Poisoned Pen Press, based in Arizona, publishes mysteries (no surprise there, yes?). It is a smaller publishing firm and gives authors a personal touch. Authors appreciate this and were eager to contribute to their 20^th anniversary celebration in the form of a collection of short stories. Bound by Mystery, edited by Diane D. DiBiase is a wonderful array of short stories from cozy to gritty, across time, and across the planet. Most enjoyable!

A nice day of fishing comes to an end when a body if found in a drifting rowboat. Actually, ‘the body’ is still alive, but barely. Old skills come in to play (think nurse in the war). Can he be saved? And who is the one mysterious visitor? Inspector Darling and his Constable trace the boat back to where it was launched and discover a lapel pin featuring a bright, red swastika. A Sorrowful Sanctuary, by Iona Whishaw is the fifth in the Lane Winslow Mystery series. I love this series, it’s ‘local’ so the descriptions of the area are familiar, there’s bits of history from WWII in this area so I learn something with each book, just one of my favorite authors and series! :-)

Chime and Punishment, by Julianne Holmes came to me via Kiwi. It’s one of those nice cozy mysteries that are so much fun to read. This one is part of the author’s Clock Shop Mystery series and the main character has returned home to take over the family clock shop … think old, old clocks here, the kind that need rewinding on a regular schedule. The town is restoring their big clock tower, or trying to, at least, but the town manager keeps slowing their progress. Or, since it was her body that is found, bringing it to a complete halt! There are more suspects than first thought so figuring things out take some interesting turns. This is the third in the series, but wasn’t a bad place to start. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog