I'm finding it hard not to ignore everything but the dog when reading this series by Irina Shapiro. Murder at the Mill is the third in her Redmond and Haze Mystery series. This time the body was found (with no clothes) strapped to a water wheel. Is there a reason for the location and lack of clothing? (It does suggest anger against the victim). The clues are few and it takes a while to figure all this out, but Captain Redmond and Inspector Haze are determined to do so. Secrets in their own lives emerge as well. An excellent read!

A gift from Riding Reader, Metropolitan Mysteries: a Casebook of London's Detectives, edited by Martin Edwards proved to be another good entry by this editor and publisher of British Crime Classics. Some of the authors included will be familiar, others not so much, or even not at all as some the stories were published in the early 1900's. There is a good introduction at the start explaining some of the words, phrases, and attitudes that might not be as well known, or acceptable today. I'll admit to skimming a couple of the selections, but over all just a nice period read.

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All is not well at the Carraway Dog Park ... much of it has been blocked off to build something no one asked for and no one wanted ... but it was progressing until Rosie (a basset hound) dug up the body of the councilman responsible for said project. And so their investigation begins ... Lorraine (a former PI), Cecil (retired funeral director) and Dixie (stroke survivor). Their dogs Gus (a pug), Winston (Yorkshire terrier) and Rosie help. The police have stalled out on this, seems there really isn't anyone who didn't want Wade dead. The Old Dogs' Club, by Madison Boyd was a good read with some fun characters. :-)

The cold case the crew is working on this time might be one of the hardest yet ... none of those interviewed when the murder actually happened had much to say. They have been re-interviewed as time passes but still, little more has been revealed. Will our cold case folks come up different questions to ask? The Richards File is book 18 in the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa. It's always nice getting back to the familiar characters created by this author.

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The subtitle of this book was what caught my eye with this book by Mo Rocca: Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs. What a great read it proved to be! Mr. Rocca is a wonderful story teller. And, he included animals and characters from movies as well as real people! There is the oldest chicken ever (she was a pet, a pampered pet), Yoda, and, one of my favorites, Snowman, a horse who almost ended up as dog food and turned out to be one of the best jumping horses of all time. Some of those included you should recognize, others not so much, but all have an interesting story.

Here is the last of the Vinyl Cafe books that I have yet to read: Vinyl Cafe Diaries, by Stuart McLean. It was an interesting blend of fiction and non-fiction in that it includes several of the stories from the radio show as well as a chapter on how it got started, and essays from many of the folks he used to create his characters. As always, it was fun to see what is in the printed version of a show compared to what was on the air. I'm sorry there are no more.

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Murder at the Abbey, by Irina Shapiro, is the second in the Redmond and Haze Mystery series. This is rapidly becoming a favorite with me. Set just after the American Civil War, Captain Redmond comes with a troubled past. He expects to be in London just long enough to clear his grandfather's estate, but find he likes it here, and working with Constable Haze. This time, it's the body of a young woman, found near the ruins of a haunted abbey. She is there to paint. By all accounts, she is well liked, her husband loves her, who would want her dead? There will be secrets to uncover, of course, some of which folks want to stay hidden. Since he is American, he does not 'act properly' for a gentleman, often shocking the people he meets, and his staff (!). He will dress himself, thank you! A great blend of serious mystery and, um, cultural conflict. :-)

A new author and series here: Ms Mia and Murder at the Grand Island Hotel, by Jennifer Branch. Ms Mia is a widow. She and her late husband set up several luxury hotel destinations and she now visits each to be sure they are running well. She is good at fixing problems, and loves to visit and chat with both guests and staff. When she arrives at the Grand Island Hotel she notices several things but before she figures it all out there is a murder, then a second. It was easy to solve the 'why' of the first one, but not so much the second. Tracking down the 'who' would be harder. A great start for this traditional cozy. I especially like that Ms Mia never did anything stupid (it happens in other books). ;-)

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Fair warning here, there are puns, many puns in The Soprano Wore Falsettos, the fourth in the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer. They will make you groan (as they should). Hayden's life is good. He has a job (well, several, actually) he loves, a woman he loves, a town he loves, there's just one thing missing. He wants to write the a tough, hard-boiled detective story in the style of Raymond Chandler. He's trying, but his efforts are, um, less than good. Writing will have to take a back seat to his police work when another body is found in the choir loft. To complicate matters, the church has come in to a LOT of money and there are debates, some heated, as to how it should be used. Another great entry in this hysterical series. :-)

It starts out as such a nice day, the day Hannah is getting married. The vicar, however, is late, so a substitute is found for the ceremony which, fortunately, is finished before the body is found. Of, you guessed it, the vicar. He is young and new to the job, what could anyone have against him? Then secrets start to surface, some you would not expect for a vicar. Is one shocking enough to cause his death? Murder at the Wedding is the fifth Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mystery by Anita Davison.

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Tall Reader heard about this book on NPR: Dog Show (poems) by Billy Collins. Loved it enough to purchase a copy for each of us. I read it slowly, one poem a day to make it last. ;-) Enjoyed the poems, some more than others, of course, and didn't understand one of them even reading it more than once. I loved the watercolors by Pamela Sztybel, too.

Riding Reader tucked a copy of The Great Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Book in my stocking this Christmas. It is a collection of enigmas designed to puzzle the greatest detective of them all (says so, right on the cover!). I am about two thirds of the way through as I make this entry and I've figured out three of the 50 plus I've tried! I read just one or two a day, often with my second cup of tea (which doesn't seem to help). Thank goodness the solutions are at the back. :-)

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There has been a death outside a pub in this, the fourth book in the Veronica Vale Investigates series by Kitty Kildare. Death at the Dripping Tap has Veronica pretty much working on her own since her usual partner (use the term loosely, he is not always a willing partner) ;-) is injured, she has to ... interact ... with someone else. Someone who believes (as do most men at this time) that women are only good as wives and mothers. It's an uphill battle. When the landlord, Stanley Pickleton, is accused of the crime (remember, she owns the pub), she is determined to prove him innocent. Great descriptions of the era here, good dialogue, all in all a worthy read. ;-)

It has been 'interesting' touring around the U.S. in their RV and Gemma and Jo are hoping this stop, in Maine, will be different. Alas, that's not to be when their three-legged Chihuahua, Pepsi, alerts them to a body on the beach below the hike they were on. Jo heads back down the trail to where she can get a signal and call for help, Gemma heads down to the beach. The young woman is still alive, barely, and dies with the last words of "Tell Wanda. Birds." Come along as they get involved in a small town mystery, secrets, friends (good and not so good) as they figure out just what 'birds' means. One Left Behind, by Patri Lawson, is the third in the Gemma and Jo Mysteries series.

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