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We can hardly believe that we're already onto week four of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

The final prompt for this challenge is: Disguised Identity

Be it detectives going undercover or criminals hiding their schemes, there is no denying that disguised identities add a lot of excitement to a mystery!

  
The first book that we picked out for today is:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
  
 
 
Sherlock Holmes is truly a master of disguises! From a drunken groomsman to a clergyman, a Frenchman to an Irish Spy, he always manages to stay perfectly in character.
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle is a fun collection of short stories that often find Sherlock going undercover to discover the next clue!
“On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic.”   
 
- Arthur Conan Doyle
  
You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE
 
 
 
Secondly, we wanted to share: 
The Man In The Brown Suit

 
Anne Beddingfeld is looking for a bit of adventure in London when she becomes embroiled in a mystery. A man falls dead on train tracks and a beautiful ballet dancer is brutally murdered in a London mansion.

The only thing linking these two cases? 
The Man in the Brown Suit.
  
Following a cryptic note that she discovered at one of the crime scenes, Anne decides to travel abroad to Africa and stumbles into a web of diamond thieves, murder, double identities, and romance!

 "The Man In The Brown Suit" is one of Agatha Christie's fast-paced thrillers, and makes for an exciting read. It's chock full of disguised identities and adventure - perfect for this week's prompt!



It is available as a kindle and paperback HERE
 
 
Lastly, we have a fun Middle-Grade Read!
 The Callender Papers
 

I thought I'd take you along with me today, and show you the process behind this piece I finished last month titled "An Autumn Sound". 

 

Inspired by the first stanza of the poem "The Autumn" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I wanted to capture some of the little sounds associated with this cozy season in this piece. So, I tucked a bubbling waterfall, crisp colorful leaves, and a downy owl into this painting!

 
We're currently giving this mini art print away with all orders placed in our Etsy shop during the Autumn months. It's such a sweet reminder of autumn's treasures. 🍁 
 
 

  THE AUTUMN by 
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 
 
Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them --
The summer flowers depart --
Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.

How there you sat in summer-time,
May yet be in your mind;
And how you heard the green woods sing
Beneath the freshening wind.
Though the same wind now blows around,
You would its blast recall;
For every breath that stirs the trees,
Doth cause a leaf to fall.

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth
That flesh and dust impart:
We cannot bear its visitings,
When change is on the heart.
Gay words and jests may make us smile,
When Sorrow is asleep;
But other things must make us smile,
When Sorrow bids us weep!

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, --
Their presence may be o'er;
The dearest voice that meets our ear,
That tone may come no more!
Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,
Which once refresh'd our mind,
Shall come -- as, on those sighing woods,
The chilling autumn wind.

Hear not the wind -- view not the woods;
Look out o'er vale and hill-
In spring, the sky encircled them --
The sky is round them still.
Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold --
Come change -- and human fate!
Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,
Can ne'er be desolate. 
 
 

 


 We can't believe it's already week three of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

This week's prompt is: Secret Passages

There is something so exciting and intriguing about secret passages and hidden doors.
You never know what may lie at the end of the tunnel!

 
The first mystery we picked is:  
 
Missing: Page Thirteen

  

"Violet Strange, a clever detective, is called upon to solve the mystery of a page gone missing from an important document. The futures of several people, including an eccentric misanthrope, a chemical scientist, and a bride and groom, depend on the quick resolution of this problem. In solving one mystery, she uncovers another which dates back many years."

 - Summary by Bev J. Stevens on Librivox


"Missing: Page Thirteen" is such a thrilling mystery and an eerie secret passage definitely plays a key part!

 

This mystery is part of a collection of short stories entitled

"The Golden Slipper, and Other Problems for Violet Strange"
by Anna Katharine Green. Published in 1913, this collection features Violet Strange, a mysterious young women, who aids the police in solving baffling cases. Each story stands on it's own, however, as the cases progress one begins to ask oneself, just what is the secret of this Violet Strange?

