Greetings! It’s the 1st of October and the start of Spooky Season. Whoo hooo. To start the month of, we will be joining Kate @ Books are my Favorite and Best for Six Degrees of Separation. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up.
Today’s starting point is a book we haven’t read yet and I’m not all that sure we ever will.
From the first day that the beguiling Sheba Hart joins the staff of St George’s, history teacher Barbara Covett is convinced she has found a kindred spirit. Barbara’s loyalty to her new friend is passionate and unstinting, and when Sheba is discovered having an illicit affair with one of her pupils, Barbara quickly elects herself as Sheba’s chief defender. But all is not as it first seems in this dark story and, as Sheba will soon discover, a friend can be just as treacherous as any lover.
It was printed under another name, What was she thinking? as well and I believe that title is quite apt!
So where will this scandalous book take us? Well, to a scandal of course.
1st Degree: A Scandal in Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Short Story by Arthur Conan Doyle – Holmes is hired by the King of Bohemia to recover blackmail evidence, held by the woman whom the king once promised to marry, but abandoned for a woman of noble birth. Can he do it? How will he do it? A Scandal in Bohemia is collection of six short stories featuring the great detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr Watson. From shopkeepers to kings, everyone wants the help of Sherlock Holmes, but can he solve these mysteries?
Our Second Degree will take us to another glamours lady, although deceased, and a few Sherlock Holmes adventures. I’ve just finished volume 2 of Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost and it was such a fun read. You can find our review here
2nd Degree: Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost by Harry DeMaio – “Mr. Sherlock Holmes? I am or was, Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell. Having been murdered, I am deceased and require your assistance.”
Thus began the strangest partnership in the long career of Sherlock Holmes. In Book One of this series we met the brash and bold, silly and sassy Lady Armstrong who wouldn’t let a simple thing like death stop her from seeking the help of the great Detective in solving the mystery of her violent and untimely demise.
Further adventures followed and now in Book Two, she and her dog Pookie have become frequent companions to Holmes, Watson and yes, Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost is the brainchild of author Harry DeMaio, creator of the of the famous Octavius Bear adventure series. Once again, join us for more comic and lighthearted mysteries of madcap mystical mischief and mayhem!
Seeing that we are on the topic of ghosts interacting with humans to safe themselves (humans and ghosts), let’s go to the Agency whose mission it is to keep ghosts grounded. If I were a ghost, I would register with them for sure. You can read our review here
3rd Degree: Ghost Agents by Nita DeBorde – An organization that has operated in secret for centuries… a mystery that threatens to burn it all to the ground… and she’s the only agent who can stop it…
To the residents and tourists of Galveston Island, Claire Abelard is the friendly young woman who works at the local candy store by day and leads ghost tours of the island’s haunted locations by night. They don’t realize this persona is a cover for Claire’s real job as an agent of the Bureau for Historical Preservation, a clandestine organization that monitors and assists energy projections, or the entities more commonly known as “ghosts.”
When projections begin disappearing from around the island, Claire worries that history may be repeating itself. She launches a dangerous investigation and uncovers a sinister, arcane organization whose agenda threatens not only Galveston’s ghosts, but everything she has worked her whole life to protect.
The truth behind the disappearances rocks Claire’s world to its core and shows her that ghosts aren’t the only things that can come back to haunt you.
A poor soul who could probably do with an assigned agent at the Bureau for Historical preservation, or even Sherlock Holmes himself, would be Susie Salmon.
4th Degree: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.”
So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her — her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.
Moving slightly away from ghosts, but still sticking with murder victims, the word bones in our 4th degree, reminded me of of the TV series BONES that was of course based on the books by Kathy Reichs and featuring Doctor Temperance Brennan.
5th Degree: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs – Her life is devoted to justice; for those she never even knew. In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Temperance detects an alarming pattern and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her, her best friend and her own daughter, in mortal danger…
Sticking with murders that need to be solved and using a word from our previous degree, we will jump to my Mommy’s favorite Afrikaans murder/thriller author and series. Luckily for you guys, most of these have been translated to English.
