|
Finished two mystery/suspense by Lillian Stewart Carl. They were ostensibly in separate settings (one series, 1 non), but had very similar elements, with each having a female American academic with psychic sensitivity being paired up with an initially skeptical male UK police detective to solve a mysterious historical artifact-related murder and hopefully prevent any more.
Looking at the other books I have from her and the blurbs for her other non-series books, it looks like that sort of cross-Atlantic UK-philic murder-solving relationship is kind of her writing kink. Well, write what makes you money happy.
Anyway, I rather liked The Secret Portrait, 1st in the Jean Fairbairn series, which was offered free during Read an e-Book Week, and Time Enough to Die, a standalone which I got from Fictionwise during a coupon sale for approximately $1.35, enough to consider picking up the rest in the Fairbarn series and maybe Carl's other non-series mysteries when next she has a backlist e-book sale and they're offered at $1.50 or less again.
TSP was more fun, with an eccentric American millionaire who's taken his Bonnie Prince Charliephilia to ridiculous (and therefore suspicious) extent, and a fairly clever who-actually-dunnit. TETD actually had a digging-up-and-recreating-Roman-Britain setting which I actually liked more (and bonus redheads!) but was a bit more serious and the whodunnit, while fairly decent, didn't quite unfold with the same panache.
Medium-to-high-ish recommend if you like history/antiques-based amateur/professional tag-team sleuthing murder mysteries with race-against-the-killer elements and a touch of academia. They're nothing really special, but pleasantly enjoyable, and the price was certainly right.
|