Robb, J.D.:  Witness in Death

This is probably my favorite J.D. Robb so far.  I might even read this one again.  It starts with a murder that happens on stage during a performance of Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie.  Eve is at the performance so actually witnesses the crime.  However, in this case the “dead” that she is standing as justice for is actually the villain and a lot of good people get hurt in the process of finding the solution. This was not a simple good against bad story with easy answers; this actually gave the reader a chance to ponder “what is justice.”  Robb also worked in some parallels between the plot of Witness for the Prosecution and her plot that as an Agatha Christie fan I found interesting. I shed a lot of tears in this book and even though I did figure out the perpetrator before the end of the book (as did Eve) I still had a few surprises in the dénouement.  This was a terrific read.

Winspear, Jacqueline:  Pardonable Lies

Another interesting outing for Maisie Dobbs in which her search to find out if the son of a peer of the realm actually died in WWI because his dying wife made him promise to find him as she didn’t believe he was dead.  The father wished it to be proved he was dead.  The search leads her to also find out about the brother of her college friend, Pricilla Everden.  The third Maisie Dobbs book is a well written and historically researched novel which adds to the pleasure of a good story.

Christie, Agatha:  A Pocket Full of Rye

This was an audio edition of an enjoyable Miss Marple mystery, well read.  The patriarch of a dysfunctional family dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances at his place of business.  When he is examined it is discovered that there is a handful of rye grain in his pocket.  As the story unfolds it is discovered that the son who has stayed home to help run the business has had a major rift with his father and the prodigal brother has been invited to return home.  Blackbirds figure in the plot, also.  Even though I didn’t remember the story I’m sure I must have read this many years ago so it’s possible I figured out the villain so early based of half remembered information.  However, there were still some surprises for me at the end and I had a good time using this as a “walking book.”