Murder on the Caronia by Conrad Allen
Another adventure with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield. I really enjoy them as characters, and thoroughly enjoy my visits with them, even if they are re-readings of the books. It has been so long since I read them originally, it’s almost like reading them for the first time, only better.
This time, the intrepid team of detectives are aboard the Caronia, one of Cunard’s “pretty sisters” for a trip across the Atlantic. As with the other book of this series, the embarkation and end ports are of little consequence, all the action takes place on board the ship. And while it is a cruise ship, it’s not like today’s cruise ships that are the destination in and of themselves. This was a mode of transportation from one port to another, with differing levels of service depending on which class the passenger was in.
This adventure draws heavily from the case of Dr. Crippen — who was accused of the murder of his wife and chased across the Atlantic until he was arrested getting off a cruise liner in Canada. In the opening chapter an English citizen and his lover were brought aboard under armed guards. George and Genevieve learn that they are suspects in the murder one of the accused’s wife. Reading the book, I could pick out the parts of the fictional story that were lifted from the real-life story of Dr. Crippen. And while the prisoners do have a part to play in the overall mystery around which this adventure centers, the murder of which they are accused is a secondary plot element.
Murder on Caronia is a fun book to read, made more so because of the real-life story from which it draws a plot element. And I have attended several lectures on several cruises about the Crippen murder and the trans-Atlantic chase that followed.
The main mystery has nothing to do with the Crippen-based story, but the characters do overlap. It was a fun mystery with a good number of red herrings and false starts for the detectives and this reader. I really am enjoying re-reading this series more than I anticipated. And I am particularly enjoying not remembering the solution to the mysteries in each episode.
The series is a light and easy read, definitely a cozy mystery, the kind you can read late at night without worrying about scaring yourself. If you are at al interested in different historical cozy mysteries, I would certainly recommend this series.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Tea and a plate of Maple Sugar Candy
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder on the Minnesota by Conrad Allen
For this third adventure, George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield have moved from the Cunard Line to the Great Northern Steamship Line, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Despite the change in ships and oceans, the basic story is the same.
Series mystery novels do all tend to have similar basic plots, particularly murder mysteries. Going in I knew this was going to follow the basic formula of murder and investigation until the culprit is unveiled. Reading mystery series is more a visit with old friends and solving a puzzle along the way more than it is just to solve the puzzle. The formulaic nature of the novels can grate on some people, but it’s not really a problem for me.
Murder on the Minnesota was similar to the first two mysteries in the series, but it’s different as well. The personal relationship between George and Genevieve develops further, but there is more than that. In the first book, there were many lavish descriptions of the Lusitania. The second book brought some descriptions, but not as many, or the Mauretania. This episode had very few descriptions of the Minnesota. That may be explained because the ship was not only an ocean liner, but also a freighter, but still, I missed the descriptions of the ship. Having been on several modern-day cruise ships left me something of a deck plan junkie. I love pouring over deck plans and imagining the way the passengers move and flow along the ship. I would have really enjoyed having a page of deck plans for the classic ocean liners used in the series. Even if they were fictionalized, along with the passengers and stories. It would have also helped in this episode, because much of the action happened “around corners” and in cabins close to each other, but with easy access to escape passages. It would have been much nicer to have an idea of how everything fit together according to the author’s mental deck plan of the ship.
It was a fun adventure, full of disreputable, dislikable characters and innocent bystander victims. There were plenty of red herrings and false starts in the investigation, and though the solution was satisfying, the ending of the book felt a bit rushed and unfinished. It definitely set the read up for more adventures with George and Genevieve, but there was a bit of a disappointment in the hanging stories of a few of the innocent bystanders.
I am excited to get to re-reading the next episodes in the series, and the mysteries have stood up to the re-reads. I did not remember who was he murderer or that the initial investigation was headed down the wrong track. I remember the characters more than the story. And that is the way it should be with re-reads — enjoyable visits with old friends.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Mai-Tais on the Lido Deck with breezes gently swaying the umbrella
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
For this third adventure, George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield have moved from the Cunard Line to the Great Northern Steamship Line, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Despite the change in ships and oceans, the basic story is the same.
