After reading the so-not-a-cozy book posted earlier, I opted for one of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries: Murder in Wiliamstown. Arriving early for a nice, hopefully romantic, dinner, Phryne goes for a walk along the seashore. She finds a body, which she reports to the local police. It is a Chinese man, and soon after a young woman goes missing. Then, in front of a room full of guests, the host is stabbed to death. How are these all connected? There are some dark secrets, for sure, but overall the tone is lighter and makes for a most enjoyable read.

Peter Brown did not expect to write a third Wild Robot book, but a story line just kept coming at him, and the result was The Wild Robot Protects. Here Roz's 'son' returns with news ... he has a mate! Times are good on their little island. However, something bad, something toxic, is on the way in the form of a poison tide that is killing everything in its path as it spreads across the oceans. What is causing it? Can it be stopped? There are rumors of an ancient shark who lives far to the north. Does he/she even exist? Although written for younger readers, this was a good read for an old reader, too. ;-)

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Ellie Blix is busy, and as if juggling two jobs, and caring for her sick daughter isn't enough, her mother-in-law moves in. And she's separated from her husband. She's enjoying the carols at a seasonal service when one of them collapses, and dies. Since she and this woman have recently 'had words', Ellie is a suspect. With the help of her daughter and mother-in-law, she sets out to find the real killer. Murder at the Christmas Carols is the first in the Wooton Windmill Mystery series by Izzie Harper. The investigating detective is her estranged hubby, the deceased had recently updated her will, and there are several others who also had 'had words' with her so there are lots of suspects and motives. There's lots of snow. And a second body. Not a bad read.

The Christmas Appeal, by Janice Hallett started out as a bit hard (for me) to read ... it's almost all done with emails back and forth! Once I got comfortable with that it was almost a non-stop read. I do have company at the moment, and a dog, after all. ;-) What starts as a yearly, popular event that seems to be going well, changes quickly. It's a panto of Jack and the Beanstalk. Actors have been cast, sets have been painted, there's even an amazing beanstalk that has been rented for the production. However, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction, a candy purchase (for the kids, you know) that turns out to be drugs, and a rumor of asbestos in the beanstalk. That goes from bad to worse when said beanstalk splits open revealing a mummified body. This was a fun, holiday romp, but fair warning ... it was hard to put down!

Happy Holidays!

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If you have lots to do getting ready for the holidays, guests, gift shopping and wrapping your reading time might be limited, so how about some short stories? Secret Staircase Holiday Mysteries: a Collection of Cozy Short Stories is perfect for that! There are stories from four bestselling authors, and introducing a new one. Each story must include a hidden staircase. Holidays range from Halloween to New Year's Eve. There's a house specifically designed with all sorts of tricks and surprises, a Thanksgiving turkey that goes missing, hidden treasure ... and more! My favorite was the story by J.M. Poole, author of the Corgi Case Files. :-)

For the first time since 2019, Canadian Reader is here for Christmas! She brought with her all the Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy books that have been published since then. It was so good to get back to Fenella and Mona that I almost read Proposals and Poison, by Diana Xarissa, in one sitting. Fenella's boyfriend, Daniel, is looking for a new apartment, one that is closer to work, his favorite pub, and, of course, Fenella. Sadly, they are interrupted when a crew, digging out a basement in the building next door, come across a box label "poison". Daniel, a police inspector, is off to investigate. Behind that box is a body, well, a skeleton. And so begins the search to solve a 30 year old mystery (it's not yet a murder). There were lots of missing persons from that time frame so it will take a while to track them all down and see who is still living and who isn't. It's often a frustrating search. In between there are some great dogs, and wonderful walks along the beach. And Mona. The ghost. :-)

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The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune was a book club selection for Canadian Reader. Turned out to be the best pick of the year (according to CR at any rate) and was recommended to me. It was excellent! Linus, a follow-the-rules kind of employee of the Department In Charge of Magical Youth (and there are lots of rules) is sent to check out an orphanage on a remote island to see if it's up to the proper standards. Having done this before he expected nothing unusual. Until he met the children. And the person running it. These are children, unusual beyond even the magic that is part of each, that no one else wanted. It becomes more than an assignment, and Linus will end up rethinking his life, too. Learn about each of them, and Arthur, who has his own secret. Wonderful characters here! And good thoughts on acceptance, and what makes up a family. (Note: this book can be read on several levels, which has caused some controversy, it was interesting to look that up).

