Another detective has joined the growing crew of new sleuths, including Armand Gamache in modern Quebec, Canada; Li Du in old China; and Guido Brunetti in Venice, Italy. Here we have Esa Khattak in modern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Khattak's unique police department, Community Policing Section, is called in for its particular knowledge of the Muslim community.

The knowledge gained about a group I know little about has been interesting. It is important to note that the story is based on some actual fact - a 2006 terrorist plot foiled by CSIS and the RCMP. A murder mystery typically causes me to cut off all communication until the book is finished - no exception here.

I love reading about places I know well and Toronto and its environs was once my home - even a new piece of Toronto history - how Jarvis Street got its name!

Now to go back to read The Unquiet Dead, Ausma Zehanat Khan's first Khattak story....and wait impatiently for the third.

What a debut! Full disclosure: hot spot in heart for historical fiction. Elsa Hart has not only captured the essence of old China in her descriptions but has also a brilliant way of expressing Chinese philosophy throughout the story. "...you are beginning to feel the sand empty from the top of the glass...", "...the morning is wiser than the evening..", "...he is such a frog in a well (no idea what he is doing)...".

Throughout my reading of this story, I was reminded of Robert van Gulik's translations in the 1950s of the Judge Dee mysteries set in Tang dynasty China - The Chinese Bell Murders, The Chinese Maze Murders, and so on.
The reason for the title does not appear until well into the story and by that time my mind was already planning how to get out and buy the next several titles in the Ji Du mystery series when I had to remind myself that there is only ONE so far! Donna Leon's Commisario Brunetti and Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache are about to be joined by yet another great foreign detective.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain is a terrific read, summer or winter. Having learned much about Isak Dinesen and Denys Finch-Hatton in Out of Africa, it was nothing short of marvellous to hear the other side of that story. Beryl Markham was a feminist before it was popular and a great horse trainer besides being a great pilot (two things women "didn't do" in a Downton Abbey atmosphere in Kenya). McLain has done an amazing job of telling her story. I read it straight through. Off to get a copy of 'West With The Night' and hear Beryl's version as well. Also, finally, I will read The Paris Wife!

It seemed to be set in the future and had all the feeling of a Margaret Atwood, a good thing in a thriller. Then, it felt like it was happening not post-apocalyptic but right now, like a Dean Koontz fright story. The details of a horrifying crime slowly emerge as the reader lives in the mind of Ruth Ardingly, an average woman of today, and tries to understand what in the world happened to her and her family - and recognizing many of the thought processes along the way. Catherine Chanter's writing is surely poetic but the thriller is also imbued with Chanter's experience as a psychiatrist. It will make the reader writhe in discomfort for Ruth. It was a book that could not be put down but I could not give it the 5 it might have deserved because the crime was too awful and happened to a small person who sounds like one close to me!

A movie star and a director from South Korea are kidnapped to North Korea to satisfy the dictator's need for good film-making. After years of isolation, torture, and misery, they are able to make a daring escape. A history book that reads like a thriller, a love story crying out to be filmed, and more exciting than fiction. The truth is finally out and hard to comprehend, let alone being stranger than fiction. Just as the news is reporting North Korea's attack on American film, this book has explained the history of North Korea's fascination with "the movies" and Kim Jong-Il's Production has a real life sequel! Will it be published or hacked as well?

When I opened this book I was delighted to discover that I had already read a book by Kristin Hannah - a book I had picked up, used, called Firefly Lane. It was a very real, very touching story, and I cried, having experienced some of what is in that book. Friends who read it after me felt the same. Oh yes, the same thing has happened as I finished reading her latest, The Nightingale. The plot twists and turns preclude discussing it to avoid spoiling anything for readers. Thank you, Mrs. Hannah for this awesome book written not a moment too soon as so few people who will recognize the truth in it are left. May this story keep their experiences alive even longer. Memories matter. Love lasts. We remain. What a brilliant, message.

This was a very interesting story of what the jacket calls "the Princess Diana's of their day". Four years ago I visited the palace in Lavadia in the Crimean area of Ukraine. As I walked through the rooms and saw so many things belonging to the children of Nicholas and Alexandra, I was saddened to think how their lives were cut short. Having read their story by Helen Rappaport, I now know why I felt so sad. This is not a history book telling of all the mistakes made by Tsars, generals, and politicians, but a moving record of real people caught up in awful political upheaval. This is a history book with a cultural bias - my favourite kind. I will need to buy a copy because the photos were not included in the advance copy!

What a great read! I so enjoyed Julia MacDonnell's story, "Mimi Malloy, At Last", that I could not put it down. A clever way to present a fairy tale so real that I not only identified with her but also identified my mother in her. The deep Irish secret of the past is a mystery that keeps the reader turning pages. The end of the story satisfies without wrapping it up in the infamous fairy tale ending.

Detectives public or private, murder, and mystery - that's my candy jar. This one is a killer! Not meant to be first of a series, but other stories from this author would be a great thing. Special congratulations to the translator, Steven T. Murray. Easy to read and one that cannot be put aside for mundane chores until complete. Caveat: as is more and more common these days, graphic gore prevails. Drops my rating to a 4. But hubby will no doubt love it!

I am in novel heaven... seventeenth century England and a chambermaid with the good sense of a Kinsey Milhone and none of the modern conveniences. The historical references are accurate (a novelist has the privilege and the obligation to create details for the sake of the story) and the mystery is great fun - a murder to solve. There is more than a hint of a new series here and as Kinsey reaches the end of her alphabet, I am looking forward to getting involved in Lucy Campion's adventures at the magistrate's house in London. Murder/mysteries are my candy and my summer vacations. This is a winner.

What a great read. So much to learn about bank robberies! This was a winner. I have read Lee Child's stories of Jack Reacher and found them a little more graphically violent than I can stand. This book, while detailed, did not dwell as much on that aspect. I, of course, read straight through it because it was that exciting. Roger Hobs does not dwell on ANY extraneous details too long. Jack, the "hero" is like Superman, who swoops in, fixes the situation , and disappears. That means that we might hear more from Roger Hobbs and his Jack? I hope so.

B.A. Shapiro's "The Art Forger" was a very enjoyable read. A couple of plot twists kept me going right through to the end! The detail of the methods of copying master artists and forging famous old works of art were amazing. Book clubs would enjoy this especially if the clubs are interested in finding out about a subject in detail while they are reading a novel. Like Dick Francis's Proof, which taught me all about making whiskey, and Alex Haley's Money, which taught me all about banking, The Art Forger informs while telling a good murder mystery. Some of the story is based on actual events and people which always enhances a mystery for me.
And there is a strong, undaunted female lead!