Series mystery novels do all tend to have similar basic plots, particularly murder mysteries. Going in I knew this was going to follow the basic formula of murder and investigation until the culprit is unveiled. Reading mystery series is more a visit with old friends and solving a puzzle along the way more than it is just to solve the puzzle. The formulaic nature of the novels can grate on some people, but it’s not really a problem for me.
Murder on the Minnesota was similar to the first two mysteries in the series, but it’s different as well. The personal relationship between George and Genevieve develops further, but there is more than that. In the first book, there were many lavish descriptions of the Lusitania. The second book brought some descriptions, but not as many, or the Mauretania. This episode had very few descriptions of the Minnesota. That may be explained because the ship was not only an ocean liner, but also a freighter, but still, I missed the descriptions of the ship. Having been on several modern-day cruise ships left me something of a deck plan junkie. I love pouring over deck plans and imagining the way the passengers move and flow along the ship. I would have really enjoyed having a page of deck plans for the classic ocean liners used in the series. Even if they were fictionalized, along with the passengers and stories. It would have also helped in this episode, because much of the action happened “around corners” and in cabins close to each other, but with easy access to escape passages. It would have been much nicer to have an idea of how everything fit together according to the author’s mental deck plan of the ship.
It was a fun adventure, full of disreputable, dislikable characters and innocent bystander victims. There were plenty of red herrings and false starts in the investigation, and though the solution was satisfying, the ending of the book felt a bit rushed and unfinished. It definitely set the read up for more adventures with George and Genevieve, but there was a bit of a disappointment in the hanging stories of a few of the innocent bystanders.
I am excited to get to re-reading the next episodes in the series, and the mysteries have stood up to the re-reads. I did not remember who was he murderer or that the initial investigation was headed down the wrong track. I remember the characters more than the story. And that is the way it should be with re-reads — enjoyable visits with old friends.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Mai-Tais on the Lido Deck with breezes gently swaying the umbrella
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Friday, March 11, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Bitter End by Rex Stout
Bitter End is a Nero Wolfe novella. I picked it up for the Kindle when it was available for free. I think Amazon intended it to be an introduction to Nero Wolfe as a character, and having met Nero and Archie, readers would seek out other books. Good marketing strategy.
In this edition, Bitter End is paired with a short story that does not feature Nero Wolfe. That is a bit disappointing, and a bit of false advertising, in my opinion. While it never says that the short story, On the Line, features Nero Wolfe, it doesn’t say it does not either, so readers can get the idea that both stories in the volume do feature the famous detective.
Bitter End is a good story and a fun read. I wasn’t sure of the murderer until Wolfe’s revelation so that was good. And it was a fun adventure with Archie, though I think almost all the adventures with Archie are fun.
It’s a quick read and definitely worth it. According to other sources, this story is available in a volume of Nero Wolfe short stories, but whether you read it like that or as the one-off single I did, it is absolutely worth the time. Short stories like this are perfect for reading while in waiting rooms or in line at the post office.
I debated my rating for this book. I loved the Nero Wolfe novella. But I was disappointed by the short story. And the advertising lead the reader to think both featured Nero Wolfe. It was this perceived deception that lowered my rating more than the writing, plot or other literary concerns.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Glasses of Iced Tea poured from a bottle with Fig Netwons
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Bitter End is a Nero Wolfe novella. I picked it up for the Kindle when it was available for free. I think Amazon intended it to be an introduction to Nero Wolfe as a character, and having met Nero and Archie, readers would seek out other books. Good marketing strategy.
In this edition, Bitter End is paired with a short story that does not feature Nero Wolfe. That is a bit disappointing, and a bit of false advertising, in my opinion. While it never says that the short story, On the Line, features Nero Wolfe, it doesn’t say it does not either, so readers can get the idea that both stories in the volume do feature the famous detective.
Bitter End is a good story and a fun read. I wasn’t sure of the murderer until Wolfe’s revelation so that was good. And it was a fun adventure with Archie, though I think almost all the adventures with Archie are fun.