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It's the time of year for holiday and winter season mysteries and I have started working my way through those books on my shelf. :-) A Murder of Christmas Past is a novella by Magda Alexander, and is book five in her Kitty Worthington Mystery series. Folks have gathered for a Christmas wedding. In a castle. The former resident was a miser and let the place run down so there's lots that needs repair and cleaning. The new resident is determined to do so. In cleaning the library, a secret passage is found (you learn about Priest Holes!) and then (of course) a body. It's a young woman, and there is a crib in the room as well. Family history comes to light (some good, some bad) as they discover who she is and what happened. Wonderful descriptions of sleigh rides (brrr!), decorating a huge tree, a yule log ... delightful!

The Winter Widow, by Charlene Weir is a re-release of a one time popular author by the independent publisher Joffee Books, from the UK. They also feature new authors. This is all good ... and really, I just have one comment/complaint! This book is listed as a cozy, both on the cover, where it is A Kansas Cozy Mystery, Book One, and the title page (where it is an 'enchanting cozy'). It is neither! I double and triple checked the definition of a cozy. This doesn't even come close. I looked up a bio of the author, (who is dead) who described her books as "mysteries and thrillers" with no mention of the word cozy! In the very first chapter there is a violent murder, described in detail, and there are other such events as well as an assault ... all with vivid details! Now, having given fair warning I will also add that it is a good story ... dark, grim, and gripping, I was up reading far into the night! Susan Wren is a new bride, married after a whirl wind romance when she met her husband to be at a police convention in San Francisco (where she worked as a detective). She now finds herself in Kansas. In the winter. Cooking dinner (a skill new to her). Then her husband is shot and killed. She determines to find out who, but she is new to the area, new to the small town, new to the folks that live there ... it won't be easy. A good read, but not a cozy! (I understand there is now something called a cozy thriller, which I think is a contradiction in terms, but this is too vivid for even that).

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Wedding Ceremony Woes is the last of the books that Wandering Reader sent up to me. It is by Steve Higgs, author of the Albert Smith Culinary Capers series I'm enjoying and is book five in his Felicity Philips Investigates series. Felicity is a wedding planner, one that does the weddings of the rich and famous. Nods to earlier books in the series indicate that something always seems to go wrong and this time is no different. On the day of the wedding, the wee dog that is supposed to be the ring bearer goes missing, after which things go from bad to worse. The fun twist here is, Felcity can hear, understand, and respond to her dog and cat! What sounds like barks and meows to everyone else, translate as English to her! Making a guest appearance in this book are Alfred and Rex from her other series. And this time, it's the animals who solve the mystery (and there's a snooty Doberman to add some tension). There is a laugh out loud scene at the end. All in all quite the fun read.

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Tall Reader and I enjoy the Life Reissues of their Special Editions of Life and we let each other know when we've purchased one so as not to duplicate! Then we share. :-) This time it was The Years of the Crown. There are wonderful pictures and articles about Queen Elizabeth II and her reign, and a bit at the end about Charles. There's the ups and the downs in her life, and, although I've not seen it, entries about the Netflix series The Crown. A wonderful read with a cup of tea.

Recently Kiwi loaned me a book she'd read and enjoyed: Mountains Beyond Mountains: the Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, by Tracy Kidder. I've read other books by this author, he does a wonderful job on his research! However, that being said, his books are dense and full of details so I usually read a chapter or two, then something lighter, then come back again. Paul Farmer was a doctor, one who wanted to cure infectious diseases, particularly in Haiti. It was a long, hard journey! Some details are not for the faint of heart. Powerful.