6th Degree: Dead Before Dying by Deon Meyer – Someone in Cape Town has chosen a conspicuous murder weapon — a century-old German handgun, with ancient bullets that tear through flesh and bone. Three men who have nothing in common are found murdered, and the string of vicious killings pushes the city toward panic. Captain Mat Joubert is left scrambling for answers in a case that might be his last chance to prove that his life’s slow spiral will not pull him under. DEAD BEFORE DYING is a heart-racing thriller about a troubled detective determined to find the single thread that weaves together what is otherwise just an assortment of strangers, dead by the same hand.
And that’s our Six Degrees for this month of spooks and thrillers. Where did your chain take you?
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I like where your six degrees took you. I’ve been reading about ghosts and murders this week. 🙂
Ah… Lovely Bones!
Great book hey!
Love the ghost/mystery theme in most of your picks since this is the appropriate season for those. Hope the power situation has improved somewhat.
Hi Mallika!
It has improved a bit yes, but I guess we will need to get used to it….
I love spooky season!!
I bet you had fun doing this one. It’s a bit like working a jigsaw puzzle or a crossword puzzle. So pleasurable!
The only book on the list I’ve read is Lovely Bones.
Hi Debbie!
Yes, I do love doing Six Degrees! Never thought about the puzzle thing, but you are right – that’s the most fun! I still think you will enjoy it a lot and will be a brilliant participant.
You found some good connections for “horror month”. Well done, Mareli. My online book club just reads a Sherlock Holmes story, though none of the ones you mentioned.
Thanks for visiting my Six Degrees of Separation which took me from Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller to Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Hi Marianne!
So sorry for the late reply! I went through a whole Sherlock Holmes phase and read a lot of them. But not in years. The Glamorous Ghost one was a fun read! I have to give the author credit for sticking to Sherlock Holmes very well.
I don’t normally read crime stories. So, if you see one I’m reading, it’s usually a book club book or one that also fits into another category that I like. I doubt I will read more Sherlock books, it was alright but nothing that really gives me anything.
What Was She Thinking sounds like a better title for that first book! I want to read more Sherlock Holmes and I love the sound of the Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost. To be honest I find I enjoy the reboots of Holmes more than the original!
I agree completely! I’ve read a few Sherlock Holmes stories and they are enjoyable for sure. But for the adaptations, I also like the more modern ones.
That’s an interesting chain! I know I’ve read some of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, but I can’t remember which ones. The Glamorous Ghost sounds fun too.
Hi there Helen!
Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost is a lot of fun yes! I hope you get a chance to read it.
Lots of mystery in your enjoyable chain this month. On your recommendation I’ll give Deon Meyer another go. I remember I enjoyed one once, but haven’t followed through … until now.;
Hi Margaret!
I actually remember that we once talked about Deon Meyer! I will definitely recommend that you give him another try. As far as I know, there will be a new one coming out end of November. Whoo hoo. Can’t wait.
So sorry for the terribly late replies…..
That’s OK. Life gets in the way. Deon Meyer is back on my list then.
Yea! If I remember correctly, you’ve read one with Bennie Griesel? That detective series is really good.
Back to the library I go …
These are always fun posts to see how one book makes us think of another and so on.
I agree Ali!
I try my best never to skip a Six Degrees, just because it is so much fun!
I feel like I would have a hard time doing this, LOL.
Hi Cindy!
I don’t think you will have a hard time at all. There are so many different ways to tackle Six Degrees and it’s always fun. I hope you will give it a try sometime!
I love your pretty direct line from ghosts to mysteries – no big jumps of logic there! I love a good murder/thriller and certainly haven’t read an Afrikaans author, so this sounds like a great start. I’ll look for the books – not sure if my library will have them, but I’ll try! Thanks again for helping me find this meme- it’s SO fun!
Hi Terrie!
Aaah I’m so sorry I am so late with replying. Deon Meyer is certainly an Afrikaans author you can check out. Most of his books are translated and really worth the read. He does have a detective series with Bennie Griesel as his main detective, but there are a few standalones as well. Try Fever, that one is quite good!
Neat, I like that. I’ve never done it but I may try it soon.
Neat, I like that. I’ve never done one but I may sometime.
Hi Vicki!
Six Degrees are always so much fun and I try not to miss it. Hope to see you there sometime soon!