Earth and Space News: Puzzle Lady Mystery Series book 9

Showing posts with label Puzzle Lady Mystery Series book 9. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

All Are Aware of Private Investigators in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders

Summary: All are aware of private investigators in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders, 9th mystery in the Puzzle Lady series authored by Parnell Hall.

Eugène François Vidocq (July 23, 1775-May 11, 1857) accepted the first directorship (1812-1827) of Sûreté Nationale ("National Security") in Paris, France. His reputation as among the first modern private investigators arose from a criminal background angled penitently into polite society and from justice-system professional career, as attested to in the respective characters of Jean Valjean and police inspector Javert in Les Misérables ("The Miserable Ones") by Victor-Marie Hugo (Feb. 26, 1802-May 22, 1885); poster of French actor René Navarre (July 8, 1877-Feb. 8, 1968) in the title role in 1923 film Vidocq, directed by French actor and director Jean Kemm (May 15, 1874-April 21, 1940): Gallica Digital Library, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

All Bakerhavenites are aware of two private investigators in their midst in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders, 9th mystery in the Puzzle Lady series authored by Parnell Hall (Oct. 31, 1934-Dec. 15, 2020).

Bakerhaven boasts born and bred Bakerhavenites such as Police Chief Dale Harper, wife Ellen and daughter Clara and Police Department Officers Sam Brogan and Dan Finley. They contemplate gum-chewing Sam and Channel 8 newsman Rick Reed’s confidential tipster, Dan, conducting arrests, containing crime scenes and cruising abandoned commerce such as Tastee Freez. They do not so dislike Bakerhaven fellow denizens as to dump one in sports jacket and slacks, with half his head disappeared and without his car.

Medical Examiner Dr. Barney Nathan establishes for all Bakerhavenites that childless, divorced, 160-pound (72.58-kilogram), 38-year-old Walter Krebbs of Washington Heights expired 2 to 48 hours earlier.

Perhaps all Bakerhavenites figure that a fugitive car, with murder weapon, fits somewhere on old paper mill grounds 0.5 mile (0.81 kilometer) north of Tastee Freez.

Number puzzle lady Cora Felton guesses immediately that privately investigating Dennis Pride, Hideki Takiyama, Aoki Yoshiaki or the latter’s wife guides Lester Mathews to Country Kitchen. Cora and Dan, like all Bakerhavenites, hypothesize Lester Mathews, from a fifth-floor, Manhattan-hosted office just off Third Avenue, as second private investigator and Tastee Freez victim. Perhaps the murder weapon in the chest and the black-gray, New York-registered, three- to four-year-old Chevy sedan license-plated FYI3205 in the back parking lot intrigues them.

All Bakerhavenites perhaps never judge Dennis, as Brenda Wallenstein’s husband and Cora’s ex-nephew-in-law, jeopardizing first wife Sherry Carter or private investigators, in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders.

Jacobson and Murdock bed-and-breakfast owner-operators know of Hideki (from Japanese 秀樹, “excellence, timber trees”) and of Mr. and Mrs. Yoshiaki as their respective lodgers.

Perhaps Dan lets Rick in on Internal Revenue Service agent Norman Jenks, extension 642, listing number 518-32-7946 left with Lester as his killer’s Social Security number. Perhaps he mentions Mary Dobbs, as Wickem house lodger near Mrs. Grayson and Mrs. Murphy and as Country Kitchen restaurant waitress, monitoring all four murder suspects. Perhaps he notes, from Cora navigating Manhattan Upper-East neighborhoods, Reiko’s (from Japanese 麗子, “beautiful child”) 4th-degree black belt from Kyoto Martial Arts teacher Kiosh.

The Sudoku Puzzle Murders offer all Bakerhavenites out-of-place private investigators and Cora, outlandish after auburn-highlighted, sheepdog-shagged hair-teasing by Mitzi, co-stylist with Cindy, on East 86th Street.

