Martin Edwards, The Golden Age of Murder

This book is a sprawling account of the lives of the authors of detective fiction in the 1920s and ’30s, particularly the earliest members of the Detection Club. Martin Edwards is the current Detection Club president, and his enthusiasm for his predecessors — and for Golden Age mysteries in general — is both obvious and contagious. He gives biographical information about authors such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Anthony Berkeley. He also speculates a fair bit about their personal lives and sexual proclivities, with varying amounts of supporting evidence. He discusses several Golden Age novels, though never in very much depth, and is pretty good about avoiding spoilers. I found the book a bit scattered and hard to follow at times; the content doesn’t necessarily correspond to the various chapter headings, and Edwards often bounces among several ideas in the course of a single paragraph. The book also has invisible endnotes, which I found a bit irritating, though that’s just a personal preference. Overall, though, I think this is a good read for fans of Golden Age detective fiction, and it’s certainly put several new-to-me novels and authors on my radar!

Elizabeth Harmon, Pairing Off

American pairs figure skater Carrie Parker is facing career death after her partner gets caught in a cheating scandal. So when a Russian coach invites her to Moscow for a tryout, Carrie seizes the opportunity — but is appalled to discover that her new partner is Anton Belikov, a top Russian skater with whom Carrie had a one-night stand seven years ago. Anton doesn’t seem to remember her, and his gruff demeanor intimidates her. But as they train for the upcoming competition season, they grow closer, until secrets from Carrie’s past threaten their budding relationship. This book appealed to the same part of my brain that enjoys sports movies (even though I don’t follow any sports). I got the impression that Harmon actually has some figure skating knowledge; her descriptions of the routines and workouts feel like more than window dressing. I liked the Moscow setting as well. The romance between Carrie and Anton is fine, though a bit angsty/“it’s destiny!” for my taste. Overall, a decent read that I’d recommend if you like figure skating and/or the ’90s movie The Cutting Edge.

Nancy Campbell Allen, Kiss of the Spindle

Isla Cooper is cursed: Every night, she falls into a deathlike sleep from which she can’t be awakened. To find the witch who cursed her and obtain the cure, she blackmails her way onto Daniel Pickett’s airship, which is headed for the city where the witch is rumored to be. Meanwhile, Daniel is illegally transporting shapeshifters out of England, where they’re facing political persecution. He doesn’t have time to help Isla, especially when another last-minute passenger who wants to exterminate all shapeshifters forces his way on board. Eventually, though, Daniel and Isla decide to work together — and fall in love in the process. This is a fun steampunk romance with nods to Sleeping Beauty, and though there’s nothing extraordinary about it, I really enjoyed it! I liked Daniel and Isla’s progression from grudging toleration to mutual attraction, and I also found more than one secondary character intriguing…I kind of hope they get their own books at some point! In the meantime, I’m happy to be reading this series and looking forward to the next installment!