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. ;-)

Reading Hermit With Dog