Hi everyone. A new reading year has begun, and it's time for the first monthly reading post of 2026. January was (as you might already know) a tough month weather-wise and also tough with the hubby's bad back, so my reading was all about what made me happy. That meant it was mostly about murders, crimes and mysteries, mingled with some biography. Most of these books were on the short side too (under 10 hours with many under 6 hours) except for the Born to Rule biography which wasn't even all that long compared to some books.
Here's the first book of the new year. It's always fun to move onto a new book, and I wanted the first book of the year to start me off with a bang and be a good omen for the rest of the year. Since I really enjoyed reading Charlotte Gray's biography of Alexander Graham Bell in December, I decided to read another of her books. This time it's true murder story that I had never heard of.
George Oaks was originally from Maine, but after graduating from college, he set off to find gold. He had always wanted to find gold and have a successful mine; he actually believed he would have one since he was a child. After some false starts he eventually staked a claim in Northeastern Ontario (who knew there was gold there?) and had that very successful mine. In fact, he was so successful Oaks became one of the richest men in the world back in the 1920's and 1930's.
This biography follows Oaks not only through his gold mining years, but then even more into his rich years. He eventually moved to the Bahamas to avoid taxes, as did so many other millionaires during the 1930's. When the Second World War began Oaks was still living there. That's when the former British King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson moved to the island. Because Oaks had so much money, he socialized with the set of people that included the new governor. However, for all Oaks money, he was not a glitzy kind of guy. In fact, he was a tough and rough miner that had no problem living in a shack and wearing less than fashionable clothes. However, like many people who make a lot of money, he didn't mind showing off a bit either.
Oaks was then murdered in the Bahamas in 1943. Of course, because he was so wealthy and had some important friends and acquaintances, the murder made headlines around the world. The book then follows the clues to catch his killer and then the trial of the man they arrested. This also makes headlines, and interestingly enough, one of the reporters at his murder trial was Earl Stanley Gardner, the man who authored all the Perry Mason novels. This murder was never actually solved, although Oaks' son-in-law was arrested and tried, he was acquitted. There were several theories of who else could have been the murderer, including whether the Duke of Windsor was somehow involved in covering up the event to protect the actual killer.
After the trial section of the book the author follows up on some other theories, talks about the several books written about this murder, and then follows up on what happens to the cast of characters who are part of this story.
Although overall I didn't like this book quite as much as this author's biography of Alexander Graham Bell, I enjoyed this book. I especially liked Oaks' rich years, the trial and especially the author's follow up on many of the characters. It was a well written and interesting read. I enjoyed how it combined history and a murder mystery together. I learned something new, and I am still interested in reading a few other of this author's biographies.
My next book (my first listen for the month) was another true crime book. This time is was about a wildlife smuggler named Jeffrey Lendrum and a detective named Andy McWilliams from the UK's National Wildlife Crime Unit. Lendrum was originally caught smuggling Peregrine falcon eggs which is illegal. However, his egg smuggling crimes spanned years and various places around the globe. He was arrested, tried, imprisoned and released on bail in many courts in many countries.
In this book I learned about Lendrum's crimes and also about egg and falcon collecting. I didn't realize that falconry was such a big thing in the Arab regions of the world. The money one could make participating in this crime could be quite large. This book also talks about egg collecting in history. Egg collections are slightly different from what Lendrum was mostly involved with. Lendrum illegally collected live eggs and transported them in such a way that they would eventually hatch and he would have live young birds to deliver to his clients. Those clients believed that wild falcons are better hunting birds than commercially bred falcons. The other egg collecting I learned about in this book is when the embryonic egg contents are blown out and only the shell remains. The rarer the species of bird are what some die-hard egg collectors wanted.
Of course collecting rare eggs or rare falcons in the wild only adds to the pressure of species survival. That where people like Andy McWilliams come in. They go after people carrying out these crimes. This book also covers some of the law enforcement that goes with wildlife crimes.
This was an interesting story and well written book. It is also sad that people feel they can do whatever they want to wildlife whether it causes the animal any type of unneeded stress/harm or whether it decimates the species. In many ways this book reminded me of The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson where the author writes a about the theft of many rare feathers from museums (like the Natural History Museum in London) in order to make flies for fishing.
