Here's a new author (for me), new series, and a new subject for a mystery! Hazardous Duty, book one in the Squeaky Clean Mysteries, by Christy Barritt. Main character Gabby St. Claire was working towards a degree in forensic science when she had to drop out to deal with family issues. Needing to work, she started a business of cleaning up crime scenes. Mostly it's been routine, if grisly work, but then she discovers a gun the police missed, meaning the wrong person is in jail. And so begins this intriguing new series.

A Murder Worth Dying for, by Russell Cooper gathers the Friday Street Mystery team back together again. This time it is a mystery wrongly solved some twenty years ago. It will involve a thief, a killer, a witness, a patsy, a mistake and a coverup! (No spoilers here, it says this, right on the back of the book)! How will they solve this one? Are there any clues left? Evidence? Will the killer try and stop them? Another great romp with this engaging team!

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Another good read about, of all things, undertakers, may be found in Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt, collected by Kenneth McKenzie and Todd Harra. People react to death in all kinds of ways and those who provided stories here have dealt with everything from grief, to anger, to humor and violence. Sometimes there are actually repeat customers, so to speak: one woman, who was so touched by how her young son's funeral was handled used the same mortician for other family members, including, finally, herself. There's a mistake that turned out well, (one of my favorite stories, but I did promise no spoilers)!, the man who was buried naked from the waist down (since that's how he spent his time at home, according to his wife), one family who laid mom out in the back of their pickup truck and delivered her themselves because it would save the 'pickup service' a long drive, and, a most touching one, about the survivor of a concentration camp.

I am single, have been all my life, am very happy this way, and have several friends of the same age, in the same situation ... so ... when I saw Single: Living a Complete Life On Your Own Terms, by Nicola Slawson, I was most interested! We are going against convention, after all, even in these more modern times. Author does a nice job explaining these expectations, and how to ignore them. There was a lot of excellent information here, but this reader got the feeling that for those she interviewed, being single was something that would change at some point (the author, who wanted to be a mom, was pregnant when she finished writing the book). Now, this is fine, but it would have been nice to include some older 'singles' and those who planned, wanted, desired to stay this way. Just my opinion, of course. :-)

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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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