You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE


The second book we are sharing is:
 
The Red House Mystery
 
What do you get when you combine:
A grand country estate, a house party, the return of a long-lost brother, a murder, a disappearance, and the arrival of Antony Gillingham, a brilliant but modest gentleman sleuth? You receive a cleverly crafted, and jolly amusing mystery written by none other than A.A. Milne! 
 
This mystery, filled with humor and intrigue, is such a fun read. One of the best parts about this book is the witty banter between Antony and his young buddy, Bill:


“Are you prepared to be the complete Watson?" he asked.

"Watson?"

"Do-you-follow-me-Watson; that one. Are you prepared to have quite obvious things explained to you, to ask futile questions, to give me chances of scoring off you, to make brilliant discoveries of your own two or three days after I have made them myself all that kind of thing? Because it all helps."

"My dear Tony," said Bill delightedly, "need you ask?" Antony said nothing, and Bill went on happily to himself, "I perceive from the strawberry-mark on your shirt-front that you had strawberries for dessert. Holmes, you astonish me. Tut, tut, you know my methods. Where is the tobacco? The tobacco is in the Persian slipper. Can I leave my practice for a week? I can.”

― A.A. Milne, The Red House Mystery
 
Written for his father, the only sad part about this book is that Milne never turned it into a series! Who knew that the creator of sweet, little Winnie-the-Pooh could also craft such a gripping tale of detection?

 
 You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE
 

 
And lastly we couldn't write a post about secret passages without including Nancy Drew:
 
 The Hidden Staircase
 
 
Twin Elms, an elegant colonial house, is thought to be haunted with:
the disappearance of items, music playing with no explanation, a chandelier moving by itself, and a mask being held up in the windows. 
 
Only Nancy Drew can tackle this daring case. Attempted murder and kidnapping are some of the obstacles that face our girl sleuth, but never fear Nancy will not be deterred!
 
 
 This book is available as a kindle, paperback and hardcover HERE

 
Have you ever read any of these titles?
Do you have a favorite mystery featuring secret passages? 
We always love discovering hidden treasures! 📚
 
 

 
 

The second week of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery has begun!

This week's prompt is: A Mystery Abroad

Nothing like a little adventurous traveling to bring out crime!
Today we're sharing a few of our favorite mysteries that fall in this category.


The First Mystery we picked is:

 A Caribbean Mystery


This Agatha Christie features our favorite elderly spinster, Miss Marple. This time, instead of her usual English setting in the quaint town of St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple is vacationing at a resort in the Caribbeans. The trip, intended to refresh her health, soon becomes quite restorative to our lady detective when Major Palgrave mysteriously dies leaving suspicion on all the guests at the resort.

This book is available as a kindle and paperback HERE

 
The second book we are sharing is:

They Came To Baghdad
 

This book is one of Agatha Christie's thriller/adventure mysteries. It has no main detective and follows Victoria Jones, a spunky heroine who has a dreadful habit of fabricating stories. She falls head over heels in love for a charming young man and decides to follow him to Baghdad, only to get herself embroiled in murder, kidnapping and possibly government espionage.

This book is a fun and entertaining read!

It is available as a kindle and paperback HERE


The last book we have to share is perfect for young, budding detectives!

The Happy Hollisters


The Happy Hollisters series is an old, family favorite. These books always bring back nostalgic memories of our mother reading them aloud to us. The books follow the five Hollister siblings and their parents as they solve mysteries together as a family. They often travel far and wide throughout the series, finding adventure and stumbling into mysteries wherever they go .



 The Happy Hollister Books are available as paperbacks HERE

.
  
Have you ever read any of these titles?
Do you have a favorite story featuring a mystery abroad? 
We always love discovering books that will take us on new adventures! 📚
 
 
 

 
We're welcoming in the first full week of October with our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

This week's prompt is: Stolen Jewels
 
There are so many great stories that fall under this category, so we thought it would be fun to share a few different titles for all ages featuring the theft of precious gems!

 
The first book that we picked out for today is:

The Moonstone

Written by Wilkie Collins and published in 1868, this classic novel established many of the standards for the modern detective genre.

