Now, for something different, but still a mystery, try City Under One Roof, by Iris Yamashita. It's grim, folks, but well written and with some interesting characters. Set in a small town, in a remote part of Alaska, all the residents live in a large condo facility. It's a tourist town, so once winter sets in, the population dwindles to about 200. And once the tunnel in and out (one way, direction changes every 30 minutes) closes for the winter everyone is pretty much stuck. A teenage girl finds a severed hand on the beach. And then a boot, with a foot in it. Cara Kennedy, from Anchorage comes up to check things out, hoping for a quick trip, but gets trapped when the tunnel closes due to bad weather. Case becomes more complicated than was thought. Since Point Mettier is so remote the folks that live there year 'round usually have a reason for coming there ... you'll learn some of these. One was a surprise ... to the character as well as the reader! Nicely done.

The members of Swamp Team 3 are on vacation. In Florida. Ida Belle and Fortune are looking forward to restful days on the beach, with drinks in hand. Gertie plans on hooking up with an eligible man for a nice dinner ... which she does ... and then he is found dead the next morning. The (lazy, very lazy) deputy is sure it's an easy case, Gertie did it, and he can arrest someone who is NOT local (which will help his run for Sheriff). Naturally, this does not go over well so Swamp Team 3 steps in to solve the case. Look for more great characters and fun (and funny) romps as they do so in Fortune Furlough, one of the Miss Fortune Mystery books by Jana Deleon.

Reading Hermit With Dog