Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo

(22. - 1161.) Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo translated by Louise Heal Kawai - Private detective, Kosuko Kindaichi, arrives on Gokumon Island, also known as Hell’s Gate Island, in the fall of 1946. Kosuke had gained fame before the war for solving the Honjin murders (a link to the book is below).

Kosuke spent the war in the Japanese Army barely surviving in New Guinea. He is now in his mid-30’s.

Kosuke has come to the isolated island of about 1,000 people to honour the dying request of his comrade, Chimata Kito. As Chimata was dying on the repatriaion ship back to Japan he asked Kosuke to go to his island home in his place because his “three sisters will be murdered”.

Chimata was the heir of the main Kito family. The hierarchy of the island is well established. The leaders of the main and branch Kito families are at the top. The priest, the mayor and the doctor form the second layer of leadership.

The main Kito family is the leading family on this island of fishermen descended from pirates and exiled criminals. They are wealthy. Their leader is the primary fishing chief.

When Kosuke advises of Chimata’s death there is almost panic upon the island.

Chimata’s grandfather, Kaemon, has just died and his father, Yousamatsu, went “mad” a decade earlier and is kept in a cage in the family home.

The beautiful Sanae, a cousin of Chimata, at 22 is acting as the fishing chief. She is a member of the branch Kito family.

Chimata’s sisters are Tsukiyo (18), Yukie (17) and Hanako (16).

When Hanako is found hanging upside down from a plum tree at the island temple Kosuke realizes Chimata’s request that Kosuke protect his sisters reflected real danger.

Who would want to kill the teenage girls? They have no power. The issue of succession in the Kito family looms over everyone.

Can Kosuke protect the surviving sisters?

Kosuke, in the manner of the times when transportation was both slower and more limited, spends several weeks upon the island.

He is viewed with suspicion. Is he a hired assassin? Fortunately, Inspector Isokawa, who participated in the Honjin murder investigation, arrives to assist the local police and confirm Kosuke can be trusted.

Where the Honjin murders were a classic locked room mystery, murder on Gokumon Island, while elaborately done, is mystifying in its ritual staging. I was reminded of Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong where unraveling the macabre posing of the bodies in red Mandarin dresses solved the murders.

There is another reminder of the Inspector Chen series in that poetry, here versions of haikus, play a role.

The island’s history stretches far into the past. The island’s Bhuddist priest is the 81st generation of priests for the temple.

Yokomizo is skilled at creating complex murder scenes. While the method of killing is simple there is a theatrical flair to the arrangment of body, clothing and setting. I thought of The Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Sáenz where a killer was equally dramatic with the victims. I will never forget bees put into the mouths of those killed with their stings causing death.

In Yokomizo’s books there is a subtlety and vivid imagery to murder that, were the consequences not deadly, would be beautiful.

****

Yokomizo, Seishi - (2022) - The Honjin Murders

The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen

(19. - 1158.) The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Greedy evil men are manipulating and stealing funds intended by the Danish government to go to the Baka (pygmy) people of Cameroon, Africa. They will murder to protect their despicable venture.

Back in Denmark another greedy evil man, Zola, has taken total control of a group of Roma. They are more cult than clan under his total domination. Street thievery and begging are their primary sources of income. Children are on the streets rather than in school. Adult members of the group are available for hire as thugs or worse. 

Marco, a bright 15 year old, is dissatisfied with life under Zola. When he hears that he is to be maimed to enhance his ability to beg he flees. The clan pursues.

Carl Mørck is unhappy as usual. When he hears his boss is retiring he fears for the future of Department Q.

Assad is still recovering from the brutal beating he took in The Purity of Vengeance.

Marco decides he will turn away from crime to make his way in the world. I was fascinated by how he survived on the streets of Copenhagen without resorting to crime. Willing to all kinds of menial labour and constantly suffling between shops he earns a basic living. Even though it is winter he sleeps upon the streets.

