Pandora Hearts Volumes 1-11

Pandora Hearts Volumes 1-11 by Jun Mochizuki, 2040 pages (11 books)

 

Pandora Hearts is a manga that follows the life of Oz Vessalius a rich noble whose life is about to change. At his coming of age ceremony he is cast into an alternate reality prison known as the Abyss. He is saved by making an illegal contract with a girl named Alice the Black Rabbit. Upon his escape Oz explores deeper into what exactly is the Abyss, who/what is Alice, and what is Pandora up to. Pandora is the organization that Oz meets when he leaves the Abyss. They also have contracts with powerful beings from the Abyss, though theirs are not quite the same.

Pandora Hearts is more of a mystery manga than anything else. Yes there is action, romance, and such, but it is the shadowy nature of Pandora, and the investigation into why this happened to Oz that really drives the story. The story itself seems to be somewhat influenced by the Alice in Wonderland series, especially with the Abyss beings.

I found this manga hard to follow at times. There are a lot of flashbacks, recovered memories, long tales and similar looking characters. There is also a lot of world building and character development throughout these books. By the fifth or sixth book there are at least a dozen characters that are flitting in and out of the story with no indications to whether or not they are important. To say the least, it was at times challenging. Despite these flaws I still enjoyed the series thus far. Being a sucker for anything Wonderlandish certainly helps. While I cannot say that this is my favorite manga, I would still recommend it.

Treachery at Lancaster Gate

Treachery at Lancaster Gate by Anne Perry  288 pages

This book begins with an explosion in London that kills two policeman and seriously injuring three more.  At first, it seems to be the work of anarchists, but once Thomas Pitt, Commander of Special Branch, starts investigating, it seems that the motives are much more personal.  In fact, the bombing appears to be a calculated strike against the police.   As Pitt, and his former associate, Tellman, investigate, they reveal layers of corruption inside the police force, which puts them directly in the path of danger.

It's hard for me to believe that this is the 31st book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.  I read both the William Monk and the Pitt series by Anne Perry, and while I didn't enjoy the last Monk book, I did enjoy this newest Pitt.

I felt Perry did a good job with building the story, piece by piece, and increasing the pace (and sense of danger).   I wasn't sure of the explanation behind the bombings at first, and once it was revealed, that was only part of what was happening in the story.  I appreciate that Anne Perry knows her time periods quite well, and adds in real historical and political details.  I enjoy the characters, as well, and in this book (unlike in the last Monk story), Perry did not belabor the reader with too many details of backstory.  

That's actually an irritation I have with her books, now that they are well into the two series: she goes into way too much explanation and backstory for some of the characters.  For example, by the time I'm at #21 in a series, I don't need a long explanation of how Hester Monk was a nurse in the Crimean Wars (and on and on and on).   In this book, there's a long explanation of Tellman's relationship to Pitt; instead of a long paragraph, why not just a sentence that indicates that Tellman is a former colleague of Pitt?   Ugh.    I understand that if this is the first book you ever pick up, you might be curious, but even so, I feel there's too much of this backstory that happens.

But I digress.   This book was enjoyable, and a worthy addition to the series.

A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathyrn Harkup.  307 pages.

"Fourteen novels.  Fourteen poisons.  Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's all made up."   Did you know that Dame Agatha Christie had extensive knowledge in the field of toxicology and pharmacology? Well, she did, and she knew how to put her knowledge to good use by killing off characters in many of her books.   As this article in the Daily Beast puts it, "The best-selling novelist of all time actually knew how to whip up a brew that could put you 6 feet under."

Author Kathryn Harkup is a chemist and self-described Christie fanatic.  Going through the alphabet, she takes the reader through various poisons that Christie used (and how she used them on a character), and gives in-depth information about the poison.   You learn the source of a poison, the effects, the treatment (if any, both during Christie's time and now), and also read about real-life poisoning cases.

Harkup has a writing style that is informative, but has wit sprinkled throughout, so that the pacing is steady, and it's entertaining.  I don't believe you have to be familiar with all of Christie's books to enjoy this, although if you haven't already read some of her books, you will probably be inspired to pick a few up after finishing this book.   I found this book to be absolutely fascinating, and a good companion for The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.

By the way, I know that when I raved about this book to several people, there was a definite air of nervousness in response.   This is one of those titles that if you read it on the train, or in a public place, you may get some anxious glances thrown your way.

The first five books of the Meg Langslow Mysteries Series

Murder with Peacocks, Murder with Puffins, Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, Couching Buzzard Leaping Loon, and We'll Always have Parrots by Donna Andrews. (1475 total pages)

I am not sure how this series, and namely Murder with Peacocks, came up in the usual second floor discussions but it did. This, of course, cause a big rush on the book and created a staff waiting list. As people finished and talked about it with people from the other floors, some of them were drawn in as well. When I finally got my chance at the book I quickly devoured it. It is a light to overly light mystery series that strives in its unpredictableness.


This series, quite obviously, follows the life of Meg Langslow. In Murder with Peacocks she is trying to plan three different weddings that all seem to happen within days of each other. Luckily she finds an escape from the bridezillas in the serial murderer who seems determined to end at least one of the weddings. Murder with Puffins finds Meg and part of her family trapped on an island as a hurricane is hitting. Of course this is not enough excitement so there is also a murder. Since all the ferries to and from the island are closed, Meg has until the hurricane lets up to solve the murder, or risk them escaping.

Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos has a murder at a craft fair with a Civil War reenactment going on at the same time. Couching Buzzard Leaping Loon sees an office prankster killed off with a huge list of suspects that wanted him dead. Lastly We'll Always have Parrots takes place at a convention, or con, for a tv series at which one of the lead characters is killed. Also someone has let loose a couple hundred monkeys and parrots just for the fun of it.


What I enjoy most from this series so far are the characters whom remind me of the ones from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Quite silly at times, but still achieving the goal of the story, or solving the murder. I fully intend to keep reading this series, and as I sit here writing this review, have the next three books on the table next to me. Though I cannot help but wonder if anyone will ever question why so many murders happen around Meg.

Omens

Omens by Kelley Armstrong  487 Pages

This is the first book in a new series by this author.  Olivia Taylor-Jones appears to have it made.  The daughter of a wealthy family, fiancée to an up-and-coming CEO, volunteer and philanthropist, the only glitch seems to be that she’s unsure about her career aspirations.  Suddenly, everything falls apart.  She finds out that she’s adopted and that her birth parents are notorious serial killers.  Olivia, shaken by the news and concerned about the negative publicity to her family and fiancée, leaves her home and resettles in a small town in the Chicago area, finding her own apartment and a paying job.  She also connects with her birth mother, Pamela Larsen, who is currently in jail, through Gabriel Walsh, Pamela’s former lawyer.  Pamela wants Olivia’s help in passing on information to a group that may be willing to help with another appeal, as the Larsen’s claim they are innocent.  Olivia feels drawn to help but wants to find out first if there may be any truth to their claims.  So, she and Gabriel begin to investigate the information themselves but they may find more than they bargain for.  A compelling story with just a hint of supernatural running through, this will be a big hit with fans of investigative mystery, adventure, supernatural type of stories and with Armstrong fans.