All Bakerhavenites perceive which black-shuttered, white-framed two-story preserves Bakerhaven police and Cushman bakery downtown and Oak Lane’s Clemson property, Crowley bed and breakfast and Meachem’s Antiques.

No Bakerhavenite questions which building, perhaps black-shuttered and white-framed, perhaps not, quarters Acme Auto Glass, Bakerhaven pizza parlor, Baldwin law offices and Reverend Kimble’s Congregational Church. They always recognize which residence, black-shuttered and white-framed or not, remains County Prosecutor Henry Firth’s and Judge Hobbs’ courthouse and First Selectman Iris Cooper’s town hall. Aoki (from Japanese 青木, “blue/green tree”), as Cushman and Wicker Basket customer, and puzzle-constructing, puzzle-solving Harvey Beerbaum, as number-puzzle, town-hall competitor, really stand out.

The Sudoku Puzzle Murders treat all Bakerhavenites to Dennis traveling from and to Soho, private investigators tailing targets and Cora trashing ex-husbands Frank, Henry and Melvin.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

A Tastee Freez in the Bakerhaven area appealed to Bakerhavenites and passersby appreciating soft serve ice cream until a Dairy Queen appeared 0.5 mile (0.81) kilometer closer to town. It attracts automobilists anxious to stop briefly, for romantic reasons at best and for criminal reasons at worst; Jan. 1, 2007, image of Tastee Freez, Craigsville, Virginia: Idawriter, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Craigsville_Tastee_Freez_-_panoramio.jpg; Idawriter on Panoramio, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Unported, via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20161015114353/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/31315936

For further information:

Hall, Parnell. 2019. Lights! Camera! Puzzles! New York NY; London UK: Pegasus Crime.

Hall, Parnell. 2018. The Purloined Puzzle. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2017. A Puzzle To Be Named Later. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2016. Presumed Puzzled. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2015. Puzzled Indemnity. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2014. NYPD Puzzle. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2013. Arsenic and Old Puzzles. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2012. $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2011. The Kenken Killings. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2010. The Puzzle Lady vs. The Sudoku Lady. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2009. Dead Man's Puzzle. New York NY: Minotaur Books, A Thomas Dunne Book for Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2008. The Sudoku Puzzle Murders. New York NY: Thomas Dunne Books St. Martin's Minotaur, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.

Hall, Parnell. 2006. You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2005. Stalking the Puzzle Lady. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2004. And a Puzzle to Die On. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2003. With This Puzzle, I Thee Kill. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2002. A Puzzle in a Pear Tree. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2001. Puzzled to Death. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 2000. Last Puzzle & Testament. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Hall, Parnell. 1999. A Clue for the Puzzle Lady. New York NY: Bantam Books, division of Random House, Inc.

