Category: Mystery/Suspense
Mind of the Phoenix by Jamie McLachlan
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Moira is a powerful empath, a psychic graced with the ability to read emotions and memories. Her skill is as much a curse as a gift, for in the harshly stratified city of Braxton empaths are slaves. Clever and beautiful, Moira has learned to rely on no one but herself. Determined to escape life as a concubine, she kills her master, and is imprisoned for the crime.
This could be the end for Moira, but the government has need of her skills. A mysterious serial killer known as the Phoenix has been planting suggestions in his victims’ minds that drive them to murder and suicide. To gain her freedom, Moira partners with Keenan Edwards, a handsome young detective, to stop the killer.
Hunting the Phoenix will bring Moira on a more dangerous road than she imagined, forcing her to confront dark minds, twisted moralities, and her growing feelings for the detective.
[Full disclosure: I requested and recevied a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I wasn’t really sure what I expected from Mind of the Phoenix, but it certainly exceeded whatever expectations I did have.
Moira is a truly amazing character. She’s been a slave in a pleasure house for years until at the age of 19 she was sold off to a private owner that she then killed. She evaded capture for 6 months before being taken into custody pending execution—until even the Elite (the powerful empaths that work with regular humans to suppress their less powerful brethren) admit they need her abilities to solve a recent spree of suicides that are likely murders. Throughout the investigation we see Moira start to open up just a bit. In the beginning she’s very cynical and sarcastic, both of which are clear defense mechanisms considering what she’s been through. And then as time goes on and Keenan shows her some of the good in the world, she opens up to him a bit. She still struggles with her inner demons and she doesn’t exactly have rose-coloured glasses on by the end of the novel but she at least softens her outlook a little bit as she sees the good in some people.
Keenan is truly an enigma. He’s not your typical tough, silent detective type and he’s certainly not the typical bad boy type of person that you see in so much fiction now. He’s just a man struggling with demons of his own, much like Moira. As a detective he’s seen a lot and feels quite a bit of responsibility on his shoulders. In a world that is clearly morally skewed, he does the best he can to be a good person. He’s not perfect—the second scene where he holds Moira’s head under water definitely shows that—but he’s not a monster. And he’s certainly not the type of man Moira is used to and can easily fit in one category.
Lest you think so, let me say clearly that any romance between Moira and Keenan is not the main focus of the story. Jamie McLachlan does a great job of depicting the inner struggles of the characters while at the same time moving the plot along quite quickly. The mysterious Phoenix is on the loose, implanting commands in people’s minds that make them commit suicide when a certain phrase is read. How can he or she be stopped when you don’t know who you’re looking for or what their true motives are? Moira can search through minds but not even she can undo some of the blocks the Phoenix places in them—at least not without utterly destroying the mind of the victim. When you think you know the true identity of the Phoenix, the plot twists and you’re left wondering whether or not that person is the Phoenix. Jamie McLachlan writes great interpersonal struggles, but she also writes one heck of a murder mystery.
If you’re looking for something a little different from the regular fantasy/speculative fiction, Mind of the Phoenix is the perfect book for you. It has political intrigue, two separate murder mysteries and some great intrapersonal/interpersonal conflicts. And yes, it has just a hint of romance and deals with the whole idea of putting the past behind you so you can live in the present. Best of all, it’s extremely well-written. You’ll be up reading into the early morning hours just like I was last night. I can’t recommend this book enough and I really can’t wait for the next book in the Memory Collector series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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The Figaro Murders by Laura Lebow
(Cover picture courtesy of NetGalley.)
In 1786 Vienna, Lorenzo Da Ponte is the court librettist for the Italian Theatre during the height of the enlightened reign of Emperor Joseph II. This exalted position doesn’t mean he’s particularly well paid, or even out of reach of the endless intrigues of the opera world. In fact, far from it.
