Wining and Dying - A Review

 

Wining and Dying

by

Daryl Wood Gerber

A Review

Within the waves, in India ink,

he had written a quote by Mahatma Gandhi:

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean.
If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, 

the ocean does not become dirty.”

The author has created a weak cozy mystery that spent too much time describing the clothing worn by the various characters rather than developing the mystery behind Quade’s (a character with a single name) murder.

Set in the seaside community of Crystal Cove on the Northern California coast. The small town is famous for its lying in the midst California’s wine making country and for being an artists’ colony in its own right. It was the week of the 5th annual Art and Wine Festival and at the end of day one Quades’s body had been found in his hotel room. It seemed that everybody was a suspect - both because the guilty party was not known and because everybody seemed to have a motive. Jenna Hart was the amatuer sleuth; Cinnamon Pritchett was the Chief of Police. The question became could they work together to eliminate the innocent and stumble onto the guilty. Cinnamon did not think so, but it seemed that unplanned circumstances would force them to do so.

Beginning with chapter one, we are inundated with clothing descriptions - and it does not stop. Rarely when a new character comes on stage, the author has to take a sentence or two to describe their color and styles being worn by the newly arriving character. These descriptions may have lengthened the book, but they did not improve the plot for this reader. I did appreciate the way the author wove the names of actual artists into the story (e.g. Veraluz, Diego Rivera, and Roland David Smith) along with fictional ones. I found myself, more than once, seeking more about these real artists via Google as I read. I give the book four stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Louvre - A Review

The Louvre

by

James Gardner 

James Gardner presents a readable history of the world’s most famous art museum.  The book focus on three different aspects of this history: the collection, the building, and its role in the history of Paris. This is both the book’s strength and the weakness: it covers a wide girth of material and the reader will enjoy it far more if they already have a good grasp of the architecture and history of France and Paris.

The author suggests early in the book that most of the works of art will need to be viewed on the internet.This is not only true for the works of art, but it is also true for historical and geographical references mentioned throughout the text. The reader will need to spend almost more time on the internet to fully enjoy the story presented here. That can best be accomplished by reading using two windows on a computer - one for the text of the book, the other for a web browser to search for pictures, historical references, and architectural features mentioned in the book. However, most readers will use a paper copy of the book or an e-reader, both of which might make the use of the internet difficult.  

The other major concern a reader might have is the limited number of references provided. There are some, but they are not complete. This may occur because the author, as previously noted, assumes a basic knowledge of French and Parisian history. The book would be more help to the general by a complete set of footnotes with sources and where the reader can find more information. 

The book presents an interesting history, but needs much to be discovered by the reader.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Stay Calm and Collie On - A Review

Stay Calm and Collie On

by

Lane Stone

A Review

A pet spa, a British matron, and a collection of characters that are enamored with Elvis Presley all contribute to a great mystery and a fun story.

The story takes place in Lewes, DE, a small coastal town sitting at the lower reaches of the Delaware River. New to town is the proprietor of Buckingham Pet Palace - and it is her employee Henry that is found dead in the store’s delivery van. The case seems to focus on the dogs that Henry is transporting back to their owners - but there is more. The many references to other cozy mysteries and art history woven into the story may for a great setting for a murder mystery.

The police chief was not a lover of dogs, but he would need the help of Sue Patrick, Lady Anthea Fitzwalter, and the other members of the Buckingham Pet Palace staff if this murder was to be solved.

If you like dogs, if you like Elvis, if you like British slang, you will like this cozy mystery. I can only hope that Lane Stone will be creating more novels set in Lewes, Delaware.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.