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Small animal veterinarian Ginny Reese is taking a much needed, long overdue vacation. She is taking her sister along to investigate the condo she has recently inherited. There should be some valuable art work on the walls. Contact with the property manager has not gone well and she is hoping to clear that up as well. Instead, a body is found in her condo. The lead investigator, hoping for lots of favorable publicity is looking for an easy resolution, which just might be Ginny, yes? Especially when the pictures on the wall prove to be imitations of the real thing. (Think insurance fraud). With her dog, and her friends, and eventually her boyfriend, she hopes to answer all the questions ... before the hurricane arrives. A Corpse in the Condo is part of the Cozy Pet Lovers Mystery series by M.K. Dean.

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity is the fifth in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series by Elizabeth C. Bunce. To her great surprise Miss Judson learns she has inherited land (including a castle) in Scotland. She and Myrtle (along with Cook and Peony, the cat) travel there to check it out. It is run down, and out of date, but has a feisty, spirited staff determined to keep it out of the hands of a developer who wants to buy it. Naturally there are mysteries (some ages old), and a body, and 'ghosts' ... all which made for a wonderful adventure. Author wrote with a Scottish brogue, so to speak, and I found that sort of hard to follow, but there is a useful glossary in the back.

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Email from Canadian Reader included a wonderful recommendation: Bait and Witch, by Angela M. Sanders. I don't usually go in for the books with a 'witchy' or paranormal type connection, but this proved to be the exception. Josie Way has fled her job at the Library of Congress (with good reason) and has taken a job in a small town in Oregon. She is loving feel of this small town, and has discovered that she is now recommending books to folks that she's never even read (the books seem to be talking to her) ... curious ... but she is actually enjoying this new found talent, and the connection with a local cat. The library is due for destruction, which has divided the town ... one night there is a fire ... which startles Josie so much that her, um, reaction, not only tamps the fire down, but pushes it back to the point where there is no damage ... curious ... which scares here. A call to her mother reveals that Josie is a witch. Her mother had her grandmother put a blocking spell on Josie so she wouldn't have to deal with it, but it had a range limit (explains the weird event on the plane across the country). There is a way to put the blocking spell back on, which Josie does even though she misses the books talking to her. There is a murder, of course, her cover (the reason she fled DC) is blown ... is she in danger? Can she solve things as a regular person? A great start to the series!

The Mystery in the Old Book, by D.B. Jagiel was an interesting read. Key in on the word 'in' in the title because that is where something is found that starts the whole adventure. Nina loves old books, really old books, and in one of those she finds a plea for help scratched with a fingernail. It read 'help he' (yes that's correct). The book was from the era where women could easily be committed to (often horrible) asylums to cure their 'hysteria' (a catch all for many things from true illness to a husband wanting to be rid of a wife after an heir was born). This is a centuries old mystery, can it even be solved? I don't want to say too much here, but the answer involved unusual means of investigation!

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I'll admit to pondering over one of the books from Wandering Reader: The Brass Queen, by Elizabeth Chatsworth. It's a big book! I usually avoid them these days as they can be heavy and often don't stay open well which can be hard on my stiff hands. As it turned out, I was sucked in by the description on the back of the book, and, (hooray) book was bound well enough that it stayed open easily in my lap! Set in Victorian England. A steam punk sort of Victorian England, with all kinds of interesting gadgets and characters. Main character is the only one left in her family (sort of), and if she is not properly married by a certain date her entire (huge) estate will revert to her (nasty) uncle! Add to this that she really doesn't want to get married, and because she is strong, bright, forthright and so on, doesn't appeal to the men of the era so a wedding looks unlikely. Add to the mix a (gasp) American Cowboy, from Kansas, who doesn't even have the manners to take his hat off when he enters a room! Oh, and then there are the invisible soldiers. Quite the exciting read!

