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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I've read a lot on the movie version of Mary Poppins, and have seen a wonderful show on TV, too, but Making Mary Poppins: the Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of the Classic Film, by Todd James Pierce had all new information for me. It was mostly on how the music and lyrics were written, how Walt (he preferred that to Mr. Disney) picked the people he did (always experts in their field, not always well known as yet). It was a long, involved, convoluted process as they were also consulting with the author, who was not always pleased with their work! The brothers worked on a lot of other projects, too. I loved learning how careful they were with those lyrics ... for example, the one where the older bankers were singing about banking? ... well, those characters were old, would have been born in the late 1800's given the time setting they were working in, so their language and patterns of speech would have been different, so that's how they wrote "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank"! The movie was pretty much a huge gamble on the part of Disney to make, but it worked!

I debated with myself over whether or not I should include this book, I didn't exactly read all of it ... but, the parts I did read were excellent and I figured other readers might make a similar decision ... so, here it is. Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods! Interviews with Science Fiction Legends, edited by Richard Wolinsky. While I missed the golden age of the pulps and read a lot of the authors mentioned here after they were well established, the history behind that was fun. There were LOTS of pulp magazines: science fiction, fantasy, Western, romance ... and a lot of the authors wrote for many if not all of them because, face it, if you didn't get paid, you didn't eat! Culled from many resources here are comments from authors, editors, publishers and so on, many from the radio show Probabilities. It got so I read about the authors I knew, whether just by name, or because I'd read their books, but not each and every entry.

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 Hounding a Killer is the second in the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series by Kallie E. Benjamin. An inheritance has gone missing, a large one, and the grandson of the deceased wants it found. The sooner the better. He has arguments with lots of the town folk ... and then goes missing .... without a trace. The police, knowing that Pris and Bailey helped out before, ask for their help again. On the very first search a body is found, and not that of the missing grandson, and so, as the saying goes, the plot thickens! Love following along as Bailey sniffs out clues and evidence ... in one case they should have listened to him (but no spoilers, remember)! Dog mysteries are such fun. :-)

The Canadian connection today will be this recommendation from Canadian Reader: Brought to Book, by Anthea Fraser, the first in her Rona Parish series. It has been re-released (as has the entire series, it seems) as Murder Most Bookish (but only as an e-book so I had to find a used copy). Rona is some who writes biographies, successful ones, and she has been asked to write about a recently deceased author. He died under, well, unusual circumstances that might have been suicide (at least that's what the police think). Things get worrisome as she investigates, does her usual research and so on. There are threatening notes and calls, her husband urges her to stop writing, but she can't do that (she is a bit compulsive). She has intense interviews with family and friends, even some from long ago. Either in book form or e-reader it's a good read.

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All retired inspector Tom Ramsey wants is to enjoy his retirement, with his dog. It didn't start out the way it was planned, he and his wife were going to travel, but she died. At some point he decided to hike various trails in England, with his dog. That's not going as planned, either ... murder keeps finding him and he ends up helping with the investigation. This time, however, he's considered a suspect! Ramsey and the Smuggling Ring is the second in the One Man and His Dog series by P.C. James. Lots of interesting twists.

It's been quiet for the Thursday Murder Club. (Also the name of the series). There is an upcoming wedding and a few family issues for folks, but then a wedding guest asks Elizabeth for help and Nick vanishes and things heat up. There is a car bomb, too, and a safe that may or maybe not be unopenable. Oh, and a large (maybe) fortune. The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman, is the newest in this series. I found it a bit scattered, but, it has been a while since I read any of the others! As usual, though, the characters were great. :-)

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What do retired spies like to do in retirement? Solve mysteries, of course! Here is the second Friday Street Murder Mystery by Russell Cooper: Easier Dead Than Done. Two murders have taken place, one in Italy, the second in England. Five years later the team get a letter asking for their help in solving them, and preventing a third muder. This is curious, yes? Follow along with this delightful gang of old spies (both field agents and those in the 'intelligence' part Military Intelligence) (the twins) as they discover and figure out the clues. Hard to put down.

Love the fact that in The Old Dogs' Club mysteries everyone is old! Dogs and humans alike. Old Dogs, Old Bones is the second in this series by Madison Boyd. There has been a massive storm and the wishing well, near the edge of the hill, is starting to slide. That includes mud, stones, coins ... and bones ... the belong to someone who went missing fifty years ago after the senior prom. The locals still remember her. They drag out old annuals and look for pictures of her ... she was active in a lot of clubs. Then they notice something about those photos, which takes them to the actual photos, not the ones cropped, etc. for the annual and they discover ... more. A good way to get everyone together is a reunion, so one is planned for many graduating classes (it was a small school). What will happen?

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I'm not sure whether to post Always Remember: the Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy as fiction or non-fiction. It's classified as a 'graphic novel' which does me no good at all because I think what's being said is factual! We meet up with the delightful characters from the earlier book again, this time after a big storm. The art work, as expected, is sweet and gentle. The story is a timeless message about self acceptance, liking who you are, having hope, being kind to others ... all things that felt so good in these troubled and chaotic times. I read it twice through in one sitting. Take some time, enjoy the artwork

From Canada today: before I saw the series Murdoch Mysteries I read some of the books by Maureen Jennings. Set in Toronto in the late 19th century it's a wonderful period piece. :-) The tv series is also excellent with a good cast starring Yannick Bisson. Watching them follow the clues that solve crime in that time period is fun! It almost borders on the science fiction sometimes, I think ... An earlier Canadian entry, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy was also made into a tv series (I've not seen it) and it also stars Yannick Bisson.

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