Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page One of FiveAgatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton
St. Martin's Press, April, 1999.Hardcover, 196 pages.
ISBN: 0312198221.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Depressed over the absence of her sometime fiancé, James,
and the disastrous results of a home dye job to color the grey in her hair,
Agatha Raisin heads off to see the Wizard of Evesham, a
handsome young hairdresser with a devoted following, said to
work miracles on less than perfect hair. Women like Mr. John so much,
in fact, that they seem to pour out all of their innermost secrets
to him. Soon, Agatha feels
much more cheery -- the charming hairdresser is actually
making a pass at her. When the hairdresser is found poisoned, Agatha
takes it upon herself to find the killer, with the help of
her friend, Sir Charles.
This is Agatha Raisin's eighth adventure, and it doesn't disappoint; in fact, it's extremely enjoyable. The incredibly annoying fiancé James is blessedly missing from the story, and the wonderful wit and humor of M.C. Beaton are much in evidence in this story of blackmail and murder. The charming rascal Sir Charles makes for entertaining reading, and Agatha is as irrepressible as ever.
--Claire E. White
The Burglar in the Rye by Lawrence Block
Dutton, July, 1999.Hardcover, 280 pages.
ISBN: 0525945008.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Bookseller by day and gentleman burglar by night
Bernie Rhodenbarr is touched by the story a young
woman tells him one day in his bookshop. It seems that
the young woman has had a tempestuous affair with one
of the most reclusive and influential Salingeresqe writers of the
day -- Gulliver Fairborn. It seems that the letters that Gully wrote
to his ex-agent, Anthea Landau, are about to be auctioned off
by that esteemed lady. Bernie, a fan of Fairborn, agrees to
steal the letters to be returned to Fairborn. He checks into the
elegantly faded Paddington Hotel, where Ms. Landau resides,
only to find Ms. Landau dead, the letters gone and the police
hot on his trail. Where are the letters? What were
Alice Cottrell's real motives in hiring Bernie?
Who wanted those letters bad enough to commit
murder to get them? What did
Bernie do with the expensive rubies he lifted from another
guest's room on his way
back from Anthea's apartment? In
classic Rhodenbarr style (with a fabulously done
"assemble the suspects" scene at the end) all the
ends are tied up nicely, although your head may
be spinning by the time the explanations are through.
Another Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery is cause for rejoicing. With the classic wit, sly humor and wonderful repartée that are the hallmarks of this series, Bernie dances his way through another caper that you won't want to end. The Paddington Hotel is a wonderful creation, and so are the people who live there. All in all, you won't find a better way to while away a summer's day than to join Bernie in another heist. Highly recommended.
--Claire E. White
Mystery Reviews
Page One | Page Two | Page Three | Page Four | Page Five
Return to the July 1999 issue of The IWJ.
More from Writers Write