Tag Archives: Cozy Mystery

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Clarissa Bell is an Oxford trained archaeologist in the 1920s so no one takes her seriously. But her father’s wealth enables her to join a dig in Egypt. And her speciality on pottery and various Egyptian pigments quickly embroils her in a mystery involving missing artifacts, forgeries, and murder. She meets a charming rogue, Benedict Quinn, who may or may not be trustworthy. Events take a serious turn when she realizes some of the forgeries are designed to suppress information – and several groups do not want this to get out. She is threatened, kidnapped and almost killed before the murderer is discovered.

But the man behind the larger crime remains unknown.

This mystery had more than a whiff of Crocodile on the Sandbank (the first Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters.) Clarissa is an annoying protagonist, especially in the beginning; arrogant, a know-it-all and reckless to the point of foolishness. I almost didn’t finish the book because of her character. However, her flaws smooth out a little, and some explanation is given for her academic arrogance. The mystery is interesting and the setting can’t be beat. All the information on pottery and pigments was very interesting.

So, recommended, with the caveat I mentioned.

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I finished the L.A. Chandlar series (so far). I read the Pearl Dagger.

Lane and Finn continue their search for the heir to the Red Scroll gang – Daphne – following her to London. Lane meets Finn’s family and together they uncover the secret behind the accident that almost killed Finn.

A meeting in a pub also reveals the secret behind the pearl dagger.

I hope Chandlar writes a fourth since there are still loose ends remaining.

Lots of fun.

I also read The Murder in Trastevere by Jen Collins Moore.

Fran, an expat who has lived in Rome for ten years, has made it her mission to meet all the new expats. Her parties are legendary. But now her husband is divorcing her and running off to California with his new girlfriend. Now Fran is throwing a party for Rowena, who has achieved a promotion. But Rowena, a vegan, dies from poison and Fran is the prime suspect.

And someone is trying to kill her. She is pushed into the street right in front of a bus.

Finally, realizing she has to take charge of her own investigation, Fran begins to look into Rowena, her husband, her assistant and more. Along the way, Fran discovers who her real friends are.

Nicely framed around Frans study of Caraveggio, the investigation takes Fran all around Rome. I did not see the solution coming. Highly recommended.