael Lambert - the team leader, who analyzes bird life; Anne Preece - a botanist, who assesses plant life; and Grace Fulwell - a biologist, who counts otters. While doing the assessment the women live at Baikie Cottage, a bungalow owned by a charitable trust that promotes environmental research.



The first part of the book introduces us to the three female assessors, who are uneasy roommates at Baikie Cottage.

⦿ Rachel Lambert



The team leader and bird expert was raised by a single mother named Edie, who thinks of herself as an amateur psychologist.



Now Rachael works for Peter Kemp's environmental assessment agency, but she views Peter as a scoundrel who wronged her. When Rachael first met Peter, he romanced her and she fell for him. Peter then stole Rachael's research about counting birds and published it as his own, after which he married another woman. Rachael is a straight-laced, rule-follower who wants everything done right.

When Rachael arrives at Baikie Cottage to settle in she finds that her good friend Bella Furness, who lives on an adjacent farm, has hanged herself.



Bella was the sole caretaker for her disabled husband Dougie, whom she dearly loved, and Rachael can't understand the suicide. Thus Rachel and her mother Edie decide to dig into Bella's life, to figure out why she took her own life.

⦿ Anne Preece



The botanist is a Camilla Parker Bowles lookalike who's married but continually unfaithful. At the moment Anne is having an affair with married father Godfrey Waugh, who's pushing for the quarry.



This puts Anne in a tricky position vis a vis the environmental assessment, but it doesn't seem to bother her.

⦿ Grace Fulwell



The biologist was raised in foster homes but now has a relationship with her troubled alcoholic father, who's a cook in a popular eatery.



Many people are put off by Grace, who seems cold and reserved, but Grace has a real love for animals.

*****

Citizens who live in the neighborhood of the proposed quarry have conflicting opinions about the project. Landowners like Livvy and Robert and Fulwell - who stand to profit - are pro-quarry, and other residents have a 'not in my backyard' attitude, citing traffic and noise.

A murder occurs on the grounds of the planned quarry and DI Vera Stanhope leads the investigation.



We learn that Vera was raised by a single father named Hector who was obsessed with stealing birds' eggs from nests. Hector forced young Vera to help with this illegal endeavor, and - even as an adult - Vera felt bullied and exploited by her dad. On the day Hector died Vera burned his egg collection, and she still resides in the house they shared. Vera wears frumpy dresses and open toed sandals, and enjoys food, wine and whiskey.

Vera and her harried assistant DS Joe Ashworth set up camp in Baikie Cottage to investigate the homicide, and other police patrol the area in case the killer returns.



In essence there are two simultaneous investigations: Vera and Joe are after the killer, and Rachael and her mother Edie are looking into Bella's suicide. Numerous people are interviewed, and many secrets emerge.

When another homicide occurs Vera becomes desperate to find the murderer, who may be planning more deaths. At the book's climax a (figurative) lightbulb goes on over Vera's head, and she figures out who did what.



The novel has a large cast of characters and I had some trouble keeping everyone straight, Still, I enjoyed the book which is a good introduction to DI Vera Stanhope.

Rating: 3,5 stars

Review of "British Manor Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery" by Leslie Meier

In this 23rd book in the 'Lucy Stone' series, the amateur sleuth looks into deaths in an English manor. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Lucy Stone, who lives in Tinker's Cove, Maine, is a wife, mother, reporter, and amateur sleuth.



As the story opens, Lucy is downcast because her five-year-old grandson Patrick has moved to Alaska with his parents, and Lucy misses him terribly.



To cheer Lucy up, her best friend Sue Finch invites Lucy to come along to the 'Heads Up' hat show in Britain. The Earl of Wickham is mounting an exhibition of headgear - including the hat Camilla Parker Bowles wore to William and Kate's wedding....



......and Sue Finch is loaning the Earl pieces from her personal collection.



Lucy agrees to go to Britain and she and Sue set off for the Earl's estate, called Moreton Manor, where they'll stay for a couple of weeks.



Lucy and Sue learn that English aristocracy has come WAY down since the days of Downton Abby. Moreton Manor is now a tourist attraction (£10 per ticket)......