I was reminded of Kim by Rudyard Kipling though the streets of modern Denmark are more dangerous than Kim’s India over 100 years ago. 

Constantly wary of being found by the clan Marco, when he is not working, spends many hours in a place the clan would never go - the library.

Provided a home by a gay couple, Marco schemes to get the identity papers that will enable him to live as an ordinary Dane and pursue an education. It is a disaster when the clan finds out where he is staying.

William Stark has been missing for four years. The conscientious civil servant had disappeared after returning from Cameroon. Department Q’s curiosity is piqued when they learn he had returned to Denmark after only a few hours in Cameroon.

Because it is less than 5 years since his disappearance he has not been declared legally dead. His home, beyond basic housekeeping, is as he left it. His partner and step-daughter moved out as they did not feel safe there.

Adler-Olsen skilfully brings together the two plot lines.

Marco is a skilled burglar. His experience has made him a patient and systematic searcher. When he goes through the house, the third time it is searched, he sees information other searchers have not taken the time to consider. 

The remainder of the book is essentially a chase. Marco is being hunted by good guys and bad guys.

Some suspension of disbelief is necessary but Adler-Olsen shows talen at writing a gripping chase. While Hollywood drama is far from my favourite story approach Adler-Olsen had me racing through the book.

With each book in the series another layer of Assad’s life is revealed. His Middle Eastern connections with the new police boss before Assad came to Denmark are startling.

The challenges of Mørck’s personal life are interwoven into the story but not emphasized in this book. 

Marco is a striking character. How he changes his life is remarkable. I would love for him to re-appear in the series.

The Marco Effect is a strong thriller and an above average mystery.

****

Adler-Olsen, Jussi - (2011) - The Keeper of Lost Causes; (2012) - The Absent One; (2020) - A Conspiracy of Faith; (2020) The Purity of Vengeance and Involuntary Sterilization in Denmark and Canada

A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson

(21. - 1160.) A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson - In the summer of 1971, Liz Murphy is 13 and the oldest in a family of 5 girls and a boy. The youngest girl, Alexandra, is blond and blue eyed. All the others have green eyes and red hair. Their mother, Patricia, calls them her raspberry patch.

Liz evocatively describes their Saskatchewan home:

“Here in Willowsbend, in the middle of farmland from horizon to horizon - except for an invasion of gophers, a deluge of hail, or a plague of grasshoppers - nothing ever happens.”

A quiet summer awaits the Murphy children as they will be adjusting to the arrival of their baby brother.

There is another exception. The Tremblay family has been slaughtered at their farm home. Both parents and 5 kids have been efficiently shot. The mother's tongue has been cut out.

A neighbour, Stanley Drummond, recently released from jail is the community suspect though most residents lean to a mysterious stranger being the killer.

With the mass murder Willowsbend is dominated by fear amongst the adults. Every day with no arrest adds to the tension. The children are less scared. They play, they go to the outdoor pool, they focus on friends. They worry little about an unknown murderer.

Liz is a bright girl. As the oldest she has significant responsibilities to help with the younger children. She is maturing from a girl to a young woman.

Her sister, Rose, at 11 is going on 30. She is an avid photographer and reader with an adult vocabulary, in all ways, and lots of attitude. She does not react well to requests / suggestions / orders from Liz.

Rose is almost as precocious as another 11 year old crime mystery sleuth, Flavia de Luce. Alan Bradley, the creator of Flavia, lived and worked in Saskatchewan for decades. 

While Flavia is devoted to chemistry Rose is passionate about words and photographs. Rose aspires to be a forensic crime scene photographer.

The Murphy’s are a traditional family. Father, Jim, is dedicated to Murphy’s Hardware store. A serious, even remote, man he spends little time with the children.

While mother, Patricia, is a “no nonsense” direct parent she provides all the children with abundant affection. 

Suddenly, in the middle of the book I was so shaken by an event I took a break from reading. As what I want to write most about the plot would be a huge spoiler I will not comment.