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Remember Katie Gayle? The author that is actually two people? Here's her, er, their, fourth book in the Julia Bird Mysteries, Murder at the Inn. Tuesday nights are for quiz night at the local pub, and players take it seriously. Too seriously, it seems, when one of the competitors is found dead. Local DI Hayley Gobson (and main character) is home with a broken leg so someone is brought in from a nearby town to head the investigation. Someone incompetent. And a bit of a bully, who denies Hayley access to any information because HE is in charge. Then another quiz member is attacked and Hayley is sure he is on the wrong track and decides to run her own investigation, without his help. A great cozy.

It all started when the local park was overbooked ... two big events scheduled for the same day ... the church picnic, and a wedding. Let's just say the bride was not amused to discover her 'perfect' wedding would be to the accompaniment of noisy children! Tempers flare. The bride is stung by a bee (or was she?), she has severe allergies and collapses. The epi-pen, that should have saved her life made things worse. She dies. Mallory, from the church, has had some success with her, um, investigations (this is the second in the series) and jumps in to help out again. There is a connection with the church ... the double booking was intentional ... the bride's family is not happy with the groom, the groom's family doesn't like, well, pretty much anybody. And just what are they growing under that enormous tarp? And, there is a cat. In a cast! Not a bad romp. Murder at the Church Picnic, by Denise Jaden is from the author's Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Caper mysteries.

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Recently I had a wonderful surprise (well, she told me it was coming so I could watch for it) from Wandering Reader ... a box of books! All cozies from smaller presses! Of the dozen or so books I'd read just one, and one from another series by one author. I happily piled them near my shelf of 'to be read' books ... and then decided that rather than try for any order as I shelved them, I'd just start at the top of the pile. :-) First up was Murder is Fashionable. It is book two in the Dodo Dorchester Mystery series by Ann Sutton. It's 1923 and Dodo is a well known patron of fashion, so much so, that designers want her wearing their clothes to show them off. When one of the models dies during her walk at the fashion show, Dodo jumps in to help the local inspector find who killed her. Now, I'll admit, fashion if far from any of my interests and I probably didn't understand all the details about dress and so on, but the characters were good, the story was good ... and, since the author was smitten with Agatha Christie at 11, there are many nods to her characters in the book (and I assume in the other books as well). It was fun. Warning: I read this in one day.

Oddly enough, the second book in the pile from Wandering Reader also featured a main character out of my comfort zone. Two times over, actually, as she was a hair dresser (owned her own salon) and very pregnant! Easter Hair Hunt is well into the Bad Hair Day Mystery series by Nancy J. Cohen, but there were enough hints about characters and situations and so on that I never felt lost. Marla has attended an Easter Egg Hunt at a historic manor mostly to do her friends hair. Blinky is the one in the bunny suit, and wanted her hair done after the egg hunt and before she went to the more formal luncheon at the manor. However, she does not show up. Marla finds the white bunny face down, and, of all things, a Faberge egg in the grass near by. However, when the body is turned over, it's not Blinky ... it's the head gardener. What (and why) is he in the suit? And where is Blinky? Lots of twists here ... a dead hubby, an estranged son, staff that have worked at the manor for decades, missing/replaced (maybe) works of art ...Marla's husband is a detective and she's been helping him with his cases for some time. This time, though, she is 'with child' which offers challenges she's not faced before. I figured out a few minor twists, some were correct, others were not. :-)

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A mix of fiction and non-fiction today.

Riding Reader put me on to an amazing read, a historical biography titled The Invincible Miss Cust, by Penny Haw. It is about the first female veterinary surgeon (as they are called in the UK). Born in 1888, to the elite of society, Aleen knew from an early age she wanted to work with animals, and when she continued to pursue this, her family disowned her. Since she was female she was not allowed into any school (other than proper finishing schools) and struggled for years to get into one until finally, a newer one, a more progressive one, let her in. Shunned, ridiculed and bullied by the men, she mustered on, as they say, to get the highest marks in her classes, only to be denied sitting for the final exams that would allow her the proper certification. One vet, in Ireland, agrees to take her on as his partner. Be sure to read the author notes, as she said, the more amazing bits were the true parts and the more mundane bits the fiction part. :-)

After a recent 're-watch' of the film The King's Speech, I went looking for more information on Lionel Lough and discovered that his grandson had written a book! It came out in 2010, about the same time as the movie. It is a biography of his grandfather, and, of course, covers more than just the work with the royals. Based on diaries kept by Lough (always very discreet when it came to the King) it tells how he came up with the exercises and methods he used to help people overcome a stammer or other speech impediment. He and George VI really did become life long friends and that is reflected here, too. The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy, by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi details how he taught the King to overcome his fear of speaking and go on to lead the country through the troubled years of WWII.

