Some of you might be shocked to see I am reviewing a mystery that is not by Alexander McCall Smith. Yes, I do read books by other authors- it’s just that when I find an author I like I am a devoted fan, usually for life. Which is why I am so thrilled that I read the debut novel by Charles Finch entitled, A Beautiful Blue Death.

A Beautiful Blue Death takes place in Victorian England (plus number one) and follows amateur detective and highbrow gentleman extraordinaire Charles Lenox as he tries to solve the murder of a local servant named Prudence Smith. Lenox was put on to the case by his beautiful young widow neighbor, Lady Jane Grey, who used to employ Smith.

Lenox, whose favorite past time is sitting in front of his fire with a cup of tea, a pipe and a good book, wholeheartedly goes in to solve the case, which leads him through the upper echelons of London society (where he fits in quite nicely) to the dark underbelly of Victorian England’s crime ridden streets (where he fits in… not so much).

A cast of delightful, suspicious supporting characters, a valiant butler and a double murder round out this very impressive debut novel and has subsequently left me longing for more. Luckily this is the first in a series and I am actively seeking out Finch’s second book The September Society after I post this.


A Beautiful Blue Death can be purchased at www.amazon.com

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack is a moving, highly readable portrait of one of my favorite authors. I have grown up reading Agatha Christie's books- I am proud to say I have read every single one of her mysteries and almost all of her short stories. For being such an avid fan it is surprising that I knew so little about the author's personal life.

Hack's Duchess of Death draws from over 5,000 unpublished letters, notes and documents. Hack weaves each of these resources into an enthralling biography. The prologue starts with the greatest mystery of Agatha Christie's own life- the period of time she mysteriously disappeared for 11 days in 1926. That incident has never been fully explained and was a topic left out of Christie's own autobiography. The incident was largely explained here, providing answers that I have yet to find anywhere else.

Christie's life had its share of hardships- from her first husband leaving her for another woman to living through the trying and life altering period of two world wars- but on the whole she lead a fruitful and abundant life with her closely knit family and her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan.

As a writer the part that fascinated me the most in the Duchess of Death was the beginning of Christie's writing career. She wrote The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot’s first mystery) for fun- to see if she would be able to fool her sister with the ‘whodunit’. She sent it off to publishers and received several rejection letters. Over a year after submitting Styles, she received a letter that changed her life. Someone was interested in publishing The Mysterious Affair at Styles- and thus, her writing career was born. The rest, as they say, is history. Agatha Christie is still credited as being the best selling author of all time.

I found myself strangely emotional as I finished this biography. Hack’s affection for Agatha Christie is abundant throughout the book. I found myself rooting for her from page one. And as I continue to reread her books and watch her specials on television I will remember and cherish the special life she led and her contribution to the world as a true artist.

Duchess of Death can be purchased from www.amazon.com

Image courtesy of: www.amazon.com

I am not sure if it is possible to convey my excitement with words right now but I will endeavor to do so.

I just saw the trailer for Sherlock Holmes the movie starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law and I'm jumping with **happiness** inside! This film, directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Robert Downey Jr. as the original mastermind detective, Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law is cast as his infamous sidekick, Watson.

My obsession with Sherlock Holmes has been going on for the past twenty years (at least) since I was a little girl. I loved watching the Jeremy Brett version on PBS with my family and the first time I went to London, you better believe that 221b Baker Street was the first stop on my list of tourist attractions (yes, even before Buckingham Palace).

It looks like Guy Ritchie's movie will be a sexed up/ Hollywood version of the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I'm OK with that. In fact, I'm more than OK with that- I can't wait!

Sherlock Holmes comes out Christmas Day, 2009.

You can view the trailer here.

Movie poster courtesy of: sherlock-holmes-trailer.blogspot.com