New Book Alert: The Monsoon Ghost Image (Detective Maier Mysteries Book 3) by Tom Vater; Detective Maier Returns In Vater's Best Mystery Thriller Yet

 

New Book Alert: The Monsoon Ghost Image (Detective Maier Mysteries Book 3) by Tom Vater; Detective Maier Returns In Vater's Best Mystery Thriller Yet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Once again Tom Vater is available to give his Readers a guided tour of the world's most dangerous and least scenic spots. After India and Cambodia, this time the author sets his sights on Thailand, mostly Bangkok a city known for its active nightlife and sex trade. 

In what is probably his best work yet, Vater provides an effective merge of setting and character to quite possibly end his Detective Maier Mystery series with The Monsoon Ghost Image.

This book is much better than the previous book, Cambodian Book of The Dead which was very descriptive in setting but lost something in the plot. Dare I say it, I even liked it better than last year's Kalkota Noir which combined Kalkota's setting with tributes to drawing room mysteries, noir literature, and science fiction. The Monsoon Ghost Image has a mesmerizing setting and believable characters inside a plot that is not only well executed with suspense and tension but pushes those characters beyond their endurance.

In this third go round in the adventures of Detective Maier, things have changed considerably. Maier seems to have recovered from the events in The Cambodian Book of The Dead (which I read) only to be left traumatized by the events in The Man with The Golden Mind (which I have not.) In his last mystery set mostly in Laos, Maier slept with his stepsister, was nearly killed by his father, and lost a couple of fingers in a Vietnamese prison camp ambush. On the plus side, he befriended Mikhail, a large Russian man who serves as Maier's bodyguard and sidekick. Well he no sooner is getting some much deserved rest in which he should consider never leaving the house let alone accepting any job that takes him out of the country, then what does his boss want him to do? Accept another job that takes him out of the country.

Emilie Ritter, a former girlfriend of Maier's, reported that her photographer husband, Martin, is missing and presumed dead. Even though his funeral is in Hamburg, Emilie is convinced that Martin is still alive and that he is on the run. She sees sinister unknown figures that seem to scream government ops. Not only that but she receives a letter from someone dubbed "The Wicked WItch of the East." The letter informs her that Martin is alive and well in Bangkok and is "involved in the crime of the century." All of this implies that Martin got involved or uncovered something dangerous and with far reaching implications. It seems to involve a photograph of various prominent individuals. So off Maier and Mikhail go to Bangkok with two sinister agents following close behind.

Vater's gift for setting is definitely at play and is even heightened more in this book than any of his previous works. With Kalkota Noir and The Cambodian Book of the Dead, Vater combined real setting with a sense of unreality. The Cambodian Book of the Dead mixed the reality of a country still living with the scars of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship and the supernatural of traditional ghost stories to create a comparison of disruptions in the physical and spiritual worlds of Cambodia. Kolkata Noir borrowed heavily from various genres like film noir and science fiction to create a three part mystery that reads like a Hollywood film, set in India.

What is particularly sinister about The Monsoon Ghost Image is aside from tropes that could be found in murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, and political suspense novels, there is no sense of fantasy. The setting is very real and somehow made even more dangerous. Some of the more horror elements are a bit over the top, such as the appearance of a surgeon who specializes in torturing people for financial rewards, political gain, and for his self pleasure. However, in this context and as we know in our history books and the news, there were and still are people who are that sadistic and brutal. 

We see the sex trade industry but not as some enticing glittery thing where people can go abroad to fill their deepest desires. Instead, it is seen as something dark and depraved, showing the people who get involved in it were drawn by needing money, feeling devoid of any self worth or validation, or believing the empty promises that sinister adults gave them. They have since grown into hardened individuals who survive this harsh uncaring existence the only way that they can. They do anything for money and inflict the same pain that was given to them, continuing an endless cycle of abuse and human trafficking.

