I have quite a few books to get through, and am about to go on vacation and generate more, so here goes another set:
Hugh Pentecost, The Deadly Joke. Not bad. Very late-'60s "youth as a violent anarchic mob"-esque, but the plot was pretty good and the characters fresh.
Hugh Pentecost, Death After Breakfast. I liked the attempt to change things up by having Chambrun removed from the scene for a while ... but I found, overall, the plot "twists" were ridiculously easy to follow and the sleuthing team seemed unusually dim.
Louis L'Amour, The Californios. You know how I love my L'Amour (ha!), but this one was not good. I mean, I guess every great artist has to miss occasionally, but this one felt both careless and stilted - as though it was meant to have been tossed off in a hurry to meet a deadline, but was a battle to get down every word. Uninspired, boring characters, and a subplot of fantasy and mysticism that left me cold. Not a keeper.
Louisa May Alcott, Under the Lilacs. I liked this one. Very Eight Cousins in tone and theme, but with interesting characters, morally ambiguous decisions, and a lot going on under its simple, bucolic storyline. Quite good.
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