As it should, the weather of our province is a constant presence. From the frigid winter to the baking summer weather controls our lives. When the baby, Cole, is chosen for the role of the Baby Jesus in the creche before Midnight Mass he is bundled in a bulky snowsuit. It was fitting that as I finished the book on Canada Day, July 1, evening a wild wind drove me off the deck and into the house.

As the story progresses the murders fade into the background. Beyond extra caution for the children, life returns to normal. Liz is worried about having a friend in high school.

To Liz’s dismay, Rose is a determined sleuth. She has to know who killed the Tremblay family. She keeps an eye out for “clues” and, contrary to her father’s directions, regularly spends time around the Tremblay home. She develops her own theory on the murders.

Jackson writes with assurance and confidence. The dialogue of the children is very well done. The language of all 5 girls reflects their respective ages or, for Rose exceeds her age.

Jackson also has a keen ear for the manner of speech in Saskatchewan in ‘71. The phrases, rhythms and tones are all familiar.

A Snake in the Raspberry Patch is a book about family life in rural Saskatchewan with murder simmering through the story. Few mysteries deal with the challenges of a family of 6 children 13 and younger. While crime fiction the book, like Anthony Bidulka’s book Going to Beautiful, defies easy characterization.

Jackson kept me wondering until the very end. A Snake in the Raspberry Patch is a challenging book that left me reflective. It is well written and a worthy winner of the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for best crime novel set in Canada.

1,000,000 Page Views!

Milestones are marked by numbers. In my blogging life I have written about my first 500 posts and then my first 1,000 posts. Tonight I write of having reached 1,000,000 page views over 13 years of blogging. 

I do not know how many people have read the blog. I have never tracked visitors. I do know I have readers from around the world.

As 2023 has unfolded I wondered which milestone I would reach first - 1,000,000 page views or 1,500 blog posts. As the year progressed it was clear it would be page views. This will be my 1,473rd post on the blog.

Over the years I have been intrigued by the posts which have drawn the most page views. The top 10, with links, are:

1.) Amelia Island is Camino Island with 20,300 views - After reading Camino Island by John Grisham I wrote a post about Amelia Island which inspired the setting of Camino Island. Amelia Island is a lovely island just outside Jacksonville, Florida. Grisham has a vacation home there;

2.) “N” is for Stuart Neville with 18,100 views - For a few years Australian blogger, Kerrie Smith, had a Crime Fiction Alphabet meme. One year I chose to go through the alphabet by posts about writers. I had read the Ghosts of Belfast by the Northern Ireland writer and found it a powerful reflection on the psychological consequences of “killing upon the killers”. Still I think it got most of its page views because an “N” image in the post, for quite awhile, was one of the images you found if you googled the letter “N”;

3.) Reviewing the movie adaptation of Louise Penny’s Still Life with 13,600 views - A decade ago CBC television produced a movie version of Still Life. Much as I have loved the Armand Gamache series I considered the movie no more than average. I thought Nathaniel Parker as Armand Gamache was badly cast. I could not see him as a French Canadian. My assessment that it would have been better for the format to have been a mini-series proved ill-fated. When Amazon Priime created a series last year Three Pines based upon the Penny’s books the series lasted but one season. I thought the series deserved to be renewed. I was most impressed by Alfred Molina as Gamache. He will be my image of Gamache as I read further books in the series;

4.) Danish Chestnut Dolls in Fiction and Real Life with 11,100 views - In the Danish mystery, The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup, the murderer left small figures made from chestnuts at crime scenes. Unable to find clear photos online of the “chestnut dolls” I contacted my Danish friend, Bente, who made some dolls and sent me photos which are in the post. The innocent dolls were a vivid presence at murder;

5.) Legally Speaking in Fiction and Real Life with 10,500 views - I occasionally write of my experiences as a lawyer, especially in court. This post discussed how lawyers speak in fiction and real life. Lawyers are articulate in real life but not as perfect as fictional lawyers are in speaking. I did quote the end of a closing address to juries used by famed American lawyer Gerry Spence:

Ladies and gentlemen I am about to leave you, but before I leave you I’d like to tell you a story about a wise old man and a smart-alec boy. The smart-alec boy had a plan, he wanted to show up the wise old man, to make a fool of him. The smartalec boy had caught a bird in the forest. He had him in his hands. The little bird’s tail was sticking out. The bird is alive in his hands. The plan was this: He would go up to the old man and he would say, “Old man, what do I have in my hands?” The old man would say, “You have a bird, my son.” Then the boy would say, “Old man, is the bird alive or is it dead?” If the old man said that the bird was dead, he would open up his hands and the bird would fly off free, off into the trees, alive, happy. But if the old man said the bird was alive, he would crush it and crush it in his hands and say, “See, old man, the bird is dead.” So, he walked up to the old man and said, “Old man, what do I have in my hands?” The old man said, “You have a bird, my son.” He said, “Old man, is the bird alive or is it dead?” And the old man said, “The bird is in your hands, my son.” Ladies and gentlemen of the jury my client is in yours."

6.) Redefining Success - Still Making Mistakes by W. Brett Wilson with 5,900 views - While most of my reading and most of my posts involve crime fiction I do read and write about non-fiction. Wilson’s autobiography covers the facts of his life but is more about the lessons he has learned from a life in business in Alberta. He grew up in Saskatchewan and remains proud of his home province:

Ask anyone in the Calgary corporate community and they’ll tell you: if you want to hire a trustworthy person who understands that a hard day’s work earns a fair wage, just hire someone from Saskatchewan.

He is an excellent writer whose perspective on life and business was profoundly affected by having prostate cancer;

7.) The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham with 5,000 views - Grisham’s saga on Biloxi, Mississippi published last year featuring the Marco (good guys) and Rudy (bad guys) family is a good book but it is not one of Grisham’s best and I do not consider my review one of my best. Somehow this review has attracted spammers. It attracts 1-2 spam comments almost every day. I faithfully delete them but I expect more will appear tomorrow.

8.) A Murder of Crows by David Rotenberg with 4,600 views - The title is evocative in referring to the name for a gathering of crows. The book is the second in the The Junction Chronicles trilogy. In the book synesthete, Decker Roberts, is called upon to assist in the investigation of a university graduation ceremony bombing in which 200 were killed. Roberts can tell if someone is not telling the truth. He examines hundreds of videos. The limitation to his skill is that he cannot tell whether someone not telling the truth is lying;

9.) Josef Müller - A German Catholic Hero of World War II with 4,000 views - While reading Church of Spies by Mark Riebling I learned of Müller’s remarkable life. A Bavarian lawyer he acted as a conduit between German Military Intelligence and the Vatican for Pope Pius XII. Eventually he was arrested:

On April 8, 1945 Müller was advised he would be hanged that day:

Müller prepared for death. He sank to his knees in his striped orange and gray pajamas, whispering the Our Father. Then he motioned to one of his fellow prisoners, Russian General Pyotr Privalov, and asked him to memorize a message. Knowing that the last words of the condemned sometimes reached the outside world, he told Privalov he would shout to the hangman: “I die for peace!”

Müller then walked to the gallows. What happened there is as dramatic as any work of fiction I have read. 

You will need to read Church of Spies to find out what happened.

10.) Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch with 2,800 views - I have loved Michael Connelly’s books for over 20 years. Since I started keeping track of my reading in 2000 I have read more Connelly books than any other author.

When Harry Bosch was brought to the screen in the Bosch television series I wondered who would be cast as Harry. As set out above I had been very disappointed in Nathaniel Parker as Armand Gamache.

From the first episode of Bosch I considered Titus Welliver to be Bosch. Beyond the physical image being perfect Welliver conveys Bosch’s persona:

Harry of the books has a presence. When he enters a room he is the focus. Supervisors resent the attention he draws from other officers. Welliver has that touch of swagger.

