Book Spotlight: The Silver Box

In The Silver Box, the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter. 

When she wakes in her aunts’ cold cabin on the shore of Enchantment Lake, Francie remembers: everything about her life has changed. Or is about to. Or just might. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is. 

Francie, it turns out, has a lot to learn, and this time the lessons could be deadly. Her search for answers takes her and her best friends Raven and Jay as far afield as an abandoned ranch in Arizona and as close to home as a sketchy plant collector’s conservatory and a musty old museum where shadows lurk around every display case. At the heart of it all is a crime that touches her own adopted North Woods: thieves dig up fragile lady’s slippers, peel bark from birches, strip moss off trees, cut down entire forests of saplings to sell for home décor. But Francie is up against no ordinary plant theft. One ominous clue after another reveal that she possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When Francie’s investigation leads her into the treacherously cold and snowy North Woods, she finds out that she too is being pursued. 

Image by Leslie Pleser

Margi Preus is the author of the Newbery Honor book Heart of a Samurai and other books for young readers, including the Minnesota Book Award winning West of the Moon, and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award book The Clue in the Trees. Her books have won multiple awards, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, selected as an NPR Backseat Book Club pick, chosen for community reads, and translated into several languages. New titles in 2020 include Village of Scoundrels, The Littlest Voyageur, and The Silver Box, part of the Enchantment Lake mystery series. 

 

Movie Review: Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar

I was a little disappointed with the quality of production, being used to the usual high-quality Christie fare. The plot of Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar was disjointed and choppy and the whole premise not very well outlined. I also found Lyndsey Marshall a bland and not very appealing Agatha. The script was confusing, and it was hard to work out why everyone was in the grand house in the first place. The actors - some familiar faces - did their best but floundered in places. 

However, there were some good moments, for example Agatha's altercation with her publishers who do not want romance novels; they want more of the Belgian detective. I also learned a few things I did not know about Agatha Christie. She is the best-selling novelist of all time! Viewers who are not avid and hawk-eyed Christie fans, and those just wanting a relaxing murder mystery will enjoy it.  3/5

 

TV Series Review: Queens of Mystery

Do not miss Queens of Mystery! I nearly passed this series over because the title and the cover said nothing startling. However, it is absolutely brilliant. Quiet dry humour and witty understated narration by Juliet Stevenson, plus a cast of familiar faces (everyone is in it!) plus mysteries that will confound your detecting skills make this a must-watch. In a world filled with conflagration and the tearing down of all things familiar, this series takes one back to a quiet moment in the English countryside, with lots of murder to tease the little grey cells. 

I found the main character a bit bland to start with, but she is surrounded by overpoweringly flamboyant characters that milk every scene for what it is worth, so this is understandable. Some of the characters are screamingly funny and this is testimony to their expertise. The style is familiar and, although well-worn, offers the comfort of knowing you are in good hands. Relax and enjoy. 5/5

 

Book Feature: Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert

Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert is the true story of a young white woman, Erica Elliott, who comes to the Navajo Reservation in 1971 as a newly minted schoolteacher, knowing nothing about her students or their culture. After several blunders and misunderstandings, and beset by loneliness and despair, Erica makes a determined effort to overcome the barriers of language and culture. From the moment she begins learning the Navajo language, the people open their hearts and homes to her, inviting her into a world that will profoundly impact the rest of her life.

Erica falls in love with her Navajo students—along with their enchanting land, healing ceremonies, and rich traditions. She witnesses many miracles during this time and experiences her own miracle when the elders pray for her healing. She survives fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shapeshifting “skin walker.” She learns how to herd and butcher sheep, make fry bread, weave traditional rugs, and more.

Erica returns years later to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an under-funded and under-staffed clinic, where she treats myriad ailments, delivers countless babies, and performs emergency procedures. When a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.

About the Author:

Erica Elliott is a medical doctor with a busy private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A true adventurer, she has lived and worked around the world. She served as a teacher for Indigenous children on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and in the mountains of Ecuador. In 1976, she was one of the first American women to climb Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere. She taught rock climbing and mountaineering for Outward Bound and, after her first year of medical school, she led an all-women’s expedition to the top of Denali in Alaska. In 1993, Erica helped found The Commons, a cohousing community in Santa Fe where she continues to live. She gave a TEDx talk about living in cohousing. Referred to affectionately as “the Health Detective,” she treats patients who come to her from all parts of the country with mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illnesses. Erica is a frequent radio guest and has given workshops at various venues, including Esalen and Omega Institute.

Find out more about Erica at https://www.medicineandmiraclesinthehighdesert.com/