Tag Archives: mystery

Adult Fairytales: The Merry Gentry Series, October Daye Series, and Lost Girl

2 Jan

Ask most people young and old today about fairies and they will probably describe Disney’s version of Tinker Bell, a small diminutive beauty who playfully flutters about sprinkling pixie dust, but not all fairies are so benevolent or kid friendly.  The following fairy tales are geared specifically for grownups with much darker adult themes which draw upon the fairy myths and legends of the Sidhe (pronounced Shee in Gaelic).  So if you dare, come away with the fairies in these two book series and one television series available from BCCLS Libraries!  And for those who would like to discuss Science Fiction and Fantasy works with other fans of the genre come to the first meeting of the Hoboken Public Library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group on Monday, January 13 at 6 PM.  We will be discussing our favorite authors and books and planning what we will be reading in the upcoming months.  You can call 201-420-2347 or email hobkref@bccls.org for more details.

Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry Series

a-kiss-of-shadows

There are currently eight books in the Merry Gentry Series starting with A Kiss of Shadows.  This is a guilty pleasure, with a fun mix of urban fantasy and mystery.  The series focuses on Meredith Gentry, a real life faerie princess.  She is the first Sidhe royal born in America, where the faerie have fled after years of conflict in Europe.  Because of this she is continuously threatened with assassination (because of her mixed blood Merry is not immortelle).  She hides in Los Angeles working as a private investigator with a group of royal faerie guards.  The focus shifts gradually from Merry’s interaction with the “real” world and focuses more and more on fairy politics and Merry’s struggle to produce an heir to the throne.  As the books in the series progress there is also an increasing focus on erotic romance and less on the mystery elements (around book 5 this noticeable ).  This has divided many fans and any Laurell K. Hamilton forum is fairly equally split between those that prefer her earlier works and those that do not mind the shifting focus of her later novels in both the Merry Gentry Series and the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series.  The long awaited ninth book in the series, A Shiver of Light is scheduled to be released on June 3, 2014.

Seanan McGuire’s October Daye Series

rosemary-and-rue

There are currently seven books in the October Daye Series starting with Rosemary and Rue.  Seanan McGuire’s October Daye is also part fairy and part mortal, however, October isn’t a fairy princess, but a “changeling” which in this series is looked down upon by the pure blood fairies.  The series starts out on a bleak note with October having only recently returned to human form after being transformed into a koi for over a decade after which neither her fiancé or her daughter wants anything to do with her since they believe she had abandoned them.  Like Merry, October worked as a PI and though she tried to get out of the business as well as cut her ties from the Sidhe, she is sucked back into both with the murder of a long time frenemy.  This McGuire series is much darker in tone compared to her lighter In Cryptid series (discussed in our Halloween 2013 blog post), but fans of one will still enjoy the other for the interesting characters and creative use of mythological and legendary creatures (I especially love her cat-like rose goblin).  This series will appeal to those who want a slightly weightier take on the fairy world than the Merry Gentry series; both contain violence, but the sexuality in this series is more discrete.  The Winter Long is scheduled for fall of 2014, with A Red-Rose Chain (2015) and Once Broken Faith (2016) to follow in the series.

Lost Girl

Image via Broadwayworld.com

Lost Girl is a Canadian Urban Fantasy Crime Drama that is televised on the SyFy network in the United States.  In Lost Girl although there is a focus on the light and dark fae, which reflect the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Courts of Scottish folklore, many other creatures of myth such as vampires are translated into the show’s mythology as part of the fae community.  The series follows a succubus named Bo (Anna Silk), who struggles to control her supernatural powers which can drain humans of their life force while trying to the uncover the mysteries of her birth since she was adopted.  There is a bisexual love triangle between Bo and Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried), a werewolf, and Dr. Lauren Lewis (Zoie Palmer), a human doctor indentured to the fae, both of whom Bo loves deeply.  Fans of HBO’s True Blood series, should also enjoy this drama.   My favorite character of the series is Bo’s PI Partner and BFF, the charming Ksenia Solo, as reformed gypsy thief, Kenzi.  Kenzi frequently dons elaborate punk/goth outfits and a changing array of wigs; not since Blood Ties’ Coreen, have I so looked forward to seeing what a TV character would be wearing each week.  Other favorites of mine are fae bartender, Trick (Richard Howland), and devilish dark fae, Vex (Paul Amos).  Both the individual episodes and the overarching story line are enjoyable in the series.  Season Four is scheduled to premiere on TV in United States in January, but while you wait for the latest episodes, Season One is available from BCCLS on DVD.

