Mysteries: Maron's Take Out and Goldberg's The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes

Beginning with the award winning Bootlegger’s Daughter, I have read and would recommend all of Margaret Maron’s Deborah Knott mysteries. They involve a large family and are set in North Carolina; reading the latest always feels as though you are returning to relax and to spend time with good friends.  I imagine that is what fans of Maron’s series featuring the NYPD’s Sigrid Harald experience, too. I just finished the most recent in that group: TAKE OUT in which Harald is involved in solving the deaths of two homeless men in late 1990’s New York.

Maron works to develop several side stories involving the art world and includes quite a few references to earlier cases.  Rather than finding that helpful, I found it distracting and preferred determining which man was the intended victim here.  The main mystery seemed complex enough, centering on a possible poisoning and long ago relationships for an opera star, a mobster’s widow, and their employees. Receiving a starred review from Library Journal, TAKE OUT was indeed puzzling and entertaining, but I still personally prefer Deborah Knott and the camaraderie with her 11 brothers, numerous nieces and nephews and father, Kezzie.  Amongst her many honors, Margaret Maron received a Grand Master Award in 2013 from the Mystery Writers of America and if TAKE OUT is indeed her last book, her writing will be missed. 

Leonard Goldberg introduces us to another competent female sleuth, Joanna Blalock, the title character in THE DAUGHTER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. With myriad references to that classic mystery series, Goldberg also introduces the sons of both Watson and Lestrade and the daughters of both Holmes and Mrs. Hudson.  With Watson senior they attempt to solve a mystery involving the deaths (by purported suicide and suspicious accident) of two former soldiers. Of course, this leads to the capture of the son of one of Holmes’ enemies. 

While searching for a treasure, decrypting secret codes and dispensing medical knowledge, personality traits reappear across the generations. When asked, “How is it that you make so much from so little?” Joanna replies, “It is because I have observed and you have only seen.” She refers to Holmes’ text on the art of deduction, noting “at times, the most obvious is the most easily overlooked.” Readers will likely be channeling Holmes’ pomposity and brusqueness – indeed, it seemed to me that both Watsons deferred to a surprising extent to an obviously intelligent, though young, woman. THE DAUGHTER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES is not intended for fans of “pure” Sherlock Holmes, but definitely has appeal and will likely lead to several sequels chronicled by John Watson, Jr. There’s even a third generation …

Daring to Drive by Manal Al-Sharif

DARING TO DRIVE by Manal Al-Sharif is subtitled “A Saudi Woman’s Awakening” and it tells the story of Manal Al-Sharif who was imprisoned in 2011 for driving a car in Saudi Arabia (even though there was no law against doing so).  Al-Sharif is an accomplished young woman; she has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and was hired by Aramco as an information security specialist. Frustration welled up, though, and her actions were filmed and generated international interest such as this 2011 article in The Guardian.  In DARING TO DRIVE Al-Sharif says, “I saw so many parallels between what I’d experienced in Saudi Arabia and the American civil rights movement. Saudi women and African Americans were both victims of segregation, unable to have any say in the most basic aspects of their lives.”

In her book, Al-Sharif describes her contacts with the Women2Drive, an activist group. She offers more information about her efforts against oppression in this 2013 TED Talk. Somehow it feels appropriate to write about this new memoir, published by Simon & Schuster, on a day when they sponsored Hillary Clinton speaking to the American Library Association about the importance of standing up for truth.  DARING TO DRIVE received a starred review from Library Journal.

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Just recently, I saw a television commercial for THE IDENTICALS by Elin Hilderbrand.   This book is obviously getting some marketing push and quickly climbing the best seller lists. Since I have yet not read other titles by her, I decided to read this newest one. The cover really says summer and is so relaxing, right?

THE IDENTICALS is about two sisters, Harper (on the Vineyard) and Tabitha (on Nantucket), adult twins who have been estranged since their late teens.  One thing that struck me was how manipulative and selfish their mother was and her impact, essentially two decades later, on the sense of self-worth for each of these women.  Kirkus called it "Intelligent escapism with heart."  Comparisons have also been made to titles by Nancy Thayer.