It’s a quick read and definitely worth it. According to other sources, this story is available in a volume of Nero Wolfe short stories, but whether you read it like that or as the one-off single I did, it is absolutely worth the time. Short stories like this are perfect for reading while in waiting rooms or in line at the post office.
I debated my rating for this book. I loved the Nero Wolfe novella. But I was disappointed by the short story. And the advertising lead the reader to think both featured Nero Wolfe. It was this perceived deception that lowered my rating more than the writing, plot or other literary concerns.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Glasses of Iced Tea poured from a bottle with Fig Netwons
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Thursday, March 10, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder on the Mauretania by Conrad Allen
This is the second adventure with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield aboard a classic ocean liner. And it’s one of my favorite of their adventures. Mostly because of a central character — the mystery is solved with the aide of the ship’s mascot, Bobo, a black cat.
Fortunately, books and movies have editors, so if a seemingly minor detail is important enough to mention in the narrative, you can be pretty sure it will be important to the story later. Because Bobo is introduced in the first chapter, I am pretty sure that he is going to play a very important role. And he does. Saying any more would be spoiling the book for other readers.
My reading companion and I have already read the entire series, but both of us noticed during this re-read that we had forgotten the murderers in the books, though we remembered many of the supporting characters. The books definitely stand up to re-reading.
This one does not have the descriptions of the ship’s facilities the way Murder on the Lusitania did, but there is still an excellent sense of setting. I have taken several cruises, so I have a fair idea of life on board, but my cruises have been in the era of cruising for pleasure not transportation, and none of them have been on classed lines. Even though we prefer to cruise in Ocean-View cabins on lower decks, they are not classified as “steerage” or “third-class” and there is no passenger accessible area that is off limits to any passenger. The food and service is the same in the Main Dining Room or the Lido Buffet for all passengers, regardless of the cabin category in which they are sailing. I’m not sure, but I would hazard that the accommodations on board today’s cruise ships are closer to the Second Class accommodation on the classic ocean liners, though I have no real basis for comparison other than pictures and fictional descriptions. I did miss the lavish description from the first adventure aboard the Lusitania.
Overall this is a better mystery, though there are fewer red herrings and false starts to the investigation. I found the structure of watching the crime unfold, then then playing along as the detectives investigate, to be more engaging than coming in after the crime has been committed and working back. It’s more like watching a television mystery. And I find knowing details of the crime the detectives do not makes for a better read. But that’s my opinion.
George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield do not disappoint. It’s a fun adventure on a classic ocean liner, made even better by Bobo (though I’m not sure Bobo would approve of that name for himself).
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Grapefruit Cosmo Mocktails in the Ocean Bar with a plate of hot hors d’oeuvres
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the second adventure with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield aboard a classic ocean liner. And it’s one of my favorite of their adventures. Mostly because of a central character — the mystery is solved with the aide of the ship’s mascot, Bobo, a black cat.
Fortunately, books and movies have editors, so if a seemingly minor detail is important enough to mention in the narrative, you can be pretty sure it will be important to the story later. Because Bobo is introduced in the first chapter, I am pretty sure that he is going to play a very important role. And he does. Saying any more would be spoiling the book for other readers.
My reading companion and I have already read the entire series, but both of us noticed during this re-read that we had forgotten the murderers in the books, though we remembered many of the supporting characters. The books definitely stand up to re-reading.
This one does not have the descriptions of the ship’s facilities the way Murder on the Lusitania did, but there is still an excellent sense of setting. I have taken several cruises, so I have a fair idea of life on board, but my cruises have been in the era of cruising for pleasure not transportation, and none of them have been on classed lines. Even though we prefer to cruise in Ocean-View cabins on lower decks, they are not classified as “steerage” or “third-class” and there is no passenger accessible area that is off limits to any passenger. The food and service is the same in the Main Dining Room or the Lido Buffet for all passengers, regardless of the cabin category in which they are sailing. I’m not sure, but I would hazard that the accommodations on board today’s cruise ships are closer to the Second Class accommodation on the classic ocean liners, though I have no real basis for comparison other than pictures and fictional descriptions. I did miss the lavish description from the first adventure aboard the Lusitania.
