Harris, C.S.
Why Mermaids Sing. The third in Harris' Regency mysteries about Sebastien St.Cyr, Lord Devlin,
Why Mermaids Sing continues with the events in Sebastien's personal life -- his knotty relationship with his father and his love affair with Kat Boleyn, an actress from a different social class entirely. When a magistrate asks Sebastien St. Cyr to aid in a murder investigation, Sebastien demurs. He discovers, however, that the image of the murdered eighteen-year-old young man bothers him, and he finds himself doing a little research almost without intention. Dominic Stanton is the second young man to have been gruesomely murdered, and from the nature of the wounds inflicted, Sebastien realizes that a message is being sent. And that there will most likely be more murders to come.
I have a little trouble with the use of John Donne's
Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star because
Donne is one of my favorite poets, and I love this poem from that stage in his life when he was still something of a rake ("Donne spent much of his considerable inheritance on women, literature, pastimes, and travel" --
Wikipedia).
A metaphysical poet, Donne wrote a number of humorously satiric poems about love and women. Another of my favorites is
The Flea, an attempt to persuade a woman to sleep with him. After his marriage and his conversion to the Church of England (an almost forced conversion) when he became a preacher, he wrote sincere love poems (my favorites in this category include
A Valediction Forbidding Morning , a love poem to his wife and
Death, Be Not Proud, one of his Holy Sonnets) and then there is his unforgettable sermon,
Meditation 17 that has some of the most quoted lines in history: " no man is an island," "any man's death diminishes me," "never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."
But I digress, aside from that the novel is a fast-moving bit of adventure with lots of intrigue and a bit of surprise at the end which will undoubtedly be picked up in the next in the series.
(I know
Danielle has read some of this series...anyone else?)
Whew! I'm almost caught up with my reviews.
Fiction. Historical mystery. 2007. 342 pages.
I have finished Nameless Night and The Sonambulist and reviewed them (previous posts), but the rest are going to be stacked with all of the others that I've not yet gotten around to reading.
Ford, G.M. Nameless Night. Another ARC, I found this mystery to have some flaws, but still a fast read and a bit of a page turner. Paul Hardy (real name unknown) lives in a home for the disabled as a ward of the state. He has terrible facial injuries and is unable to speak until, following a car accident, he is given a new face. The plastic surgery that repairs the horrific injuries to his face also removes some of the pressure on Paul's brain, and he regains his ability to function normally.
Barnes, Jonathan. The Sonambulist. Described by someone as reminiscent of Neil Gaiman and of China Mieville's Perdito Street Station, this novel can only be described as bizarre. I toyed with using Eva's 6 word review for this and came up with: Bizarre - murders, freaks, magician, poet, time-travel. Of course, as time-travel is hyphenated, it counts as one word. My rule. :) But decided to give a little additional information.
Raybourn, Deanna. Silent in the Sanctuary. I thoroughly enjoyed Silent in the Grave, and when Jill offered to send me the second in the series, I was delighted. Sanctuary picks up Lady Julia's story in Italy, where she has been recovering from the events in Silent in the Grave. When their father requests that Julia and her brothers return to England for Christmas, the siblings leave Italy and return to their father's estate, Belmont Abbey. On arrival, they find themselves in the midst of a house party that includes Nicholas Brisbane and his fiancee.
Harris, C.S. Why Mermaids Sing. The third in Harris' Regency mysteries about Sebastien St.Cyr, Lord Devlin, Why Mermaids Sing continues with the events in Sebastien's personal life -- his knotty relationship with his father and his love affair with Kat Boleyn, an actress from a different social class entirely. When a magistrate asks Sebastien St. Cyr to aid in a murder investigation, Sebastien demurs. He discovers, however, that the image of the murdered eighteen-year-old young man bothers him, and he finds himself doing a little research almost without intention. Dominic Stanton is the second young man to have been gruesomely murdered, and from the nature of the wounds inflicted, Sebastien realizes that a message is being sent. And that there will most likely be more murders to come.
Simmons, Kelly. Standing Still. Claire Cooper suffers from an anxiety disorder and frequent panic attacks. Her irrational fears cripple her emotional life. Then one night, her fears become real, and she discovers an intruder who is about to take one of her daughters. Faced with this unbearable possibility, Claire says, "Take me instead."
Cleeves, Ann. Raven Black. Set in the Shetland Islands off of Scotland, the novel provides an interesting glimpse at the insularity of the inhabitants. When Catherine Ross is found murdered, the prime suspect is an old man with limited abilities, but Inspector Jimmy Perez wants to keep an open mind.
I've received nominations for the You Make My Day Award from Iliana, Lisa, and (a long time ago, Lotus) and have neglected to mention it here. Thanks to all of you for including me among the blogs you read and enjoy! All three of you have Made My Day many times!
