A Case of Kidnapping: Three Mystery Novels

Breezed through three enjoyable mysteries set in Florida, Malibu, and Delhi, borrowed from my local library. They all have one thing in common - a kidnapping plus murder mysteries to solve.

The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator (A Vish Puri Mystery) is by Tarquin Hall, a British writer who lies in London and Delhi, India.

His main character, Vish Puri, is a portly, likeable Punjabi P.I. who employs an unlikely team of helpers with the descriptive nicknames of Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream. His search for a missing servant, Mary, takes Puri to the deserts of Jaipur and the uranium mines of Jharkhand. I rated this a 4.5 out of 5 for unique setting, characterization, and plot.

Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs: A Dixie Hemingway Mystery (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries) by Blaize Clement, author of 5 petsitter cozy mysteries, is set on a small Florida Key near Sarasota.
A 12-year-old girl from L.A. shows up there but then goes missing, and a high school friend's husband is kidnapped for ransom. Dixie tries to find the girl and help her friend while petsitting her many clients' cats, dogs, and birds. An enjoyable and easy read, I also rated this 4.5 out of 5 for characterization, setting, and plot.

The Case of the Kidnapped Angel (Masao Masuto mystery) by E.V. Cunningham aka Howard Fast, features a Buddhist policeman, Detective Sergeant Masao Masuto of the Beverly Hills police force, California.

In this novel, a Hollywood sex goddess is kidnapped from her Malibu beach home. Masuto's unorthodox investigative procedures and his keen insight makes him a detective to follow. I rated this a 4 out of 5 for characterization and writing. Easy to read, spare and direct, a police procedural that is enjoyable and unusual. There are six other novels in this mystery series.

Book Giveaway: Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Thanks to HarperCollings Publishers, I have two copies of the hardcover romance Call Me Irresistible: A Novel by New York Times bestselling author, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, to give away. Enter by May 9.  Winner will be chosen at random on May 10 and will have until May 12 to reply with a mailing address.

Book description from Goodreads: R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year . . . Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.
One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all...

For my review, click HERE.

To enter the contest, leave a comment telling us the name of a romance novel you have read AND include an email address. For U.S. addresses only; no post office boxes, please. For an extra chance to win, become a follower or let me know if you are already a follower. Good luck!

UPDATE: Anita and Aimee both won books! Congrats!

Book Review: Mothers and Daughters, a Novel by Rae Meadows

Mothers and Daughters: A Novel by Rae Meadows

"When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers things about her mother she never knew - or could even guess...

But she is puzzled by much of what she finds. She learns that Violet, the woman she knows as her grandmother, left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl and found a better life in the  Midwest. But what was the real reason behind Violet's journey? And how could she have come that far on her own at such a tender age?"

Book description: Mothers and Daughters is a luminous novel about three generations of women, the love they share, the dreams they refuse to surrender, and the secrets they hold.

Comments: I enjoy reading books that explore the relationships between mothers and daughters. This one is especially interesting because of the secrets discovered by Samantha about her mother Violet and her grandmother Iris. Uncovering history and the thread that connect three generations of women is the theme of the story.
The ARC I received from the publisher has an added bonus - an audio CD of the novel read by Maggi-Meg Reed.

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (March 29, 2011)
Source: ARC from publisher
Genre: women's fiction

Author: Rae Meadows is author of Calling Out, which received the 2006 Utah Book Award for fiction and No One Tells Everything, a Poets & Writers Notable Novel. She lives in Minneapolis, Minn. Visit her website at http://www.raemeadows.com/

Book Review: Winged Obsession by Jessica Speart

Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler by Jessica Speart
Hardcover: 320 pages; William Morrow (April 5, 2011)
Genre: nonfiction, environmental issues
Source: publisher
Objective rating: 5/5

"This is for you. It has all of my picture files with thousands of butterflies. You can use it to post photos on eBay of the butterflies that we offer," Kojima instructed.

Newcomer would soon learn that among the bugs on the disc were not only many protected species but also endangered ones. " (p. 55)

Book description:
A tale of greed, obsession, and sexual temptation in the vein of The Orchid Thief - the story of the world's most wanted butterfly smuggler, the rookie U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Ed Newcomer who pursues him, and Jessica Speart, the writer, who found herself at the center of the story.

I didn't realize at first that this was not one of Jessica Speart's well known environmental mystery novels, but a true story of the hunt to "reel in" a notorious smuggler of butterflies and insects, a trader in the market to supply insect collectors.

The work of nonfiction reads like a thriller, however, with the smuggler the target of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent. The book brings to light the environmental threat posed worldwide by illegal collectors.

About the Author: Jessica Speart is a freelance journalist specializing in wildlife enforcement issues.She is also the author of ten mysteries with an environmental theme. http://www.jessicaspeart.com/

© Harvee Lau 2011

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to choose sentences at random from your current read. Identify the author and title for readers.

Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz) by Diane Mott Davidson

"When I heard that Ernest McLeod had been killed, I should have packed up my knives and left. Well, not literally left, because I was in my own kitchen, poised to slice a third pile of juicy heirloom tomatoes for a buffet Yolanda Garcia and I were catering the next day." (opening lines, ch. 1)

Author: Diane Mott Davidson
Hardcover: 480 pages.
Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)
Genre: culinary mystery

Publisher's description: "Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz cooks up big trouble as she tries to help her longtime friend and fellow chef Yolanda Garcia. When the rental house shared by Yolanda and her irrepressible aunt Ferdinanda is destroyed by arson, the pair move in with cop-turned-PI Ernest McLeod. But then Ernest is shot dead and his house is set on fire, nearly killing Goldy, Yolanda, Ferdinanda, and nine beagle puppies that Ernest had recently rescued from a puppy mill.

Concerned for her friends, Goldy invites them to stay with her while the sheriff’s department investigates. Yet even Goldy’s house isn’t safe, and after a failed break-in by an unknown intruder a cop is sent to keep an eye on things. Then a second body is found. Swapping her chef’s hat for a sleuthing cap, the intrepid Goldy steps up the investigation. But she’s got to move fast. It’s crunch time to close in on a killer, before he can close in on her."

Diane Mott Davidson, a New York Times bestselling author, has written 15 mystery novels. More information:  http://www.dianemottdavidson.com/

Book Review: I'm Going Where I Belong by Hans Lindor

I Am Going Where I Belongby Hans Lindor
Paperback: 150 pages. Enaz Publications; 1st edition (February 25, 2011)
Source: Pump Up Your Book Promotions
Genre: fiction, immigrant fiction. Objective rating: 4 out of 5

"I don't like it when you hang out with these people. It's scary to me. I had a bad dream last night. You know what it means 'le-wreve ou pedi dan' ('When you dream about losing teeth')."
"It means death or someone close to you is about to die. Ma, you don't have to worry about anything. Death is scared of me," I joked, just to brush away my mother's fear. (ch. 8)

Comments: A heartbreaking story of a wealthy family forced to leave Haiti after a military coup and the death of the father. Their life in America becomes a struggle for survival and acceptance, and a longing on the part of the mother to return home to Haiti. The novel chronicles the life of the family, a desperate search to find stability and a final place to belong.

Product Description: "I am Going Where I Belong is a gripping journey through the plight of a once wealthy immigrant family. Chriscile Leger, mother of two, is forced to flee her native country with her children after her husband is brutally assassinated during a coup d'etat. "I am Going Where I Belong" is filled with heartrending turns of fate that, through their believability, make each character vibrantly engaging for the reader."

About the author, from Amazon: "Hans Lindor, novelist, screenwriter and playwright, has a unique perspective on life and has earned many accolades for his fiction and poetry. He has used his extraordinary life experiences to inspire, and has given motivational speeches and workshops to students, advocating against guns, drugs and violence and giving students hope for rising above hardship and social struggles."

This book tour is sponsored by Pump Up Your Book Promotions, which provided a review copy of the novel.

For an excellent interview with the author, see Freda's Voice.

Sunday Salon: Learning Japanese and Other Spring Goals

Welcome to the Sunday Salon. Click on the logo to join in!

I have given myself about 5 months to learn serviceable Japanese. Right now I am listening to Berlitz Japanese in 30 Days (Berlitz in 30 Days) but I think it may not be enough as I am somewhat tone deaf! I'll be browsing  for other learning tools and may even attend a real live language class!

On Tuesday at 3 p.m., Eastern time, I'll be at a book E-VENT or book party for author Deanna Fei, who wrote A Thread of Sky. There will be a video and a live chat.

At 7 p.m. I'll be attending another e-event, a live 30-minute video AuthorChats with Jay Lillie whose new novel, Justice, "gets to the very core of Washington politics and leads to an explosive ending that illustrates the very serious implications of one little-known constitutional oversight."  I've agreed to review the book though I don't know a whole lot about the intricacies of government. Click here for information on the author chat.

I've received a bunch of books in the past few weeks and am eager to read
Island Girl by Lynda Simmons,
Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda,
Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz) by Diane Mott Davidson,

Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler by Jessica Speart, and
Dead by Midnight: A Death on Demand Mystery by Carolyn Hart.

I also bought for my Kindle, Bangkok Noir, a collection of short stories by established mystery writers. Book description: "In Bangkok Noir, the twelve short stories of various shades of black involve gangsters and hitmen, love and betrayal, the supernatural, the possessed and the dispossessed, and the far distant future. Titles in this collection include: John Burdett’s Gone East, Stephen Leather’s Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai Gangster, Tew Bunnag’s The Mistress Wants Her Freedom, Colin Cotterill’s Halfhead, Pico Iyer’s Thousand and One Nights, Vasit Dejkunjorn's The Sword, Alex Kerr's Daylight, Timothy Hallinan's Hansum Man, Eric Stone's The Lunch That Got Away, Dean Barrett's Death of a Legend, Collin Piprell's Hot Enough to Kill, and Christopher G. Moore’s Dolphin Inc.

The authors and publisher will donate half of their earnings from this book to selected charity organizations which provide education to needy children in Thailand. More information: http://www.bangkoknoir.info/

I've already read three of the stories and they're pretty good!
Happy spring and Easter!