Maier goes through a lot of development and mental stress in this book, surprisingly even more so than in the previous books where his struggles were more personal. Without spoiling too much there are several points where Maier is left alone without contacts, allies, and with multiple enemies after him. Just like many of the victims that he encounters and tries to protect and find justice for, he realizes that he is likely to die because of others' schemes and manipulations. 

In fact it becomes clear that Maier, The Ritters, Mikhail and many other characters are manipulated by outside higher forces. These forces don't care who they are or who has to be hurt or killed. Maier is just simply another person for these forces to step on and remove, no more important to them than a small insect.

There are various chapters in which Maier is held captive. It's very rare in a mystery novel when the detective is left in such a vulnerable position where they are imprisoned during their investigation and subjected to physical and psychological torture for a long time, for a period of months it seems. Considering the physical and mental abuse inflicted on him in the last couple of books, Maier's experience in Thailand during his imprisonment and the realization of him being manipulated could be the final push to send him completely over from the justice seeking law abiding citizen to the tortured empty lawless. The protective light that Maier shines over the innocent could dim forever and never return. 

This may be the final book in The Detective Maier Mystery Series. If it is, Vater definitely saved the best for last.

Weekly Reader: Devils You Know: A Collection by Miles Watson; Short Creepy and Graphic Anthology About A Variety of Devil's

 

Weekly Reader:  Devils You Know: A Collection by Miles Watson; Short Creepy and Graphic Anthology About A Variety of Devil's

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There is a familiar saying that it is better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don't. In other words, it is better to engage in conflict with someone because you know their motives and weaknesses rather than someone you don't because they are an unknown entity. 

Unfortunately, Miles Watson's anthology, Devils You Know, reveals that known entities can still produce many shocks and unpleasant surprises to say the least.

As he demonstrated with The Numbers Game, Watson shows that he can craft a masterful short work of suspense and tension, often with unpleasant characters. The Devils You Know takes that talent to frightening several graphic and chilling short stories with some creepy characters who don't mind inflicting supernatural or human terror and violence on the people around them.

The best stories are: 

"Nosferatu"

"The Nazi Vampires" sounds like the plot of a cheesy B horror film. That's not necessarily true. In this case, the story was clearly inspired by classic not at all cheesy A horror films. Since the Nazi Party and the German Expressionism Film Genre were formed during the Weimar Republic, they are often intertwined like some strange twisted destiny that mixes violent prejudicial hatred disguised as politics and art that embraces the dark and shadows. 

This story combines those two elements as Hannibal Raus, an artist and SS officer is afflicted with strange fever dreams while recuperating in a hospital. Upon being told he had plenty of blood, his thoughts turn towards the silent films of his past, particularly Nosferatu, the Dracula silent film directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck. The final scene of Raus seeing what he believes is Nosferatu among the Nazi soldiers is eerie. Art and politics combine as it becomes hard to tell the real monsters from the fictional ones.

"The Adversarial Process"

This story is one long extended monologue in which a character rails against God. The Narrator becomes more unhinged as he calls the Deity out for the Biblical inconsistencies and if he could bring Lazarus to life couldn't He do the same to his deceased wife? The Narrator's words become more fierce and angrier as he rails against the silent walls reflecting in his mind an uncaring universe that allows people to die for no reason. 

The Narrator's misotheism is present as he is compelled to commit violence to get God's attention and perhaps find significance in a random disconnected world.

"Pleas and Thank Yous"

The theme of showing true villainy being willing to do what the other person won't is present in this anthology, but it is especially in this story. 

The Narrator witnesses his fellow gang members torturing a victim. After confessing that he always favored the underdog in cartoons (like Tom in Tom and Jerry or Wile E. Coyote), he insists on letting the victim go despite objections from the others.

What seems to be a simple sympathetic move becomes more complex as The Narrator reveals his own lust for violence and proves that he is no different from, and in many ways, worse than his fellow captors.

