Murder at Little Minton, the first in the new series Miss Busby Investigates by Karen Baugh Menuhin and Zoe Markham is a spinoff with one of the characters from the Inspector Lennox mysteries by Menuhin. It's December, near Christmas, 1922 in a small village in the Cotswolds. A man has been found dead, a nice, charming man that folks like, but as more is learned about him ... well, let's just say, motive and suspects increase! He is an insurance salesman and his targets are older women, widows, often those who are ill. Now, they couldn't get insurance on themselves, so he sells them HIS policy. They pay the premiums (often rather pricey) with the return being they'll get money when he dies. And he has professed to being ill himself. He also likes to play the ponies (and does rather well). Miss Busby (a single woman of a certain age) is curious, and does her own investigating, much to the frustration of the detective sent from Scotland Yard. A nice cozy, worth reading for sure, although I'm liking the characters in the Lennox series better. (This IS the first in the series, though, so that could change).

Fortune never, ever thought she'd be in a beauty queen type contest, you know, one with those dresses with the bust line 'up' and the back of the gown ... well, non-existent, not to mention what had to be done with hair, and make-up (shudder). And shoes (don't get her started on those). And really, where does one carry a gun? But, in Flame and Fortune, a Miss Fortune Mystery by Jana Deleon, that's exactly what she is doing. She agrees though, so Gertie and Ida Belle have a chance at besting their nemesis, Celia and the 'mean girl' she is sponsoring. You know this won't go well, and sure enough things get lively at the end of the parade route when a float catches fire, then a body is found ... and so on ... tragic events from the past surface, as do people thought long gone from Sinful. Finding the connection and motive(s) are up to Swamp Team 3, along with Deputy Carter, of course. As usual with these books, they are hard to put down, so don't start too late in the day. ;-)

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It's been a while since I've read one of the Andy Carpenter Mystery books by David Rosentfelt, so it was nice to get back to the reluctant lawyer in Best in Snow. Andy was out walking the dogs one morning, in the snow, when Tara expressed an interest in something in the snow. Thinking it was a squirrel, Andy let her go. Instead of a squirrel, however, she had found a body, the body of Mayor Alex Olivia. Prime suspect is a reporter who published what proved to be a false story about this mayor, who made sure he was fired from his job. The evidence piles up against him, and Andy is asked to take the case by a good friend, another reporter who believes the young man to be innocent. It's a twisted, complicated case, and there will be other bodies. Figuring every thing out made for a good read with some great dogs.

Many of the books I read have main characters of (or above) retirement age and that's the case in A Spoonful of Murder, by J.M. Hall, too. Three retired school teachers happily meet for coffee every Thursday. One week they run into another ex-colleague who turns up dead in less than a week. Naturally, they have to investigate!

Thanksgiving is coming and the Swamp Team 3 (well, two of them) are out to shoot a turkey (they are allowed to bag two birds). Fortune comes along for the outing, and because she's never been on a turkey shoot before. One of the birds lands (and sinks) into the bayou but instead of pulling it to the surface, they snag a body instead. It's a recent retiree who was headed for another state. He recently sold his business to Ally, baker extraordinaire, who is planning on opening her own store, but when she is attacked one night in that very space, things get 'interesting'. Turns out there are other odd happenings at that store (used to be a dry cleaners), old money (from a robbery decades ago) surfaces, and someone thought to be dead shows up .... elements to make Swamp Sweets another great read in the Miss Fortune Mystery series by Jana Deleon.

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On his night shift, Sergeant Wigan helps a staggering drunk get home. Seems Michael Fisk, a rare book seller, has made an amazing find, which has now been sold celebrated.. And so begins a new friendship. Turns out, the rare book market, and those who work it, are, well, less than nice! It can be a vicious, cutthroat business, which comes home to Wigan when his new friend is found murdered. When he believes the police have arrested the wrong man, he starts working the case on his own. Filled with interesting characters and plot twists, this was a good read! Death of a Bookseller, by Bernard J. Farmer, was first published in 1956.

Vera Wong, a woman of a certain age, lives alone above her little tea shop. There's not much business anymore, her husband has died, and her son is an adult with his own life. Things are quiet (dull). That will change when a body is found in her shop one morning. She is sure the police need her help and the story of her investigation and the people she meets (and the friends she makes) plays out in Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jess Q. Sutanto.

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I have quite enjoyed various reprints of older mystery books from British Crime Classics, or, in this case, the Library of Congress. Professor Van Dusen believes murders can be solved by logic and observation as can an escape from a high security prison cell. He has become known as the thinking machine, hence the title of this short story collection The Thinking Machine: Being the True and Complete Statement of Several Intricate Mysteries which came under the Observation of Professor S.F.X. Van Dusen, PH.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D., etc., by Jacques Futrelle. His books had a chance to be as popular as Ellery Queen and other popular writers of the time (and it will be easy to see why) except for one tragic event: he was a passenger on the Titanic.

It's Halloween, again, in Sinful, and after last year (where a body, a beheaded body, was found), the Swamp Team 3 have decided to just enjoy the festival, but not help out again. You'd think one body was enough, right? Instead a black horse appears, ridden by a headless man. A dead man, not a prop ... and so the adventure begins again in Frightfully Fortune: Rest When You're Dead? The body was supposed to be in the funeral home, and in tact. What happened? This is one of the Miss Fortune Mystery series by Jana Deleon.