The next book I read was this 1925 book by Agatha Christie called The Secret of Chimneys. This is the first book where the starring "detective" is Superintendent Battle. Battle was one of Christie's less common crime solvers. He appears in 5 of Christie's books.
I remember reading this book years ago and not liking it. I think that's because the beginning starts a little more uniquely than the usual Christie mystery. The beginning jumps around between several characters; political intrigue is introduced, as well as there is some very informal conversation, but 1920's informal language. I'm thinking it was hard for me at that time to get into it and that was my lasting impression. However this time I was hooked on this story right off the bat and even though there's a lot going on, I enjoyed it.
In this mystery there's an unpublished manuscript and a pile of questionable letters in Africa that need to get to London. The "owner" of the manuscript can't get there, so he talks a friend into going. This friend, Anthony Cade, goes, and he has the luxury of using 2 names, his own and also his friend's who couldn't leave Africa. In London he encounters some interesting events, all because of the manuscript. These events include having his room searched. During the break in Cade realizes that the letters were stolen, and that brings Cade to the apartment of a woman (Virginia Revel) who claims the letters are not hers, even though the name on the letters is hers. That's when the two discover the man who stole letters has been murdered and is dead in Virginia Revel's apartment.
Plus there is a political meeting regarding a fictional Balkan country at an ancestral home called Chimneys. Virignia Revel and Cade (invited under his friend's name) are both at this country estate, each because of their connection to this Balkan country. That's when another murder happen. There is also a French jewel thief that is found on his knees behind the boat house at Chimneys. You can see what I meant about all threads in this story. If you aren't interested in working to keep everything straight then you probably wouldn't care for this book.
I somewhat suspected the ending, but not exactly (I did remember a little bit from reading this book years ago). Christie used some twists to wrap up the story, and there were so many connected story lines in this book that I think it would be hard to totally figure out how everything works out. It was a fun read though, and this book also introduces Bundle, the daughter of the Baron who is now the owner of Chimneys. I know she appears in the next book, and maybe even a few more, so book 2 of this Christie mystery series (the Seven Dials Mystery) is high on my to read list.
My next listen was this southwestern mystery by Tony Hillerman. The Shape Shifter was originally published in 2006, and was the last Leaphorn and Chee book Tony Hillerman published before his death in 2008. It is book 18 in the series, and although you don't need to read this series in order, time does move on and characters evolve, but not so much to require your reading them in order. Hillerman's daughter Anne has since picked up this series so there are now (as of this post) 28 books in this series.
In this book Chee and Manuelito (2 of the 3 main police characters in this series) have just gotten married. Joe Leaphorn, the other main character, is now retired from the Navajo Police Force. However another former coworker of Leaphorn's sends him a message about a Navajo rug. This rug was supposedly destroyed in a fire, but it has turned up in a wealthy man's home which is the cover story in an architecture magazine. Is this photographed rug a fake, was the burnt rug a fake, or maybe the real rug wasn't burnt at all but the fire was to cover up some other crime? Leaphorn, who is a bit bored with retirement, takes on this case after talking with some people who knew about the rug. He is the main character in this story.
One interesting connection about this rug is that it was made during the Long Walk of the Navajo, a decimating event in the 1860's when the US government forced these people off their native lands. Hillerman tells bits of this history along with some Navajo creation stories within this mystery. Along with those historical tidbits, there are some modern "clues" not only about the rug but also about his former co-worker (the one who told him about the rug) who ends up dead. One of these modern clues is a piece of fruitcake that Leaphorn was served but wouldn't eat because he suspected it was poisoned. How he suspected that was a bit of a weakness in this story, but as the story continues, the fruit on and in this cake plays a big role.
I very much enjoyed this book, as I do most of the books in this series. The tough part is that it makes me want to go back to the Southwest, especially New Mexico, like right now. 😏
My next book was one that showed up on Book Bub for $1.99 (for Kindle), and since I am fascinated with Queen Victoria and her huge number of prodigy, I not only picked it up, but this book became my next read. The book follows five of Queen Victoria's 22 granddaughters, the five who went on to marry rulers of other countries and become queens or queen consorts. (Queen Victoria also had 20 grandsons.)
The 5 granddaughters this book focuses on are Alix who married the last czar of Russia and became Alexandria Feodrovna, Marie of Edinburgh (Missy) who married King Carol of Romania and was known as Queen Marie, Maud of Wales who married a Danish prince who went on to become King Hakon VII of Norway making her Queen Maud, Sophie who married Crown Prince Constantine of Greece and who became Queen Sophia of Greece, and also Ena who married King Alfonso XII of Spain and became Queen Victoria Eugenie.