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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Top Mysteries of 2013

20 Dec

Whether you like your books gritty and real, calm and cozy or somewhere in between; 2013 was a great year for mysteries. I will admit to being partial to mystery series. Once you come across an author and fall in love with the writing, imagery and the characters you never want the story to end. It was difficult to narrow down this list from the dozens that were true contenders, but overall the following five are ones that struck a chord well after the final pages were turned.

1. How the Light Gets In – Louise Penny

how-the-light-gets-in

Louise Penny never fails to delight and draw her readers into the world she creates for us. The tale begins with the death of an old woman, as the story unfolds, she is revealed to be the last surviving sister of quintuplets (a la the Dionne quints) whose every existence was filmed, reported and followed. But who would kill someone so harmless, who, in later years, along with her sisters, shunned the constant spotlight and chose instead to live quietly, under an assumed name? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called in to takeover this potentially high profile case. Meanwhile, Gamache, while trying to expose corruption at the highest level finds himself vulnerable professionally and personally, having been betrayed by his deputy whom he regarded as a son. Penny draws us into an explosive conclusion carrying the darkness into the purity that is Three Pines.

2. Just One Evil Act  – Elizabeth George

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Beginning where her last book ends (Believing the Lie, 2012), Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers steps in to help her friend Taymullah Azhar find his daughter, Hadiyyah, kidnapped from his home by the girl’s mother. However, nothing is as first appears. Taymullah, never married Hadiyyah’s mother, he is in fact still married and has a family from whom he is ostracized. He was also never named on Hadiyyah’s birth certificate. As weeks turn into months with no clue as to her whereabouts, Hadiyyah’s mother returns claiming that Hadiyyah’s been kidnapped while in Lucca, Italy. Barbara requests a leave of absence to help find Hadiyyah and begs DI Lynley’s help as well. Through several surprising plot twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it begs the question, how well do you ever truly know someone? In addition to an absolutely wonderful mystery is George’s amazing depiction of Lucca, Italy, she brings every aspect of this town to life in a way all her own.

3. Question of Identity – Susan Hill

question-of-identity

Susan Hill provides another addictive entry in the Simon Serrailler series. In the peaceful town of Lafferton, the heinous murder of an old woman shocks the entire village. The killer, however, is just beginning, several more murders follow the first, sending the town into panic. The ‘signs’ carved on the victims’ bodies point to a series of murders years ago. The suspect in that case was acquitted for lack of evidence and subsequently disappeared. Leaving the people of Lafferton to question how well they know their friends, neighbors and even their own families.

4. Sound of Broken Glass – Deborah Crombie

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Friendships and professional relationships are put to the test, when DS Talbot spends the night with the witness in a murder case, who may also be a suspect. Talbot’s reluctance to tell her boss and injured colleague causes a rift in their relationship and the investigation. Andy Monahan had a fight with the victim, Victor Arnott, a barrister, shortly before he was killed. Found in a seedy hotel naked, tied up and strangled with a scarf. Shortly after, another barrister, Shaun Francis, is found murdered in the same manner. The only tie between the two men is Andy. An errant piece of gossip brings to light a case of underhanded legal maneuvers that destroyed lives leaving one person seeking revenge.

5. An Old Betrayal –  Charles Finch

an-old-betrayal

Charles Lenox, formally a private detective, now a Member of Parliament, making a name for himself. Called in to help his former protégé, the ailing John Dallington, Lenox, slightly bored with the tedium of Parliament, jumps at the chance. The case involves the blackmail of Queen Victoria’s secretary tied into a case of long-standing revenge that leads to murder and mistaken identity. Back at Parliament, the honor and integrity of Charles’ secretary is also called into question by a barrage of insidious gossip and thereby could besmirch Charles’ own integrity. Charles and Dallington make a fine duo in this seventh installment to the series.

Written by Rosary Van Ingen, Librarian, Head of Circulation

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