"A Fever in the Blood"

It's obvious that there are many nowadays who are sitting on the edge filled with stress and anxiety from everyday living. It doesn't take much for someone to finally fall over the side and give into the rage that had been building up.

That is what happens in this haunting and unfortunately all too realistic story. A man starts a chain reaction of violence when he destroys a woman's cell phone. This moment causes others to lash out towards those around them: friends, family, and complete strangers erupting into a riot. The hatred and violence behaves like a virus that catches everyone around them until they turn into a vengeful mob. 

Watson's depersonalization and detachment towards the characters reveal that this is not a justifiable situation, just one that spirals out of control once stress and frustration is unleashed and people give into the anger that they buried.

"The Action"

Similar to "Nosferatu" this story also deals with Nazis, but instead of supernatural horror it veers towards reality. While on duty, an infantry soldier looks after his cousin, Fritz who is at first described as a gentle intellectual.

Among the suspenseful passages describing shootings and military strategies, the real dark heart in the story is how much Fritz changes, according to his cousin. In the final chilling sentences, The Narrator sees the detached murderer that Fritz has become. Maybe here, he realizes that among the many horrors that the Nazi Party inflicted, turning people into monsters was one of them.

"Identity Crisis"

In this day and age of finding one's identity and disposable fame, there are some who want to be known no matter what the cost. This story is a strong example of that.

Billy Verecker reflects on his life while standing outside a YMCA prepared to commit violence. He looks at his life, thinking of his various interests and relationships, trying to find his identity and significance in his life. He never feels like a whole person wondering if these outside trappings reveal the real person underneath.

This existential crisis and bitter and jealous rage drive him to do anything to make his name known. He always felt that he was standing outside and was never really seen or noticed. Well this time will be different, he vows.

This story is drenched in irony as violence is committed, but Billy fails to get the recognition that he desired. Instead his existence ends up becoming the punchline in a cosmic joke.

"The Devil You Know"

How bad is the world when the Devil himself considers packing it in and giving up? That's the question in this story that is a two person conversation between Luke and The Narrator, one of whom is implied to be The Devil.

Far from an evil soul devouring villain, The Devil is written as weary, cynical, and fed up. He is somehow understanding as he considers humanity to be far worse than he could ever be (and judging by the characters in the other stories, he's not wrong). He leaves saying that "humanity doesn't need (him) anymore" that their greed, selfishness, hatred, and violence have surpassed his need to tempt those to do them. It is a truly biting tale to end this graphic book on but fits the tone and theme of the anthology. We don't need to look for the Devil to steal our souls when we willingly give them away.

Lit List Short Reviews; Guide to Software Projects For Business People by Jonathan P. Crosby; The Ultimate Instant Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners by Philip D. Roman

 

Lit List Short Reviews; Guide to Software Projects For Business People by Jonathan P. Crosby; The Ultimate Instant Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners by Philip D. Roman

Guide to Software Projects For Business People by Jonathan P. Crosby

Jonathan Crosby wrote a great book that advises business people on how to plan, put together, and promote software projects.

Crosby takes his Readers step by step through the various procedures making each step important. For example, he expands on conceptual planning and maintenance work before release. These preplanning steps save the User from excess time and money to fix costly mistakes after the fact. 

Crosby uses metaphor and examples to illustrate many of his points. He tells the story of innovators like Henry Beck who created the definitive design of the London Underground to show that anyone can come up with important ideas, not just the select few with the so-called "right training and experience."

Crosby also uses personal experience to demonstrate many of his points. To show the importance of providing developers with an adequate quiet space for work. Crosby ended up responding to help desk calls while writing software tools. It's not a surprise that Crosby described his manager as "a great guy but not much of a developer. As a manager, (Crosby's boss) was used to switching tasks and was unaware of the programmer's need to concentrate for long periods without interruptions."

Guide to Software Projects For Business People is perfect for the Reader who is struggling with the complexities of software production. Crosby does a good job at taking Readers down that long path with small steps and examples. He makes that path understandable and ultimately successful.