One morning, Da Ponte stops off at his barber, only to find the man being taken away to debtor’s prison. Da Ponte impetuously agrees to carry a message to his barber’s fiancée and try to help her set him free, even though he’s facing pressures of his own. He’s got one week to finish the libretto for The Marriage of Figaro for Mozart before the opera is premiered for the Emperor himself.
Da Ponte visits the house where the barber’s fiancée works—the home of a nobleman, high in the Vienna’s diplomatic circles—and then returns to his own apartments, only to be dragged from his rooms in the middle of the night. It seems the young protégé of the diplomat was killed right about the time Da Ponte was visiting, and he happens to be their main suspect. Now he’s given a choice—go undercover into the household and uncover the murderer, or be hanged for the crime himself.
Brilliantly recreating the cultural world of late 18th century Vienna, the epicenter of the Enlightenment, Lebow brings to life some of the most famous figures of music, theatre, and politics.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
First off, if you’ve watched the actual opera The Marriage of Figaro you will appreciate this book much, much more. It’s not necessary for understanding it or even appreciating it but you will appreciate it on a much deeper level if you have seen the opera.
Why? That’s because we have a murder mystery set in Vienna with what are essentially the characters of the opera. We have ourselves a lecherous count, a desperate love-seeking countess, her grumpy former guardian, a girl-obsessed young nobleman working as a page, a maid and a barber. That, my friends, reads very much like the list of characters in the actual opera. But if you have seen the opera, don’t worry. The murderer is definitely not who you think it is and not for the reasons you think. Knowing something about the characters and general plot doesn’t reveal the culprit too early, believe me. Really, Laura Lebow basing her characters off of actual characters in the opera was brilliant in that respect because if you’ve seen the opera you think you’ll know who did it but it’s really a sort of red herring. It just adds a whole other layer to the book and I did enjoy it.
Lorenzo Da Ponte himself is nothing like I pictured but I never actually knew much about the historical figure so that’s not really saying much. He’s a largely toothless lady-killer, a relatively impoverished man working as the court poet and sort of official librettist at the court of one of the more enlightened European monarchs, Joseph II. He was good friends with Mozart and is of course a bitter rival of Salieri and his librettist. Essentially, in the beginning he’s not all that remarkable but things change quickly when he’s accused of murdering young Florian. Then the secret service equivalent of the day swoops in and forces him to go undercover in the household as a poetry teacher to discover who really murdered the young prince. Why would they send a poet in to do a spy’s work? Well, things aren’t all that simple in Vienna of the day and some main players keep their cards very close to the chest. Despite his indignation at the whole situation, Lorenzo does rise to the occasion quite well and discovers that not everything is as it seems in that household.
Laura Lebow’s writing was excellent. She brings to life 18th century Vienna so well that you really do feel like you’re there along with Lorenzo. Her characters are well fleshed-out anyway but it’s her brilliant writing that really makes them come alive. While you may or may not be able to predict who killed Florian near the end, I personally was quite surprised (not that that’s really saying much as I don’t read many mystery novels.) Even if you are able to predict the outcome, I think you’ll enjoy the book because Lebow writes suspense quite well. Throughout the book there’s this aura of tension that gets slowly ratcheted up as the novel progresses. Sometimes it’s almost unbearable and you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next. Really, you can’t ask for more in a historical murder mystery: actual history brought to life and plenty of mystery and suspense.
The book ended quite realistically and I was actually surprised to learn that The Marriage of Figaro was not what Da Ponte was most known for in his day because it’s a staple of opera houses everywhere. No, he was known for some obscure little opera that is practically never performed today. But after he solved the mystery and the opera premiered fairly successfully, he and Mozart are going on a little road trip to write one of the darker, more terrifying operas I’ve ever seen: Don Giovanni. It was definitely a satisfying ending with that little promise of an awesome sequel coming up because I do love Don Giovanni as well. The Figaro Murders doesn’t come out until March 31, but I already can’t wait for the next book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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As a side note, if you are interested in actually watching Le nozze di Figaro, the best version I’ve found is from James Levine’s 40th anniversary at the Met. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available although you can watch clips on YouTube here (the first three videos were deleted for whatever reason but you can get the gist of the first scene from the rest of it). It’s hard to ruin either of the Figaro operas, so as long as you stay away from the Mozart Festival one with Anna Netrebko you’ll be fine. The cast was great in that one (particularly Netrebko herself), but the production was total and utter crap and the choreographer and/or director were clearly on something.
