robinwalter's reviews
1775 reviews

This was one of the most fun stories in the series recently.  As Amaryllis in particular continues to adjust to aging, the way several younger  characters who  previously were often in minor supporting roles grew  both as people and story participants bodes well for the future of the series. Th overall effect was that it's a great promo for the concept of a long-running series that happens 'in real time' over the duration of the series, with all that means for the characters. It could have got 4.5/5 at least if it had had more Clementine.

This was the second Antony Maitland mystery in a row that had a setting involving espionage and drawing Antony back into his military intelligence past. The moral ambiguities and nuances of that kind of story were very prominent in The Third Encounter, the book preceding this one in the series, and for that reason it was not my favourite. I enjoyed this one considerably more because it was a simpler, more straightforward murder mystery. The espionage/intelligence setting was really just that - the setting of the mystery. Antony had no real interaction with the shadowy intelligence chiefs who had dragged him back into their world in The Third Encounter, and there was no moral ambiguity nor any ethically uncomfortable concessions to Realpolitik in the resolution of this story. In short, a good old-fashioned murder mystery of exactly the kind that I enjoy delivered with the deft touch that I have come to expect from Ms Woods. 

Once again, that deft touch was especially in evidence when it came to the relationship between Antony and his wife Jenny. After just four books they are now a firm favourite mystery couple for me. They've overtaken Troy and Alleyn in my affection (not that difficult since in that couple Troy was easily my favourite) and now sit close behind Albert and Amanda Campion, still my number one "detective duet". The Maitlands though, are a very different couple. For one thing they are childless, and the reason for that situation has played a big part in the dynamics of their relationship. Another difference is that Woods writes with quiet thoughtful insight about the nature of Antony and Jenny's relationship, as this line shows: 

Jenny is a very interesting character. She is neither an active "sidekick" in Antony's investigations, as Amanda Campion sometimes is for Albert, nor is she simply a passive "supportive wife". Theirs is a sweetly subtle symbiosis, and having a protagonist pairing portrayed as deeply, unashamedly and yet realistically in love with each other has cemented the series in my affection. 

The mutual understanding and trust between the two of them played a big part in the outworking of the climax of this mystery, and Jenny's comments on how she felt about Antony's assignment, and the risks and challenges it posed to him and to them added a nice human touch to the mystery, making sure that it wasn't simply about the unravelling of the plot. 

Another thing I enjoy about a lot of mystery novels from Dean Street Press is what I learn from them. 

At the start of the book, Antony makes a reference to a character in the story called Thomas Overbury and alludes to an historical character of the same name. Until I googled him, I'd never heard of the unfortunate poet to whom Antony alluded, but reading the Wikipedia article about him raised a smile when I saw that in this story Ms Woods includes a villainous character with exactly the same name as a key villain in the real Thomas Overbury story. I love it when authors do this kind of thing - referencing real history in their mysteries, and shaving a nanometre or two off my ignorance in the process. Four books into the series, there hasn't been one that I disliked, and this is the third that I have very much liked. That's the kind of success rate that makes me eager to read more. 

A fascinating glimpse into his life in his own words, and a powerful testament to the skill and dedication of the translators and curators of this compilation. 

A great introduction to Malaysian cooking, with lots of very interesting information in addition to the mouthwatering recipes. I need to try to find an edition with metric measures and temperatures though 

Anotther Storygraph Reads the World pick that has enhanced my knowledge about and understandngi of a country I knew too little about. 

A sober, sombre recitation of the recent history of a country whose modern iteration is often overlooked for its glamourised and mythologised past. Not an easy read, but a very worthwhile one

Predictable but it still raised a few chuckles

I had never heard of matatus before reading this book, so I learned a great deal about Kenyan history and politics through this account of its truly homegrown transport 'system'

A very dense read, and a very thought-provoking one. It made me think about connections I'd never made before, and added depth and a new perspective to what had previously been my dangerously over-simplified take on the issue of China as a nation-state.  The complex ideas and arguments being presented also make this book a remarkable tribute to its translator. 

I learned a lot about Filipino culture and history through this book about its food, it was very interesting.