The Ultimate Instant Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners by Philip D. Roman

Philip D. Roman's The Ultimate Instant Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners is a good book for busy people that want to eat healthy and are on a budget.

The book begins with the advantages of Instant Pot cooking like saving shelf space with few cooking appliances and time to make a whole meal. Roman also includes tips on maintenance and safety with cooking with the Instant Pot. Tips like don't fill all the way to the max fill line and understanding all safety features are important to remember.

Of course the bulk of the book is filled with mouth watering recipes like Honey Chicken Wings, Cuban Style Pulled Pork, and Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake meant to tempt any Reader. Many choices like Banana Pudding Cake and Cranberry Applesauce are meant to encourage healthy as well as delicious eating.

The Ultimate Instant Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners is a good book to save money and time and to fill the body with good food.

New Book Alert: Ela Green and The Kingdom of Abud by Sylvia Greif; Slow Start To YA Fantasy But Magical Kingdom Shines And Leaves Readers Wanting More

 

New Book Alert: Ela Green and The Kingdom of Abud by Sylvia Greif; Slow Start To YA Fantasy But Magical Kingdom Shines And Leaves Readers Wanting More

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Could this year's frequent theme/genre be YA Fantasy? Maybe, between Bekah Harris's The Thorn Princess and now Sylvia Greif has Ela Green and The Kingdom of Abud, it's entirely possible. They are similar in many ways. Both deal with high school age boarding school girls who come upon unique powers that are revealed by older relatives. Both take trips into beautiful magical lands that are feasts for the eyes to read and the mind to imagine. Both no sooner have their young protagonists get their feet wet in the new worlds than the books end on a cliffhanger to prepare the Reader for Part Two.

What is different about the two worlds is tone and inspiration. The Thorn Princess is a modern fairy tale that takes its roots from Celtic and Teutonic fairy lore. Ela Green's source is more reminiscent of 19th century Adventure novels. While magic is a central feature of Ela Green, the focus seems to be more on exploring this new landscape and investigating it for magical treasure than learning about the monarchy and political structure and ruling over it. Ivy Hawthorne, The Thorn Princess, is a part of her magical landscape, ultimately the heart of it. Ela Green is just visiting for now but also has a huge part to play in this alternate world and maybe the physical world as well.

The book begins in media res on the night of the full moon when Eleanor "Ela" Green is enchanted by a bracelet that she found. She recites the words of a spell on a scroll included with the bracelet. She suddenly finds herself no longer in her boarding school room but instead in a mysterious forest and standing face to uh, bark with a giant evergreen that reaches the sky. 

Most of the book takes place before and after this strange trip. Before Ela was an over imaginative girl arguing with her mother, becoming the bane of the existence of the headmistress, and bonding with her Uncle Archie whose adventurous and imaginative spirit rivals hers. Then she finds the bracelet and travels to the Enchanted Kingdom of Abud where the giant tree, Yggdrasill tells her that because of her "magical miraculousheart" she might be the Unikone. As the Unikone, she must find The Book of Names. Meanwhile, her Uncle Archie has a family tie to this weirdness and there is the scheming Count Sigismund who just bought Ela's school and also has his sights set on her bracelet and its power.

The book is clearly the start of the series and because of that, it only takes two trips into Abud, one where Ela goes alone and then a subsequent one that she takes with Archie once everything is explained. That's rather unfortunate because the book cuts off right when it's getting good. I know I know cliffhangers, Authors want to leave the Reader hanging. But Abud is such a beautiful setting that it is a shame to not read more of it.

There are wonderful little touches like talking trees that hang upside down and crystals that change color and play musical notes as a visitor steps on them. Of course there are portions of the landscape that will defend itself from the selfish, greedy, and sometimes overly curious, which is why it's very important that it is able to share an empathetic connection with Ela and sees her good heart. She is able to be welcome when others with harmful intentions would not. 