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For a good read, where the ... wait, I promised no spoilers ... Albert, the retired policeman and his "service" dog Rex are going to Stilton to learn how to make the famous cheese. They arrive to find a crime scene: two days before the annual festival ALL the cheese has been stolen. In charge is a young, inexperienced officer who's boss has basically told him to stand down and do nothing, that missing cheese is not all the important. Albert does not believe this and encourages (and helps) Oxford to follow the leads to (hopefully) solve the crime. There are other issues (of course) including murders and counterfeit money. All in all a most satisfying read from Steven Higgs third Albert Smith's Culinary Capers book Stilton Slaughter. Don't miss the author notes at the end explaining how this book did not play out the way he originally intended.

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! is the first Christmas book for this year, I read it in October, but it has holds, and that's when it came to me, and it was by Donna Andrews, a favorite ... and had lots of holds ... so I read and returned it promptly.  Someone has decided to make a 'reality' show of blacksmiths making weapons. Meg has no interest in this at all, but agrees to help out in the background. That, of course, is not going to happen, and when her mentor, and one of the competitors, is attacked and his arm broken, she reluctantly fills his place. At the end of the first day one person is eliminated, and then is found dead. The investigation opens up all sorts of old grudges, and rivalries, bribes and so forth. And don't forget the crows ... keep an eye on them!

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Tall Reader loaned me a book she'd found on a recent trip to Victoria, B.C.: On Their Own Terms: True Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island, by Haley Healey. The author did a wonderful job of research to write short biographies of 17 pioneer women who defied what society determined 'proper' for women. One was a photographer who created amazing images long before Photoshop came along (there's one on the cover). She became the first official police photographer for the Victoria Police. Another woman, when no one would teach her how to fly, built her own plane and taught herself! Another would be the first woman to drive around the world. Amazing!

If you have chickens, or know someone who does, then you'll enjoy Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them, by Tove Danovich. Not only does the author have chickens, but she's also a journalist, so there's a lot of factual information here, too. Not all of it is nice (think huge egg or poultry farms), but it's a well balanced accounting and very interesting. Most fun is the stories of the author and her chickens.

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I'm having internet connection issues, so will keep this short ... look for new listings next week, hopefully on Monday!

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It's been a while since I read one of the Andy Carpenter Mystery books by David Rosenfelt, so it was nice to get back to his characters with Flop Dead Gorgeous. Andy, a lawyer, is always trying to retire (he doesn't need to work anymore) but cases seem to keep finding him. In this case it was someone he'd once dated in high school who is now a well known acting star. She's in town, filming, when she is accused of murder. The victim was found in her house, they'd argued publicly, it was her cake knife in his back ... how will Andy ever prove she's innocent? Join him and his team (do love Marcus!) as they look for the way to do this. I actually had the 'who' figured out this time (doesn't happen very often) but not the 'why'.

Thanks to a loan from a good friend, I did not have to wait too long to read The Last Devil to Die, the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series by Richard Osman. A good friend of the Thursday Clubbers has been killed, and something he had is missing. This sets the group on the hunt for the killer, of course. They encounter antique dealers, art forgers, on-line scams, drugs (and interesting ways to move them in and out of the country). This is a 'thriller' so of course there are more bodies and tense moments (kept me reading far into the night). There were some fun twists, too, although sadly, one ended up in a death. I even figured out one little piece of the mystery!

