Death at Inishmore Castle, by Lucy Connelly, has a familiar setting. This time an old castle set to reopen for tourists and sisters Mercy and Lizzie have been invited to attend. What should have been a relaxing break for them becomes anything but when the body of Father Brennan was found dead in the library. Another guest is soon found drowned in the lake. As the sisters investigate they discover not everyone is who they say they are, and nor is the reason for their visit ... but I won't say too much here! Lots of twists to the plot, and a 'traditional' storm which cuts off communication and keeps everyone stranded at the castle make for a great read. This is the third Mercy McCarthy Mystery book.

On the recommendation of Canadian Reader I tried the 'other' series by Karen Baugh Menuhin and Matilda Swift: The Alexander Wolfe series. First title is The Caxton Manor Murders. It is Christmas and folks, old friends, are looking forward to a festive gathering. Someone unexpected, and uninvited shows up, however, and everything changes, especially when the person is then found dead. Why did he show up, and what is the connection with someone, anyone, at the manor? Wolfe is called upon to investigate. He is helped by James Fox and a terrier named Wilf. A bit grittier than my usual cozy mystery preference, but this is an excellent author.

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I quite enjoyed this book and it's much bigger than I usually read these days! (500 plus pages). Watching the English: the Hidden Rules of English Behavior (updated version) by Kate Fox. Having learned what I did, I'm pretty sure I would have been very happy to grow up with these 'rules' .... little to no eye contact, respect person space (especially on a crowded bus or train), self modesty ... I had to chuckle over some of the comments of the author, who had to overlook some of these in order to write her book! Seems the politically correct term here is "socially challenged" (p. 549) to describe this behavior. Humo(u)r is VERY important (when in doubt, joke). Also important is the Importance of NOT Being Ernest. Everything is done in moderation. There is a lot of 'moaning', just to each other, known as "eeyorishess" ... it is mock moaning only, real despair is not allowed! You do not ask how someone is doing (or their family) instead, you discuss the weather. You apologize often. You'll learn how to deal with gossip, flirting, mobile phones, stress, and more. A delightful read on the foibles and eccentricities of the English.

Back to a Canadian author again today, this time a favorite of mine, Farley Mowat. His books will make you laugh (Dog Who Wouldn't Be), cry (A Whale for the Killing), reflect (And No Birds Sang) ... if you've not yet discovered him, he's worth it.

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Today it's an old, familiar author, and a totally new (to me) author. :-)

I'll start with The Tate File from the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa. The 'gang' is about to gather for another cold case soon but Aunt Bessie has another mystery first ... an old friend shows up at her door asking for help to clear her son of theft. It was at an engagement party and the ring has gone missing. His mom knows he didn't do it. The cold case this time is a murder. One that happened in a closed pub (those still drinking are allowed to stay on for a while). He was stabbed. It's a small pub, with just a few drinkers (who knew each other), how could that happen? Two engaging mysteries by this author again. :-)

Multitasking Murder must have caught my attention somehow because it showed up in a box on my porch. :-) Turns out it is the fortieth book in the Merry Wrath Mystery series by Leslie Langtry! Main character is an 'outed' spy. Once that happened (we learn why in an earlier book) she can no longer work safely as that spy so she moves back to her small home town and starts up a Girl Scout troop (well, Brownies at first). They are now graduating high school. There is a wedding and the opening of an aviary, not to mention the mayoral election (mayor is 12). There are other spies, some from the cold war not to mention Russia), Druids, PTA moms ... just so much going on ... (And don't forget the body and the threatening notes). It was fun, and if you like it, you can start at the beginning with lots of books to read!

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Tall Reader has grandchildren, grandchildren who read and love doing so with an actual book! This one came to her from one of them: The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson. It is fiction so I'll admit, I hesitated over reading it as I rarely read a straight fiction book ... to me many of them don't seem to have an actual ending. This one does, however and it proved to be a most interesting read. It deals with a lot of that is familiar: small town, good/bad memories, the closing of a familiar landmark, history ... Late one night, after the library has closed, the librarian comes across a door where no door was before. She opens it to a room filled with shelves of books, each about a member of the town, hers included. Merely opening one of them transports her (as a visitor and viewer only) to the past. (It's called magical realism). What will she learn? Will it help with something devastating that is about to happen? I'll admit, I liked it much better than I thought I would! :-)

Kate Ellis combines two mysteries in her books, usually about 400 years apart. Makes for some wonderful reading! In An Unhallowed Grave, one of the DI Wesley Peterson series a body has been found hanging from a tree. That of a young woman. Only hanging wasn't the cause of death. At a nearby dig (run by a friend of Peterson) a skeleton is found. It is of a young woman where the cause of death WAS hanging. From the same tree, records prove. Yes, records! The benefit of old castles and manor homes, and writing a record in good ink on vellum ... of course, in this case, you have to know Latin ... anyway there are records for this area for centuries, everything from making soap to crime. What could possibly be the connection here?

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I read these two books together because they fit together so well! The contents overlapped. :-) Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: the Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases by Andrew Thompson provided more back ground and history to said phrases and how they might be used while The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions by James McGuire and illustrated by Alex Kalomeris had the fun illustrations. They were enjoyable reads. A warning though, the origins of many of these well known, oft used expressions come from a cruel or deadly event.

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Here is yet another mystery with the title The Sound of Murder (!) ... seems there are a lot of them. This one is by Cindy Brown and is the second in her Ivy Meadows Mystery series. (I have not read the first). Ivy is an actor (all she's ever wanted to be) and a private investigator. She can sing, she has a good voice ... but when she's in front of an actual audience ... well, she has a bit of stage fright! There has been a death in a retirement home, one that may or may not be a suicide. It will be her job to figure out which. The fun twist here is that the show she is in is a blending of The Sound of Music and Cabaret! A most interesting idea, one that I came to rather like. (No spoilers, but imagine hiding Jews from Nazi troops in plain sight).There is a possible stalker (in a convertible of all things) and other twists to the plot. I quite enjoyed it.

Cyndy Cypress is a new author to me. Her book Librarians & Larceny is the first in a series she has planned called A Rebel Librarian Crime Fighter Mystery. There are two main characters, both having moved to this small Montana farm from bigger cities. Both have 'baggage' and we will learn about that over the course of the book. That is different and I think I could get to like it. One is a widow, hubby was a detective. She has a retired police dog. (Lab and Airedale mix). The other, well, we don't know too much as yet, but both parents were killed in a terrible accident. She carries a tablet like a security blanket and has issues with darkness and storms. Her mentor is the victim and she is determined to find out what happened. It's sort of a rocky start to the friendship here, but they will work together to figure things out. Not a bad start, second book is due out in November.

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I am not as familiar with the musical Little Shop of Horrors as I am with others, but that did not detract from Little Shop of Murder at all! There is, of course, Audrey, that, um, very hungry plant (to be played, once it's bigger, by Ruby's boyfriend), the 'interesting' assignment of parts putting her arch enemy (they've been to court) as part of the trio she'll have to sing with the most, plus she's been asked to scope out her boss's nephew's wedding to check the younger brother, and his date. Got all that? Lot's of twists and turns here, and lots of fun! This is the third of the Musical Murder Mystery books by K.L. Montgomery.

I am thoroughly enjoying the Unlikely Murder Club series by Gina X. Grant, and An Unlikely Story: the Life and Crimes of a Master Criminal (retired) was no exception. This is not considered one of the mysteries in that series, but almost a stand alone, although it helps to know the characters ... it is the autobiography of Agatha Shadwell! Learn of her early life, her training (as a lock picker, artist, thief) as well as friends she made along the way. Lots of fun!

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