One of the many nice things to come from the visit of some long time friends who now live east of the mountains, which finally happened after a few years 'off' was that I learned of a new author/series of mysteries! Purrfectly Deadly is the second in The Mysteries of Max series by Nic Saint. And unlike a lot of authors, he puts that number right there, on the front cover where it is easy to see ... :-) Odelia writes for the local paper and has helped with solving crimes before ... with the help of her cats, Max, Dooley and Harriet. Since they can, and do, wander every where, they hear things (often on purpose) and then report back to Odelia. Yes, they can talk to her. It's a talent that's been in her family for generations. There is a new detective in town (in a small town for his own reasons) with a rather bully of a cat. There's been a party, a wild party, which resulted in the death of a once famous, much loved 80's pop singer. Follow along as the cats gather the clues! This is a fun, quirky series. Not quite a traditional cozy, but delightful all the same.

Once again I turned to historical fiction when I couldn't find a non-fiction book on an interesting subject. The Librarian Spy: a Novel of World War II, by Madeline Martin is based on real people and true events. Ava is a librarian at the Library of Congress, recruited to help 'save' literary works from the Nazi forces by converting them to microfilm and sending them to the U.S. She also speaks several languages, which helps since she is also a spy gathering intelligence. Elaine is learning to run a printing press to print up materials for use by the Resistance. She also helps distributing them, and, when necessary, moving parts of the printing press to a new location. This is done by breaking the machine into small parts and hiding them in the false bottom of the basket folks carry to buy what meager rations are available. There adventures are mesmerizing. Intense, descriptive, sad and powerful. Never underestimate the printed word!

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I'm describing Death at the Savoy as having a 'wrong place, wrong time' story line. The main character, Priscilla, in her job at the Savoy Hotel, keeps coming across dead, or nearly dead, bodies. Which makes her a prime suspect, of course! Set in the late 1960's at the famous London hotel this is a fast moving story combining the old school management (no scandal, ever) who don't like the new blood provided by Priscilla (young, blond, mini-skirts) and would love to fire her, with famous celebrities (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Noel Coward, Bob Hope and more), royalty (Princess Margaret) behaving badly, Russians, spies, poisons, Scotland Yard, journalists (heaven forbid they print the 'wrong' sort of story) and more. Lots of details to keep straight, but over all, not a bad start to the Priscilla Tempest Mystery series by Ron Base & Prudence Emery (who actually worked at the Savoy during this time period).

The third Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency mystery takes Maud and Daisy to visit Daisy's cousin, who lives in the Highlands. Members of a local choir have been found dead and the cousin is worried the deaths are not accidental (as the local police and doctor have determined). The choir is one of the finalists in a choir competition. Could the murderer be from a choir who has lost? Or from one still in the competition? Or something else? It seems too, that the murderer knows why they are there and sends them poems with clues as to the next victim, the location, and the method ... if they can figure them out! And, they have to deal with they fact that they are (gasp) women, too, in an era when they should be married, in the home, and caring for babies. (Do love how the author deals with that)! Mystery in the Highlands is by Lydia Travers.

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Working Horses in London, by Miriam A. Bibby is the history of the use of the horse from Roman times to present day in London. War horses, cart horses, draft horses, ceremonial horses, and more, this was an interesting read (probably more so if you are a bit horse crazy, though). ;-) Nicely written. Great pictures.

From time to time Wandering Reader sends up a box of books ... and it's always been fun! That's how I discovered the Mark Schweizer and Irina Shapiro mystery books after all! In the recent box was also a fascinating non-fiction read: Women Who Kept the Lights: an Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers (Second Edition), by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford. Records were often sketchy ... sometimes the name of the woman would not be included, or just initials were used ... so I am impressed with the research done here (there's a great bibliography)! Light houses in Washington Territory are included, too. :-) Remarkable women, wonderful photos.

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Amber Winslow needs a place to go. Somewhere safe and where a certain someone cannot find her. She heads for her grandmother's fancy retirement community in Arizona. They don't know each other all that well, in fact, they've never met face to face. Amber's mother has made sure of that, but, as it turns out, they have a lot n common. There are many interesting characters in the facility, including the Admiral, who is found dead shortly after Amber's arrival. There is also a missing family heirloom. His family (who never visited) is angry over this and demands something be done. Amber's grandmother is arrested for the murder and theft. This puts Amber on the trail to solve it (she's sort of a PI in training, after all). Some interesting twists here, rather enjoyed this read. :-) Murder Runs in the Family is by Tamara Berry.

As we've learned from past tales there is often a new, interim priest in St. Germaine and so is the case in The Cantor Wore Crinolines, by Mark Schweizer, the 11th in his Liturgical Mystery series. Groundhog day usually isn't a religious holiday, but this priest wants to have a mass that night: "St Groundelmas". What should the choir sing? Three houses have been auctioned off, a bit odd, perhaps, in that there were so many this time, but no one things too much about it. Until the bodies, yes plural, are found. One in each of the houses, in a closet, posed and dressed for church. The settings are straight out of the trashy book the local Blue Hills Bookworms book club is reading, down to the professions of each victim. Can Hayden and his crew figure everything out before the special mass on February 2nd? Another great entry in this series, pay attention to the names in the 'bad' writing sections as Hayden continues on his quest to write in the style of his hero, Raymond Chandler.

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While The Christmas Cantata: a St. Germaine Christmas Entertainment by Mark Schweizer is listed with the Liturgical Mystery series (#10) it differs in that there is no death to investigate. Christmas is coming and the entire town seems to be in a crabby mood. Will that change? There are no entries of Hayden's book he's trying to write in the style of Raymond Chandler this time, instead we get snippets of a woman who lived in the area in 1937. A cantata has been found in a box in the basement of a house being cleared out ... a beautiful piece of music (it takes some practice to get to this point) based on verse from Sara Teasdale. In investigating more about it, Hayden learns it has never been performed, the one time it was scheduled it was canceled at the last minute. Why? Can he even figure that out after all these years? Just a nice read, won't take you long!

I tried another new author and series with The Mystery of the Missing Book, by Judith Cutler. (Book one in The Antique Shop Mysteries). Lina Townsend is just learning the antiques trade. An orphan, shuffled around a lot she has had little education and stability in her life until she meets Griff, who becomes her mentor. When she finds a single page from a rare medieval manuscript the adventure starts! Is it authentic? If so, where is the rest the book? Is it still intact? Once she has the page (which she hides away) there are several break-ins to the caravan and house where she and Griff live, and he is even attacked. She needs to find the missing book, and protect Griff (he's old, and a bit frail). Not a bad start.

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There were several major finds in Egypt in the late 1800's and this book: Murder on the Sea Witch feels like an homage to that. The ship in the title is a freight ship, designed to bring home, in this case precious, cargo. The body of the chief archeologist has been found inside the sarcophagus he was bringing back to London. When it is discovered that his brain has been removed in the fashion of preparing a body for mummification Redmond and Haze believe that should make it easier to find the killer. It does not! Since the ship is designed for cargo, not passengers, those aboard all had something to do with the dig, many have been on several digs, and most know how to remove the brain from a body! Who might have had a grudge against Blake Upton? Another 'keeps you up late reading' mystery, this is the seventh in the Redmond and Haze Mystery series by Irina Shapiro.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death, by Maxie Dara was a read completely different from what I usually read, even though it was a mystery! It is the second in the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery series. (Any of you remember the show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.?) I have not read the first. Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., she schedules the reapers, those who go out at the death of someone to be sure the soul moves on properly. This goes well until the name of her brother comes across her desk. He is her twin and all the family she has left so she is NOT going to let this happen! They flee to the small town their father is from, and what a strange little town it is! A most curious read, for sure! I take exception to the review on the cover: "funny and warm, delightfully fresh" ... to me is is NOT funny or warm ... there is death, lots of it, paranoia, fear, fright and so on ... it IS however, fresh, in that the point of few is certainly new to this reader! Do note, this is NOT a cozy! There is lots of bad language. It fits with the characters and the story but I wanted to give you a heads up. :-)

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In these times that I find rather depressing and discouraging given what is happening in this country it was nice reading a happy, cheerful book, this one, by Dick Van Dyke! 100 Rules for Living to 100: an Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life. Follow along as the author talks about his life and work, the good times and bad and how he's been successful or not. He's still dancing, and works out at a gym ... that's how he got a recent role on a tv show, a soap opera! A feel good sort of read.

What was your favorite song from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins? Dick Van Dyke's book inspired me to go through the song book I have from the movie and pick out the songs on the piano (pretty much just one handed these days). Like Mr. Disney, I love Feed the Birds the best, but I also like Chim Chim Cheree and how it evokes the life on the rooftops of London (it's right there, in the lyrics)!, and Step in Time for energy and enthusiasm. Made for a nice afternoon of memories. (My dad DID recognize the elder Mr. Banks as portrayed by Dick Van Dyke and we watched the credits until his name became unscrambled and dad could say "I knew it!" :-)

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