The Rose Master by Valentina Cano
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that’s hardly the most upsetting news. She’s being dismissed from the home she’s served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she’s never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:
There’s something wrong with Rosewood Manor.
Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.
As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them–some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.
When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn’t prepared for. The creature is very real, and she’s the only one who can help him stop it.
Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she’s grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
One of the things that stood out for me from the beginning in The Rose Master was the writing. Valentina Cano has a beautiful descriptive writing style that just sucks you into the world of her story. Of course it’s not as verbose as the writing style of the time, but it is different enough from most styles that you get a sort of authentic “gothic mystery novel” feel. Which is probably what she was going for, considering the plot and the subject matter.
The characters ring true both to the modern reader as well as to the times they live in. Anne is a servant at the age of seventeen and when she’s sent away to Rosewood Manor she’s on her own for the first time in her life. So you can imagine her terror when it seems like there’s something funny going on at the manor, what with the odd noises, mysterious bruises on the staff members and an absentee Lord. One of the things that I admired so much about the book is that Anne is brave and resourceful without resulting to the modern ‘kick-butt action girl’ trope that would ruin the authentic Gothic feel. She’s not helpless, but she is bound by her upbringing and the expectations of the times. I don’t want to give much away but when she finally does meet our mysterious Lord Grey, she definitely does grow out of that enforced timidity.
The plot is not fast by most modern standards but it is fascinating. Valentina Cano sucks you into her world with her writing and she is a master of suspense. Even if you’re like me and could pretty much predict the next events, you just had to keep reading to see how they would unfold. She creates an air of mystery, suspense and more than a little horror throughout the novel that I really admire her for sustaining. Sure, there are some happy parts between characters, but there’s always that ominous other lurking about on the sidelines.
Even if you’re not a huge Gothic novel fan, I can’t recommend The Rose Master enough. It is just so beautifully written and Valentina Cano does a wonderful job keeping her readers in suspense. The characters are so well fleshed out, both major and minor, that you can’t help but fall in love with them. I particularly liked Anne; she’s a very memorable main character. Basically? Just go and buy this book. I think you’ll love it as much as I did.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Oracles of Delphi by Marie Savage
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
All Althaia wants on her trip to Delphi is to fulfill her father’s last wish and enjoy time away from her tiresome new husband. Finding the body of a young woman on the altar of Dionysos in the theater of the Sacred Precinct on her first day in town is not in her plans. Neither is getting involved in the search for the killer, falling for the son of a famous priestess, or getting pulled into the ancient struggle for control of the two most powerful oracles in the world. But that’s exactly what happens when Theron, Althaia’s tutor and a man with a reputation for finding the truth, is asked to investigate. When a priest hints that Theron himself may be involved, Althaia is certain the old man is crazy-until Nikomachos, son of the famous priestess of Dodona, arrives with an urgent message. As Theron’s past, greedy priests, paranoid priestesses, visions, prophecies, and stolen treasures complicate the investigation, Althaia finds herself falling for Nikomachos whose dangerous secrets may hold the key to the young woman’s death. When another body is found and Althaia discovers Nikomachos is being blackmailed, she devises a plan to coerce the killer to reveal himself and, in the process, forces Nikomachos to confront his own past. As the plan unfolds, she comes to realize that love often comes at a high price and that the true meaning of family is more than a blood bond.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
I have to admit that I’m not usually one for murder mysteries set in ancient times. They always seemed a little bit cheesy to me, with the investigators using modern techniques that the ancients really did not use. However, I thought Oracles of Delphi sounded pretty cool and was worth a try. Good thing I did because I would have missed out on a pretty good book if I hadn’t.
