Murder at the Mikado--A Dashing Art Deco Mystery

by Susanne Dietze

What makes a good mystery novel? A murder most foul, confusing clues, red herrings, danger and a seemingly impossible-to-solve puzzle unraveled by a likable sleuth (and his/her helpful assistants, of course). Julianna Deering's latest Drew Farthering Mystery, Murder at the Mikado, has all my criteria in spades, set on a grand estate in a charming English village during the swanky 1930's Art Deco period.

But before I get carried away, here's the blurb on the back of the book:

When a celebrated actor is found murdered in his dressing room, all signs point to Drew's old flame. But behind the curtains nothing is what it seems and this quickly becomes his most puzzling case yet.
Just as Drew Farthering thinks his life has calmed down some, Fleur Landis, a former girlfriend, reappears, in dire need of his help. She's married now, no longer an actress--but the lead actor in her former troupe's production of The Mikado has been murdered, and Fleur is the police's number one suspect.

Drew would rather focus on his fiancée, Madeline Parker, and their upcoming wedding, but he can't leave Fleur and her family in the lurch--even if she did break his heart once. As Drew, Nick, and Madeline begin investigating, they discover more going on behind the scenes of the theater troupe than could ever have been imagined. It seems nearly everyone had a motive, and alibis are few and far between.

Both the murder case and the presence of the beautiful, exotic Fleur put a heavy strain on Drew and Madeline's relationship. Will their still-young romance survive the pressure?

***

After reading the previous two Drew Farthering Mysteries, I expected Drew to be up for more investigating. I should have known this next investigation might cost him dearly. When the fabulously-named Fleur Landis shows up begging ex-flame Drew's help clearing her name, something about her raised my hackles (as it were)--and those of Drew's sweet fiancée, Madeleine. It's not pretty.

Neither is the murder, nor the ones that follow (should that have been a spoiler alert? One sort of expects more than one dead body in a murder mystery, doesn't one?).

Drew and Madeleine's relationship is put to the test. However, Drew is compelled to continue the investigation, despite the damage it's causing his relationship with Madeleine.

One of the threads in the novel's tapestry is the Gilbert & Sullivan productions put on by the theatre company, including musical comedy The Mikado.

There's nothing comic about the murder of the troupe's lead actor, however, nor in the secrets Drew uncovers as he investigates. There's a lot on the line, and not just for Drew and Madeleine. Drew, Madeleine, and Drew's faithful friend Nick struggle to solve the case, set to the tunes of Gilbert & Sullivan.

One of the things I loved most about this book is the growth of the characters. They aren't flat, two-dimensional sketches, but evolving, conflicted people with scars, flaws, and hard choices. The main characters rely on their Christian faith, which I appreciate.

Meanwhile, the plot is twisty and tricky, the setting fun, and the murders gruesome and in need of justice. Just what I look for in a good murder mystery--and just what Deering delivers yet again.

***

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review. A positive review was neither expected nor promised.

***
Susanne Dietze enjoys a good mystery but writes nice, bloodless romance novels. You can visit her on her website.

Party with Julianna Deering and her new release, Death by the Book...and a giveaway!

 

 

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our celebration of our own Julianna Deering's second Drew Farthering mystery, Death by the Book!

Hot off the presses! Congratulations, Julianna!

It's only fitting that we celebrate a 1930's set murder mystery (a la Agatha Christie) in the drawing room of a sprawling mansion in England, don't you think? But of course, nothing untoward will happen during our party. No poisoned mocktails, no guests being strangled when they step onto the balcony, no blood smears on the floor. Just cider and conversation--both sparkling.

Public Domain by 40Dover

How delightful that we are all wearing 1930's couture and perfectly-coiffed hair, and adorable shoes!

Take your mocktail onto the balcony! (From 1932 Ladies' Home Journal)

Oh! Look! Servants bearing trays of nibbles.

Cheese puff, ma'am?

Crudite, ma'am?

 

Now, a bit about Death by the Book:

Drew Farthering wanted nothing more than to end the summer of 1932 with the announcement of his engagement. Instead, he finds himself caught up in another mysterious case when the family solicitor is found murdered, an antique hatpin with a cryptic message, Advice to Jack, piercing his chest.

Evidence of secret meetings and a young girl's tearful confession point to the victim's double life, but what does the solicitor's murder have to do with the murder of a physician on the local golf course? Nothing, it would seem--except for another puzzling note, affixed with a similar-looking bloodied hatpin.

Soon the police make an arrest in connection with the murders, but Drew isn't at all certain they have the right suspect in custody. And why does his investigation seem to be drawing him closer and closer to home?

What a spot of trouble for Drew! All this tension is making me hungry.

Cream puff, ma'am?

And thirsty.


Club soda with a twist, ma'am?