I very much enjoyed this book, although it was not the fastest of reads and the parts where 4 of the 5 queens were reaching the ends of their lives could have been condensed a bit. I liked how Gelardi (the author) intersperses the stories chronologically so I was not reading all about 1 woman and then when that was finished, about another. The way these histories are interspersed means I could see the whole picture. And even better, the author describes the times so well. I especially enjoyed the five Queens' younger years and the parts through the first World War. The world really was as crazy then as it is now, with anarchists, rebellions, Balkan Wars, peasant revolts, World War One, wayward husbands, wayward queens, and even wayward children. I like how I learned about the history of these countries a little bit also.
The world certainly changed from the time these women were children until the end of their lives. I learned a lot about Queen Marie of Romania (she had quite the life), and she was the most covered of the five Queens in this book. I wish there was more about Queen Maud of Norway. However, I think the book presents that Queen Maud had the easiest life of the 5, and with less trauma, there isn't as much to write about. I also found that as I got further into the lives of 4 of these 5 women (since Tsarina Alexandria was murdered with her family in 1917), it was a tad bit tricky to keep track of all the royal children and grandchildren, but someone who is more of a royal historian or watcher might find that easier to follow.
This is a well annotated biography (in fact I was only at 71% of the book when the actual story finished), and it was a fascinating read. For the first 3/4 of the book, it was hard to put down.It was an interesting insight into what it was like to be royal and be a queen, juggling not only having to work with your spouse, but also become something the people in your country looked up to.
Netflix has a 3 part film version of Agatha Christie's book The Seven Dials Mystery in it's programming, and I watched it right after I finished reading The Secret of Chimneys. Although this 1929 book is not a part 2 of the 1925 Secret of Chimneys, it is connected to that novel. It includes some of the same characters like Superintendent Battle and Bundle as well as the estate called Chimneys.
After watching this film, I was curious about this book for 2 reasons. One, I liked the film and couldn't remember how close it was to the book (since I read this book so long ago) and two, some of the characters and their lines in the Netflix show didn't match with how Christie portrayed them in The Secret of Chimneys. I wanted to read this book to see how the film was similar and how it was different from what Christie wrote.
Although the film starts with a big party, alarm clocks and Bundle's fiance being murdered, the book starts with the same murder but Bundle is not engaged to the dead man. Nor is there a big party. Chimneys is being rented out, and Bundle and her father are living nearby. However, when Bundle gets wind of the murder, and when a man runs out in front of her car and dies in the road, whispering to her about The 7 Dials, Bundle finds herself wanting to take on the role of the detective. And she does.
Plus the whole ending of the Netflix show, which was a great twist, was not the twist in the book. Yes there was still the secret society, but without giving too much of anything away, the Netflix film was the essence of the book and perhaps a better film version that the book might actually make, but the book was (as seems to be always true) better than the film.
When I finished listening to The 7 Dials Mystery, I wanted something relating to Ancient Egypt. I wasn't certain whether to read the last historical fiction book in a series I read much of back in 2021, or whether to read a mystery set in the 1800's regarding Cleopatra. While book searching online, I came across this shorter (7ish hour) biography about Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, and I decided that was the book for the moment mainly because I didn't know anything about this woman.
Cleopatra Selene II was the the daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. She was the only known daughter Cleopatra had. Cleopatra's son with Caesar was murdered after his mother's death, and her other 2 sons with Marc Antony disappeared from history. But her daughter was sent to Rome after her parents' deaths to be brought up by Antony's former wife Octavia. Later she was married to King Juba of Mauretania, and she ruled his African Kingdom with him.
As I learned last year when I read a biography of Cleopatra VII, finding details about women (even queens and their children) from this time period was not an easy thing. This book started by describing that, and also by discussing a plate found in Pompeii's with Cleopatra Selene's head on it. Then this book jumps back to Cleopatra and Marc Antony.What I liked about this listen is how the author described life and customs of this time. For example, at the birth of Cleopatra Selene, (which people don't know the date of, only the year), it would have been a Roman custom to present the father with the child/children (in this case since she was one of a fraternal twin). If the father didn't accept the child, it would be left somewhere, either to die or to be picked up as part of another family. However, with Cleopatra being a queen, and the Egyptians giving women a lot of freedoms, this introduction might not have happened.
