by William Deverell,
This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last. I don't think I have ever read a book that was a mystery and funny at the same time.
A retired lawyer, enjoying life as a hobby farmer on the coast of BC, is shocked to learn that a former client is under arrest for rape and murder. Arthur Beauchamp still feels guilty about his last case, one of the few cases he lost, because he feels this client was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. It doesn't look good on the surface of things for the accused as he was found, dressed in drag, trying to escape the area after the robbery and murder in the area.
While Athur is being urged to come out of retirement to fight this one last case his wife is engaged in an activist campaign against a development near their property and is camping up a tree to protest the development and destruction of the forest.
While Arthur is trying to support his wife and her cause, and defend his client who has escaped custody he must deal with the local handymen who keep borrowing/damaging his vehicles and destroying his property. It is like something out of Ballykissangel or Green Acres. In addition he has to deal with two young and weird young lawyers and cantakerous judges.
The story has many twists and turns and many hilarious parts, especially when Beauchamp is able to proceed with questionable questioning from a normally grumpy judge because the judge has fallen asleep and then everyone is afraid to wake him but the time has come to close the proceedings for the day.
The ending of the book is unexpected and unpredicteed but the crime does get solved, the "innocent" thief is given a handslap penatly for escaping custody and Arthur can turn his legal skill to helping his wife and her environmental cause.
A very well written and engaging story,
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Saturday, 7 July 2012
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar
by Susanne Joinson
I picked up this book on a whim, I can't remember if I saw it in a bookstore on an an online list. The book takes place in two times and places, the first part of the story takes place in the 1920's or 1930's in Kashgar, a desert region in what is now China. Three British women are travelling east with the goal of converting the infidels to Christianity. They arrive in the Kashgar region and are met with the scene of a woman screaming and giving birth in the street. They try to assist her. She dies but her baby lives. The locals believe they have murdered the woman so the three women are put under house arrest until the trial.
They take the baby with them and one of the women, Evangeline is given responsibility for the baby. The other two women, Millicent and Eva's sister Lizzie are truly devote and committed to missionary work. Evangeline has gone along for the adventure not for a true religious calling. She wants to write a journal of the trip and has brought along a bike which she loves to ride because riding it makes her feel like she is flying. While the women wait for their trial they struggle to feed the baby and Millicent tries to convert people and to publish religious tracts in translation with the help of a local priest who can speak and write Arabic. Lizzie is not as commited to converting people as Millicent. She has an expensive camera and likes to take pictures. Millicent tries to convert a Muslim woman, the woman is later murdered by her husband. Eva is shocked to learn that Millicent and her sister are in a lesbian relationship. Millicent's treatment of Lizzie results in her death. The political situation is getting dangerous and Eva ends up having to flee with a few belongings and the baby and undergoes a very difficult journey back to civilization with the help of some people who guide her and arrange her passage out. She eventually gets her journal published and becomes the mistress of her publisher (having adopted the baby and renaming her).
The other story takes place in England in the present and involves a woman Frieda, who travels the developing world writing reports for a think tank and Tayeb, a man from Yemen, whom she finds sleeping in the hallway outside her door. After she leaves him a blanket and pillow he draws some lovely pictures on her wall. Tayeb, who was a photographer and film maker in his home country had to leave his country because of some filming he did and some artistic grafitti he did on walls. He is an illegal immigrant and is being pursued by the British police. Frieda is wrestling with her current life, her job, her boyfriend who is a married man. She is told that she is the only relative of Irene Guy, recently deceased and that she can go through Ms. Guys belongings or the local council will dispose of her belongings. Taleb and Frieda go to Irene's flat and discover an early Leica camera, maps books in several languages and what appears to be a diary. Frieda can't figure out how she is related to this woman and goes in search of her mother to help get an answer. She finds out that Irene is her Grandmother. Her mother had told her that her grandmother was dead.
Near the end of the book Eva quotes, her adopted daughter Irene " Eva, I can never reach the places you have been to. How am I supposed to? She said she found me suffocating". She later says "I am sure she will travel, go to the places she talks of". Frieda's Mother complains that her mother talked about travelling but never did. Irene's house is filled with her mother's items, the camera, books diary, etc. We never find out why she has an owl as a pet.
I found this an interesting story, the details about life in the desert were detailed and powerful, but tragic. The story of Frieda and Tayeb was gentle and touching. His father raised birds. Taleb tells Frieda he used to dream of flying on an ostrich (ostriches can't fly) I have to say that I was quite puzzled by the choices of the mothers in this story,. Irene Guy offers Frieda's pregnant mom a home as long as she comes without the child's father. And Frieda's mother eventually abandons her and ends up ill and living in a commune under a vow of silence. She tells Frieda she didn't want to be part of the cycle of single mothers with children. However, she didn't want Frieda to call her Mother even before she left her.
As the story ends Tayeb is being smuggled into Amsterdam. He tells Frieda he has taken the Leica camera and for her to find him and he will give it back. The story ends with Frieda taking a sabbatical from work and boarding a train, along with the owl for a holiday at the sea. The owl is hooting at her (as if she is its mate) and she hoots back.
This book seems to have themes of art/documentation/writing, flying (as a metaphor for freedom) and travel or the desire to get away. Three of the women, Eva, Frieda's Mother and Frieda seem to be restless and want to get away from ordinary life. Tayeb on the other hand longs to have a home and an stable, safe life.