Overall this is a better mystery, though there are fewer red herrings and false starts to the investigation. I found the structure of watching the crime unfold, then then playing along as the detectives investigate, to be more engaging than coming in after the crime has been committed and working back. It’s more like watching a television mystery. And I find knowing details of the crime the detectives do not makes for a better read. But that’s my opinion.
George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield do not disappoint. It’s a fun adventure on a classic ocean liner, made even better by Bobo (though I’m not sure Bobo would approve of that name for himself).
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Grapefruit Cosmo Mocktails in the Ocean Bar with a plate of hot hors d’oeuvres
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen
Since my housemate and reading companion and I were on a bit of a roll with fun books, we decided to leave Guns, Germs and Steel for a while and pick up something else fun. I suggested we invite old friends for a visit and re-read a series she had read a while ago.
She agreed and together we decided that we could have a nice visit with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, who are detectives on a cruise ship in the early 1900s. Not quite the same as the cruise ship my housemate will be going on later this year, but still similar.
We had read the entire series of eight books previously, so this reading is a re-read of Murder on the Lusitania. I have no problem re-reading books, as I do look at books as friends and reading them as visits with good friends. Everyone needs more time with good friends.
The R.M.S. Lusitania made its own mark on world history, but this book is not about that moment. It is set on the maiden voyage in September 1907. It is interesting to have a view of the ship that is not about that moment, even if it is entirely fictional. There is a postscript in the book detailing the real story of the Lusitania, but it was very nice to have the story set completely apart from the moment that made the Lusitania a household word.
I checked out when we began this series the first time we read it. It was March 2002. I was surprised how little of the details of the book I remembered from that first time. I could not remember who the murderer was, and even though we had read it before, I was, like the detective, on the trial of the wrong person all the way through the book.
After I finished my re-reading, I read a review that said this book will never be mistaken for great literature, and I cannot disagree. But that does not mean it’s not a fun book to read, or that you should not read it. The book is reasonably fast-paced, and there are plenty of sub-plots to follow, which also served to complicate the murder investigation.
The book stands up to a re-read, and the series is fun, if only because of the setting. It’s really nice to disappear into a bygone era for a while. Who would not want to spend some time in the first class cabins on a trans-Atlantic crossing on the Cunard line?
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of tea, leisurely enjoyed while watching the gentle waves
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Since my housemate and reading companion and I were on a bit of a roll with fun books, we decided to leave Guns, Germs and Steel for a while and pick up something else fun. I suggested we invite old friends for a visit and re-read a series she had read a while ago.
She agreed and together we decided that we could have a nice visit with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, who are detectives on a cruise ship in the early 1900s. Not quite the same as the cruise ship my housemate will be going on later this year, but still similar.
We had read the entire series of eight books previously, so this reading is a re-read of Murder on the Lusitania. I have no problem re-reading books, as I do look at books as friends and reading them as visits with good friends. Everyone needs more time with good friends.
The R.M.S. Lusitania made its own mark on world history, but this book is not about that moment. It is set on the maiden voyage in September 1907. It is interesting to have a view of the ship that is not about that moment, even if it is entirely fictional. There is a postscript in the book detailing the real story of the Lusitania, but it was very nice to have the story set completely apart from the moment that made the Lusitania a household word.
I checked out when we began this series the first time we read it. It was March 2002. I was surprised how little of the details of the book I remembered from that first time. I could not remember who the murderer was, and even though we had read it before, I was, like the detective, on the trial of the wrong person all the way through the book.
After I finished my re-reading, I read a review that said this book will never be mistaken for great literature, and I cannot disagree. But that does not mean it’s not a fun book to read, or that you should not read it. The book is reasonably fast-paced, and there are plenty of sub-plots to follow, which also served to complicate the murder investigation.
The book stands up to a re-read, and the series is fun, if only because of the setting. It’s really nice to disappear into a bygone era for a while. Who would not want to spend some time in the first class cabins on a trans-Atlantic crossing on the Cunard line?
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of tea, leisurely enjoyed while watching the gentle waves
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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