Probable Caws

Probable Caws is the 39th book in the Meg Langslow mystery series by Donna Andrews. The first book in the series was Murder With Peacocks published in 1999. Each title in the series has a bird, or something to with birds, in the title. There are lots of birds in Probable Caws, including crows and swans, and also lots of horses.

Meg is asked to go to Rangar Ragnarsen's gothic castle to assist when almost fifty horses are removed from a farm to Rangar's property until new accommodation can be found for them. As these are rescued horses, many of them are in ill-health and a team of volunteers, plus vets, has been called in to assist with the relocation of the animals. Some of the volunteers, including Meg, stay at the property overnight to ensure that the animals settle into their new environment. Then a body is found in the barn.

As with the other books in the series a number of members of Meg's family also provide their expertise in looking after the animals and, of course, solving the crime. However in this title much of the emphasis is on the animals, many of whom have distinct characteristics and quirks. Donna Andrews has provided another enjoyable book for readers of cosy crime to enjoy.

Titles in Meg Langslow mysteries - Fantastic fiction  

Turing Hopper Books

Turing Hopper is an artificial intelligence personality living inside a corporate computer system who uses her digital access and human friends to solve crimes. The four books in this cozy crime series by Donna Andrews are You've Got Murder (2002), Click Here For Murder (2003), Access Denied (2004) and Delete All Suspects (2005). Being sentient, Turing Hopper is aware when things go wrong and uses her powers to help solve crimes.

I enjoyed reading this series of books many years ago, long before Artificial Intelligence became an issue.

Donna Andrews then became well known for writing the Meg Langslow books. 

We Chase Shadows

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman is the second book in the We Solve Murders series. This is another amusing crime novel following the adventures of Steve, a retired policeman, Amy his daughter-in-law who has worked as a security guard and Rosie, an author of crime novels, who have set up an agency to solve murders. This book covers their first official case.

In Italy, when a security guard is murdered, a threatening note is found in his pocket. Steve, Amy and Rosie are employed to discover who committed the murder and the intention of the note. When investigating they discover a world for selling cosmetic products, vitamins and 'health' products to customers online. Six people set up the scheme and one by one they are being murdered. 

The investigation takes Steve, Amy and Rosie to locations around the world including Spain, Palm Springs and Italy as well the village where Steve lives in England. During the investigation they discover that they are following shadows as suspects appear to have multiple back stories and may not be who they say they are.

We Chase Shadows is another entertaining crime book by Richard Osman.

The Forever War: America's unending conflict with itself

This book is largely a study of the extent of extremism and division in the United States of America and how it affects politics and daily living in that country. It is also a study showing that this situation is not new. In fact conflict has been rife in the USA for the past 250 years and the situation, unfortunately, is unlikely to change. In The Forever War: America's unending conflict with itself Nick Brant has written a history of issues which have always affected and divided American politics in the past and will probably continue to do so in the future.

The Forever War begins with a brief account of the events of 6 January 2020 when Donald Trump tried to over-rule the results of the election. Joe Biden was now the President and Trump had returned to Florida but would politics be the same again? 

Nick Bryant dispels myths that the confusion and mayhem occurring around Donald Trump and his followers was a new development. In this book he outlines the many events that have occurred in America involving assassinations and attempted assassinations, American gun laws, treatment and marginalization of people of colour and immigrants, slavery, women's rights particularly the right to abortion, the power of the Supreme Court, presidential electoral system, to name a few. 

The author examines the original documents on which American law is based and demonstrates weaknesses in the original documents which are interpreted in a different way from what was intended by those who wrote them. America has changed dramatically in 250 years and the founding fathers could never have foreseen how the original documents have been interpreted over time and certainly not in this century.

History and politics are intertwined and perhaps the world would benefit if more people examined past events in order to avoid continuing making the same mistakes. This particularly applies to the United States of America but also to the world in general. 

Nick Bryant is a British journalist who worked in the USA for many years but has now relocated with his family to Australia. In the final chapter of the book he describes this change in his career and the decision to now watch American politics from afar.