These chapters set in Abud are the highlight of the book as they make the Reader want to see more of this world and the unique characters that inhabit it. The Abud portions should definitely be longer.

It's not that the rest of the book is bad, it just takes a long time to really get invested in the Abud setting before the book abruptly cuts off. 

There is a long expository section where Archie explains the family's link to this magical kingdom. It's an interesting story and it captures how avarice and greed can destroy one's soul and make one lose sight of their real purpose.

It definitely takes its cue from old Adventure novels like the works of Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard, and Robert Louis Stevenson where there is treasure to be found and a strange land to explore it. The backstory also reveals what's in the heart of the explorers and what compels them to go on this journey, both in the past and present.

It also shows why Abud waited so long for the Unikone to arrive and why many were found wanting. The journey is a test and when the visitors reveal their selfishness and avarice, the way is closed to them.

 I'm also glad that the back story is in the first volume instead of potentially inserted into later books and interrupts the flow of action once Ela and Archie are in Abud. It's always good to get exposition out of the way. However, the build up to Abud itself with this exposition only makes the Reader want to see more of it. It's not asking too much to include a couple more chapters to explore this landscape that has had such a build up.

There are some issues with the pacing of this book as well. An important character is introduced as a potential antagonist only to reach a very anticlimactic ending. Also other characters' motives are somewhat unclear but I suppose need more time for them to be revealed. 

Ela seems like a decent enough protagonist, kind to all living things with just a bit of a sardonic bite so she can stand up for herself. At times, she can be a bit flat in characterization but that could be attributed to this being her first adventure. We may get more nuances to her character in subsequent volumes. 

Archie seems to be an alright character, adventurous, intelligent, understanding towards Ela which her mother is not. There are a couple of times where this Reader wonders if his journeys to Abud are just to protect Ela or to fill some greedy or curious desire himself. Again it will be interesting to see how his character develops in multiple volumes.

Because of the extended build up, Ela Green and The Kingdom of Abud has a very slow start. Once it reaches Abud, it is truly enchanting and leaves the Reader breathless with its description and in fervent anticipation.

Weekly Reader: The Thorn Princess (Iron Crown Faerie Tales Book 1) by Bekah Harris; Captivating World Building of Faerie Kingdom Rescues Average Chosen One YA Fantasy

 

Weekly Reader: The Thorn Princess (Iron Crown Faerie Tales Book 1) by Bekah Harris; Captivating World Building of Faerie Kingdom Rescues Average Chosen One YA Fantasy

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: One thing to take away from The Thorn Princess, the first book in Bekah Harris' Iron Crown Faerie Tales Series is how beautiful and unique that she writes about the fairy kingdom, The Fae of the Winter Court. That is where her true writing talent lies.

It is at the Winter Court where Lyric the Fairy Queen is dying. Her magic strengthens the Court and now that she is ill, temperatures are rising and the court is left vulnerable. There are plenty of rivals that would love to take advantage of this obvious weakness, especially Lyric's sister, Alena, and the Unseelie King. Well the magic could be passed to Lyric's daughter, but there is one slight problem. Her child was kidnapped and exchanged for a human one. So her fairy daughter is out in the human world somewhere and Violet, the girl raised in the Fairy Court, is all too human.

Meanwhile, teenager Ivy Hawthorne has had some weird experiences lately. She feels that she is being followed by some sinister magical creatures like an owl who keeps following her even during the day. She also begins experiencing some strange abilities like seeing auras and demonstrating tremendous power and strength. Also, the cute new student, Bear, seems to have declared himself Ivy's new protector. Gee, I wonder why all of this is happening, don't you?

The world building of the Winter Court is dream-like with just the right touch of whimsy from fairy tales with the dark enchantment of early Celtic and Teutonic fairy lore. One of the loveliest aspects that the book in general and The Winter Court in particular reveals is of winter's beauty. 

