It's always interesting to read a new author and/or series ... will I like it? In the case of The Dog Sitter Detective, by Antony Johnston, I did! Gwinny has spent the last ten years looking after her aging, ill father. She put her career on hold ... and as an actor, this is not a good thing to do. She has learned she is pretty much broke, too, as the money she thought her father had is gone. She is looking forward to the wedding of her good friend to be a welcome break ... however, it is anything but when a body is found, and it's the groom. Her friend is arrested for the murder. Then there are the two dogs, given as a wedding gift ... why? The police don't seem to be working very hard so Gwinny starts asking her own questions. And taking care of the dogs. Not a bad start, kept me up late. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

We've probably all been told to not judge a book by it's cover, but what about the title? I do enjoy a good twist, or a pun and so on in a title (and they are popular for mystery books) so really, how could I resist Once Upon a Tome? And with the subtitle of The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller! The author, Oliver Darkshire, is just that, for an old, old store in London, Sotheran's. Don't miss the title page, which is wordy, and lengthy and reminiscent of title pages from the past. Oliver came to the job with no experience, and little formal education (he'd get more). The staff was (and is) quirky, as were the customers. More than just books graced the shelves, many with an odd history. Some books were poison. Nothing seems particularly well organized, keys (dozens and dozens) were unmarked ... all in all sort of a quiet, darkish (sunlight damages books), dampish place to work. And yet, Oliver found a home! This is a nicely written and humorous book, sort of a quiet yet sometimes exciting read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

A comic-con is coming to the small town of Pomme Valley, and a keynote speaker is one of Zach's favorite actors, Michael Biehn (a real person) (this is a great cross over). Turns out he's just a wonderful person and he and Zach (and others) get along well. Then, a prop from one of the movies he starred in is stolen and book #19 of the Corgi Case Files by J.M. Poole becomes a glorious romp! Remember, folks attending are in costume, lots of folks from all over the country and beyond are attending, making investigating all the harder. There's a bit of a hint in the title: Case of the Hobbit Heist, see if you can figure it out! The dogs, Sherlock and Watson, are, of course, on the case, always one or two steps ahead of the humans. Loved the twists and turns here, even figured one (but only one) out myself.

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The Pony Express was the first express postal delivery system. A letter could be sent across the country in a mere ten days. Riders raced between stations spaced 10 to 20 miles apart from Missouri to California (look at that on a map, that's a lot of way stations). And the territory it covered was barren, few people, fewer horses, rough terrain, horrible weather, not to mention other obstacles from snakes to outlaws. Given all the odds, it's no wonder it did not last longer ... it was horribly expensive to maintain.

Author Will Grant decided he wanted to ride that trail. Not at any great speed, just to see what said trail was like. The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2000 Mile Horseback Journey Into the Old West is the story of that adventure. It was a grand read! You follow along as he selects the horses that will make the journey, to what he will pack, to where and how he will camp along the way. There are wonderful descriptions of the people he meets (one so skinny he could hide behind a fence post) and of the country he crosses, which is vast and varied (obviously). You will learn a bit abut US history, natural history, and local (meaning the stops along the way) history.

Parts of the trail have been developed into towns, freeways and so on. He needed a police escort over one bridge, and trailered his horses around a few of the bigger developments where it would have been dangerous for him to ride, but for the most part, he and his wonderful horses walked every step of the trail. A wonderful, thoughtful, philosophic read.

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The night is perfect. Dancing, champagne, beautiful gowns, sparkling jewelry. And a body. A body with a list of the jewelry being worn at this very dance. Why? Turns out, the victim was not all that well liked (with good reason). Lennox and Swift learn more, much more as they investigate this murder. Secrets they uncover get even darker with the discovery of a second body, one of the maids. Oh, and there's a dig going on as well, just what will that uncover? ;-) The Belvedere Murders is the eleventh in the Heathcliff Lennox series by Karen Baugh Menuhin.

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I had recommendations from both Riding Reader and Retired Reader within six hours of each other for The Speckled Beauty: a Dog and His People, by Richard Bragg. Naturally I had to check it out! It was a good read, with vivid descriptions of weather, bugs, snakes, swamps, all of which made me very glad (and not for the first time) I don't live in the south! This is a memoir of a dog the author has ... a foundling, if you will, one that showed up one day, and stayed. Sort of! Speck (it took a while to name him) would come and go as he pleased. He'd hunt and chase and take on anything from the donkeys and mule to cats, snakes, other stray dogs. He had the battle scars (and visits to the vet) to prove it, too! He'd eat and/or roll in just about anything, takes exception to being brushed, bathed or clipped (think matted hair), but still endeared himself to the author and his family. I liked the feeling of acceptance and companionship to a dog that caused a lot of trouble. :-)

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Josie's sister, Jean, is visiting for the first time. She is there to attend a workshop in the brand new retreat center. Josie does not like the group, or the leader, she's sure it is some kind of cult, but how much can she say? (think sibling relationships) And, remember, Jean knows nothing about Josie's magic. The much loved cafe that burned down is having a grand reopening ... but on the opening morning a body is found at one of the tables ... and so it begins. Is the workshop legit? And, as the bodies pile up, what is the connection? There are some citizens who believe that murder can be a tourist attraction and so are trying to come up with a town slogan reflecting that! All this and more in Witch Upon a Star, the fourth Witch Way Librarian Mystery by Angela M. Sanders.

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Book of Queens: the True Story of the Middle Eastern Horsewomen Who Fought the War on Terror, by Pardis Mahdavi, was a one day read. I stopped only to walk the dog, feed the dog, and watch Jeopardy! This is a formerly unknown story of generations of women who were freedom fighters and who helped save the Caspian horse. There is a close connection here, the author tracks her ancestors from ancient Persia to the present. Her grandmother helped smuggle women across the border to caves in Afghanistan to escape abusive husbands. These women became strong, brave and fierce fighters, fighting off marauders and invaders, including ISIS, the Taliban and so on, beating them off when men and even US Special Forces could not! Their greatest ally was a horse, a breed they saved from extinction, which is part of the story line in this amazing book. Be warned though, it is brutal and depressing. Horses and women, especially women, were treated horribly. You will cry, and be angry. It is also a story of empowerment and friendship. You will cheer! And wonder why (well, maybe not, it's men who have written history, after all) why we haven't heard more about these women. Certainly outside my normal reading pattern, I thank Riding Reader for the gift.

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Secrets and Suspects is the last Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy on my shelf until Canadian Reader visits again, (sigh)! Author Diana Xarissa has done a wonderful job (with all of her books that I've read) in keeping the interest and stories going, making each book hard to put done. Word of advice, don't start too late in the day! Here, when Fenalla and her advocate are checking the contents in various safe deposit boxes (part of an inheritance), a body is found. Locked in the vault, locked in the bank ... how did he get there? There are security cameras everywhere, monitored 24/7 after all. The body is that of the bank's manager, a rather handsome man known for dating a lot of women, at the same time. (In his defense, he makes this common knowledge). Could someone have thought there was more going on? There is no shortage of motive here, that's for sure!

Reading Hermit With Dog