Macaron Murder by Harper Lin (Patisserie Mystery, Book 1)

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Macaron Murder

by Harper Lin

(Patisserie Mystery, Book 1)

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Macaron Murder is a short mystery novella that takes place in Paris. Clemence Damour returns to her parents' posh and fancy apartment in Paris after some global adventuring. Her parents own a successful patisserie, which sells delicious pastries and desserts that are good enough to appease even the crankiest of neighbors, la gardienne. 

However, the day after delivering the macarons to la gardienne, the cranky old neighbor is found dead in her apartment with a half-empty box of macarons nearby. Because of this detail, Clemence is immediately placed as a suspect, so she goes out of her way to investigate the other possible suspects in order to clear herself and to find the true culprit. In the meantime, she is also developing chemistry with a cute guy with a typewriter, and she spends time with her good friends at the patisserie. 

True to the cozy subgenre, Macaron Murder treats the murder of la gardienne lightly, as well as sex scandals between the inhabitants of the posh apartment. Murder? Quite awful, but just a problem to solve. The light tone of the story kept the novel easy and fun to read, for its short length. However, the downside of having such a short length is that side characters don't enough space to be fleshed into three-dimensional characters. We're stuck with some simple caricatures such as the gruff and dismissive inspector. Clemence comes off as a bit distant at times, but ultimately I found her intelligent and likable.

With that in mind, the novella is fun and reads fast. The narrator's little explanations of French culture were welcomed for context. The vision of Paris painted by this novel is clean, posh, and sweet. Overall, I recommend this book as a quick and easy read. It won't take long to finish it and the mystery is fun to follow, as Clemence goes through her list of suspects to find the true culprit of the crime.

As of February 19, 2015, the Macaron Murder ebook is free on Amazon. Go for it!

My rating: 

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Interview with Angela Misri: JEWEL OF THE THAMES

Angela Misri, author of Jewel of the Thames

Jewel of the Thames has made me quite smitten with all things related to the Sherlockverse...and tea. Following the death of her mother, Portia Adams is uprooted from her rundown Toronto apartment to London - into the same exact apartment where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson used to hang out and solve mysteries. This transition is facilitated by Mrs. Jones, Portia's mysterious and wealthy guardian. As Portia attends college and gets to know the other friendly tenants in the building, she finds herself swept into into three mystery cases. As she applies her curiosity and logical reasoning to the mysteries, she also learns more about the secrets of her family.

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1. Portia Adams has a unique family history, as the granddaughter of Watson. How did you get the idea for Portia Adams as a character?

I've been toying with the idea of a young female detective for a long time - since university really, but originally, I had imagined Portia just renting the Baker Street townhouse and finding herself attracted to detective work just by a kind of osmosis. What sparked the idea for the family connection was a short story I read by Stephen King called 'The Doctor's Case.' It opened the door for me to think of ways to make Holmes and Watson my own, while still very much respecting Conan-Doyle's original writings - which King did very well in his short story.

2. The setting for most of the novel is London in the 1930s. The writing and descriptions of clothes, trains, and the socio-economic class structure in Britain created an impression of what the era was like. How did you do your research on 1930s London?

Extensively. I watched movies made in the ten-year span, read books published at the time, read political speeches written in London at the time (later made into packaged anthologies) and read as many history books on It as I could get my hands on.

3. The characters drink much tea, and there is a scene on a train in which Portia and some companions drink several pots of tea as they work out a mystery. What's your favorite tea?

Ha! I like Earl Grey and Jasmine teas myself ; )

4. Have you been to London before? And if so, have you visited 221B Baker Street?

Yes, I was born in London (a little burrough called Croydon) and lived there till I was six. I have been back many time as my brother still lives there. Yes, I have visited 221 Baker Street and the museum many times.

5. Which is your favorite Sherlock mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and why?

'A Scandal in Bohemia' because Adler is an absolute favorite character of mine.

6. What is your favorite Sherlock adaption (play, film, TV series)?

The one you list below in question 7. is my favourite, though I also like the Robert Downey Jr. movies.

7. The BBC Sherlock series has become quite popular worldwide. Have you seen it, and how do you feel about the modern adaptation of Sherlock as a high-functioning sociopath?

I love it! My senior thesis in my English degree was a paper in which I postulated that Sherlock Holmes was bipolar, so as an avid reader of the original canon, I could not agree more we the BBC interpretation.

8. I'm so excited to read more! Are you working on the second installment of the Portia Adams Adventures? How's it going? :)

I've actually finished my first draft of books 2 & 3 at this point (and am halfway through 4) so I'd say it's going rather well ; ) Portia is one of those characters who is both loud and busy, so she's constantly in my ear whispering ideas.

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Jewel of the Thames by Angela Misri

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The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress -- Book Review

Published: 2013

Genre: Young Adult / Steampunk / Mystery

From the book flap:

The Friday society follows the stories of three intelligent and talented young women who work as assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, combat instruction assistant; and Nellie, Magician's assistant. Their lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man. It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder--and the crimes they believe may be connected to it--without calling too much attention to themselves. Of course, blending in has never been these ladies' strong suit, especially with so many eligible men around.

Told with Adrienne Kress's sharp wit and a great deal of irreverence, this Steampunk mystery introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike--well, relatively ladylike--heroines poised for more dangerous adventures. 

Clearly, these three young women are ahead of their time. They're independent, smart, and resourceful--but they live in an era where women receive little credit for their work except for their looks and supporting roles.

My Library Book Stash #1: Raiding the YA Shelves

I borrowed more than this, but the pregnant tote bag on the floor is too unsightly to share. 

I always tell myself I'm going to get three, or at the most, five books. But no...I walk out of the Imperial Beach Library with a whole bagful of books in my reusable nylon tote bag. >_< 

I even had more at first, but put some back. These are ordered by author's last name, and the summaries are taken from the backs of the books or on the inside pages with the ISBN numbers.

Total: 13 books - 1 book (missing pages) = 12 books to read!