DEATH OF A CHIMNEY SWEEP (M.C. Beaton)

I believe that this is the 26th Hamish Macbeth mystery.  I have to say that I didn't enjoy Hamish's adventures this time around as much as I usually do.  First of all, the title bothers me.  There was, indeed, a dead chimney sweep, but his murder was secondary to that of retired Captain Henry Davenport, who bullies his timid wife Milly and is found stuffed up his own chimney with his skull bashed in.  All of the ensuing drama revolves around Davenport's murder and its aftermath.  Why not call it "Death of a Captain" or "Death of a Bully" instead?  Also, I found Hamish less likable than usual in this novel.  For one thing, his illegal activies extended beyond his usual fish poaching, and his integrity is one of the things that I find most attractive about him.  The story also took place over such a long time span (18 months or so?) that you wondered what you were missing in between plot highlights.  Another thing is that there were so many characters outside of the usual villagers that I found it hard to keep track of who and where they were.  I must also admit that I am getting tired of Hamish's obsession with Priscilla.  In the BBC TV series Hamish ends up married to Isabel, the onscreen version of Elspeth, the reporter who almost captured Hamish's heart in previous novels. I thi nk I would like to see Hamish settle down a bit.  If you are a Macbeth fan, by all means read Beaton's latest.  Angela Brody has some interesting developments going on in her life that, naturally, cause trouble for good friend Hamish.  Even though it wasn't my favorite ("Death of a Gentle Lady" will forever hold THAT spot!), I'm glad I read it.

I THINK I LOVE YOU (Alison Pearson)

The first thing that I can think of to say about Allison Pearson's novel, her first in 10 years, is that it was well worth the wait.  I started reading "I Think I Love You" during a trip to Philadelphia and couldn't wait to get home and find the time to finish it.  What a wonderful trip down memory lane for anyone, but especially for those of us who were females growing up in the 60's and 70's!  Song lyrics from Cassidy, Simon and Garfunkel, and other popular groups of the era are strewn subtly throughout the text of the novel, and I could swear that I detected some Wordsworth as well, but maybe that was my imagination.  Pearson has captured EXACTLY the experience of  being a 13-year-old girl during those simpler times, when love meant a wall covered with posters and heartfelt daydreams of meeting the object of our affection, who would instantaneously recognize the depth of our love and would fall in love in return!

Pearson's book focuses on two eras: the early 70's, when the "Partridge Family" was the show to watch and David Cassidy's androgenous appeal was at it's height, and 1998.  Petra Williams, now aged 37 (in 1998), lives in South Wales and is the recently divorced mother of 13-year-old Molly.  After the death of her distant, perfectionist German mother, Greta, Petra discovers an envelope addressed to her in her mother's closet.  The envelope contains an announcement that Petra and her friend Sharon have won the grand prize in a 1974 pop magazine contest, a trip to California to visit the set of the "Partridge Family" and meet their idol, David Cassidy.  Soon after, Petra, a little worse for drink, calls the publisher of the magazine that sponsored the contest and demands her prize.  Pearson switches back and forth from 1974 to 1998, from young Petra to adult Petra, interweaving the story of Bill, the young writer who, in 1974, creates the fantasy of David Cassidy for The Essential David Cassidy" magazine, the bible of the singer / actor's young Welsh fans.  Bill is now the "boss" at Nightengale Publications,", the sponsor of the long-ago contest.

You have to read this novel.  I can't describe the feeling that Pearson conjours up as she weaves fact and fantasy to tell the story of a young girl's love for a teen idol and the hopes, dreams, and disillusionment that define growing up.