I have known but a few men who went through life unafraid. Not always physically imposing they had a mental toughness that made them virtually unbeatable in conflict. Welliver convinces the viewer he will take on anyone at any time. If he loses it will be a surprise and he will go down fighting.

I regret that my top Canadian book review, Cobra Clutch by A.J. Devlin, was 11th with 2,400 views.

I find it interesting that only 3 of 10 most viewed posts were actually book reviews. I do not know why.

I still enjoy writing posts though my pace has slowed in recent years. 

I have appreciated contacts with authors. In particular, I am proud to know a pair of Saskatchewan writers of crime fiction - Gail Bowen and Anthony Bidulka. I have enjoyed reading their books and spending time with them.

An unexpected pleasure of blogging has been making virtual friends with other bloggers. Some no longer post or are gone but others stay in contact through comments. I especially appreciate Margot Kinberg, TracyK. And Moira Redmond.

I am grateful to all the readers in the world who have come to read my blog. When I started I wondered if anyone would read the blog. A million page views fills me with joy. Best wishes to readers everywhere.

The Iman of Tawi-Tawi by Ian Hamilton

(20. - 1159.) The Iman of Tawi-Tawi by Ian Hamilton - Ava Lee is called by Uncle Chang from the Philippines. An old friend of Uncle Chow Tung, he asks a favour of Ava. It is a deft approach to get her to help him with a delicate situation. Ava is out of the debt collection business and is now a wealthy woman. Offering her money would have failed. Proposing a favour is intriguing. Much of Uncle Chow’s success was built upon exchanging favours. Uncle Chang has great guanxi, influence. Only in her 30’s Ava is building personal relationships with the wealthy and powerful of the world. She has become a woman of influence.

Uncle Chang is cryptic. He wants her to come to the Philippines to look into Zakat College, an Islamic institution, on Tawi-Tawi in the southern region of Mindanao. No specifics will be available unless she comes.

Ava flies to Manila where she meets Senator Miguel Ramirez. In the complex politics of the Philippines issues a long insurgency of Muslims in Mindanao has largely been resolved by the government making a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood that gives considerable autonomy to the region. The arrangement is fragile. Many politicians and the military are ready to blow up the agreement if they can find a suitable pretext.

Ramierz has heard rumours the College is at the heart of a plan that would de-stablise the area. 

The Brotherhood wants to preserve the peace which is aiding the very poor area to gain jobs and development.

When Ava meets with two young men who work at the College she receives disturbing news that could wreak havoc across the world.

The information sets Ava criss-crossing Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Australia. 

Security services in Canada, the U.S., Jordan and Lebanon are soon engaged on a quest to find out the truth concerning the students and the iman who is educating them at Zakat College.

The book was so different from recent books in the series which were driven by business interests and intrigues. There is no money to be made but if Ava is successful there will be huge favours owed her.

I did struggle a bit with why Ava was called upon by Uncle Chang. The information could have been obtained just as easily by someone actually in Tawi-Tawi. Once basic information is acquired Ava's international skills and contacts come to the fore.

I did regret that Ava’s accounting skills played no role. The most interesting books in the series have her understanding of finance and accounting playing a major role.

Ava’s personal life has little role. The Iman of Tawi-Tawi is a classic with Hamilton setting a brisk pace against calamity albeit, without bodies until 298 pages into the book.

The book was an extended novella. The unravling of the scheme proceeded very quickly leaving little room for human interactions. I was reminded of the Spenser novels of Robert B. Parker where dialogue dominated, the action was steady and the pages easily turned.

While The Iman of Tawi-Tawi challenges Ava’s psyche I hope the next book actually challenges her intellect and moves her life forward.