The Sunne in Splendour

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman is a work of historical fiction based on the life of Richard III (1452 to 1485), the last Plantagenet King who reigned from June 1483 to 22 August 1485. The author has written a detailed family saga about Richard and his extended family plus the almost continual unrest among those who were competing to take the throne. Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by a cousin, Henry Tudor who became Henry VII.

The copy of the novel that I own has more than 1,200 pages. I bought the book many years ago and started reading it when I attended cricket championships. I knew the story of Richard from reading British medieval history so this was a book that I could leave for months at a time and pick up again and continue reading. This week I decided it was time to finish reading the book.

As with much medieval history it is not always possible to locate reliable information and resources about life at the time especially as Richard's rivals spread propaganda about him before and after his death. After the Tudor victory it was in the interests of their subjects to recreate the story of Richard III in order to cement the hold of the Tudor family as rightful rulers. When William Shakespeare wrote his play Richard III he based his work on the propaganda stories about Richard and his reign. For many, these stories were considered to be true history. Recent studies of the life and times of Richard III have largely produced a different perception of his life than that provided by the Tudors. 

In this work of historical fiction Sharon Penman has tried to construct the story around more recent research suggesting that Richard, in the two years of his reign, was basically a decent king living and ruling in difficult times. She presents a story of what his life and the life of his family may have been like living in extremely difficult times.

Thus ended the War of the Roses. 

Richard III of England - Wikipedia  

The Mercian Chronicles: King Offa and the birth of the Anglo Saxon State AD 630-918

Max Adams, an archaeologist and historian, has written a detailed study of medieval history based on the limited files of information available about almost 300 years of the history of Mercia, a kingdom in England. Archaeological items, including remains of buildings, coins and items discovered in digs, contribute information in the telling of the story of this period of British history.

The period of British history after the Romans left the country is often referred to as The Dark Ages, not because nothing happened during this period of time but because little remains of documents and records that once existed. But some documents from the period or accounts written later do remain and the author in this book, The Mercian Chronicles, endeavours to make available the information that has been discovered which he then analyses to endeavour to discover what may be the true story. 

Some chapters largely provide a record of the limited information available while other chapters take the reader through the story of life at that time. During this period England consisted of a number of separate kingdoms, Mercia being a powerful one. In the book we learn of the relationship of Mercia with some of its neighbours and also with leaders across the English Channel. The relationship between leaders of the church and rulers of the kingdom are also explored. There is also the threat of the Viking invasion that is about to arrive in Britain and France.

Especially towards the end of the book there is information about the growing importance of Wessex and its rulers such as Alfred the Great and his family and the move towards the eventual establishment of one England in the future. There was also interaction with Charlemagne, the leader of the Franks as well as being Holy Roman Emperor. This all goes to show that parts of England were not as isolated from Europe as some believe and that there were definitely trade relations with other countries as well as general concern about the possible Viking threat.

Throughout the book there are a series of chronologies listing significant dates and events plus a list of main source materials. A series of photos and maps occur throughout the text. A detailed bibliography and index can be found at the back of the book. 

The Mercian Chronicles by  Max Adams is a must read book for those interested in this period of British history. He is also the author of Alfred's Britain: war and peace in the Viking Age. 

The Stationery Shop of Tehran

The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali is the story of the love between two young people who first met in a stationery shop in Tehran. Roya and Bahman meet in the shop on Tuesday afternoons and discuss poetry and the political unrest occurring around them in 1953. Bahman was involved in a political group supporting the elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was eventually defeated in a coup staged by supporters of the Shah in August. The coup had the support of Britain and America who had interests in Iran's oil supplies.

Political unrest is not the only challenge encountered by Roya and Bahman in forming a relationship. Bahman's mother wanted her son to marry a woman from a family of high social status and did all she could to block her son's relationship with Roya. When Roya receives a letter from Bahman breaking  off their relationship she is devastated. Several months later she learns that he is married.

When Roya and her sister, Zari, move to the USA to study, Roya meets Walter who she marries. But she never forgets Bahman. In 2013 Roya learns that Bahman is in a nursing home in a nearby suburb and she is determined to discover why Bahman really left her.

Set against a background of Iranian politics, Marjan Kamali has written a novel about love and loss and the need to discover the real truth of how and why events occur.

The Lion Women of Tehran is another book by Marjan Kamali.