Review: The Silver Pigs

The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Missing the Ruth Downie Medicus series decided to try another set in ancient Rome. Unlike Gaius on the former as a doctor in the Roman legions in Britannica, Falco in the latter is a private informer in the heart of Rome. The author has stated that she wanted what would be a modern PI with no family, possibly a divorce in the background and a love'em and leave 'em attitude toward women to be the complete opposite of her hero. She has succeeded, Falco is almost an 30 year old ,barely living on his own in a sixth floor walk-up, with a mother who periodically shows up to clean it up, bring him food and toss out his latest floozy. He also has a crazy family of sisters, brothers-in-law he can barely stomach and a brood of little ankle biters, also known as nieces and nephews.

The story is funny in places, confusing in others, and definitely more than Falco can handle. Someone is stealing and hiding silver pigs that have been mined and molded in Britannica and sent home to Rome to be presented to the Emperor. Who is managing to take a cut and where are the purloined silver pigs being secreted? Under guise of bringing a Senator's daughter home to Rome from Britain, Falco heads over to the mines and serves uncover as a slave to get a handle on the situation.

His sleuthing and matching wits with the Senator's daughter, Helena Justina is fun and the solution to the mystery is satisfying. Not Gaius but totally different--think I'll try another book in the series.

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Review: Massacre Pond

Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very rich woman comes to Maine and buys up the northern most area of two of its counties, closes it off from hunters and anglers and loggers, and plans on developing it into a National Park. Needless to say, in Northern Maine where most people hunt and fish and the lumber industry is just about the only job provider, she has more enemies than she can count. So, it is no surprise when four moose carcasses are found on her land, brutally murdered and left to rot. The biggest problem will be to figure out which of the many have carried out such a despicable massacre.

Mike Bowditch has become friends with the guide he'd seen fired from his job in the last book. It this man, Billy Cronk, who now works for Ms. Elizabeth Morse that informs Mike of the crime. This seemingly easy case to investigate soon turns into a major case with the deaths of several people and further vandalism to Morse's mansion.

The cast of characters include almost all the wardens in that area of Maine, many of the impoverished residents as well as the owners of the local lumber company. Mike seems to have learned his lesson and sticks primarily to his assigned duties, no matter how menial and isolated from the investigation, though he would usually be the primary warden assigned to a case when he was the first on the scene. He also seems to have accepted that the woman he now considers the love his life is the fiance of another man. A big step in emotional maturity from the last few books.

Lastly, he begins to realize that he often leaves people who care about him out of his life: Charley and Ora, Kathy Frost, his mother and stepfather. And more and more, he broods over his professional career choice and his suitability for it. Maybe he's beginning to grow up and think before he acts more often?

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Review: Bad Little Falls

Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mike Bowditch has been sent to Maine's version of Siberia as a result of his headlong, sometimes seemingly thoughtless, approach to his job as a Game Warden. Apparently the setting makes little difference in his performance since he takes a hard-nosed stand against a guide whose livelihood depends upon his job, jumps to conclusions as to who is sending him somewhat threatening messages and finding himself in bed with a woman whose baggage would warn off a more sensible man.

Despite all of these short-coming he manages to muddle through and cooperate enough with other law enforcement agencies to identify the bad guy--a character by the way who seems much too much to be real and has an ego to match his legend.

Beginning to lose patience with old Mike though---he seems a good warden but he has the emotional maturity of a 16 year old boy. Will give him another book or two to mature or will move on to another series with a hero with more common sense.

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Review: Murder on Madison Square

Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The life of Frank Malloy, millionaire private detective, and his wife Sarah continues. Maeve Smith is now not only nanny to their children but now secretary and part-time sleuth in Frank's detective agency and Gino Donatelli continues as his partner. The children are growing up and Mrs Malloy continues to live with her son and his family. She is as delightful as ever, sitting in her corner of the room, knitting and listening to the discussions of cases, with her off-hand remarks as theories are batted around. At one point, Frank says he needs to put her on the payroll and her pithy response,it's about time, brought an audible chuckle from me. Truly these characters are so well defined the reader begins to feel they are real people and that she is part of the story as she reads.

This new case starts with the appearance of a fairly well off lady's appearance at Confidential Inquiries with a request for Frank that he cannot fulfill. She is desirous of a divorce from her husband of nine months but since he has not committed adultery, she is unable to get a divorce in New York. She has been sent to Frank by an attorney with offices in the same building. He has suggested that for a fee an investigator might be willing to set a trap for her husband--having a woman with a photographer catch him in a compromising position thus providing the wife with proof of infidelity and an almost guaranteed divorce decree. Frank, needless to say, is not in the business of such shabby acts. Perplexed at the woman's desire to end a marriage to a man who seems to treat her well and care for her and her daughter with generosity and care, Frank seeks to find the reason. Mrs. Bing becomes agitated and leaves his office abruptly after refusing adamantly to discuss it.

Several pages later, watching Mr Bing with her young daughter at an automobile show, it became very clear to me what the problem was and why Mrs Bing wanted to leave him. The author, however, does not reveal the situation until almost the end of the book. I found this very frustrating since it was so very clear. But, perhaps, because the setting is 1900 New York City and not 2023 when we have become so much more aware of childhood abuse, it would have been less obvious. Nevertheless, despite the knowledge, the question of who killed Mr Bing, when he is found beneath an electric motor car manufactured by his company, is still a quandry leading to many suspects with motive to be free of him. The why of his murder not so much at least to this reader. thus earning a 4 star rather than a 5 star review.

The history of electric cars is fascinating. I remember as a girl my Dad telling me that there had been electric delivery trucks that could get out to Montauk from Queens but could not get back without staying overnight to recharge. He said they used huge, heavy nickel -cadmium batteries that made them impractacal for universal use and eventually they were discontinued. I wish he were alive to see the advent of today's electric cars, though I still think they have a long way to ge to become the next big thing, despite the government's determination to force them down our throats before the infrastructure of charging stations has been built and the solution to disposal of refuse is determined.

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