Hello everyone. I hope you're having a great day.
Growing up in upstate New York, going to "the city" wasn't a big deal. While it was certainly a weekend trip, it was just a brief car ride away. When we were little, my parents went frequently. Frankly, after dealing with me then my three sisters (triplets) I'm certain they needed a break, especially from the "trips". Mom and Dad would get a nice hotel, see a Broadway show and go to Mamma Leones. They would always come home with two things, the cast recording of the show they saw and Bugies from Mamma Leones. This was a restaurant with an 800 page menu that folded out like a gas station map. Bugies were sold by the bag and were like fried puff pastry dusted in confectioners' sugar. Had it been a different time and place, someone seeing kids running around the house doused with white powder and singing Camelot might have thought something quite different was going on. Anyway, my parents loved two things, musicals and Neil Simon. Today's book reminds me of the movie Murder by Death, by Neil Simon. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. It stars some of the greats like Peter Faulk, Maggie Smith, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Truman Capote, Elsa Lancaster, Nancy Walker, Alec Guiness, Eileen Brennan, and more!
I recently read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. This is about Maggie and Ethan, both writers. They have been summoned to the house of a hugely successful writer to spend Christmas. Once they fly to Eleanor Ashley's 2000-acre British estate, they are enamored with their host and surprised by her family members, ranging from a baby to long lost niece, to a Duke and Dutchess. Why were these two American writers included? They are sassy, a bit tongue-in-cheek, and really don't like each other. Now, in a foreign country, with a huge snowstorm, a closed bridge, isolated at this mansion, the host, world renowned writer Eleanor Ashley, goes missing from a locked room. Where did she go? Is she hurt or even alive? Why did she insist they come? Who is now trying to kill them? These are all topics resolved in this book. The writing is pleasant and easy to read, and sarcastic, it will elicit a chuckle from the reader. The pacing, like most mysteries, increases after the setting and characters are defined. A bit zany, filled with sexual tension, great dialog, an interesting mystery, and Christmas, this book is lots of fun. Would be a great first book for romance lovers who want to dip their toe into the mystery genre, also a welcome break from super serious thrillers while still providing plenty of action and a solid mystery. Highly enjoyable.