.....and the Earl of Wickham and his family reside in the renovated servants' wing. The bluebloods on the estate are the Earl (Perry), his sister (Poppy) and her husband (Gerald), and their staff includes a historian and an archivist, whose job is to document and preserve the manor.



Moreton Manor's residents are soon joined by hoity-toity Aunt Millicent and her lady's maid Harrison, who plan to stay at the estate while Millicent's home is being repaired.



Aunt Millicent is very protective of her status - and knowing Americans are clueless about the peerage - she informs Lucy and Sue they must call her Lady Millicent or Your Ladyship. Before long Lady Millicent complains about a stench in her room, which Lucy attributes to a dead mouse in the wall.



Sue and Lucy soon become aware of trouble in the manse. The portrait of a general has fallen, which (supposedly) augments bad luck; part of the house is infected with wood rot, which will be very expensive to repair; valuable porcelains and antiques are missing or have been replaced by fakes; a dead drug addict is found in the estate's maze (a tourist attraction); and the corpse of a murdered man turns up in a hidden room near Lady Millicent's quarters.

Lucy thinks the murderer must be an insider at Moreton Manor, and commences her own investigation, which parallels the official inquiries.



As all this happening, Lucy and Sue do some sightseeing in England;



eat tasty Mulligatawny Soup prepared by the Earl;



become friendly with the local vicar and his wife; take walks in the Moreton Manor gardens..... and admire a handsome gardener 🙂;



learn that Prince William and Princess Kate will attend the hat show; and more.

Lucy puts together clues that reveal the culprit, and - after the Heads Up! exhibit - Lucy returns home to a nice surprise.

The mystery element of the story takes a backseat to Lucy and Sue having an interesting vacation, but it's fun to catch up with the recurring characters.

I'd recommend the book to readers who like cozy mysteries, especially Leslie Meier fans.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Exiles: An Aaron Falk Mystery" by Jane Harper

In this third book in the 'Aaron Falk' series, the Australian detective helps investigate a woman's disappearance. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Aaron Falk takes a break from his job as a Federal Police Investigator in Melbourne......



.....to visit his friends Greg and Rita Raco in the southern Australian town of Marralee Valley. Aaron will attend the christening of the Racos toddler son Henry, for whom Aaron is godfather.



While Aaron's in town, he'll also attend Marralee Valley's annual Food and Wine Festival, where a tragedy occurred a year ago.





During last year's Food and Wine Festival, a woman named Kim Gillespie disappeared, leaving her baby daughter Zoe alone in her stroller.



The police found Kim's shoe in a reservoir near the fairgrounds, and concluded the missing woman committed suicide. However Kim's body was never found, and Kim's teenage daughter Zara - from a previous relationship with Charlie Raco (Greg's brother) - refuses to believe Kim killed herself.



Thus Zara plans to pass out fliers and stage an appeal at this year's festival, asking for information about her mother. Kim's husband Rohan, who's been raising little Zoe alone, will also be present to aid with the appeal.



Meanwhile, Zara's uncle Greg Raco, who's a police officer, plans to continue investigating Kim's disappearance.... and he asks Aaron Falk to help.

As it happens, Kim's vanishing isn't the only mystery in Marralee Valley. Six years ago a man called Dean Tozer was killed in a hit-and-run incident, but the perpetrator cleaned up the scene and was never identified.



Dean's wife Gemma and his son Joel still hope the driver will be found, but this seems less and less likely as time passes.



Aaron Falk - who met Gemma previously, when she was visiting Melbourne - decides to look into the tragedy, in part because he'd like to have a relationship with Gemma.

Most of the story, which is told largely from Aaron's point of view, focuses on Kim's disappearance, but we also get evocative sketches of picturesque, wine-producing Marralee Valley;



meet some of the town's colorful residents (such as a beautiful flirtatious woman and a former footy star);



learn about the seemingly dangerous reservoir; get depictions of the annual teen drinking party, where the kids get blotto; and more.



Aaron is an intuitive detective who susses out clues that other people miss, and he eventually solves all the mysteries. I won't say more because of spoilers. I enjoyed the novel, and recommend it to fans of suspense stories.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Stephen Shanahan, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jane Harper, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel" by Bonnie Garmus

You might think a book about chemists couldn't be comical, but you'd be wrong. This novel is wildly original and laugh-out-loud funny.