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Here's a good mystery for this time of year: The Plot and the Pendulum, by Jenn McKinlay. Set in October, close to Halloween it has an old mansion, odd drafts and cold breezes, a decades old mystery, and a secret room. Complete with a skeleton with one hand on a book. By Edgar Allan Poe! The owner of the old house is being moved to an assisted care facility and the (estranged) son wants to be rid of her extensive library. He is donating them to the local library and when the head librarian, Lindsay, and her crew are boxing up the books the secret room, with the skeleton is found. This renews the search for someone gone missing decades ago, which causes old secrets to surface. It is part of the Library Lover's Mystery series.

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Once you get away from the idea that a library needs to be a building, and look, well, traditional you can find all sorts of interesting takes on where to find books! I quite enjoyed seeing what folks came up with in Improbable Libraries: a Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries, by Alex Johnson. (Although one in a tree bothered me ... think pitch ...) There was also a chapter on how they might be delivered, we've seen these before, but what fun! There are horses, donkeys, boats ... elephants ... hikers, of course ... I can see a time in the near future where drones are used, yes? A fun way to while away a rainy afternoon.

Another loan from Tall Reader was a sweet little book on the art of decluttering. Title is a translation of a Swedish term that basically means any clearing away of stuff whether from a death, down-sizing, a move, and so on, so don't let it put you off! The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, by Margareta Magnusson is easy to read, with no guilt suggestions for getting rid of stuff. Many of them I am already doing so I can tell you they work!

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There's been a murder, of a visiting royal, and as intrigued as Kitty is, she absolutely cannot get involved (national security and all that) ... until she is asked to investigate by his mother! She gathers her team together and they dig into what happened and why. Curiously enough, said royal had asked to stay in the same room as Anne Boylen did before her beheading. Murder at the Tower of London is the fourth in the Kitty Worthington Mystery series by Magda Alexander, and has it all: murder, intrigue, politics, foreigners, explosions, a touch of romance ... all that was missing was Sir Winston, the Basset!

Canon Daniel Clement has managed to divide the congregation of his small church. What is causing such turmoil? The addition of a lavatory (his words)! The church has been fine without one for four hundred years, so why add one now? And don't even think about moving some of the pews! Then there is a murder (you knew it was coming), of someone who was working on getting old records into order. (Story seems to take place in the mid-eighties ... I finally looked it up and it's 1988). Old secrets begin to surface, new secrets, too, and there are more bodies ... a mural ... an opinionated mother and two dachshunds, all of which come together in Murder Before Evensong, a Canon Clement Mystery by Reverend Richard Coles. Not a gripping read, more, mmm, reflective, perhaps, as Daniel and the police figure things out, but not bad!

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Lady Hardcastle and her 'maid' Flo are back at it in A Fire at the Exhibition by T E Kinsey. It's been a quiet spring so far but there is an art exhibit (local artists, mostly, except for one painting), plus a very expensive volume of Shakespeare, and, the first ever bicycle race! On opening day there is a fire. During that time the Shakespeare book, the painting and an (ugly) bust go missing. One of the racers does not check in at the end of the race ... his body will be found and the seat on his bicycle is missing. There are newcomers to the area, and talk of a hidden fortune. Find out how all these connect, it's a grand romp! This is a Lady Hardcastle Mystery.

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I love finding something unexpected, especially when it turns out to be a wonderful read! This time the 'find' was Worn On This Day: the Clothes That Made History, by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell. There is a piece of clothing that was worn by someone (or sometimes several someones) for each day of the year. Clothes from the famous are here, of course, but so are clothes from the unknown or the more common folks. There are helmets and shoes, corsets, wedding dresses ... it was a captivating read!

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Albert Smith, retired detective, widowed, and with little to do, decides he a) needs to learn how to cook, and b) see more of England. He embarks, along with his 'service' dog (he flunked police dog school) Rex Harrison on a tour of small towns that offer classes in cooking a local delicacy of some sort. (You know this can't go well, yes?) The mayhem has already begun by the time they arrive in Bakewell ... there's been a death and an 'accident' (but was it, really) ... and he learns that what he hopes to learn to bake is not a tart (don't ever, ever, call it that) but a pudding! Bakewell Tart Bludgeoning is the second of the Albert Smith's Culinary Capers, by Steve Higgs. Love the doggy version of things.