Many of the works that show Fairy Kingdoms often portray the lands in perpetual spring or summer but Harris' writing shows that there can be a great appreciation found in winter as well. The book is filled with delightful scenes of snow drenched landscapes and winter flora like hawthorne and ivy. It is reminiscent of "The Waltz of the Flowers" sequence in Disney's 1940 animated film, Fantasia in which blue winter fairies use their magic to put frost on leaves, skate along a frozen pond, and pirouette with snowflakes. Winter has a natural beauty of its own and Harris recognizes it.

Harris also portrays the Winter Court rather well with excellent characterization and recognition of their unique structure. While powerful, fairies are all too mortal as seen with Lyric's declining health. While Fairies have individual powers of their own, the queen is the heart or center of the magic. When she is sick, like now, the court around her sickens. It's similar to the Fisher King in Arthurian legend. When there is disruption in the sociopolitical order, an interruption in the natural passing of ruler and heir, that leads to disruption in the natural world. She is also emblematic of the Goddess figure who is the Earth so when she goes, Earth goes with her. 

It could very well be that the dying Lyric and the melting Winter Court could be metaphors for climate change and Ivy represents the next generation who will have to live in it and strive to work through it, perhaps young environmentalists like Greta Thunberg. But I wouldn't go that far.

Lyric herself is a complex, often contradictory character. Concerned for her kingdom, but affecting a detached demeanor. Concerned about her sister's vile machinations but aching for a familial bond. Strong enough to lead the search for her daughter but aware of her diminishing strength. Wanting her daughter to take up the crown and sceptre at once, but fully aware that Ivy has a life that she must say goodbye to. Lyric is kind but icy, nurturer and dominator. 

Ivy has some of that complexity as well. She has known that she doesn't fit in. Her nagging fears manifest when she uses her discovered innate powers to fight off of a bully in a very frightening way. She also learns where the woman that she believed was her mother has been all these years. This strange news of her fairy origins explains a lot but still leaves her with a lot of confusion, discomfort, and questions especially when knowing that she has no choice. She has to ascend the throne or the Winter Court is gone.

Once Ivy arrives in The Winter Court is when the book really starts to develop. She becomes acquainted with the magical characters and the inner workings including the potentially antagonistic Unseelie King and Alena. Then there's Violet, Lyric's adopted human daughter. It's not hard to feel sorry for the girl who had been raised her whole life to believe that she had great power and would succeed her mother. But when the time came, she fell short. Violet doesn't say much in this volume but it's clear there will be some conflict between the birth and adopted daughters.

Thankfully, the parts in the Winter Court make up for the dull parts in the human world of which unfortunately this book has too much of. We have the typical Mean Girl Bully, the Quirky Best Friend, Stern Teacher. All of them repetitive, all of them we have seen before. Even Ivy's romance with Bear is typical for a YA Fantasy and unfortunately there are hints of the worst sin of YA Speculative Fiction, the bane of writing existence: An upcoming Love Triangle! Seriously, we're doing this here too? I shudder to think of it.

Only when the setting takes place in The Winter Court does the book really shine with originality and pulls the book from the average to the above average pile. In fact, since the later books appear to be set entirely in the Faerie Kingdom, the series should greatly improve despite the (shudder) upcoming love triangle. 

Weekly Reader: Maids of Misfortune A Victorian San Francisco Mystery by M. Louisa Locke; Ho Hum Mystery and Dull Protagonist Do Not Meld In Average Historical Mystery

 

Weekly Reader: Maids of Misfortune A Victorian San Francisco Mystery by M. Louisa Locke; Ho Hum Mystery and Dull Protagonist Do Not Meld In Average Historical Mystery 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Maybe I'm just grouchy recovering from Covid but it's not a good sign when of the first five books reviewed this year, I would only label one as outstanding. Two had some good points about them, like setting and world building, but suffered from average or confusing plots. One starts strong then peters out. One would normally be something I would love, but somehow never rises above average or mediocre. The good thing is some of the books that I am currently reading show promise so my mood might be uplifted soon, I hope.