Marriner, Derdriu. 8 June 2021. "Martini, Muffins, Pancakes and Scotch Allay The Sudoku Puzzle Murders." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/martini-muffins-pancakes-and-scotch.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 1 June 2021. "Bakerhaven, New York and Tokyo Are Close in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/bakerhaven-new-york-and-tokyo-are-close.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 25 May 2021. "Betting, Puzzling, Suing Are Why You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/betting-puzzling-suing-are-why-you-have.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 18 May 2021. "Starbucks Caramel Adds Acuity in You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/starbucks-caramel-adds-acuity-in-you.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 11 May 2021. "You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled Alerts Us About Bakerhaven Trains." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/05/you-have-right-to-remain-puzzled-alerts.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 4 May 2021. "One Knife, Two Deaths, Four Puzzles Aid in Stalking the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/granville-grains-corn-toasties-appall.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 27 April 2021. "Granville Grains Corn Toasties Appall Cora in Stalking the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/granville-grains-corn-toasties-appall.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 20 April 2021. "Coastal Connecticut Attracts Reality Ads in Stalking the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/coastal-connecticut-attracts-reality.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 April 2021. "And a Puzzle to Die On Augments Bakerhaven Acquaintances by One." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/and-puzzle-to-die-on-augments.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 6 April 2021. "A Birthday Bash And a Puzzle to Die On Await Cora and an Outsider." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-birthday-bash-and-puzzle-to-die-on.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 30 March 2021. "Bakerhaven Maps Aim a Victim at a Birthday Bash And a Puzzle to Die On." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/bakerhaven-maps-aim-victim-at-birthday.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 23 March 2021. "Four Cryptograms Assure Two Deaths in With This Puzzle, I Thee Kill." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/four-cryptograms-assure-two-deaths-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 March 2021. "Honeyed Lemoned Teas Are For Fiancees in With This Puzzle, I Thee Kill." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/honeyed-lemoned-teas-are-for-fiancees.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 9 March 2021. "Manhattan and San Diego Account For Why With This Puzzle, I Thee Kill." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/manhattan-and-san-diego-account-for-why.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 2 March 2021. "Christmas Carolers Are Three Voices Short in A Puzzle in a Pear Tree." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/christmas-carolers-are-three-voices.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 23 February 2021. "A Puzzle in a Pear Tree Alters a Christmas Pageant and a Live Nativity." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-puzzle-in-pear-tree-alters-christmas.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 February 2021. "Tristate Access Adds a Broadway Director to A Puzzle in a Pear Tree." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/tristate-access-adds-broadway-director.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 9 February 2021. "Attorney Becky Baldwin Maybe Aces New York Lawyers in Puzzled to Death." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/attorney-becky-baldwin-maybe-aces-new.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 2 February 2021. "Perhaps Fun Night Attendees Ate All Free Desserts in Puzzled to Death." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/02/perhaps-fun-night-attendees-ate-all.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 26 January 2021. "New Yorkers Adapt to Less Light and More Parking in Puzzled to Death." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/new-yorkers-adapt-to-less-light-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 19 January 2021. "Fifteen Million Dollars Avenge Old Wrongs in Last Puzzle and Testament." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/fifteen-million-dollars-avenge-old.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 12 January 2021. "Chicken Soup Awes All But Appears Nowhere in Last Puzzle and Testament." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/chicken-soup-awes-all-but-appears.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 5 January 2021. "Interstate Highways Add More Hurley Heirs to Last Puzzle and Testament." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/01/interstate-highways-add-more-hurley.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 29 December 2020. "Bakerhaven Acquaintances Afford A Clue for the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/12/bakerhaven-acquaintances-afford-clue.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 22 December 2020. "Bakerhaven Alcohol Acts as A Clue for the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/12/bakerhaven-alcohol-acts-as-clue-for.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 December 2020. "An Actual Bakerhaven Map Never Appears as A Clue for the Puzzle Lady." Earth and Space News. Tuesday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/12/an-actual-bakerhaven-map-never-appears.html

"Puzzle Lady." Parnell Hall.com > Books. Website by Kate Anchev/Outbox Online Design Studio.
Available @ http://parnellhall.com/puzzle-lady/

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Martini, Muffins, Pancakes and Scotch Allay The Sudoku Puzzle Murders

Summary: Martini shaken not stirred, raisin bran muffins, maple syrup pancakes and scotch with soda allay The Sudoku Puzzle Murders, 9th Puzzle Lady mystery.

Sherry Carter Grant, number puzzle lady Cora Felton's housemate and niece, associates maple syrup pancakes with hot-lunch comfort food. She avoids hot lunches except when she agonizes over her angry ex-husband, Dennis Pride, attempting to abort her marrying Bakerhaven Gazette reporter Aaron Grant; Monday, March 24, 2008, 06:49, image of pancakes and syrup, The Patriot Club, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska: U.S. Air Force/Dan Rohan, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Martini shaken not stirred, raisin bran muffins, maple syrup pancakes and scotch with soda allay The Sudoku Puzzle Murders, 9th mystery in Parnell Hall’s (Oct. 31, 1934-Dec. 15, 2020) Puzzle Lady series.

