Sad Cypress was my read for July for the Christie Reading Challenge for 2026 after I ended up not finishing The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott, which was Agatha’s pseudonym.
I’m glad I switched because I got into Sad Cypress much faster than The Rose and the Yew Tree.
I’m more of a mystery fan than a romantic suspense fan, apparently. Plus, The Rose and the Yew Tree was terribly depressing and slow.
I do think I will go back at some point and try to finish it, however, because it did pique my interest. Just not as much as Sad Cypress.
I did not know that Sad Cypress was a Poirot book when I started it. It is, in fact, the 21st Poirot book.
This one involves jealousy, two murders, and is split into three parts, with the first part from the main character, Elinor Carlisle’s, point of view, the second focused on Poirot’s investigation, and the third back to Elinor again. Usually we get the point of view of the investigators, sometimes a mixed view of the investigators and the accused, but not usually a mix like this one.
Here is a quick description from Goodreads:
An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will…
Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison.
Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty; Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.
I also liked this description/short excerpt from Storygraph:
“Elinor flushed: “Will you ask me – again – did I kill Mary Gerrard”? Poirot rose to his feet. He said quickly, “I shall ask you – nothing. There are things I do not want to know” But even Hercule Poirot sometimes deceived himself. He did want to know – badly.”
Poirot is talked into taking on the case by the doctor, Peter Lord, who took care of Elinor’s aunt, the elderly stroke victim. This is a bit of a spoiler, but Peter has a wee crush on Elinor.
I liked how this one was set up with no Poirot at first. This allowed us to get to know the characters better before the mystery unfolded and he started asking his questions.
No matter what Poirot does in this case, at least to start with, all evidence seems to point to the person already being pinpointed as the guilty person. He wants to help Peter Lord, who has fallen in love with Elinor, but he has to admit that things don’t look good for her.
She herself has given up, sitting in jail, thinking about how the odds are stacked against her, and dreading the court proceedings. There are chapters that include some court drama and it was interesting to see it from the point of view of the accused.
What is great is that Christie showed us Elinor’s point of view but never made it clear, even as we knew her thoughts, whether she was guilty or not, until the end. You’ll have to read this one to find out if she was truly guilty or not.
There were some pretty cool lines in this one, including:
“You must be an incredibly simple man. Don’t you realize how easy it is for me to lie to you?”
Hercule Poirot said placidly:
“It does not matter.”
She was puzzled. “Not matter?”
“No, for lies, Mademoiselle, tell a listener just as much as truth can. Sometimes they tell more.”
***
”Yes, now it is necessary. Because now I know exactly what I’m looking for. One must understand with the cells of one’s brain before one uses one’s eyes.
****
Eleanor Carlisle said with a touch of weariness, “He has a great reputation.”
“Yes, for defending criminals. I have a great reputation for demonstrating innocence.”
****
At 21, Mary Gerrard was a lovely creature with a kind of wild-rose unreality about her; a long, delicate neck, pale, golden hair, lying close to her exquisitely shaped head and soft, natural waves and eyes a deep, vivid blue.
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022)
Note: I read a lot of older books, so I don’t necessarily yearn to have new release books. That’s why this list will include older books, which will probably confuse some of you. Yes, I desperately want older books and then don’t read them when I get them, which my son scolds me about.
So here are ten books I wanted and bought (used of course) but still have not read.
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
I was very excited for this one and planned to read it this summer. I’m not so sure that is going to happen.
Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr
I read Judith’s first book in this series, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, and was excited to find this one on Thriftbooks. I also planned to read this one this summer. It’s also not happened yet. Just distracted by mysteries.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
I know this one is going to be hard to read so I want to read it but I’ve put it off a bit.
Agatha Christie: An Autobiographyby Agatha Christie
I’ve been so busy reading her mysteries, I haven’t gotten to this one yet.
Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death by James Runcie
This is the first book in the series that the show Grantchester is based on. I was excited to get in great shape at a used book sale but still have not read it.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cryby Mildred D. Taylor
I read this one in sixth or seventh grade and have wanted to reread it the last few years but just keep getting distracted by lighter reads. I hope to read it this autumn or winter.
Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink
This one cost a bit because apparently no old copies exist anywhere and the estate re-released it themselves. I broke down and bought it new and am excited to read it but am holding on to it for winter to read with my daughter.