It's unfortunate because I want to like Maids of Misfortune, the first book in M. Louise Locke's Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series. I keep telling myself that I should like it. It's Historical Fiction, one of my all-time favorite genres. It's a Historical Mystery with a female detective so that should make it better. But the book doesn't interest me like other recent books that I have read in the genre.  I hope this isn't an ongoing trend and that I am not getting bored with the genre. That this is just a one time thing.

But Maids of Misfortune doesn't help, because it never gets beyond mildly interesting. The protagonist is introduced pretty well but lags once the investigation starts. The mystery is dull. This book is just average and I apologize for saying this (after all maybe it is just me), but in a genre filled with great reads, that somehow makes my ambivalent feelings towards it worse.

Annie Fuller learned that her late husband has left her in debt and she will be forced to give up her boarding house to pay it off. However, she moonlights as a fraudulent clairvoyant under the name of Madam Sybil. Unfortunately, one of her closest friends and clients, Mr. Matthew Voss has died. Disagreeing with the official verdict of suicide, Annie believes that he was murdered and sets off to investigate on her own with attorney, Nate Dawson conducting his own investigation and falling in love with her.

One of the more fascinating aspects to Annie's character is her time as a fradulent clairvoyant. I actually found that to be a more intriguing plot than the actual investigation. Since it's set in the late 19th century when Spiritualism is on the rise, it would be quite a twist to see the exact procedures that Annie does to fool her gullible public, how she stays ahead of the authorities, or perhaps what happens if she gets a brush with the supernatural or cons who are better at the game than she is.

 After having experienced the normal and paranormal horrors experienced by Letitia Hawkins in Behind The Veil by E.J. Dawson, Annie's experience could be a more seriocomic look at the phenomena, perhaps bordering on Dark Humor. But her career as a medium only ends up being the message to the mystery.

The title comes from the fact that for a time, Annie poses as a maid to ascertain information in the Voss case, which brings another missed opportunity. Why isn't Annie a maid herself? Or the lead investigator a maid or in service? It would be a far more interesting back story than the one we have already been given, and would brilliantly counter the mostly middle to upper class women who fill the majority of the female historical detective roster. 

After all, house servants are used to being ignored and overlooked by their employers, giving them the ability to gather information and intelligence from just paying attention to what employers and guests are saying and doing. They are often susceptible to gossip both in the servants and upper class quarters and because they have to be very detailed, they can pay attention to things that others miss. It would also be a great twist if the servant was smarter than her employer, sort of a female Jeeves. We saw what a brilliant woman posing as a house slave could do in Kit Sergeant's Underground, even help bring down the Confederacy. What else could one do as the star of her own Cozy Mystery Historical Fiction series?

It doesn't help that once the investigation begins that Annie becomes rather boring. She lacks the sparkle and wit of Ginger Gold, the toughness and experience of Fiona Figg, the resourcefulness and independence of Mona Moon, or the spunk and bravado of Molly Murphy. Instead, Annie pales in comparison to her fellow detectives. She just fades into the background for the mystery and such a lackluster mystery at that.

The mystery has the suspense of a cat chasing after the red dot. There is a lot of meandering and talking and not a lot of detecting.

It's the typical dead rich man's friends and family are suspects including opportunistic and snooty relatives, love interests and friends who specialize in gold digging and fortune hunting, and servants who know more than they let on. It's all generic and never gets beyond that. It's so generic that the killer is all too easy to guess and isn't worth the trouble of going back through the chapters to find out how the Reader is right and the detective solved it. 

There's more heat in the romance between Annie and Nate than there is in the mystery and even that is nothing to get excited about.

Maids of Misfortune could be another bright star in the lovely galaxy of the Female Detective Historical Mystery subgenre. However, instead it just dims.

