Robert Lopresti is a local author who writes some very nice mysteries. Turns out he also writes short stories which have been published in various magazines. Shanks on Crime is a collection of those, plus a few seen here for the first time. A thoroughly enjoyable read! There's not always a murder, sometimes it's something that happened long ago, and, there's even a nod to another pnw mystery writer! Great fun!

It's December now so I will soon be starting the Christmas/holiday mysteries I have on my 'to be read' shelf. I sort of jumped the gun with Death on the Danube: a New Year's Murder in Budapest, by Jennifer S. Alderson, but this is a new author for me and I was curious. Lana has been asked by a good friend who runs a tour business to take over as a guide (the original one had a accident and is in the hospital). Lana agrees, after all, she's always wanted to see Budapest! Then someone goes missing and the body is found floating in the Danube. Accident? Murder? Seems to be a lot of motive (everyone is from the Seattle area and there's lots of 'history' amongst those on the tour). This is the first in the Travel Can Be Murder series.

Reading Hermit With Dog