The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham
I actually have this on Kindle but really wanted to hold an actual paperback copy because I just like reading the Golden Age Mystery writers’ books. It feels like the best way to read them. So now I finally have a copy of it and I haven’t read it yet. In my defense, I did just get it a week or so ago.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
I’ve had this book on my list to read probably since high school but never seem to get around to it because I got distracted by mystery books and gentle fiction. I think this year might be the year for it!
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
I keep saying I am going to read this one, but I’ve also heard it is a little depressing so I’ve been avoiding it. I’ll probably read it this fall or winter.
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors (Share books from your to-read list that are written by authors you’ve never read before.)
A couple of months ago, I could have written this list with a bit more ease, but I have since read at least one book by many of the “new-to-me” authors on the suggested author’s list I’ve made in my reading journal.
I had to dig a little bit to pull out these ten books by authors I haven’t read, yet, but it was worth it because it reminded me of the books I want to read.
Also, when I write “new-to-me” authors, it doesn’t mean I have never heard of these authors. It simply means I have yet to read a book by them.
Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher
I follow a Booktuber who often talks about Rosamund Pilcher and her books do sound good (maybe a bit depressing) so I am going to eventually get to her books.
Arabella by Georgette Heyer
That’s right. I have never read a Heyer book. Keep in mind that the main genre I read from is mystery.
Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
I started this, I did not like it. I think it was the mood I was in. I’m going to try again.
Give Me One Summer by Emilie Loring
This one just looked good to me.
The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen
I’ve been wanting to read her for awhile, but not sure her “regency” genre is really my thing.
A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh
This is a Golden Age mystery author that I have not yet read anything from, but want to.
Foster by Claire Keegan
This one just popped up on a Booktuber’s video and I though it sounded good. I don’t know anything about it or the author.
Lending A Paw by Laurie Cass
Laurie is a cozy mystery writer and I keep saying I am going to read the book by her that my husband purchased for me a few years ago, but I want to read the first book in the series, this one, first.
The Queen and I by Susan Townsend
This book about an alternative reality where the monarch from England is forced to leave the palace and become like common people.
The Corner Shop by Elizabeth Cadell
I just heard about this one today as I was writing this and trying to jog my memory of authors I want to read and this one popped up. I’ve heard of her before and the books sound good.
Have you read any of these books or authors? What did you think of them?
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
It was either someone on Instagram or a YouTube channel which talks about books that told me about D.E. Stevenson and especially Miss Buncle, and I am forever grateful for whomever that was.
I wish I could remember the first one who mentioned it, but I do remember Jenn’s Reading Room talking about the first book in the series, and then I saw at least one other person talking about it.
I am going to credit Jen’s Reading Room with giving me the idea to find a copy of the book and read it, though.
It was almost impossible to find a used copy of this book, which was originally published in 1936, and, at first, I couldn’t find it anywhere in a digital format to borrow it. I do not usually buy books I haven’t read yet, just to be sure I do like it before I put it on my shelf, but when I saw this one was on sale in paperback, I ordered it.
I am not sorry I did that.
Miss Buncle’s Book is about a woman named Barbara Buncle who lives in a small English village and writes a fictionalized version of the people and their lives in a book called Disturber of the Peace. She uses the real-life situations of people she knows because she says she has no imagination to think up stories on her own.
She shops publishers for the book, hoping to make some extra money in hard times and is shocked and unprepared when the book is not only published but becomes a quick bestseller.
When people in her little village get ahold of the book, word quickly begins to spread that many of the characters resemble people in the village, even though the names have been changed.
The humor in this book is top-notch, and the characters are super lovable, even the characters we’re not supposed to like.
The book is also so creatively done because it’s almost as if D.E. Stevenson is writing about herself while writing about Miss Buncle. She writes about the writing process and how people receive her books and how Miss Buncle feels about people reading here book. At one point Miss Buncle is writing a book about writing a book, like D.E. Stevenson was. So we had Stevenson writing a book about Miss Buncle writing a book about her character Elizabeth Wade writing a book. Yes, it’s just as crazy as it sounds, but so well done.
One thing I love about the book is how Stevenson writes her as someone who is pretty much over having to act a certain way and be “proper.”
“’How nice for you — and for her of course,’ exclaimed Barbara. She had lived for so long among these people and had suffered so many afternoon teas that she was able to say the expected thing without thinking about it at all. You simply put a penny in the machine, and the expected thing came out at once, all done up and a neat little packet, and suitably labeled. The machine worked without any effort on Barbara‘s part. It even worked when the real Barbara was absent, and only the shell, dressed in its shabby garments, remained sitting upright upon chair. The real Barbara often flew away like that, and took refuge from the darkness and boredom of Silverstream in the scintillating atmosphere of Copperfield.
I also love how Stevenson writes about authors and how they work.
“Dorcas went away. She was beginning to get used to living in the house with an author. It was not comfortable, she found, and it was distinctly trying to the temper. Dorcas often thought with regret of the good old days when the dividends had come in punctually, and Miss Barbara had been an ordinary, human being; taking her meals at regular hours, going up to bed as the clock struck 11, and coming down for breakfast in the morning when the clock struck nine.
Authors! said Dorcas to herself with scornful, emphasis. authors, indeed! Well, I’ll never read a book again, but what I think of the people who has had to put up with the author. I know that. Preparing meals and beating the gong and going back half an hour later to find nobody’s ever been near them and the mutton fat frozen salad in the dish and the soup stone cold and then ringing bells all hours for coffee and “make it strong!” Dorcas make it strong!” and then writing half the night and lying in bed half the day with people towing up to their bedrooms with trays. Authors, poof!”
Miss Buncle having to deal with reviews that can be bad, while also helping her book sales, is also hilarious. At one point, Mr. Abbott tells her that her reviews are being very helpful to the sale of the book.
“Helpful!” she says. “Some of them said I was immoral and perverted!”
Her publisher is delighted.
“I know it was simply marvelous”, replied Mr. Abbott holding out his cigarette and watching the smoke curl upward with appreciation. “It really was marvelous. In my wildest and most optimistic moments I scarcely dared to hope that they would misread you to that extent.”
The publisher really doesn’t care if people misunderstand Barbara’s book as long as he’s making the sales, of course. But Mr. Abbott becomes an important part of Barbara’s life, and you’ll have to read the book to find out why.
After I finished this book I felt a sense of sadness and loss because I enjoyed opening it each day for a couple of weeks.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something light, fun, and don’t mind a little bit of the “old style” of writing from the 1930s.
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Top Ten Tuesday July 7
Book Titles That Include the Word “[insert word of your choice here]” (Pick a word and share ten book titles that include that word!) I chose the word “secret.”
This is a list of books I have read, want to read, would very likely, or possibly, read.
I should note that I could make this entire list out of just Nancy Drew titles alone, since a ton of the books in that series have secret in the title, but I decided to give some variety to the list and instead have three Agatha Christie titles. Ha!
|| The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett Hodgson (have read) ||
|| The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (a Nancy Drew Mystery. Have read) ||
|| The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries, #1) by Agatha Christie (haven’t read but sure I will at some point) ||
|| The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #1) by Ellery Adams (haven’t read but will probably soon) ||
|| The Secret of Chimneys (Superintendent Battle, #1) by Agatha Christie (have read and enjoyed) ||
|| The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman (haven’t read but it looks good) ||
|| Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (haven’t read but probably will eventually) ||
|| The Secret Life of Walter Mitty James Thurber (haven’t read but it interests me because I’ve seen one of the movie adaptations) ||
|| The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad (never read it, think I’ve heard of it. Probably will read some day.) ||
|| The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden (I don’t know anything about it but it popped up when I was searching for books with the word secret in the title and it looks good.) ||
Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments, especially for the ones I have not read yet.
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
The Ivory Dagger was my first Patricia Wentworth book so it was also my first Miss Silver Mystery as well.
This was number 18 in the series and it didn’t matter that I had not read the previous 17 books. I was able to catch on with the characters and their backgrounds very quickly. Wentworth was a British Mystery writer who published books between the 1920s and the 1960s. The Ivory Dagger was written in 1953.
I liked Maud Silver, the elderly woman called in to help solve the crime, immediately. I also liked Detective Inspector Frank Abbott immediately.
It was made clear, without too much supposition on past cases, that these two had worked together before and had a very teasing and affectionate relationship because of that.
I absolutely loved their interactions.
Let’s go back and grab a description of the book from online, though:
Bill Waring, collecting his wits in hospital after a train crash, receives only one letter from Lila Dryden, his fiancée. When he discovers Lady Dryden, Lila’s guardian, has pressured her into an engagement with Herbert Whitall, he is furious. Herbert Whitall is aggressive, with a cold-hearted possessiveness that expands past the bounds of his ivory collection he can’t bear to lose. His employees hate him, Lila is terrified of him and it appears he has a hold on Lady Dryden. When a dagger in Whitall’s collection becomes the instrument of his own death there are many suspects. Maud Silver must see that justice is done, not merely to punish the guilty, but to protect the innocent.
One thing left out of this particular description, but is in others, is that Lila becomes the prime suspect because she is found standing over his body, holding an ivory dagger that belonged to him.
She has a history of sleep walking, though, and this seems to be another one of those incidents. Could she have killed Herbert in her sleep? Even she is worried about that.
I won’t lie – I wasn’t a big fan of Lila through parts of this book. She was pretty weak and cruel to Bill and others at times, but, then, she was also very young and inexperienced at life.
It’s Lady Dryden who calls in Miss Silver because she has heard about the previous cases Miss Silver has solved.
Miss Silver doesn’t know when she comes to the mansion, that Frank Abbott has been assigned the case but she is pleasantly surprised. Frank is pleasantly surprised with her appearance as well.
“Frank Abbott took the hand and reciprocated the smile. Adrian Gray having mentioned that there was a Miss Silver staying in the house, he was by no means unprepared for the appearance of the lady who he had been known in moments of expansion to address as Revered Preceptress. They were, all jesting apart, on a footing of deep attachment, and, upon Frank’s side, of a most unfeigned respect.”
Miss Silver knows that the focus is on Lila but there is a list of people who didn’t like Whitall, so she must look at them all. She doesn’t think Lila is guilty. Neither does Frank so they will need to join their efforts to find out who really is guilty.
Miss Silver reminds me of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and has similar hobbies and mannerisms. Miss Silver also has similar great comebacks or lines as Miss Marple.
They both appear to be innocent old ladies just sitting and knitting away while they are actually listening in to solve the crime. In this one, Miss Silver is knitting a vest for a great niece or relative, I can’t remember which. Wentworth likes to remind us she’s just simply knitting along with such lines as, “The crocket hook went in and out, making a delicate shell pattern about the neck of little Josephine’s vest.”
One difference between Miss Silver and Miss Marple is that Miss Silver is an actual private investigator and Miss Marple is simply a spinster living in a small town who becomes involved in solving crimes.
If you’re curious which one came first, it was Miss Marple by a year. Her first story was published as a short story in 1927. The first Miss Silver book came out in 1928.
What I like about Wentworth’s writing is that she is light on description of characters, scenery, and other aspects of the story, but still heavier than Christie. She provides more literary imagery to draw from to create an image in the readers mind of the main characters and the surroundings than Christie does. This doesn’t mean that one is better than the other. Christie was a brilliant stripped back storyteller and Wentworth is also a wonderful storyteller who simply adds a bit more personality and description to her characters.
Wentworth’s writing reminded me more of Margery Allingham, another Golden Age mystery writer, than Agatha’s. Both Wentworth and Allingham were great at creating engaging and well-written sentences or paragraphs that left you wanting to read it again, highlight it, or write it down.
“They sat facing one another. Feature and expression were hidden by the darkness, yet each knew the other so well that his darkness was only a black screen upon which memory could throw its pictures. Bill holding doggedly to what he had said and saying it all over again, as if battering repetition was an argument in itself. Ray on the defensive – quick thrust and parry to met his bludgeon blows, eyes wide and the colour in her cheeks like flame.”
Though this wasn’t the first book in the series, it was a good introduction for me and I am looking forward to reading more.
If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin, Cat, and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Notice: This post may contain affiiate links. If you purchase the product from these links I will receive a small compensation at no extra charge to you.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
I have been averaging about four books a month this entire year, except for March, when I somehow read seven, but I think that was because I finished up a book I’d been reading with my daughter and also finished (finally) Return of the King.
In June I read the following books:
The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth
Description: When Lila Dryden is discovered standing over her fiancé’s body with dagger in hand, Miss Silver is called in to investigate, only to discover Lila’s sleepwalking patterns, the return of her former lover, and the victim’s circle of acquaintances–all of whom occasionally wished him dead.