In 1952 twentysomething Elizabeth Zott is a chemist at Hastings Research Institute in California.



Like many women of the era, Elizabeth is patronized by the men she works with, who can't wrap their minds around accomplished females.



It would help if Elizabeth had a Ph.D. but she was expelled from the doctoral program at UCLA after her advisor, Dr. Meyers, assaulted her. The school had no intention of losing a renowned professor - even if he was a rapist - and it was bye bye Elizabeth. Luckily, Elizabeth was able to sink a number-two pencil into Meyers' side during the assault, and she always carried a pencil from that day on.

At Hastings Elizabeth is relegated to a small poorly equipped lab......



.....and needing beakers, she hopes to acquire some from Calvin Evans. Evans is a world famous chemist who's been nominated for a Nobel Prize, and he rates a large geared up laboratory.



When Elizabeth goes to ask Calvin for beakers, he makes the huge mistake of calling her a secretary, and suggesting she get her boss to call him.

When Calvin realizes his mistake he tries to make amends, but Elizabeth - who has no use for men who view women as 'less' - blows him off.



It's not until several weeks later, when Calvin inadvertently vomits on Elizabeth, that a friendship begins to develop.... and love follows soon afterwards.



Almost everyone at Hastings is jealous of the newly minted couple because Calvin is renowned and Elizabeth is beautiful. This makes the duo the target of constant surveillance and gossip.



Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Calvin reside in their own romantic bubble. They eat delicious homemade lunches every day, discuss chemistry ad infinitum......



.....and because Calvin is famous even get to bring their dog, Six-Thirty, to work.



Six-Thirty is easily my favorite character. He's a super-smart pooch who knows hundreds of words, is an excellent judge of character, and - with goggles on - even helps with chemistry experiments.



Fate intervenes, and some years later Elizabeth is the single mother of a gifted precocious daughter named Mad (Madeline).



Elizabeth is also the host of a television cooking show called 'Supper at Six' on KCTV.



The station's executive producer, Phil Lebensmal, wants Elizabeth to wear sexy tight dresses and make cocktails, but Elizabeth scoffs at this. On her first show, Elizabeth wears a drab dress with buttons down to the hem, a stark white multipocketed apron, a pair of goggles on her head, and a number-two pencil over her left ear.



On each episode, Elizabeth talks about the chemistry of cooking, and she often encourages her viewers (largely women) to follow their dreams.



After one show, Mad and Six-Thirty overhear two women talking:

"Correct me if I'm wrong Sheila," asks one woman, "but didn't she say cast iron requires zero-point-one-one calories of heat to raise the temperature of a single gram of atomic mass by one degree Celsius?"

"That's right, Elaine,' the other said. " That's why I'm buying a new skillet."



The book has many interesting secondary characters, including: Mrs. Harriet Sloane - a neighbor who helps Elizabeth with young Mad;



Dr. Donatti - the creepy self-serving Director of Chemistry at Hastings;



Mrs. Mudford - Mad's Kindergarten teacher, who gets furious when Mad requests Norman Mailer's 'The Naked and the Dead' from the school librarian;



Dr. Mason - an obstetrician and crew captain who wants Elizabeth to row on his men's team;



Walter Pine - a producer at KCTV who once, in a haze of exhaustion, packed his kindergartner's lunch box with a stapler instead of a sandwich, a script instead of a napkin, and a gin flask where the milk thermos was supposed to go;



Reverend Wakely - a pastor who helps Mad with a family tree assignment;



Miss Frask - a secretary from Personnel at Hastings whose spiteful jealousy gets Elizabeth fired; and more.



I was hoping to see the women come out on top in this book, and I wasn't disappointed.

Lessons in Chemistry is a New York Times Bestseller; Barnes and Nobles Book of the Year for 2022; a Goodreads Choice Award Winner; and a best book of the year for many news publications.

I completely enjoyed this novel and would encourage all book lovers to read it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bonnie Garmus, and Doubleday for a copy of the manuscript.

Rating: 4.5 stars