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Tag Archives: discussion group

The Hamish Macbeth novels of M.C. Beaton

deathofagossipJust Desserts Logo 225For our first meeting of 2007, we eased back into things with another British series detective. In this case, it’s M.C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth, sleuth in twenty-two novels so far. Rather than select a specific title in this series, we encouraged all the Just Desserts participants to select any one or more of the Hamish Macbeth books to read. We then held a general discussion of the series as a whole when we met on the last Thursday of January, 2007. 

The 22 volumes of M.C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth series are available in a variety of formats, including: Hardback, Paperback, downloadable audio files, Book-on-CD and even a few on Large Type editions. In addition, the first two seasons of the 3-season British television series based on the books [1995-1997] were also available on DVD in the library’s collections: Series One | Series Two

The Hamish Macbeth series was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on January 25, 2007. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about these book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!

The Works of Ed McBain

bigbadcityJust Desserts Logo 225During the Nov/Dec 2006 hiatus between meetings of the Just Desserts group, we encouraged regular attendees to participate in our online book discussion forum. At that time we had a special Just Desserts forum set up, and we challenged everyone to read any book by Ed McBain (or any of those written under his given name of Evan Hunter), then visit the Book Lovers Discussion Forums, to post their comments. 

To introduce you to the works of Ed McBain, we encourage you to visit our Remembering…Ed McBain page, which we created following the author’s death in 2005.

This topic was discussed on the now-defunct Just Desserts discussion forum during the November/December 2006 hiatus of Just Desserts. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about any of Ed McBain’s books in a reply comment to this blog post, below!

Henrietta Who?

henriettawhoJust Desserts Logo 225For the final meeting of 2006, it was another mystery classic — Catherine Aird’s Henrietta Who?: Until her widowed mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident, Henrietta thought her last name was Jenkins. And then the post-mortem revealed that Grace Jenkins had never borne a child — that her death was not an accident. Overnight, Henrietta’s life became a nightmare of unanswered questions. Who was she? Where was her real family? Why had Grace Jenkins never told her the truth? Inspector Sloane wanted answers to other questions. Was it a coincidence that the murderer struck just before Henrietta’s 21st birthday? Who else had a key to the Jenkins cottage? The Inspector was afraid that before there were answers to these questions, the killer might strike again. And he was right.

This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on August 31, 2006. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!

Haunted Ground

hauntedground2Just Desserts Logo 225For September 2006, we returned to a more recently published novel, Erin Hart’s Haunted Ground. This novel also features events set in differing time periods, though: A grisly discovery is made deep in an Irish peat bog — the perfectly preserved severed head of a red-haired young woman. Has she been buried for decades, centuries, or longer? Who is she and why was she killed? American pathologist Nora Gavin and archaeologist Cormac Maguire are called in to investigate, only to find that the girl’s violent death may have shocking ties to the present — including the disappearance of a local landowner’s wife and son. Aided by a homicide detective who refuses to let the missing be forgotten, Nora and Cormac slowly uncover a dark history of secrets, betrayal, and death in which the shocking revelations of the past may lead to murder in the future…

This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on September 28, 2006. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!

The Daughter of Time

daughteroftimeJust Desserts Logo 225Our August 2006 selection was one of the all-time classics of the mystery field — a mixture of contemporary and historical — Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time.

Tey re-creates one of history’s most famous — and vicious — crimes in her classic bestselling novel, a must read for connoisseurs of fiction. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, recuperating from a broken leg, becomes fascinated with a contemporary portrait of Richard III that bears no resemblance to the Wicked Uncle of history. Could such a sensitive, noble face actually belong to one of the world’s most heinous villains — a venomous hunchback who may have killed his brother’s children to make his crown secure? Or could Richard have been the victim, turned into a monster by the usurpers of England’s throne? Grant determines to find out once and for all, with the help of the British Museum and an American scholar, what kind of man Richard Plantagenet really was and who killed the Little Princes in the Tower. The Daughter of Time is an ingeniously plotted, beautifully written, and suspenseful tale, a supreme achievement from one of mystery writing’s most gifted masters.

This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on August 31, 2006. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!