A Caribbean Mystery Book Review

Title: A Caribbean Mystery.

Author: Agatha Christie.

Genre: Classic, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Suspense, Drama.

Plot: Her nephew Raymond, having paid for a refreshing trip to the West Indies, has shown how capable he is of taking care of his Aunt Jane. But while the sunshine is warm and relaxing, Miss Marple isn't as happy as she should be. In fact, she's rather bored and restless. Surrounded by chattering cheerful people and a rather noisy steel band, scandal and murder seem so far away and forgotten. Yet secrets lurk just under the surface and when Major Palgrave dies suddenly, those secrets are no longer safe.

Suspicious that Palgrave was killed, rather than dying of complications due to high blood pressure {who even told her that he had high blood pressure anyway?}, Miss Marple subtly hints as much to the local semi-retired doctor who, already uneasy himself, brings the local detective down to snoop around. With an increasing sense of urgency, Miss Marple begins to piece the puzzle together, enlisting the somewhat unwilling help of wealthy semi-crippled Mr. Rafiel. When a servant girl is found dead by the lady of the house, suspicions abound and people begin to leave the hotel. But the real murder hasn't even been committed yet and Miss Marple may just have made a grave mistake.

Likes/Dislikes: This novel, the third to last in the Miss Marple series, had a different feel and flow to the story. With a wonderful tropical setting as a backdrop, the characters are free to act out their drama and leave you wondering who will be unmasked as the villain right up to the explosive conclusion. I quite liked it.

Rating: PG-14 and up, for reading level and content {an adulterous husband and several murders, nothing graphic}.

Date Report Written: May 24th, 2013.

2014 Reading List

A new year has dawned, bringing with it new resolutions {if you're that kinda person}, goals and {most importantly} new books to read, giggle over, fall in love with, dunk in the trash can if they're bad and make lots of lists about. Last year, I set out with a very simple reading goal in mind: finishing things. I wanted to finish the 19-book Amelia Peabody Mysteries series by Elizabeth Peters {I almost did it too; the last book just got picked up from the library today}, read all of Julie Klassen's books that I haven't read yet {I hit a minor financial hiccup with that one and was only able to read The Tutor's Daughter}, and to finish The Princess Bride - which I did. {See the original post here: http://ejlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-to-read.html}. Now, with so many new changes ahead of me {no more Peabody mysteries *sniffle*} that include the imminent birth of my first baby {who doesn't like it when I rest books on my big belly}, my reading goals are a little different this year. In fact, I have no idea what I'll end up reading. But I needed something to fall back on/start from so I dug around in my GoodReads To Read shelf and compared some of the books there with what my library has to offer and, combined with my continuing interest in Egypt, came up with the fourteen titles below. The beginning ones I figured I'd sample and use as a buffer between all the Egypt books, and the last one I threw in because I still haven't finished it yet.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles {4 books} by Patricia C. Wrede.

DragonSpell by Donita K. Paul.

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson.


Nefertiti: A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Queen by Evelyn Wells.


Nefertiti by Michelle Moran.


Nefertiti: An Archaeological Biography by Philipp Vandenberg.


Nefertiti by Joyce A. Tyldesley.


Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner.


The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells.


Dragon Hunter by Charles Gallenkamp.


In the Valley of the Kings by Daniel Meyerson.


Ilium by Dan Simmons.

Right now, my GoodReads goal is to read twenty books this year. I've got one down so far. We'll see how that progresses as I learn the basics of being a new mother. It shouldn't be too hard though; I managed to read fifty-three books last year and spent four months throwing up while doing so. I'll see ya around!

What are your reading goals for 2014?