Gould (Kitty Collins, 1986) returns with three brief related episodes taking place from 1956 to the 70's in Europe, India, and the Seychelles—during which time two young, open-faced Americans observe the labyrinthine ways of European intrigue and later confront enemies, both in the hierarchical maze of the foreign service and at large. In ``A European Episode,'' young Caroline, free-lancing as a reporter in 1956 Munich, is spellbound by the tales and very aristocratic person of Stefan, whose life has encompassed golden days of footmen-and-furs, a Russian prison camp, expediting escapes of refugees as an officer of the Polish government-in-exile, and working for Radio Free Europe. Stefan reveals much—but not all. Observing the rapt Caroline is Charles McKay, Information Officer at the American consulate (he will narrate the later episodes). Stefan disappears forever during the Hungarian uprising as Charlie and Caroline follow and are turned back. In ``The New People,'' Charlie, now married to Caroline and father of two, is stationed in Calcutta and greets Tony Greer, a relentlessly charming new staff member, and his family. The Greers are deadly, and it is McKay who follows their slimy trail. In the title story, Maharajah (who heads an interesting little group of homosexuals) urges McKay to vacation on a dreamy isle of the Seychelles (Caroline is career-bound in D.C.). Here, in ``the last earthly paradise'' 900 miles off the coast of Kenya, there's a death beneath the surface of the sea (the ``Eighth Continent''), and McKay blinks in the dazzle of light and ocean at an unlikely apparition. A chewy, tripartite novel with old-timey foreign-service atmospheric appeal, marvelous reportage on some far places, and intimate details of consulate workings.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-945575-72-6
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1991
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
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