What We’re Reading

Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case | Robert Lee Hall

This is the first in a delightful series featuring Benjamin Franklin in London as an ambassador for Pennsylvania in an effort to sway public opinion about the Penns and their treatment of the colonists. We meet Nicholas Handy, and orphaned printer’s helper, who we discover is Franklin’s natural son. The fiction of a hidden journal is used as the basis for the stories that unfold (proving the truth of the family legend passed down to the 20th century Handy who finds the book.)

Franklin is presented as a delightful sleuth, astute, observant, brilliant and eccentric. And quite the ladies man. All told I have read 5 books in the series (Murder at Drury Lane, Benjamin Franklin and a case of Christmas murder, Benjamin Franklin and a case of Artful Murder, Murder by the Waters). There are still a few to go.

Thoroughly entertaining, light mystery fare, liberally sprinkled with views of life in 18th century London.

Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor | Stephanie Barron

Jane Austen turned sleuth! Barron is a big Austen fan and has chosen to star Jane in a series of murder mysteries. This first finds Jane at the country home of a friend whose husband is murdered. This friend and the viscount’s nephew (and heir) are suspected of colluding in the murder and Jane must prove their innocence. At stake is not only the viscount’s estate and fortune, but the lady’s Caribbean holdings. And there is a threat to the crown. The disdainful Lord Harold Trowbridge helps Jane in her pursuit of justice.

Barron sets up the story as from recently discovered journals and letters from Austen herself. The device is rather heavy handed as in the pretense of footnotes explaining some of the historical references or references to Austen’s “letters”. She writes well in Austen’s style and this is a good series if you are seeking light entertainment.

The second book in the series, Jane and the man of the cloth, evokes Pride and Prejudice. I was figuratively screaming at her for being taken in by Captain Fielding as Eliza Bennett was taken in by George Wickham. He She, of all people, should have known better than to be taken in by slanders against a gentleman from a new acquaintance.  The Captain and a laborer are murdered. Geoffrey Sidmouth of High Down Grange is charged with murder. As in book 1, Jane rises to the occasion to save the falsely accused master of the grange - and once again meets the mysterious Lord Harold  who helps her apprehend the real murderer, and determine what is really going on at the Grange.

Lady’s Maid | Margaret Forster

Elizabeth Wilson becomes lady’s maid to Elizabeth Barrett at the age of 16. She stayed with her for 16 years, aiding her elopement with Robert Browning and serving as nanny to their son Pen. This is fictionalized biography at its best, giving a clear impression of the relationships between servant and mistress/master in Victorian times. Wilson matures from a shy and diffident country girl to an assured upper servant, devoted to the two poets whose needs are always paramount.

Dragon Bones | Lisa See

Red Princess Liu Hulan, Inspector in China’s Ministry of Public Security and husband David Stark, American attorney assigned to China are sent to  to investigate two deaths at an archaelogical site.  Smuggling artifacts, a Chinese religious cult, antipathy between China and foreigners, personal demons are elements of the story. I was attracted to the book by its promise of an view of Chinese culture  and I was not disappointed. This was the second in a series featuring Liu Hulan and her husband. I plan to read the first. Well written fiction is a painless way to develop an enjoyment  history and cultural differences.

Impulse | Ellen Hopkins

Rating:

I’ve long been a fan of novels written in poems, and this was no exception. Following the stories of three teens, hospitalized after their various suicide attempts, it isn’t always the easiest book to read.

Vanessa is a cutter, and was hospitalized after her brother came home to find her bleeding to death in the bathroom. Connor was the perfect kid, aside from his affair, and his incident with the gun. Tony’s life was different from the outset. He spent years in Juvenile Detention, and then some on the streets. After the loss of the closest friend he ever had, he wasn’t sure he could go on anymore.

Throughout the story, Vanessa, Tony and Connor’s stories intertwine, weaving in and out of one another. Tony and Vanessa form a bond which will likely last the rest of the their lives, and which is instrumental to their healing process. Connor, left feeling only he has nowhere to turn, has the hardest time of all. With seemingly the best life, based on appearances, he is a hard lesson in things are not always what they seem.

Any Hopkins fan will definitely appreciate Impulse, as would any poetry lover, or anyone who’s found themselves in a similar situation to its main characters.

Find it in the Catalog