Weekly Reader: The Spark of Resistance: Women Spies of World War II by Kit Sergeant; Sergeant's Spies Take On The So-Called Fuhrer And Vichy France

 

Weekly Reader: The Spark of Resistance: Women Spies of World War II by Kit Sergeant; Sergeant's Spies Take On The So-Called Fuhrer And Vichy France

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Let's see, we have seen The Revolutionary War through Kit Sergeant Sergeant's excellent writing. Then the Civil War followed by World War I. Where to go next? Why World War II of course. Instead of confining the stories of female spies to one book, Sergeant stretches their stories into a three volume series, about spies in Allied Europe, particularly the French Resistance. This approach allows Sergeant to spend more time on the female spies as well as the changing landscape of the war between the Allied and Axis powers.

The first book, The Spark of the Resistance begins right at the start of the Nazi occupation of France and when the flames of Resistance were just getting lit.

Like Sergeant's previous works, we get points of view from various women from all walks of life who fight for causes that they believe are greater than themselves. 

One of the first women that is recruited is Mathilde Lily Carre AKA La Chatte (The Cat). She is to help organize the official Resistance by recruiting potential members. She is the match that lights the flame. She also works to bring together the Internationalle, the various subgroups of Resistors into one large supergroup.

Another woman is Odette Sansome, French by birth but moved to England after her marriage. Because of her fluency in French, she is recruited by the British War Office, leaving her three children behind. Most of the book consists of her training and some missteps. Eventually, she becomes involved in sabotage and reconnaissance.

Eileen "Didi" Nearne- Her sister, Jackie is recruited to be a spy under the cover of an ambulance driver. Didi is envious but also wants to follow in Jackie's footsteps. Eventually she becomes a wireless operator overhearing information and passing it along in code. 

Since this book is the first of three part series, Sergeant has more time to dwell on the parts that she had glossed over in the previous books. Here we get the actual beginnings of how these spy rings are formed and how potential spies are trained.

We see Mathilde studying people's characters and true emotions. She drops hints in lines, cafes, apartments and ascertains their allegiances based on their reaction. If someone says that things are better now that the Germans have taken over, well they are out. If someone is upset about the Vichy but too timid to fight against them, well they might be out too. But if someone wants to fight the invading army and is ready to use their skills, then they are the right ones for the job. Much of Mathilde's talents include reading people and she is good at it.

We also see the difficulties that spies have in learning to adapt to the technology and the lingo. Didi in particular has to learn several code names and terms during her time as an operator. One wrong word, number, or even wrong inflection on a syllable could mean death for someone. While she is never in much physical danger by not being in the field, her job is no less difficult than the others and requires a strong photographic and eidetic memory.

With Odette, we see exactly how spies are trained. In fact most of the book deals with her training like learning how to live under a new name and identity even the basics like responding to that name.

 In one frightening passage, she is awakened and kidnapped by people who demand to know who she is and who she works for. It isn't until after it is done that she learns that it's a training exercise to see if she can withstand torture. 

With these women, there is also a lot of mixing the personal with the political. They get romantically involved with fellow spies, two with the same man. They have to figure out how to separate their emotional feelings with the job at hand. We see that even though the Resistance has the goal to fight the Nazis, it is made up of people. People sometimes get jealous, get mad, worry about relationships, and are forced to work with people whom they would rather scratch their eyes out. Sergeant makes clear that these women are flesh and blood human beings and not cardboard two dimensional heroes created by a propaganda machine. While what they do is brave, their humanity is never in doubt.

Unfortunately, there is a strong level of betrayal when one of the women is taken and forced to become a double agent. To Sergeant's credit, she never portrays this character as hard hearted and she regrets sending so many of her fellow spies to prison or to their deaths. But what's done is done and she still has to make the choice of weighing her life over the others. Once that choice is made, she has to live with the consequences. 

Like her previous books, Sergeant brings a lot of humanity and courage to the female spies. This is one spark that is ablaze with great characterization, historical detail, and writing.