From Lorna Barrett comes the next in her Booktown Mystery series: Title Wave. This time the setting is a cruise ship. It is a gathering of book store owners (mostly those who sell mysteries) and authors (mostly those who write mysteries). The weather is good, the sea is calm, the food is excellent, what could go wrong? ;-) This is a fun series (usually) set in a small town in New Hampshire that has created a destination location for book lovers. Each store has a theme, cooking, for example. It sells cookbooks, cooking gadgets, and hosts cooking events. Start with Murder is Binding.

Now here's a first! The first female detective in fiction! (Or so they think, it's discussed in the introduction). The Female Detective, by Andrew Forrester, was first published in 1864. Working mainly undercover (since there were no women working with the police at that time), she is able to go places and learn things that men and/or the police could not access. A very interesting read!

The second book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series, by Bailey Cates, was just as much fun as the first. Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti starts just a few days before Halloween. A body is found, with an unusual tattoo, which leads to a secret society (of course!). Relationships change, people are not what (or who) they seem and the suspense builds as midnight on Halloween draws near.

And (a big sigh here), the last (for now) of the Lady Darby mysteries: As Death Draws Near, by Anna Lee Huber. Kiera and Gage are on their honeymoon when a letter sends them off to investigate the murder of a nun. There are secret tunnels, and secret lives and townsfolk who are reluctant to help outsiders. All the necessary elements for a wonderful mystery. Love the period details!

Reading Hermit With Dog