Fortune's former partner is moving to Sinful ... or at least nearby ... there are several small towns that could use more police back up, but cannot afford it, but ... pooling their resources, they can afford a 'floating' deputy. Harrison and his fiancee, Cassidy, have purchased a large (very large) old mansion. They have plans for such a large place, complete with stables, but at the moment there are problems ... it has the reputation for being haunted. No one in their group believes in ghosts, but something is going on, and given stories from locals, has been for some time. The attic is full of stuff from the past, there are rumors of jewels, and of the mysterious family that originally built the house. And then a body is found. Swamp Spirits, by Jana Deleon is a grand romp through old families, voodoo (this is the south, after all) secret passages, and more. There's a dog now, too! Another fine entry in the Miss Fortune Mystery series.

I tried to find out what author Bonnie Garmus thought of the cover for her book Lessons in Chemistry but found nothing that answered that question on Google. I did find that there seems to be another cover, too, which was much better than one on the copy I read. It's pink, and makes the book look like a 'beach read' (or so said a friend of mine, and I do agree ....) This book is NOT a beach read! It is grim and sad, and will make you angry, but with moments of humor and hope, too. Elizabeth is a brilliant scientist, so much so that she does not have a lot of the social skills that help us navigate our world, careers, family and so on. It's the 1950's and women are supposed to be at home, cooking and having babies, and certainly not working as a chemist along side men! Her education and career are thwarted many times by men, her work stolen and published under their names and so on. There is one, though, who does see her for what she is and they fall in love. She will not marry, however, even though he does not expect her to take his name, she would still be seen riding on his coattails (this really is incredibly frustrating!!). He teaches her to row (*gasp* ... a woman on a rowing team??!) They are happy, then he dies, and now she is unmarried, and pregnant, so, naturally, she is fired from her job. The only work she can find is an afternoon cooking show (she's an excellent cook because, after all, cooking is chemistry). There are touches of dry humor, and some good times, but over all this was a hard read ... that kept me up until midnight finishing it.

Reading Hermit With Dog