The story begins by relating the origins of the Moonstone, a highly valuable Indian diamond.  Through nefarious means, the stone ends up in the possession of Colonel Herncastle. 

In his will he bequeaths the diamond to his niece on her eighteenth birthday, along with all of the danger that surrounds the jewel!

 On the night of her eighteenth birthday, the stone disappears without a trace, leaving behind a web of unhappiness and misunderstandings.

 This book reads very much like the Victorian literature of the time - full of drama and suspense! It is an epistolary novel, and is told by many characters. One of our favorite narrators is the house-steward, Gabriel Betteredge. He begins the tale, and his deep passion for Robinson Crusoe has always made us want to read that book. When our leaning stack of mysteries stops threatening to consume us, we might get around to it one day!

You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE


The second book we are sharing is:

The Window at The White Cat


"Margery Fleming comes to attorney Jack Knox seeking help - her father, Allan Fleming, has disappeared. Knox reluctantly agrees, and calls in detective Al Hunter to investigate. Knox is not too concerned about Fleming, as he has been seen around town.


Margery's aunt, Miss Susan Jane Maitland, asks Knox to help her revise her will. Knox goes to her home at Bellwood, and discovers that Jane has disappeared without a trace. At the same time, ten of her 98 precious pearls have disappeared also, apparently a theft."

Synopsis by The Mystillery

 This Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery is definitely one of our favorites! This book is scattered with humor and intrigue and we love revisiting it often.

 You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE

The last book in our lineup is perfect for young and old mystery fans alike!

Piggins and The Royal Wedding

 In Piggins and the Royal Wedding, the bride's wedding ring disappears moments before the ceremony is to begin! But never fear, all is resolved when Piggins, the Reynard's clever butler, is called upon to investigate the crime.


Written by Jane Yolen, all of the Piggins picture books feature simple mysteries with clever twists. 

Also, the illustrations by Jane Dyer are simply magic! Filled with numerous details, each page is like taking a charming visit to St. Mary Mead. One of our favorite parts about these illustrations are all the clues tucked on each page along the way. 

Every time we finish a story, we always have to go back and look at all the pictures again to find each of the clues - it never ceases to amaze!

 
The Piggins books are now out of print, but you can still find them used on
Amazon, Thriftbooks, and Ebay. 
 
 
 
Honorable Mentions
 
A few more fun titles that we didn't have room to include, but that feature valuable jewels:
 
"The Mystery of the Blue Train" by Agatha Christie
"The Ruby and the Caldron" by Anna Katharine Green
"Leave it to Psmith" by P. G. Wodehouse 
(This one isn't technically a mystery, but it definitely centers around stolen jewels . . . 
As does many a Wodehouse story! 😁)
 
 
Have you ever read any of these titles?
Do you have a favorite mystery featuring stolen jewels? 
We always love discovering new gems! 📚




"Properly considered, there is no such thing as an insoluble mystery." ⁠
⁠
~P.G. Wodehouse, Summer Lightening⁠


October has arrived and with its arrival our stack of mysteries "To-Be-Read" has almost doubled in size. So, we thought, what better way to celebrate this cozy, autumn month than by hosting our #ANovelMonthofMystery bookstagram challenge again this year over on our Instagram page!

There will be four prompts (one for every week). Each prompt is inspired by some of our favorite mystery elements. And the best part is that everyone that participates will be entered into weekly, mystery giveaways!⁠ You can find all the details on how to play along in this Instagram post.
⁠
There will be a total of four weekly giveaways AND there will be a Grand Prize giveaway that's drawn at the end of October which will be . . .

 
This Sherlock Holmes Book Bag from our Redbubble shop!

 ⁠⁠Anyone will be able to enter to win the book bag on THIS POST in our Instagram feed. You don’t have to participate in our book challenge to enter, however, every IG post that uses our challenge's hashtag will count as an additional entry for the grand prize!⁠

To add to the festivities, we are going to write a blog post each week to go with the different themes! We will be sharing some of our favorite mystery reads throughout the month and some fun illustrations as well. 

We can't wait for #ANovelMonthofMystery to begin!

 


 


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