Brief thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was my first by Wentworth, so it was also my first Miss Silver book. I think it was number 18 but I didn’t have any problems following the characters or figuring out their past interactions with each other. I loved Miss Silver and her interaction with the investigator in the case, who she had worked with before.
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Description: Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor…or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved.
Brief thoughts: I’ve been making my way through The Chronicles of Narnia this year and this was the next one. I was in a reading slump when I started it and it pulled me out because I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately caught up in the story. It wasn’t my favorite of the series, but I love how Lewis writes so I still really liked it. This is a children’s book but I truly believe even adults should read this series. It’s so magical and fun. And, yes, there are elements to the stories that are allegories for Christianity but even if a person isn’t a Christian, the stories are just so good.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Description: The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.
Brief thoughts: I wrote a review for this one, but the bottom line is that I enjoyed it. I read this one as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge.
Description: Pleasant Creek, Indiana, loves its history. Each summer the town sponsors Heritage Day, a festival commemorating the signing of the original town charter. Liz Eckardt couldn’t be happier to participate in the star-spangled celebration.
But someone else isn’t happy. Antique items related to the historic event are being stolen from Pleasant Creek’s people and businesses, including Liz herself. Does the culprit merely want to torch the celebration or is there more to his sinister plot?
Brief Thoughts. I also wrote a review on this one and posted it here on the blog. I enjoyed this one. It was a very light mystery, not dark, not overly depressing. I love the characters in this series (The Amish Inn Mysteries) so it felt like visiting old friends when I read it.
What did you read in June? Have you ever read any of these?
If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin, Cat, and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Notice: This post may contain affiiate links. If you purchase the product from these links I will receive a small compensation at no extra charge to you.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books on My Summer 2026 To-Read List
Since I listed 15 books I want to read this summer in a blog post last week, I thought today I would list 9 mystery books I want to read this summer and one I already read. There are four Agatha Christe books listed here — one I already read, two I’ll be reading for the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge (July and August) and one I threw in for extra.
Already read: 1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Description:
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.
2. The Ivory Dagger (A Miss Silvers Mystery) by Patricia Wentworth (already started)
Description: When Lila Dryden is discovered standing over her fiance’s body with dagger in hand, Miss Silver is called in to investigate, only to discover Lila’s sleepwalking patterns, the return of her former lover, and the victim’s circle of acquaintances–all of whom occasionally wished him dead.
3. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers
Description: In a shocking scandal, the likes of which has not been seen in the English aristocracy since the 18th century, the Duke of Denver stands accused of the foul murder or his sister’s fiance, shot through the heart on a cold, lonely night at Riddlesdale Hall in Yorkshire. The Duke’s brother, Lord Peter Wimsey, attempts to prove Denver’s innocence, but why is the Duke refusing to cooperate? And what does his sister, Lady Mary, know about the affair? Trying to reveal the truth, Wimsey uncovers a web of lies and deceit within the family and finds himself faced with the unhappy alternative of sending either his brother or his sister to the gallows – until he himself becomes a target…
4. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
Description: A red chess piece… An improbable suicide… A disappearing judge… These were the clues to a killer whose victims never escaped. Judge Lobbett has found evidence pointing to the identity of the criminal mastermind behind the deadly Simister gang that is terrorizing New York. After four attempts on his life, he seeks the help of enigmatic and unorthodox amateur sleuth, Albert Campion, during his travel to England. For safety, Campion sends the Judge and his family to a secluded house in an island on the Suffolk coast.
But that safety is it seemed fitting that odd things should happen in a town called “Mystery Mile”. Soon after their arrival the local vicar is killed – a clear message from the gang. Its a race against time for Campion to get the judge to safety and decipher the clue to their mysterious enemy’s name. But even a connoisseur of crime as Scotland Yard’s Albert Campion had never encountered such elusive clues. He had to trace a mastermind of crime in time to save his client’s life–and his own. Luckily for Judge Lobbett, underneath his constant stream of banter, Campion displays a diamond-sharp intelligence and a natural detective’s instinct… Blackmail, abduction and sudden death bring matters to a climax.
