Lady Gold Investigates, Mystery Collection of Short Stories Volume 3 is the last of these delightful short stories that are companions to the Ginger Gold Mysteries, by Lee Strauss. Written with her husband, Norm Strauss these are fun, short mysteries that involve missing people or objects (in one case here, a lucky cricket bat). I hope there will be more.

I loved the first book I read by Ben S. Dobson (The Flaw in All Magic) and eagerly looked forward to the second in his Magebreaker Series: The Emperor's Mask. Some one is killing the non-magical citizens of the kingdom. Why? And what else do they have in common? This was a bit too 'political' for me ... until it wasn't! The main characters, Kane and Kadka, are pulled into the investigation and the action picks up! Somehow the killer is getting into and out of the bedchambers (where the murders take place) without leaving any sort of evidence, magical or otherwise. How? A grand adventure!

Here's the first in what looks to be a fun series! A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder, by Dianne Freeman takes place in London in 1899. At the age of 27 Frances is a widow (she will not use the term 'dowager'). (Wait until you discover how, and where, her husband dies). She has moved into town, leaving the family estate to her late husband's brother and wife. Now, Frances is an American. Her mother brought her to London to 'marry a title', which she did. The main attraction being her money. In something that is 'just not done' her solicitor kept her money in her name, meaning she does not have to share it with the brother-in-law, and that makes him angry. Lots of fun twists here. Her younger sister and aunt (who is a hoot) arrive so the sister can 'marry a title', too. Unconventional characters make for a most enjoyable read.

Reading Hermit With Dog