****

Hamilton, Ian - (2012) - The Water Rat of Wanchai; (2013) - The Disciple of Las Vegas; (2014) - The Wild Beasts of Wuhan; (2014) - The Red Pole of Macau; (2016) - The Scottish Banker of Surabaya; (2018) - The Two Sisters of Borneo; (2019) - The King of Shanghai; (2020) - The Princeling of Nanjing; (2020) - Fate; (2020) - Foresight; (2021) - Fortune; (2022) - Finale; (2022) - Body Counts in Fictional Gang Wars (Ian Hamilton, John Grisham and Don Winslow); (2023) - The Couturier of Milan 

The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear

(14. - 1153.) The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear - In October of 1941 the Blitz of London has been over for a year. Now the Nazis send some bombers most nights to just keep Londoners on edge. Young Freddy Hackett runs messages at night for Government agencies. With a Bomber’s Moon in the sky he sees two men fighting. One is killed with a knife. When he returns to the scene later the body is gone.

Maisie Dobbs continues to work in British Intelligence. She is vetting agents for the SOE (the Special Operations Executive). She decides whether an agent is suitable to be sent to Occupied Europe. It is a daunting responsibility especially when she knows a prospective agent.

What a life Maisie is living when a murder investigation is a form of distraction, almost welcome, from the process of deciding who will be sent into the night to be a part of Churchill’s plan to set Europe ablaze. 

The murder investigation butts up against intelligence operations. For the skilful wicked a war can protect them.

Scotland Yard, overwhelmed by wartime crime, makes but a cursory investigation into Freddy’s report of seeing murder. Unless Maisie and her assistant, Billy, can solve the case there will be no resolution.

The investigation takes Maisie into yet a new element of the war. She delves into the Free French forces in England. Honour is at their core. They are in an awkward position seeking to remain independent but dependent on England for everything.

Fear in wartime is real. How it is managed is often the difference between life and death:

Fear had to be handled with care, managed so it 

became a tool, not a weight.

Each character has a dominant fear. For most it involves family. 

While Maisie worries about Anna she must deal with a fear of commitment in personal relationships. It is time for a decision on Mark.

It is a powerful emotional moment when Maisie replaces the chain holding her wedding ring from the deceased James with a necklace featuring a large diamond given to her by Mark.

In a brilliant quote her friend Priscella advises her “.... I believe love must be cradled gently, as if you have something very precious in your hands that you do not want to break”.

Maisie is worn out by secrets:

Secrets. Secrets. Secrets. She sometimes felt as if she would drown under the weight of other people’s secrets …. And she feared she might lose herself in all the secrecy - it had happened before.

It is harder and harder for Maisie to keep doing “her bit”. She wants to spend more time with her adopted daughter, Anna, in the country. Each absence for work leaves her longing to be with Anna. Maisie would be happy to live on her estate full time.

Maisie provides a vivid illustration of drawing out hurt with Anna:

She lifted her hands, and placed first her left-hand against her chest, and then her right hand on top of her left. “Follow me - see what I’ve done with my hands? You can close your eyes and cradle your heart, then before you know it the pain starts to go away.”

Both love and pain can benefit from cradling.

I think Maisie has done enough. It has been 24 years since she first went to war for England. Few men and women have done more for their country. But a sense of duty cannot be switched off.

Maisie is back to using the insights of an open mind nurtured by her mentor, Maurice Blanche. She is less constrained by prejudice and cynicism that most of us. 

The Consequences of Fear is not a great mystery but it is an excellent story.

****

Winspear, Jacqueline – (2008) - Maisie Dobbs; (Best fiction of 2008) (2008) - Birds of a Feather; (2009) - Pardonable Lies; (2011) - Messenger of Truth; (2012) - An Incomplete Revenge; (2012) - Among the Mad; (2013) - The Mapping of Love and Death; (2016) - A Lesson in Secrets; (2016) - Elegy for Eddie; (2018) Leaving Everything Most Loved; (2020) - A Dangerous Place - Part I on Maisie's life since the last book and Part II a review; (2020) - A Journey to Munich; (2021) - In This Grave Hour; (2021) - To Die But Once; (2022) - The American Agent