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Looks like pen names are back! (Actually, they've probably always been around, these just came with a story)(!) I read one recently where the author of the book was not exactly what was on the cover and, I've had a couple of books now where there is more than one person doing the writing! (See An English Garden Mystery, by Katie Gayle) In the case of Murder Most English, B.D. Churston is actually the pen name for Mark, Fiona, and Mike Daydy. Be sure to read the notes in the back to see how they came up with that name! The year is 1927. A man has died (naturally) and his family has gathered for the funeral. The son who will inherit is not well liked and has spoken of many changes to the estate, the money, jobs and so on, so, when he is found dead in the library, there are many possible suspects. Inspector Ridley is sent from Scotland Yard to investigate. Mrs. Kate Forbes, and her niece, Lady Jane Scott think they should help, right? (This gets a mixed reaction from the Inspector). A good start to the series A 1920s Lady Jane & Mrs. Forbes Mystery.

Continuing the 'author twist' if you will, the series Annie's Attic Mysteries has a different author for each book! Annie Dawson has inherited her ancestral home of Grey Gables in a small town in Maine. In cleaning out the attic she finds something that will tell her more about her family, things she never knew. There's a clue in the title: Medals in the Attic, by Cathy Elliott. What's nice about this series is that it looks as if there is never a body, never a murder, just a mystery. I did like that, however, I felt the story could have benefited from some editing (but remember, my Mom was an English teacher), and there were some errors that should have been caught (micro fiches does not come on a roll).

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A body has been found in the construction area of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Queen Victoria is not amused! She hires Daniel and Abigail, known as the 'museum detectives' to solve the crime. She gives them a letter which allows them to search anywhere, ask anyone questions, and so on. This does NOT amuse the local police chief and he is determined to solve the mystery first. Sadly, that results in the wrong man being arrested. (You thought the police chief was angry before .... ) Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum is another fun romp in the Museum Mystery series by Jim Eldridge.

I picked up The Socialite's Guide to Murder, first in the Pinnacle Hotel Mystery series by S.K. Golden because the main character looked different from those in other books. Boy, was she ever! And, someone I had a very hard time relating to as well! Young, slender, blond (not natural), rich, entitled, living in her father's posh hotel, wears pink, walls and furnishings are in pink, patterns herself after Marilyn Monroe (set in 1958), carries a purse dog ... !! She has a talent for finding things, though, starting with a missing purse, then a child. When a body is found, and a painting is stolen and her best friend (and fake boyfriend) is accused, she sets out to solve both crimes. You learn she has not left the hotel for over a decade, and why, with the hint of further information in forthcoming books, so she does get a wee bit more likeable. I did rather like the mystery, if not the character. :-)

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In spite of the time travel element, this really is a non-fiction book. Sounds like a contradiction in terms, doesn't it! How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes is more of a handbook ... really! Author Cody Cassidy interviews various experts for this book, and then sends the reader back in time to that specific event with the necessary survival techniques. Quite the fun read! (And just FYI, the ticket on the Titanic was third class).

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It's back to Vancouver Island (well, almost) with Jackie Elliott's third book, Hope Island. This tiny island is not too far from Coffin Cove. It was once a refuge for battered women. Now, many years after it was abandoned, human remains have been found. There is just one remaining resident of the island, a man (believed to be a draft dodger) who has lived there for years. Just when Andi thinks things might calm down, too! She is sent off to cover a shooting on the west coast of Vancouver Island only to run into her (estranged) father. His business card was found on the victim of the shooting. Lots of interesting twists here!

Tall Reader loaned me The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris, by Daisy Wood. Based on true events, it's about a small bookstore in Paris during the Occupation. At first things don't change too much. Then store owners are issued lists of what they can and cannot sell. Jacques builds a secret room in his store so as to continue to carry books the Nazi's have forbidden. At some point it becomes a room where those fleeing from Paris can hide until the necessary arrangements are made for them. As things get worse, he starts rescuing children. In fact, when he's seen with one toddler, several other parents (being rounded up to go who knows where) pass their children off to him too. This is well written but oh, so depressing! The counter to this is a modern day story of a woman with an interesting family history (and a painting that was always hanging in the house where she grew up) who feels at home in Paris and decides to stay and learn more about her family. Not a bad read!

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It was nice to get back to the setting and characters Karen Baugh Menuhin as created. This time the setting is an ancient medieval castle, complete with moat and drawbridge (that is raised and lowered every day). There were no legitimate heirs (or so everyone thought) and the six illegitimate siblings were acknowledged and supported by their father. They have gathered to see who will inherit. However, murders happen, none of the siblings as yet, but older folks, who might know a deep, dark family secret. Could there be a legitimate heir? A Wreath of Red Roses is another great adventure withf Major Heathcliff Lennox and his partner from Scotland yard.

Canadian Reader suggested Murder at the Grand Hotel, the first in the Lady Caroline Murder Mysteries by Isabella Bassett as a 'maybe' read. It was a new author and series for me, so I was willing to give it a try. Set on the French Riviera in 1925 ... think rich folks, servants that follow on a picnic to set up a table, with linens, tableware, crystal ... and a young woman who went to university (not good), then finishing school (good) ... and then (gasp) took typing classes! Her mother is desperately trying to get her married (it's not likely to happen soon). She is working for her uncle, helping with his correspondence and in looking for a rare orchid so he can win a stuffed platypus. (yes, that's correct)(!)

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