Lady Jane, and her Aunt Kate have come to a posh resort planning on a nice vacation. Instead, they are pulled into a mystery ... death, a missing person (a friend of theirs), lots of suspects, threats ... hardly relaxing, but certainly interesting! The Seaview Cottage Conspiracy, by B.D. Churston, is the second in the Lady James and Mrs. Forbes Mystery series.

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Recently I read two books that are on topics unfamiliar to me: fashion (gasp) and plants! I may have to post these two together just because of that! Kat Out of the Bag is the first in a series by Wendy Kendall called An In Purse-Suit Mystery. Kat (Katherine Watson) has returned to the home she grew up in to open the purse museum: the Purse-onality Museum. (I chuckled out loud in the book store at that). Lots here on what purse to wear with what clothes, for what event and so on ... all new to me, who has been using the same fanny bag for the last 30 years! There is a murder at the opening, which makes local headlines. She partners with local cop Jason Holmes and his K-9 partner to figure things out before she becomes the next victim.

I do not garden. Quite frankly, if it does not bark or whinny I can pretty much overlook or ignore it. There's a reason I call my place 'Withering Heights'! Still, I quite enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons, by Kate Khavari. It looks to be the first in her series A Saffron Everleigh Mystery. Set in 1923, Saffron is the only woman in the botany department at the University College London. She is good at what she does, she's passed all the necessary exams to become a research assistant, but still, as a female, well, that's new and can be awkward at times. At a fancy gathering to celebrate an upcoming journey down the Amazon river, the wife of one of the participants collapses. She has been poisoned and Saffrons adviser and mentor is the prime suspect. Saffron sets out to prove his innocence. Lots of interesting bits here on poisonous plants! A good read.

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I said I'd be reading more of the Cozy Pet Lovers Mystery series by M.K. Dean! Here is the second book: The Dog Days of Murder. Life is good. Ginny, thanks to an unexpected inheritance, is planning on buying out the small local vet clinic when the present veterinarian retires. However, when she returns from a long needed vacation she discovers it's been bought out by someone else. What happened? Then, that new vet is found dead. As Ginny investigates (her mother is the prime suspect after all), other, not so nice, elements to this new vet emerge ... who is really behind her purchase of the clinic, what's expected of her (it's not the best care for the animals, that's for sure). Pay attention to the dog, Remy (Remington).

Alas, here it is (hopefully not for long), the last (#25) of the Miss Fortune Mystery books by Jana Deleon: Fortune Teller. Carter is off on a secret mission of some sort leaving a new sheriff in town. This could be trouble for Swamp Team 3. A young girl has been found in the swamp. She has no recollection of who she is, but some think she's from a group, a very secretive group, known as the Brethren, said to be living deep in the bayou. It's been there for decades but no one knows much more than rumors about them. It will up to Swamp Team 3 to figure it out. It could be (will be) dangerous. And a great read!

