I am reading two really good mysteries at the moment (actually more of one than the other--but I will get back to it soon). I had not intended to have two on the go at once. After I finished Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne recently, I couldn't simply be patient and wait for my turn for a library copy of Tasha Alexander's next Lady Ashton mystery, A Poisoned Season. I thought I might be able to squeeze in a shorter mystery, so I started Kerry Greenwood's Cocaine Blues. Halfway through the Greenwood, what happens? Yes, a library book nudges its way into the queue, so now I have a library book (with a due date--and it can't be renewed as there's a queue) to work on as well. I'm afraid books with due dates get precedence over books I own (unfair though it may be).
It shouldn't take me long to read the Tasha Alexander book. I enjoyed her first novel, though I felt a tad bit tepid about some elements of the story. Halfway through her second I don't have any reservations thus far. I am thoroughly enjoying the story. Once again Lady Ashton, a young widow, has gotten herself embroiled in a little murder and theft. This time around items that once belonged to the "ill-fated" Queen Marie Antoinette have been stolen. To make things even more complicated a gentleman purporting to be the descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette is stirring up trouble.
I think this is going to turn out to be a fun mystery series to read. Lady Ashton is unconventional to say the least. She's not what you would expect from a proper Victorian widow. She reads Homer (in the original Greek), prefers to stay at home and read rather than attend balls, and takes port after dinner with the gentlemen (instead of retiring to another room with the ladies). I like sassy heroines. She is not without her charms or without her admirers--including one Colin Hargreaves (of course he's terribly handsome). There is lots of witty repartee, which keeps the story moving along quite nicely. And, no, her mother does not approve of Emily's "eccentric" habits.
"Mother--"
"And this is as good a time as any to point out that your odd reading habits are beginning to disconcert people."
"My reading habits are not--"
"We all understand that it was terribly shocking for you to lose your husband. Mourning is a dreadful time. But now it is over and there is no need to persist in this morbid habit of reading tedious books. Lady Elliott told me that she saw you with a copy of the Odyssey in the park."
"Do you have a particular objection to Homer, or are you against all ancient texts?"
"There is no need to speak to me like that, Emily. I cannot imagine what possessed you to bring a book to the park."
"The weather was fine and I wanted to sit outside. A shocking concept. I agree."
"Well, open a window, or if you must be outdoors, stay on your own property. There's no need to flaunt your eccentricities in front of all of London." She removed a pair of spectacles from her reticule, put them on, and peered at my face. "I do believe you are getting freckles." She thrust her parasol over me.
I like Emily. While she reads Homer in Greek, she is not above reading popular novels, too. Later in the book she talks about reading Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret as well as Mount Royal. What fun. She's the sort of character I wouldn't mind meeting in real life.
I'll save Kerry Greenwood's Cocaine Blues for another post. Phryne Fisher is somewhat similar to Emily Ashton, though the setting is Melbourne in the 1920s. I like all sorts of mysteries, but I have a particular fondness for independent and intelligent heroines/sleuths. I have found some great new (or at least new to me) authors recently to fit the bill well. Check out their websites: Tasha Alexander, Kerry Greenwood, Clare Langley-Hawthorne, Deanna Raybourne and the wonderful Jacqueline Winspear! My only request....that they please write faster (that's the problem with finding a new author who's publishing their first book)! And if I have missed anyone writing in the same vein, please let me know!