MURDER IS BINDING (Lorna Barrett)

New Hampshire, quaint themed book stores, quirky neighbors, a victim who just happens to have an identical twin, and a cat named Miss Marple...what more could a mystery reader ask?  Trish Miles, owner of  a mystery book shop, "Haven't Got a Clue," is horrified to discover a smoldering fire and fellow bookseller Doris Gleason with a knife in her back on the floor of "The Cookery," the shop next door.  Trish is immediately pegged by the local police as the prime suspect in the crime, so she and her contentious visiting sister, Angelica, set out to clear Tricia's name.  Attempting to track down the origins of a rare cookbook stolen from Doris' store, the sudden appearance of Deirdre, Doris' identical twin, and dealing with the collapse of Angela's 5th marriage make Trish wonder why she ever thought that moving to Stoneham, NH after her divorce was a good idea.  This is the first in Lorna Barrett's new Booktown Mystery series.  It's a first rate cozy and will appeal to almost anyone who loves the genre.

WAKING UP IN DIXIE (Haywood Smith)

Elizabeth Whittington's marriage to Howe, scion of their small Georgia town's most prominent family, staled long ago.  Concerned about appearances and about maintaining an intact family for their children, Elizabeth ignores her husband's philandering and emotional distance.  After meeting an old high school friend who makes it clear that he would like to be "more than friends," Elizabeths considers her future and tries to decide if maintaining appearances is worth the sacrifices she has made.  Then Howe suffers a massive stroke, remaining comatose for months.  When he awakes he is a changed man, suddenly concerned with righting past wrongs and repairing his broken marriage.  Can Elizabeth find it in her heart to trust Howe again, to believe that he has really changed?  Over the years Elizabeth has taken second place to Howe's mistresses and his domineering mother, Augusta, even to the point of being unable to  redecorate their home, which displays Augusta's taste in every room.  Spoiled daughter Patricia treats Elizabeth like a second class citizen while adoring her doting father.  Son Garrett is more sensible and sympathetic to Elizabeth's situation.

When Howe offers Elizabeth the chance to move to a place of her own to think through their marriage and her future, she jumps at the opportunity. Thenshe discovers the story behind her  new cottage is once again beset with doubts about Howe and his sincerity about mending fences and re-establishing old  relationships with new ground rules.

Haywood Smith's novels are always entertaining and laced with humor.  Waking Up in Dixie is a novel that deals with serious issues.  The comedic elements are there, but they blend seamlessly into the more serious theme of whether or not people and marriages CAN change and, if they do, whether it is better to salvage the relationship or to shed the baggage and move on.  My only regret in reading this book is that it ended too soon.

A STITCH BEFORE DYING (Anne Canadeo)

Author Jayne Ann Krentz says about Ann Canadeo's latest Black Sheep knitting mystery, "Friendship, knitting, murder...create the perfect  pattern.  Great fun."  I couldn't agree more!  The Black Sheep Knitting mysteries feature a group of close friends, all knitters, rather than a single amateur detective, and it is their relationship that makes the series so enjoyable. 

Maggie Messina, the owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is asked by her old friend Nadine Gould to run several knitting workshops at a spa resort in the Berkshires.  She has negotiated a cottage on the spa grounds so that the entire group, Phoebe, Suzanne, Dana, and Lucy, can join her for a luxurious, relaxing weekend of knitting and rejuvenation.  The spa is run by charismatic physician-turned- new age guru and best selling author, Dr. Max Fleming.  Lucy and Dana decide to participate in a moonlight meditation retreat, an overnight camp-out atop nearby Mount Wheaton, but when morning comes they awaken in the middle of a police investigation after the body of Curtis Hill, supposedly a travel guide writer, is discovered dead in one of the cabins.  When it is discovered that Hill's death was caused by a malfunctioning heater that had been deliberately adjusted to fill the cabin with carbon monoxide, the conclusion is MURDER. But who was the intended victim?  Suspicion centers on Dr. Fleming's former partner's son, Brian, a caretaker at the spa, and when a second murder is committed the investigation ramps up.

Canadeo has done a wonderful job creating appealing, humorous characters with very definite real-life qualities.  Knitters and non-knitters alike will love this series!