A murder mystery set in the late 1940’s post World War II Paris, Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge is the definition of cozy. TaA murder mystery set in the late 1940’s post World War II Paris, Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge is the definition of cozy. Tabitha Knight is a woman looking for her place in life. She was once a typical young woman of her times, then War came. She became a Rosie-the-Riveter, then the war ended and, like others at a time of cultural change, didn’t know where she belonged. She finds herself in Paris through familial connections and becomes neighbors and the best of friends to Julia Child. Yes, she is friends with the Julia Child. And yes, there is food, lots of deliciously described food. Oh, the butter had me salivating.
The relationship between Tabitha and Julia is a well-developed friendship in that each has what the other lacks. Julia is vibrant while Tabitha is of a calmer nature. They are also each other’s biggest cheerleader. It is a beautiful relationship, as is the relationship Tabitha has with her grandfather and honorary uncle, her messieurs. Did I mention that many of the terms are in french? I had to dig into my 5th grade French lessons to remember how to pronounce certain phrases. They are peppered throughout the novel so as not to be too overwhelming.
Now, for the mystery, it was not overly complicated. However, it was evident that the plot was influenced by Agatha Christie right up until the very end. References are made to Christie’s books and characters. There was even a reference to Christie’s book And Then There Were None, which is referred to as Ten Little Indians. (Typing that out makes me feel dirty, but not nearly as dirty if I used the real name of the book. That is something for another time.)
All in all, if you are looking for an easy read and like Agatha Christie novels, I would encourage you to give this story a try.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #KensingtonBooks for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily.
This novel is a complex blend of genres and themes. It is a Western, therefore there are the typical Western elements of cowboys and outlaws in a ruggThis novel is a complex blend of genres and themes. It is a Western, therefore there are the typical Western elements of cowboys and outlaws in a rugged setting, but this book sets itself apart in that it puts a twist on the genre by centering it’s story around women who find themselves in this environment without the accompaniment of a man. To further this deviation, the main characters of this novel are women who travel across the state of Montana, sometimes even across the country, to stake claims in land plots with the hopes of becoming a landowner. This becomes an even more interesting element of the construction of this novel after reading the author’s note and discovering that this was an actual part of history. In the early part of the 20th century women traveled alone to stake claims in land offered by federal and local governments. Who knew?
Meanwhile, this novel also layers on constant themes about family and shame that drive the characters to make certain decisions throughout the book. From the main character to the side characters to the villain to side villains, everyone has duty to family and is dealing with some sort of familial shame. This is most apparent in the main character of Adelaide Henry however.
Adelaide, Adelaide, dear Adelaide, you are me. I am you. From the start, the reader doesn’t know what to make of Adelaide. Is she a murderer? Is she a harbor? Is she a kidnapper? Whatever she is, she is sympathetic. The author does a great job of keeping you on your toes trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Adelaide. (Insert Se7en movie gif here.) Adelaide, what’s in the trunk??? Why are you running? I read this entire book to answer that question. This is where the horror elements come in.
The horror tones of this book are set from the start with the very first page of the first chapter. While reading I could see the landscape of the homestead, the dark wooden two-story farmhouse surrounded by rows of crops in sunny California, except the air is the hazy gray of morning, the crops are the color of soot, and the wooden farmhouse looks worn down with age and years of secrets. This gray, hazy atmosphere never changes. In fact, it gets even more gray as the setting changes to Big Sandy, Montana and its surrounding towns. Snow can do that to a setting, increase the feeling of isolation. Imagine all that gray on a mountain of white snow.
The horror elements are further pushed along by the plot of the novel. We see Adelaide, the trunk, the other “Lone Women” in the city of Big Sandy, Grace, Bertie, and Fiona, and even little Sam deal with threats both human and supernatural, female and male, environmental and social. There’s a little of everything for everyone.
This is actually the one element of the novel that I take issue with. While I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the story as well as the pacing. I do wish it were more focused on just a few of the main and side characters instead of telling the story from nearly every character with a semblance of importance in the book.
I also wish there was a little more action in the climax. There was one scene in particular that I wanted to read all the gory details about. I waited for it. I hoped for it. It didn’t happen, and I felt robbed.
Other than that, it is a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I also really appreciated the description of and internal dialogue for what it’s like to be an African American woman in the situations Adelaide found herself in.
Thank you to NetGalley, One World/Random House for providing the ARC for this review. I leave this review voluntarily....more
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw is a book akin to the aThe Little Mermaid but make everyone a monster.
Horror Category: Body Horror/Dark Fantasy
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw is a book akin to the authentic Brothers Grimm fairy tales. At 112 pages, this novella does justice to traditional fairy tales in that it is packed with imagery, is extremely atmospheric, and weaves messages throughout the story. It does all of this without ever naming any of the characters.
Our main character, originally called a mermaid, can more aptly be described as a siren. Regardless of this, she is a monster. Her companion, known only as the Plague Doctor, is a monster. The prince was a monster. Every character in this book is a monster of some sort. There are human monsters, supernatural monsters as well as created monsters. But, no one is ever given a name because monsters can have any name and be found anywhere.
I experienced this book via audiobook. The narrator, Susan Dalian, does a phenomenal job of bringing the lush imagery of the book alive. When listening to the descriptions of the setting, I pictured an icy northern seaside village dipped in gray with a base of black ice. The body horror scenes made my stomach turn, as they should.
One of this novel's major strengths is that it is a hodgepodge of various horror elements. I would say it is a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid, but the original tale the Disney movie was based on was already dark. Combine that with Frankenstein and various other horror elements and you will get this dark treasure of a novella.
The only negative I can give this novella is centered around the prose. While it is beautiful and lyrical, it was difficult to understand in the beginning. I enjoy beautiful prose, but I prefer it to lead me in a straight line of storytelling. This prose felt like it was leading me around in circles for the first quarter of the book.
Withstanding that, I can firmly recommend this book if you like the strange and unusual.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy of the audiobook. I leave this review voluntarily.
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