There are many examples like this in this book, and they made it an interesting listen. Once past Antony and Cleopatra VII, this book then continues with Cleopatra Selene and her life. There are a lot of "probables" in this story due to lack of actual factual information. However, if I was an historian, I would probably have still wanted a paper copy so I could mark many of the pages. That is one problem with listening to such detailed books as this one, there are things you miss because all you have to do is drop your attention for a moment and you miss some small detail. However, for my reading purposes, anything I learned was interesting, but now I know something about this ancient historical person. And I know a few things about a few other people too as well as those times.
This was an enjoyable listen. It was well written but not an overwhelming story, and I really enjoyed learning more and answering a few questions I had about what happened after Antony's and then Cleopatra's deaths.
Another mystery I read this month was a newer book (book 1 in this so far 2 part series), by Elly Griffiths. I like this author's writing style, and this book, which is not only about solving murders but is also about time travel, sounded interesting. And, in fact it was.
Ali is part of a police department that solves cold cases by traveling back in time to find evidence. Her latest case is going to send her further back than any of the others (and there hasn't been many since this is a relatively new technique). She needs to go back to 1850 and Victorian England. A modern day member of Parliament named Issac Templeton had a relative that lived during this time. This great-great (and maybe a few more greats) grandfather was never accused of killing artist models, but the stories about that have lingered and the man wants to clear his family name. Ali is asked to be the one to go back specifically by this MP. Could it be because her son Finn works for him? I wondered right off the bat if there was something sinister about that, but you'll have to read the book to find out because I don't want to spoil the story.
I will say that not all goes as well with this time travel adventure as is hoped, but I loved reading about Ali's and later a co-worker's visit to 1850's London. When Ali returns she finds that there's been a murder, and her son has been arrested for committing it. But when time travel is involved, things are not what they might appear to be.
For me, this book was hard to put down. Good thing it was very cold weather, and I didn't have to put it down. 👍 I know there is a book 2 coming out soon (I couldn't pre-order it but I tried) because I really liked the characters. I liked the time travel scenes, and I liked the mystery. I suppose I shall have to read some more of this author's Dr. Ruth Galloway books because when I finished this one, I was kind of on a Elly Griffith's buzz.
My last book for January was this vintage mystery, book 1 in a series by American author Frances Crane. This mystery, The Turquoise Door, was published in 1941. The sleuths in this book are Pat Abbott and Jean Holly. Jean runs a jewelry store in a small New Mexico town. According to Anne Hillerman who wrote the introduction, Frances Crane lived for much of her life in New Mexico, and much of that time in Taos, so she/Hillerman thinks even though the setting is in a town called Santa Maria, it could be Taos. (And being a little bit familiar with Taos from being there 5 or 6 times, I agree.) According to the introduction the 2 sleuths in the book eventually marry, but in this book Jean first meets Pat.
A man who is living in a hard to get to cabin outside of town is found dead. A wealthy woman in town doesn't know what happened to her husband. Could he be the murdered man? Plus the woman who was living with the murdered man also worked for this wealthy woman and was arrested for stealing some of the woman's jewelry. Then there's another murder as well as some counterfeit money.
One thing about reading vintage mysteries is that you get a lot of insight into the times when the books were written. This often includes things we don't find as "pleasant" today, for example how authors either talk negatively or use other ways to describe people who aren't what they are. You see this a bit in Agatha Christie. That is also true for this book. Should we change that in the book when it is rereleased just to fit modern times? Although I often find it a bit disturbing, I think it does make the book true to when it was written. It brings me back to the era of the story. I mention this because Crane has the Spanish population and the Native American populations not speaking perfect English. Was this speech pattern true when this book was written, or did Crane write it that way to please the general American population? I don't know.
Saying that, I still very much enjoyed this book. It was a tight mystery, well written, and I really felt like I was in New Mexico. I liked the characters and the story. I also didn't see the ending coming. I plan to read more of this series (at some point), and I love how each book has a different color in its title. I don't think all the stories are set in New Mexico, but I'll have to find out whenever I get around to reading them.
It was a great reading month for me. I can recommend all the books I read. And for February-I wish you some Happy Reading to those of you who like a good book. What's on your list?
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