Katie Wilk, and her dog Maverick, are new to Columbia, Minnesota where Katie has taken a teaching job. (Math, shudder!) On one of their first walks they, or rather Maverick, find a body. They meet Doctor Pete Erickson, a doctor and the coroner (it's a small town), and then the chief of police ... Dr. Pete's father ... As if this wasn't enough excitement, the town is getting ready for the premier of a new film on the Titanic. Scenes for the film were shot in Columbia, and many locals were cast as extras for the larger scenes. Then, the director dies. Finding out the who and the why made for a nice read in the first Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries by Mary Seifert, Maverick, Movies & Murder.

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Kitty is celebrating her birthday at a swanky London jazz club. What could be more fun than doing the Charleston? The band, from New Orleans, is amazing, with a singer that mesmerizes the audience. And, she has a 'high society' admirer (think a connection with the royal family). When he is found dead it's the singer's brother who is arrested. Scotland Yard considers the case closed, but Kitty believes the brother to be innocent, and so does her fiance, the inspector from said Scotland Yard. Team up with the Ladies of Distinction Detective Agency to solve find the real murderer. Murder at the Jazz Club, by Magda Alexander, is the seventh Kitty Worthington Mystery. Lots of fun characters here, and some who are really dreadful!

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It starts as such an ordinary day in the sleepy little town of Abbeymead. Flora opens her little bookstore as usual, sets up the till, straightens the shelves ... and discovers a body. He is a stranger, and why would he break in to her shop? Word travels fast and soon there are no customers. Then a local gardener dies. What, if anything, is the connection? Flora wants to get this solved as it is affecting business, not to mention it is affecting her friends, too. Lots of interesting twists, see if you can figure it out! The Bookshop Murder is a Flora Steele Mystery by Merryn Allingham.

The Snows of Weston Moor, the eighth in the Lord Edginton Investigates series by Benedict Brown is a nice homage to Agatha Christie! It's winter, the roads are bad and the car slips off the road. There are lights in the distance so Edginton (going under a rather fun fake name) and his grandson seek refuge in a large, isolated house full of, um, interesting characters. Some are actors, there is no staff to speak of, it's almost Christmas, phone lines have been cut off, a dark and mysterious man arrives, also seeking refuge ... all the necessary elements for an excellent mystery are here. A body shows up, of course, under the Christmas tree. Think scandals and secrets from the past. Money. Fame. It would have been fun to read this closer to Christmas, but it was still an excellent read.

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There is a delightful twist in the sixth book of the Albert Smith's Culinary Capers series by Steve Higgs. A new character is introduced, another police dog (retired)! Albert is planning to learn more about sausage in Cumberland Sausage Shocker (Rex is hoping to eat some), but you know that just cannot happen. They are staying at a newly opened B&B when Rex smells something in the garden. He only gets a chance to do a little digging when he is pulled away. The next day the body is found. And so the mystery begins ... who is it? Why were they murdered? And why buried where they were? Along with Maggie, the retired police dog, is her owner and together with Albert and Rex, they set out to solve the mystery. The 'conversations' between the two dogs is a hoot. And the, um, result of Rex eating too many sausages is something all dog owners should be able to understand. ;-)

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There are all kinds of detectives: male, female, cooks, librarians, young, retired and so on, but blind? You'll find that in The Blind Detective, by Christina Koning. You'll also find some well written descriptions of World War I. (The book was written in honor of the author's grandfather). Frederick Rowlands, blinded at Ypres, has found work as a switchboard operator. He's married, with two children and one on the way, life is going well. That will change when he overhears the start of a conversation. It will lead to his involvement in a murder investigation, using different skills and talents from the more traditional detectives. It looks to be the first in a series. (This book was originally published in 2014 as Line of Sight). Note: Back in 1971 there was the (sadly) short-lived tv series Longstreet about a blind insurance investigator.

Even though, as the name implies, Doglover is a dog lover, the book handed to me this time was Saddled with Murder, by Eileen Brady. It is a new author and series for me, and, I learned, it's the first in a new series about an established character by this author. I was a bit confused at first, but got it sorted out and enjoyed a new read. Kate is a vet in a new location, filling in for another vet who is on a world tour. It's Christmas and one of the staff has made her infamous Litterbox Cake. Seems that, and making a wish are traditional, and, the wish has to be selfish. Kate makes hers, wishing that two difficult clients will go away, someone adds their names, someone else adds a third person. Unfortunately, it all ends up on line when the baker posts the reaction to Litterbox Cake, and the wishes are included. Then those people start dying. Figuring it all out made for a hard to put down read. It is a Dr. Kate Vet Mystery.

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Here is a fun, quick read, with a purpose! 50 Books to Read if You're an Armchair Detective, by Eric Karl Anderson is a great way to find some new reads and revisit some old ones. There is synopsis of each book (no spoilers) and a nice mini-bio of each author. Made for a nice afternoon read on a late winter day when it was snowing outside. And sleeting. There was grapple. And rain. And sun. (repeat)

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Murder by Syllabub, by Kathleen Delaney was in the box sent up by Wandering Reader. It is the fifth in Delaney's Ellen McKenzie Mystery series. This one takes the main characters, Ellen and her Aunt Mary across country to help out Mary's friend Elizabeth, ... who has seen a ghost. It's in an old plantation house not too far from Colonial Williamsburg. It wasn't really a ghost, but rather Elizabeth's stepson, who, it seems, 'has plans' for the property. The adventure starts when he is found dead in Elizabeth's house. Secret tunnels, family secrets, slave cabins, a bit of history ... and many folks with motive made for a nice read.

Another of the books in the box sent from Wandering Reader was A Burned Out Baker, the 7th in Jessica Beck's Classic Diner series. There were two by this author in this batch, and I enjoyed both of them. :-) This time there is a fire of a nearby business, and the owner, was someone who had threatened Jessica and her grandfather. Naturally, they set out to solve the mystery, before they are the ones arrested! It was fun following the trail of the many possible suspects, with these two, who were again, working along with the sheriff. It takes a more serious turn when Moose's truck is set on fire. When someone is arrested though, Moose thinks it's the wrong person. You should chuckle (and wince) over the weapon used in the final confrontation. ;-)

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At the suggestion of Canadian Reader I tried The Bookseller's Tale, by Martin Latham. (He also wrote Londonopolis: a Curious History of London, see post of April 9, 2016). I agree with the comments on the back ... it is about our love of books! Read books, with weight and heft, smell, touch ...) The first chapter is all about comfort books, those we love (often for no particular reason). Some from our childhood, some we found when times were bad, but those books that make us feel good, often by just holding them. Learning about those who read, when they weren't supposed to read (think times past) ... women, servants, slaves made me want to cheer. There are chapters on collectors (they might go on a bit too much) and chapters on wonderful places to find books in street markets in cities around the world. I found I was smiling often while reading. :-)

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The small town of Wilfred, Oregon, is all abuzz with the visit of a movie star! That would be Daphne Morris who is in town to interview local author Roz for the book talk show that Daphne hosts. The fact that she charms the men of the town does not endear her to the women! It's her personal chef, however, who ends up dead, by the same method as the one in Roz's book (who was seen arguing with Daphne). Could the real target have been her? The body was found behind a shower curtain, after all. Josie wants to figure out what happened, and she turns to the books in the library to help (remember, they talk to her). Witch and Famous is the third book in the Witch Way Librarian Mystery series by Angela M. Sanders. This is a fun series!

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