5. Murder, She Wrote: Slaying in Savannah by Donald Bain
Description: Jessica is saddened when her eccentric old friend Tillie Mortelaine passes away—and surprised to learn that Tillie has left her a million dollars. But there are strings attached. Jessica must use the money to help the literacy fund she and Tillie established years ago in Savannah, Georgia. And she will receive the money only if she can solve a mystery within the month: the murder of Tillie’s fiancé, Wanamaker Jones.
As Jessica settles into Tillie’s Savannah mansion and meets Tillie’s boarders, she also discovers that the spirit of Wanamaker Jones haunts the grounds. And that there are those in Savannah who are looking to cash in on Tillie’s demise—and Jessica’s failure…
6. ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
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Description:
When Alice Asher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already looking into the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it’s one letter down, twenty-five to go.
There’s a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway Guide beside each victim’s body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover, and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill, who will then be Victim C? More importantly, why is this happening?
Often considered to be one of Agatha Christie’s best.
7. By The Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie
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Description:
Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Agatha Christie’s delightful sleuthing duo, investigate the strange and troubling doings behind the scenes at a gothic British nursing home in By the Pricking of My Thumbs
When Tommy and Tuppence visit an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they think nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada is a very difficult old lady.
But when Mrs. Lockett mentions a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs. Lancaster talks about “something behind the fireplace,” Tommy and Tuppence find themselves caught up in a spine-chilling adventure that could spell death for either of them.
8. Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart
Description: When Indian Princess Alexandrina is left penniless by the sudden death of her father, the Maharaja of Brindor, Queen Victoria grants her a grace-and-favor home in Hampton Court Palace. Though rumored to be haunted, Alexandrina and her lady’s maid, Pooki, have no choice but to take the Queen up on her offer. Aside from the ghost sightings, Hampton Court doesn’t seem so bad. The princess is soon befriended by three eccentric widows who invite her to a picnic with all the palace’s inhabitants, for which Pooki bakes a pigeon pie. But when General-Major Bagshot dies after eating said pie, and the coroner finds traces of arsenic in his body, Pooki becomes the #1 suspect in a murder investigation. Princess Alexandrina isn’t about to let her faithful servant hang. She begins an investigation of her own, and discovers that Hampton Court isn’t such a safe place to live after all. With her trademark wit and charm, Julia Stuart introduces us to an outstanding cast of lovable oddballs, from the palace maze-keeper to the unconventional Lady Beatrice (who likes to dress up as a toucan—don’t ask), as she guides us through the many delightful twists and turns in this fun and quirky murder mystery. Everyone is hiding a secret of the heart, and even Alexandrina may not realize when she’s caught in a maze of love.
9. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
Description:
Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity, and the means to administer the fatal poison.
Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.
10.The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson Braun
(Little nervous about this one as it is the last in the series before Lilian died and the later books really weren’t very good.)
Description: A twenty-ninth installment of the popular series finds Moose County in an uproar over a string of lucrative inheritances and a bee sting-related death, throughout which Polly departs for Paris, Koko the irrepressible Siamese meets a piano tuner, and Qwill writes a play.
Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
I was looking for a simple cozy mystery with lovable characters and a straight mystery recently and that’s what I found in Stolen Past by Tara Randel.
The book is part of the Amish Inn Mysteries from the now defunct Annie’s Attic.
The books were written by a few different authors, but all feature the same characters: inn owner Liz Eckhardt and her friends Mary Ann and Sadie, mayor (love interest but subtle) Jackson Cross and lazy bulldog Beans.
This time around the town of Pleasant Creek is set to celebrate a special anniversary but someone in town is stirring up trouble by stealing historically-related items and threatening to make trouble if a play about the signing of the town charter isn’t presented the way we want it.
This series includes a very slow burn romance between Liz and the mayor with just a few mild hints made here and there but very secondary to the mystery itself.
Liz’s friends Sadie and Mary Ann are “older ladies” who often pop up in the mysteries and in this one Sadie plays a bigger role than usual as a former friend comes out as the front runner for being the possible town thief.
This one may not have you on the edge of your seat, but it will have you pondering who the guilty party is while enjoying reading about the connections between Liz and her friends.
If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.
On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.
Notice: This post may contain affiiate links. If you purchase the product from these links I will receive a small compensation at no extra charge to you.
Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.
You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.
If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/