Althaia is a fascinating character. She’s a woman in Athens, so of course she’s essentially property, but she does have a significant amount of wealth thanks to her father. That allows her the freedom to travel to Delphi, where there’s a little more freedom for women (not that it would take much compared to Athens). There in Delphi she discovers that the Oracles of Apollon and Gaia are competing for supremacy and Apollon’s have been kicking butt for the past hundred or so years. But what was supposed to be a pilgrimage a year after her father’s death turns into a murder investigation when the naked body of a priestess of Gaia shows up on Apollon’s altar.
One of the things that made Althaia really stick out to me was the complexity of her character. She’s intelligent and thoughtful but at the same time can be blinded by her own privilege to the suffering of people around her. This is showcased especially well through the eyes of her personal slave, Nepthys when the book changes points of view. Althaia uses this intelligence to perform an autopias on the body, discovering the cause of death and getting a little closer to the murderer. She’s had an unconventional childhood thanks to her father’s enlightened views so it’s interesting to see her more modern views warring with the increasingly patriarchal society around her.
Speaking of that Marie Savage did a very in-depth study of the Greek world of the time. She posits that this is the time when worship moved away from the goddesses and the gods suddenly reigned supreme. The Oracle of Apollon gained more power while the old Oracle of Gaia lost all of hers. It’s an interesting time of change in the Greek world and I’m so glad that Savage chose to set her novel during this time; it just wouldn’t be nearly as good without the societal conflicts. Add to that the fact that a certain King Philip is reigning in what we know as Macedon and you’ve got yourself a well-researched book where no matter your knowledge of the ancient Greeks, you can at least be familiar with some elements.
The plot is not as fast-paced as that of a modern murder mystery, but it is still fast-paced enough that you won’t want to put it down. Marie Savage managed to slowly ratchet up the tension as the book went along, without all the normal drag in the middle, so you truly will want to make this a one-sitting book. Enemies are around every corner and truly nothing is as it seems in Delphi at the time. Add in just a couple interesting subplots with the main characters and you’ve got a pretty darn good book. I really just can’t recommend it enough if you love either ancient history or murder mysteries.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Intrinsical by Lani Woodland
(Cover picture courtesy of Lani Woodland’s site.)
Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn’t want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist’s attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn’t going to go quietly.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
This book is a solid ‘meh’ for me. There were some things I thought were really awesome and some things that weren’t so awesome. So first I’ll talk about the awesome things.
I loved how Intrinsical sounds pretty much like your typical YA novel from the blurb but Lani Woodland completely deviates from the usual formula. Yes, there’s romance and ghosts but there are so many plot twists you won’t be able to predict the ending. One of the strengths of Lani Woodland’s writing is definitely her ability to plot a novel so that you’re not really sure what’s going to happen next but you’re very, very eager to find out. I didn’t really have the urge to put this book down until I was actually done.
One of the ‘meh’ things was that Woodland’s voice seemed far too sophisticated for a sixteen-year-old, even one going to an elite private high school. It was just too mature, too descriptive compared to Yara’s actions. It’s a shocking contrast to hear Yara thinking like a thirty year old woman but acting like a three year old when she throws her temper tantrums. Some authors can pull this off but this was one of the things that distracted me from the admittedly great story.
The characters were okay, aside from the voice-action contrast I mentioned. Yara is interesting in that she denies her heritage before finally embracing it fully. Brent is interesting in that he’s not a typical male lead because he’s not constantly trying to make out with Yara. He’s actually quite shy about the whole romance thing, which is a refreshing change from your typical bad boy type of love interest. They’re both well fleshed out characters so I can’t really complain about that.
Essentially, Intrinsical is a good book and I’d recommend it to some people. But be prepared for the voice-action dissonance in Yara making this book go from a ‘good’ to a ‘meh’.
I give this book 3/5 stars.