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Mystery on the Menu is a collection of three novellas by Nicole Kimberling featuring chef Drew Allison and Deputy MacKenzie. Set on the small island of Camas, an easy ferry ride to Seattle, where all the law enforcement folks have the same last name (it's a family thing). These are not cozies! They are much grittier than that, and, for this reader, some scenes give a bit too much detail (as in close the door folks, fade to black, end scene)! That being said, I like the characters, the setting, the story ... all in all three excellent reads here. In Entree to Murder Drew finds his bartender dead in basement of his small eatery, which means, of course, Drew is the prime suspect. It's also how he meets Deputy "Mac" MacKenzie. In Recipe for Trouble his former lover shows up, now a well known tv personality (and chef). There is a fire in an old barn where (naturally) a body is found. We meet more of the MacKenzie family, learn of past events and get to know the 'family' Drew has made for himself (love this): it's a three generation family including himself, Evelyn and Julie from the Beehive Senior Living facility (and chefs, too), and a new, young apprentice/worker, Lionel. When the body is identified there is a connection with things from the past, possibly to the disappearance of Mac's father. Is his Uncle (and sheriff) hiding something? And why did Drew's business partner (and friend), Sam, leave town so abruptly? AND sell her half of the partnership to the tv chef? Homicide and Hospitality starts with the discovery of a body ... it's Sam, Drew's former partner ... what is she doing back in town? Yes, it is the Christmas season, but she has no family here and has pretty much cut all ties with what friends she had. Well, there is her brother, who is in jail. It takes a while to put all the pieces together, but he has asked her to access their storage unit to find some papers that have information he's sure will get him out of jail. What secrets might those papers hold that get Sam killed? A page turner for sure.

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Remember that line from Monty Python? "And now for something completely different."? I never watched a lot of those, but I did like that line, and it seems to fit this book: Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanna Raybourn. There are four of them, now retired and on a cruise, a retirement gift, a 'thank you' for all their years of hard work. Until they see someone they shouldn't, who hasn't, er, followed the proper protocol, leading them to realize they are the target. Backtracking a bit here, these women were assassins with a secret organization. They took out bad guys, quietly and efficiently, so why would said organization want to take them out? That, my friends, is the story here! It switches between their recruitment and training, various jobs, and the retirement cruise and beyond as they track down the who and the why of the order to take them out. Funnier than you'd think, and hard to put down.

A Poisoning in Piccadilly is the first in the Lady Eleanor Mystery series by Lynda Wilcox. It's New Year's Eve. There is a party, of course, but things go bad when the rich American gentleman Lady Eleanor is dancing with dies in her arms. At first she is a suspect, but there is no connection, she'd never met him before. So, it moves on to his children, staff, business contacts ... and just where are the missing papers he was supposed to deliver? Not a bad start!

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What could be more fun than a masked ball? And it started out that way, but you know that wouldn't last. In fact, it happens soon after Kitty arrives with a report from one of the house staff that there's been an accident, some one has taken a tumble down the stairs. It was an earl, and he is dead. When her good friend, Lord Newcastle, becomes the prime suspect, Kitty gathers her team (and what a great team it is!) to prove his innocence. Murder at the Masked Ball is book 3 in the Kitty Worthington Mystery series by Magda Alexander.

Lot's of family secrets play into this mystery, The Vile Narrows, by Jackie Elliott. Bad and sad things from the past, dinosaurs, and religion. The first body is curious enough, it belongs to a visiting professor, what is the connection to the community? And then an elderly man, across the Narrows, is also killed. Turns out, he was the father of the first victim. Andi's father is the prime suspect, but he is missing. She knows he didn't do it, but needs to prove it. This is part of the Coffin Cove Mystery series. The blurb on the covers says it best "a gripping murder mystery full of twists."

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There's good and bad with Case of the Ice Cream Crime, one of the Corgi Case Files by J.M. Poole ... it was an excellent read, but (sigh) now we have to wait for the next one! (It's in the works). :-) The Cookbook Nook has been vandalized ... lots of damage and a big mess to clean, but very little is missing, in fact, only ice cream was stolen. Then other places reported break-ins ... again, only ice cream was missing. Granted, it's very special ice cream, unique flavors and so on, but why would anyone steal it?

Cajun Fried Felony was the other Miss Fortune Mystery by Jana Deleon I had missed, and recently ordered a copy of my own to read. By now you are aware that nothing comes off as planned in Sinful, and the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Run is no exception. A 'gertie' accident unearths a body, the body of a former resident and someone no one missed when she moved away. She had returned a few weeks back, up to her old tricks again, stirred things up as the saying goes, and then was gone again. Folks just figured she'd returned to New Orleans. There might be lots of suspects, but one stands out. He hires Fortune and the Swamp Team to prove him innocent. Follow along with their first case as Fortune starts her new life as a P.I.

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