I picked up this book on a whim, I can't remember if I saw it in a bookstore on an an online list. The book takes place in two times and places, the first part of the story takes place in the 1920's or 1930's in Kashgar, a desert region in what is now China. Three British women are travelling east with the goal of converting the infidels to Christianity. They arrive in the Kashgar region and are met with the scene of a woman screaming and giving birth in the street. They try to assist her. She dies but her baby lives. The locals believe they have murdered the woman so the three women are put under house arrest until the trial.
They take the baby with them and one of the women, Evangeline is given responsibility for the baby. The other two women, Millicent and Eva's sister Lizzie are truly devote and committed to missionary work. Evangeline has gone along for the adventure not for a true religious calling. She wants to write a journal of the trip and has brought along a bike which she loves to ride because riding it makes her feel like she is flying. While the women wait for their trial they struggle to feed the baby and Millicent tries to convert people and to publish religious tracts in translation with the help of a local priest who can speak and write Arabic. Lizzie is not as commited to converting people as Millicent. She has an expensive camera and likes to take pictures. Millicent tries to convert a Muslim woman, the woman is later murdered by her husband. Eva is shocked to learn that Millicent and her sister are in a lesbian relationship. Millicent's treatment of Lizzie results in her death. The political situation is getting dangerous and Eva ends up having to flee with a few belongings and the baby and undergoes a very difficult journey back to civilization with the help of some people who guide her and arrange her passage out. She eventually gets her journal published and becomes the mistress of her publisher (having adopted the baby and renaming her).
The other story takes place in England in the present and involves a woman Frieda, who travels the developing world writing reports for a think tank and Tayeb, a man from Yemen, whom she finds sleeping in the hallway outside her door. After she leaves him a blanket and pillow he draws some lovely pictures on her wall. Tayeb, who was a photographer and film maker in his home country had to leave his country because of some filming he did and some artistic grafitti he did on walls. He is an illegal immigrant and is being pursued by the British police. Frieda is wrestling with her current life, her job, her boyfriend who is a married man. She is told that she is the only relative of Irene Guy, recently deceased and that she can go through Ms. Guys belongings or the local council will dispose of her belongings. Taleb and Frieda go to Irene's flat and discover an early Leica camera, maps books in several languages and what appears to be a diary. Frieda can't figure out how she is related to this woman and goes in search of her mother to help get an answer. She finds out that Irene is her Grandmother. Her mother had told her that her grandmother was dead.
Near the end of the book Eva quotes, her adopted daughter Irene " Eva, I can never reach the places you have been to. How am I supposed to? She said she found me suffocating". She later says "I am sure she will travel, go to the places she talks of". Frieda's Mother complains that her mother talked about travelling but never did. Irene's house is filled with her mother's items, the camera, books diary, etc. We never find out why she has an owl as a pet.
I found this an interesting story, the details about life in the desert were detailed and powerful, but tragic. The story of Frieda and Tayeb was gentle and touching. His father raised birds. Taleb tells Frieda he used to dream of flying on an ostrich (ostriches can't fly) I have to say that I was quite puzzled by the choices of the mothers in this story,. Irene Guy offers Frieda's pregnant mom a home as long as she comes without the child's father. And Frieda's mother eventually abandons her and ends up ill and living in a commune under a vow of silence. She tells Frieda she didn't want to be part of the cycle of single mothers with children. However, she didn't want Frieda to call her Mother even before she left her.
As the story ends Tayeb is being smuggled into Amsterdam. He tells Frieda he has taken the Leica camera and for her to find him and he will give it back. The story ends with Frieda taking a sabbatical from work and boarding a train, along with the owl for a holiday at the sea. The owl is hooting at her (as if she is its mate) and she hoots back.
This book seems to have themes of art/documentation/writing, flying (as a metaphor for freedom) and travel or the desire to get away. Three of the women, Eva, Frieda's Mother and Frieda seem to be restless and want to get away from ordinary life. Tayeb on the other hand longs to have a home and an stable, safe life.
The Laughter of Dead Kings
by Elizabeth Peters
This story is about Vicky Bliss, an art historian and sleuth who along with her boyfriend (who is thought to be a criminal and possibly iimplicated in the crime) are asked to solve the theft of King Tut's mummy from his tomb, before the news gets out to the public.
They are followed by various dark individuals and a woman who is a romantic interest of Vicky's boss-- is she really interested in him? or just using him to get to them? They end up hopping around Europe before finally making it to the scene of the crime in the company of Vicky's boss who is a bit of a dandy and who seems to have unlimted wealth and influence. It turns out colleagial jealousy is at the heart of the crime.
The story was quite light, it moved quickly and kept you wondering who could be trusted. It was an okay summer read.
This story is about Vicky Bliss, an art historian and sleuth who along with her boyfriend (who is thought to be a criminal and possibly iimplicated in the crime) are asked to solve the theft of King Tut's mummy from his tomb, before the news gets out to the public.
They are followed by various dark individuals and a woman who is a romantic interest of Vicky's boss-- is she really interested in him? or just using him to get to them? They end up hopping around Europe before finally making it to the scene of the crime in the company of Vicky's boss who is a bit of a dandy and who seems to have unlimted wealth and influence. It turns out colleagial jealousy is at the heart of the crime.
The story was quite light, it moved quickly and kept you wondering who could be trusted. It was an okay summer read.
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