What makes this book especially satisfying is its sensory richness. The attention to detail is so precise you can practically smell the bread cooling on the racks, the sharpness of cheese, the damp stone after rain. It is comfort reading with substance: sunshine and laughter paired with the everyday complications life throws at us, and the quiet resilience required to meet them.
This is not a book about capital-H heroes. Instead, it centers on people who engage in small acts of service, kindness, and yes, heroism—not for recognition or glory, but because it was the right thing to do in the moment. These are stories of people showing up when it would have been easier not to.
The Locked Room is clever, cozy without being complacent, and deeply satisfying for puzzle-lovers. If you adore classic detective fiction but crave a fresh perspective, Harriet White deserves a place on your shelf—and very likely, in your reading rotation for a long while to come.
About the Book: A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales Human beings are flawed creatures, and humor is the perfect means to exploit the endless fodder of our shortcomings. This multi-genre collection of twenty-one short satirical stories will leave you smirking, chuckling, scratching your head, and maybe even muttering to yourself […]
There is also something deeply comforting about the cultural shorthand Spencer-Fleming uses. References to PBS, public radio–adjacent sensibilities, and a certain late-20th-century, educated-Northeast worldview made me feel instantly at home. It is clear the author lives in or very near my cultural zeitgeist, and those small, knowing touches add a layer of authenticity that is easy to underestimate and hard to fake.There is also something deeply comforting about the cultural shorthand Spencer-Fleming uses. References to PBS, public radio–adjacent sensibilities, and a certain late-20th-century, educated-Northeast worldview made me feel instantly at home. It is clear the author lives in or very near my cultural zeitgeist, and those small, knowing touches add a layer of authenticity that is easy to underestimate and hard to fake.
brilliant – I think of stars in the sky, english expressions, a high gloss
irksome – a person I spent time with this weekend. I never learn.
perfect – a cool, crisp fall day, trees ablaze with color
wind – Late at night, in bed, it’s something I love to hear rustling the leaves on the trees
Hey there! Since you stole this from me (thank you!) I won’t post it at my blog, but I will answer here for you:
brilliant – I think of that Guiness commercial with the cartoon men saying “brilliant!” about everything. It’s kinda become a byline for me.
irksome – little black midges that bite. I didn’t have to deal with them in Minnesota, but they sure are here in IL.
perfect – God. None is truely perfect but God. In the world, though, it may have to be flowers.
wind – OK, you’ll hit me, but I’m thinking of my dad here. When I read “wind” the very first thing I thought of was “breaking wind”. How horrible am I? It’s all his fault!
Thanks for playing – and thanks for commenting on the phone!
Brilliant: The polished sheen of the evening sky after a bright rain and a rainbow.
Irksome: Someone whom I can never please– namely my mother, lol!
Perfect: A rainy day, a pot of soup on the stove, and a good book.
Wind: Blond Girl already said it, lol! But I think of my husband after he has a big bowl of chili and a couple beers ;-D
I have nothing to say only that brilliant is my day.
Irksome get some of MaMa’s hot fresh bread.
Puuurfect is my crazy cat.
Wind is just wind.
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!