The Second Objective by Mark Frost was written for readers interested in military history. The setting is Europe, WWII. The Nazis are losing and they make a last ditch effort to take control. We encounter the Battle of the Bulge and a counter plan to assassinate the commander of the allies.
The characterization was good. Heroes and villains depicted humanity's best and worst. The pace could have belonged to a "thriller." I learned a little history even though I thought I knew it.
This is my first PD James book. I read Death in Holy Orders. The detective is Adam Dalgliesh and I understand he is in PD James' other books. I did not guess "who done it?" It seemed like everybody had a motive. Also, many had shaky alibis.
This is what happened. The setting is on the coast of northern England, where it is harsh, cold, and storm ridden. The place is a seminary. They call their seminarians--ordinands. They wear cassocks and clocks. This is high church Anglican. The place is St. Anselm's Theological College. Dalgliesh's father was a minister and the family often vacation and /or had retreats there. Dalgliesh in particular had fond memories or summer spent there. That is why he is assigned to investigate the death of an ordinand.
The death could have been an accident or suicide. While Dalgliesh is investigating, there at the college, the Archdeacon is murdered. There are a couple of other deaths, also; if not murder, then suspicious.
Not only is the mysteries interesting, but the characters and their psyches are interesting. I found the novel rich in setting, plot, dialogue, suspense, and characterization. This will not be my last PD James mystery.
Did you know where the noun "chaplain" comes from. According to Dale K. Pace, in A Christian's Guide to Effective Jail and Prison Ministries, "chaplain" comes from "cape." The story is told that St. Martin of Tours tore his cape in half and gave it to a beggar. Chaplains care and serve others.
News reports are commenting that there is renewed interest in God. Maybe it's an American pope, but that doesn't explain the interest in Spain and France. I think the interest stems from so many years of no spirituality. Suddenly people notice--an American pope, Christian singers, Religious tattoos, etc.
Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper is the second in the series featuring Will Piper. I highly recommend reading the first in the series, Library of the Dead, otherwise I don't think you will understand the story. I did read Library of the Dead and was glad to connect the dots.
In the Book of Souls, Will get caught up in finding a missing book, that was one of the ones written in Library of the Dead. He was trying to help a couple of FBI colleagues. They were retired, as he was. But one of them, made a deal with Will that involved too much money--a deal he couldn't refuse.
In getting the book back and solving the mystery the book led Will to, he encounters medieval letters from Shakespeare, John Calvin, and Nostradamus. Of course, this is all a violation of the agreement Will made with the government. Will almost gets killed. But his wife, Nancy, saves him.
Good, because there's a sequel. Stay tuned.
Death Sits Down to Dinner by Tessa Arlen is a turn of the twentieth century mystery novel. It begins with an invitation to a birthday dinner for Winston Churchill's 39th birthday. I'll start off with a bit of a spoiler. This was a botched assassination attempt on Winston Churchill. Unfraternally, another guest, from an important family, and who looks like Winston Churchill from behind, is murdered. Lady Montfort is a guest and an amateur detective.
Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson, the housekeeper, solve the mystery. Lady Montfort would not presume to poke her nose downstairs, at the gossip and goings-on, of the help, but Mrs. Jackson can and does. That's how the two ladies put two and two together to solve the problem.
If you enjoy historical settings, you will enjoy the Edwardian setting and mores. It took me awhile to get everyone straight. I had to put a bookmark on the list of characters, so I could refer back. Whenever I read about families with servants, I always think the servants are more interesting. They also had more fun. The upstairs/downstairs focus was certainly intriguing.
The Second Objective by Mark Frost was written for readers interested in military history. The setting is Europe, WWII. The Nazis are los...
