Madeleine

After a couple of nice days, spring is over for now so it's back indoors, to my jigsaw. I did at least manage to give the grass in the back garden it's first cut the other day.

I've just gotta get a message to you - The Bee Gees

Message in a Bottle - The Police

The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer - this is the first in a series of books featuring Pearl Nolan, a 39 year old single mother who runs a restaurant in Whitstable, Kent and has also started a detective agency. Her first case starts when a man asks her to track down a local fisherman who owes him money from an investment which went wrong, but when she goes to visit the fisherman on his boat she finds him dead, caught in his anchor chain and drowned. Then her new client also turns up dead,found by Pearl, which makes the police quite suspicious of her! The detective in charge has been transferred from London and hates small towns and isn't too happy when Pearl, despite the obvious conflicts of interest, continues investigating and naturally learns more than he does. Although slightly predictable, I didn't guess the killer and there were enough back stories for the characters to keep me interested, it's also quite well-written for the cosy crime genre. There is also a TV series and I watched the first episode last night, which is based on this book. It was Ok but felt very rushed and I felt some of the casting was a bit off, though Frances Barber is perfect as Pearl's bohemian mum who helps her in the restaurant. There are several more books in this series and it looks promising. One quibble though - she mentions a character performing a 1974 Saturday Night Fever move, well SNF didn't come out until 1977......!7/10

If I could turn back time - Cher

I looked out of the kitchen window earlier and right outside on the grass was a peregrine falcon devouring (I think) a pigeon, might have been a seagull, hard to tell but we've had a very pretty black and white pigeon visiting regularly which I fear is the victim. Quite a sight though to have a peregrine right under my nose, even if it was quite gruesome! It did move to another bit of the garden and then flew down to the end, probably away from my gawping eyes! I think it's left the remnants under a bush at the bottom of the garden, lovely.

I must get round to reading "Destroying Angel", I also have "The Bookseller of Inverness" ready to read. I read the first of the Flavia Alba series and enjoyed it, but haven't got round to reading any of the others yet. I have read some of the Falco books and agree they are more involving, still have lots to read!

Several figures from the music industry over the last few days: Eric Carmen (All by Myself, Hungry Eyes) Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys and World Party) and over the weekend Steve Harley from Cockney Rebel - "Come up and see me (make me smile)".

Hot in the City - Billy Idol

Take it to the limit - The Eagles

My one Temptation - Mica Paris

Waiting for a girl like you - Foreigner

Waiting for that day - George Michael

Will You - Hazel O'Connor

When tomorrow comes - The Eurythmics

Is it like today? - World Party (in honour of Karl Wallinger, who died this week).

I guess that's why they call it the blues - Elton John

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Back for Good - Take That

Monday Monday - Mamas and the Papas

Manic Monday - The Bangles

Sunshine after the Rain - Elkie Brooks

You can have some of ours!

Not sure where you're based but if you're in the Uk you might be able to get some of her books in The Works, a discount book chain. It's been said before but the Shetland TV series is very different to the books, for example Tosh isn't in the books at all. There is a collection called The Starlings which does have one of her short stories in, which is available online.

"The Heron's Cry" by Ann Cleeves - this is the second book in the author's new series,set in Devon, following Inspector Matthew Venn and his team. This one is focussed around a small farm and artistic community, when a doctor investigating the local health authority's care of a young man who committed suicide is found murdered in his daughter's studio, with a piece of glass from one of her pieces proving to be the murder weapon. Not long after, another artist is found murdered by the same method, in the local arts centre which is run by Matthew's husband, Jonathan. Potential conflicts of interest here seem to be overlooked by the author, but it does put Matthew Venn in an awkward position and threatens to drive a wedge between him and his husband, who wants to help, as the artists also worked at his centre. So a small community finds itself under investigation, and yet another death causes even more intrigue. Whilst not as good as the earlier Shetland series, this is still really readable, and Matthew's own issues,such as with his mother, are handled here too. 7.5/10