Mystery | Notes Tied On The Sagebrush

“There is always a pleasure in unravelling a mystery, in catching at the gossamer clue which will guide to certainty.”
― Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton

One of my favorite things is a mystery story. I have read many books in this genre from the US and many other countries. I love watching Masterpiece Mystery on PBS and we have whole DVD collections of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Over this past slow summer, I confess to binge watching several different mystery series on Amazon and Netflix. Endeavour just returned to PBS here so I have a new subscription to Masterpiece on Amazon. I need to catch up with Longmire again on Netflix. I just googled it and saw a spoiler. I hate spoilers. I do not want to get a hint or be told what is going to happen before I watch something. What is the point of that? Drat!! OK back to mysteries. What I love about mysteries is trying to solve them and preferably before the end of the story. Who done it? And to solve them you need to figure out the motive. Which of the characters could have a motive for killing someone? There can be several twists and turns, with sub-plots and false leads, as you and the detectives try to solve the case. Sometimes the writer is able to keep the killer well hidden to the end.

Thinking of all the people who are in the path of the hurricane Irma and those still struggling with loss from Harvey and everyone who is living in the path of floods, wildfires, and earthquakes.

Pyracantha blossoms

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today was “motive.” Featured image is from Wikipedia.

“Conflict and character are the heart of good fiction, and good mystery has both of those in spades.” –Diana Gabaldon

The DVD of Season 2 of Endeavour arrived by UPS today along with two books I had ordered. Notice that endeavour is spelled the British way. You know my American spell check now has a little squiggly red line under that British spelling. Oh well, I don’t care how they spell it I love this series. It is part of Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS. I have already watched Season 2 this past summer. I don’t remember every part of the stories so I will still enjoy watching it again. And my husband has not seen it.

The main character’s name is Endeavour. This is his first name. My English grandmother used to tell us that they used to name children with names that gave a purpose. I love the name and what it implies. Endeavour, like some of its synonyms such as be bold, dare, be courageous, brave, strive, utmost effort, one’s all, and one’s level best, is a good description of this detective’s character.

This series is a prequel about Inspector Morse which you may remember if you are a fan of British mysteries. This is Morse as a young man just starting out in police work.

His superior is Detective Inspector Fred Thursday. No he is not like our Joe Friday. He is a mentor father-figure to Morse. They have been developing a great relationship and bond.

Endeavour is very intelligent and can sleuth out the cases before anyone else. It is a joy to follow along while he solves the mystery. He has a couple of nemeses who do not appreciate his stellar abilities. These nemeses are usually trying to get him into trouble or block his success. Though not as bad as a Professor Moriarty type nemesis.

The stories are complex and do not allow a quick resolution. That adds to the enjoyment. If you like mysteries and have not had a chance to see this series, I highly recommend it.

Do you like a mystery? Do you like British mysteries? American? or both?

Of course, I have my favorite American mystery writers like Michael Connelly and his Detective Harry Bosch. I like Henning Mankell’s Wallander books. There is a Canadian mystery writer I really like. Her name is Louise Penny and I love her Inspector Gamache.

How about you?

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