Such a traditional mystery here, but with some twists, of course! Crowned and Dangerous, by Rhys Bowen is part of her Royal Spyness series. Darcy O'Mara and Lady Georgiana were headed for a secret destination when a blizzard brings things to a halt. Then, headlines in a paper say that his (estranged) father has been arrested for murder. There's a dreary castle in Scotland, an archeological dig, hidden rooms ....and ....gangsters?

A Great Reckoning is the most recent book by Louise Penny. This time, it seems, events are hitting a little closer to home for Armand Gamache and the tiny town of Three Pines. An odd map is discovered when the bistro is being remodeled. Later a copy is found in the room of the murder victim, and then in one of the stained glass windows in the small church in Three Pines. As always, the writing is mesmerizing whether Penny is describing the emotional turmoil of someone, or a dark, winter night in an old cemetery.

I know some one suggested this book, A Curious Beginning: a Veronica Speedwell Mystery, by Deanna Raybourn, but I've lost my notes (it's happened before), so whoever it was, thank you! After the funeral of her aunt, Veronica is ready to set out on her new life. Instead, she is abducted and left 'for her own safety' with a curious man who, among other things is a taxidermist. Life gets more and more strange, people are not who they say they are (and, Veronica will learn, neither is she), events spiral out of control ... I love some of the small details, such as faking a fit to pound out a message in Morse code.

Mortal Arts, by Anna Lee Huber, is the second in the series starting with The Anatomist's Wife. An engagement has been broken when the mother of the bride-to-be learns of "madness" in the family of the groom. The oldest son, a veteran of WWI was missing and presumed dead. It is discovered that the father had placed him in an asylum and now the younger brother has brought him home. A young women is missing and the main suspect (according to the lazy, local constable) is the oldest son. Like Kiera, he is an artist and his drawings are disturbing ... what might they mean? Just what is going on at the asylum? (Remember, little was known or understood about PTSD at this time).

Reading Hermit With Dog