Timing was nearly perfect with the arrival of A Body Out at Sea, by P.F. Ford. It's the second in the West Wales Murder Mysteries series. I could start it almost immediately!It starts with a pile of clothes, and a towel, all neatly folded near the water. Folks report seeing a man jogging earlier in the day, but why he would go swimming on such a cold day, and in a dangerous area is anyone's guess. Was it suicide? Or something carefully planned to get out of a bad situation of some sort? Then a skull is found when builders are digging a foundation for an extension on a home. Now there are two mysteries to solve. The skull is identified as a young woman who went missing some years back and the daughter of the woman who lives next door to the extension that is being built. She says that is not possible, but then, she is known to have memory issues. Her ex is still in the picture (a VERY odd situation). Then, the daughter does show up alive. How can that be? There is a record of just one birth ... lots of twists and turns in the plot. I thought I'd figured some of it out, but I was wrong! This is proving to be an excellent series!

Louise Penny is an amazing writer, it's easy to get caught up in her books. That being said, I am finding she is a bit dark for me these days, The Grey Wolf fitting into that pattern. Beautiful writing, but oh, so challenging. Armand is summoned to a meeting with a curious man, who gives him cryptic messages and dies in his arms. Those comments will make him wonder who he can trust, (amongst folks he has worked with for years). Why is a monk 'out of uniform' and walking down the street? The odd messages and some curious events make him wonder if there is a threat, a serious threat coming. And does it involve water? A tough read, but it is Louise Penny!

Reading Hermit With Dog