Sherry Carter Grant, as number puzzle lady Cora Felton’s niece and as second husband Aaron Grant’s first wife, bites into avocado salads, salad greens and sandwiches. Becky Baldwin, as Aaron’s girlfriend before Sherry and as Bakerhaven’s only attorney, consumes coffee when contacted by early-rising Hideki Takiyama and salad at Wicker Basket restaurant. Country Kitchen’s salad bar, whose carrots delight non-paying lunch-crasher Cora, draws Aoki Yoshiaki, sudoku (from Japanese 数独, “single-digit”) puzzle book publisher from Tokyo, Japan.

Becky, Cora and Hideki (from Japanese 秀樹, “excellence, timber trees”) never enter the first-floor pizza parlor before or after exiting from Baldwin law offices.

Cora finds basil and tomato ingredients in the latest daily specials less flavorful than Aaron’s grilled, medium-rare burgers and, even without sufficient salt, Sherry’s stove-top stew.

Sharon gives Aaron, Cora and toy poodle Buddy Felton lamb shank and risotto (from Greek ὄρυζα, via Italian riso, “rice” and -otto, “low-grain”) as gourmet dinner. She hones hot coffee for whatever hours Cora has home breakfasts of other than cigarettes and orange juice and downtown breakfasts at Mary Cushman’s Bake Shop. Bakerhaven Police Chief Dale Harper inveighs against sludge-like coffee in the station urn and, like Cora, is impressed with Cushman-brewed coffees and Cushman-imported muffins and scones.

Cora and Dale journey to Cushman bakery for such Manhattan jubilations from Silver Moon Bakery as blueberry-ginger and raisin bran muffins in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders.

Cora keeps away from hot tea apart one cup with Mrs. Clemson on Oak Lane and another cup with Mrs. Murphy, who keeps handy bottled brandy.

Cushman customers line up for blueberry muffins and cranberry scones even as Cora, who loathes her log-like silhouette, listens to what lanky, lean, lithe Sherry likes. Mulling caloric intake makes Sherry, perhaps like Becky, munch on raisin bran muffins with black coffee or skim latte (from Latin lac, via Italian latte, “milk”). Neglecting caloric intake nets Cora skim latte, with two-shot espresso (from Italian espresso, “pressed-out”), and chocolate brioche (from French brier, “to grind” and noun-forming suffix -oche).

Maple syrup pancakes, raisin bran muffins, scotch with soda and shaken martini respectively obviate existentially overloading Sherry, Cora, Dennis and Hideki in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders.

Perhaps dog kibble (from Shropshire dialect kibble, “to grind coarsely”) pacifies toy poodles such as Buddy Felton after the latter patronizes people food and vice versa.

Becky and Cora quest Country Kitchen and Wicker Basket for the former, near-town and the latter, downtown restaurants’ quality salads and bacon-quartered burgers with French fries. Officing near a Broadway sushi (from Japanese 寿司, “sour”) bar perhaps raises private investigator Walter Krebbs’ blood pressure from raw seafood risking food poisoning. Aoki and Sherry similarize regular customers sipping Country Kitchen bartended drinks even as the former sign book contracts and the latter swallow Country Kitchen restaurant-styled burgers.

Sherry tries not thinking about troublesome ex-husband Dennis Pride less through scotch with soda and shaken martini, more through maple syrup pancakes and raisin bran muffins.

Sherry assures Cora that raisin bran muffins are nicely nourishing and nutritious. Cora perhaps astounds her niece by asking for a raisin bran muffin, not a blueberry or blueberry-ginger muffin or a cranberry scone, all of which typically attract her attention at Mary Cushman's Bake Shop; Thursday, March 16, 2017, 05:01, image of raisin bran muffin, Tim Hortons, Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Jean Gagnon (Jeangagnon), CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons