reviews

Men are Dogs, and Ghosts Avenge Author: Marty Ross Not everything is all propriety in Victorian London. In the dim recesses of Darkwater Reach, pushed up against the Thames, pulling nearly mummified bodies from the water is hardly unusual. The story behind these grisly finds probably ties into the clientele that swarms the Reaches at night: prostitutes, businessmen looking for less savory means of entertainment, cutthroats and criminals, and, supposedly, the vengeful ghost of a woman who oversees it all. When a Scottish businessman is pulled out of the murky waters and the police trace his nearest relatives, young and [...]

Magic, Love, Longing, and Folklore Author: Laura Esquivel A decadent folk tale with the imagination of a fairy tale and the heart of a forbidden romance, Like Water for Chocolate follows Tita. Being born in a kitchen means that food, the cooking and serving of it, are more than the formal essentials of staying alive to her. They are the soul – the embodiment of passion and desire, the epitome of longing fulfilled, and love poured out. And for Tita, doomed by her strict Mama Elena to remain unwed, to be a good daughter and follow a family tradition and sacrifice her life to [...]

Sex, Lies, and Murder Author: M.C. Beaton Agatha Raisin has recently gone big-time, or at least legit, by transforming her amateur sleuthing hobby into an official detective agency with a few staff. After recovering from the schemes of an insane employee, the attempts on her life by an IRA assassin, multiple murders (which her detecting just may have caused), and a win covered-up by the Special Branch in her previous adventure, Agatha remains undeterred. Despite her tough-as-nails exterior though, she still pines for romance and hurts over the betrayal of her last husband, so divorce cases are definitely out. But, [...]