Please feel free to stay and enjoy the refreshments all day. Be sure to say hello in the comments so you can be entered into the drawing for Death by the Book! Winner will be drawn at random this Friday, March 7 11:59 pm eastern time, so don't delay!




Another great mystery by Julianna Deering!

Congratulations, Julianna!

The Undead vs. the Un-Dead

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation 3:1, NIV)

You probably won’t be shocked to learn that death plays a part in a book entitled Rules of Murder. The main characters grapple with the violent deaths of people close to them, and these struggles are the catalysts for the changes they make over the course of the book.

Few things focus the mind like attending the funeral of someone who died too young and too suddenly. Funerals force us to confront the notion of an afterlife and the possiblity that there is a fate worse than physical death. Jesus himself warned, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28, NIV)

With a setting of 1930’s Britain, Rules of Murder is historical without being unfamiliar. Characters drive cars, listen to radios, and talk on telephones. However, the evangelical zeal that characterized Britain’s abolitionist and missionary movements of the 19^th century have moderated into comfortable, routine religious practices.

Drew Farthering, Julianna Deering’s (aka Inkwell’s own DeAnna Julie Dodson) charming amateur sleuth, is a prototypical English gentleman of his day—possessing a good education, good manners, and a good fortune. Oh, he still acknowledges the existence of a deity (unlike some of his Oxford professors and classmates), but he doesn’t particularly seek a relationship with God. He attends church—sometimes, at least. He’s a nice guy with decent morals. But his faith is an intellectual endeavor, not a transformation of the heart. He does the right things and knows the right lingo, and it all looks good—on the outside.

In one sense, this propensity to pay lip service to our faith feels very modern, very relevant. Upwards of 80% of Americans claim Christianity as their religion, but fewer than half that number attend church regularly. The numbers are even worse in Drew’s Britain, where only about 0.5% of the Anglican church’s members actively attend weekly services. And while nearly 90% of Americans own a Bible (and most of those own more than one), only 13% read it daily.

This desire to look good to others while still not surrendering to God is as old as humanity itself. A quick walk through the Bible produces example after example, from Cain in Genesis to the church at Sardis in Revelation.

Do not be deceived, Paul tells us in Galatians. God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. We may fool those around us, but God sees our hearts. And often he lets us reap the hypocrisy we sow. Secrets have a way of coming out in the end, and the sins we do in private often have a way of eventually bringing us down in public. If you don’t believe me, just go look at the headlines this week. They are full of salacious stories about several well-known politicians whose private lives will probably end their careers.

In Rules of Murder, Drew learns several startling secrets about his family and himself, information that challenges his very concept of himself. Fortunately, rather than becoming cynical, he begins to evaluate his spiritual condition.

In mythology, the undead are beings which are dead, but behave as if they are alive. But did you know we can actually reverse our deadened spiritual states? You could say we have an opportunity to become un-dead. Unlike physical death, there is a cure for spiritual zombie-hood. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. (Revelation 3:1-3, NIV)

You can read Drew Farthering’s story in Rulesof Murder by Julianna Deering. For a chance to win a free copy, leave a comment with a spam-proof version of your email address.

The Detection Club and The Golden Age of Mystery

By Lisa Karon Richardson

Following the Great War there was a period of optimism. The war to end all wars had been fought, and there was hope that the world would never again witness such horrors. It was a time of glamour, hope, and opulence. A time that remains edged with silver in the eye of history. During this time the mystery novel reached a pinnacle of creativity and wit. It is now known as the Golden Age of mysteries and it has left readers a rich legacy of choice stories to pick from.

In 1930 some of the best practitioners in the art of detective fiction joined together to form the Detection Club. The members included: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, Baroness Orczy, E.C. Bentley, Father Knox, and several other well known authors.

They had an oath that members were required to take during an initiation ceremony. “Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God?”

Their guiding principle was fair play with the reader. All the clues had to be laid out so that, if astute, a reader could solve the crime too. They met for dinner in London regularly and the group actually published several books. Usually anthologies or with chapters written by different authors in a sort of round robin style.

It was as a member of this group that Father Knox came up with his list of rules which the mystery writer should not break. Proving that she is nothing if not individualistic, our own Julianna/DeAnna promptly set out to break them all. AND YET she still managed to craft a story that pays homage to the traditional mysteries that the members of Detection Club wrote during the Golden Age of Mysteries.

I really hope that you will pick up a copy of Rules of Murder and let the glitter and glitz of a bygone era sweep you away. In no time you’ll be as insouciant as Nick and Nora, as suave as Cary Grant, as cunning as Hitchcock. Well… maybe not, but you’ll feel as if you are all those things while you’re reading!

The Detection Club still exists, and I think they'd do well to invite our own DeAnna to join!

If you like mysteries, (and who doesn’t?!) what is your favorite type? Traditional, cozy, police procedural, hard-boiled, PI, something else?