I Found a New Favorite

Today at work I spent about an hour looking for a cd-player I had ordered and that should have been delivered but somehow had not reached my department. In the end I did find it from more or less where it should have been in fact, though I am 100% positive it was not there when I looked for the first time! Then at home I spent another long while looking for the receipt I got when I bought my laptop last September as the laptop suddenly stopped working & I need to get it fixed. Luckily there is a two year guarantee and thank goodness I did find the receipt in the end.

When it comes to books I am always on the look out for interesting reads and after a period of not being in the mood for mysteries I have lately started to read them again. I have always liked mystery series set in the past and with strong female characters. An exotic-to-me location has also always been a plus. I think I have mentioned more than once that I'm a fan of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody -series. Other mystery series I have enjoyed include:

• Nell Bray -mysteries by Gillian Linscott. Nell is a suffragette, need I say more...:)
• Mary Russell -mysteries by Laurie R. King. Sherlock Holmes married!!
• Roma sub rosa -series by Steven Saylor

The list could go on and on.

Now I have found a new favorite: Jade del Cameron -mysteries by Suzanne Arruda. I have read the two first (Mark of the Lion & Stalking Ivory) in the series and as you can see from the photo I already have numbers three and four waiting for their turn. 

The series starts at the end of WW1. American Jade del Cameron has spent the war attached to the French army as an ambulance driver. When a dying fighter pilot asks her to find his missing half-brother and investigate his father's death Jade cannot say no. Soon after the war has ended Jade travels to colonial East Africa. Officially she works for a travel magazine, but she also tries to find answers to the pilot's last wishes.

I simply loved Jade from the start! :) There were, however, some things in the first book that I had my reservations about.Even though I did like Jade she felt almost too modern for the time period. Also I felt that the story would have worked quite well without the supernatural aspect. There was also all too much talk about guns and hunting for my liking, but I did like many other things in the book and I absolutely wanted to read more about Jade, so as soon as I had finished the first book I went and bought the second one.

In the second book Jade continues to work for the travel magazine. She wants to photograph elephants and arranges a trip to Mount Marsabit with her friends. While there they discover mutilated elephant remains. It seems some Abyssinian poachers are in search of ivory and slaves, or it might be something even more sinister...

By the second book I did not mind that there were some supernatural aspects, it seems to be something the writer wants to incorporate into the narrative. Also, Jade did feel modern, but not too modern. I liked the second part of the series quite a bit. And it seems there might even be a sort of master criminal causing her trouble from one book to the other! That's definitely a plus. :) And there might also be some romance in store for Jade in the future.

In addition to a wonderful main character Arruda has created an interesting supporting cast. I've also enjoyed the way she writes about the society in 1920s colonial Africa and the way she describes various African cultures.

Suzanne Arruda has a great website, if you want to learn more about her work and 1920s Africa.