Ian and Will Ferguson are Canadian humorists (humourists?) and brothers who wrote a cozy mystery! I Only Read Murder features an aging TV star who once had a very popular show. No good parts have come her way for a long time. When she receives a postcard with a cryptic message from a small town, she decides to follow up on it (it's from a former love) ... but it's certainly not what she expected! Still, the town is about to put on a play, one that is performed every year (exactly the same way) so she auditions for a part. The lead should have gone to her, but didn't, it goes to an unpopular person instead. That person (of course) ends up dead ... but who killed her, and why? And how, for that matter? Just a fun read from start to finish ... and I learned why it is considered bad luck to whistle on stage!

There is a surprise visitor in Yachts and Yelps, from the Isle of Man Ghostly series by Diana Xarissa ... someone who is looking for Mona, claiming to be a good friend (but hasn't spoken to her in eighteen years) and is unaware she is dead. He arrives on a yacht, with his extended (and unhappy) family and friends. What does he want from Mona? Later (of course) Fenella and her niece, Margaret stumble upon a body. It is one of the traveling companions. This makes everyone on board a suspect. Mona has to help, of course! There is an ex-wife, too, might she be a suspect here? We are nearly to the end of this fun series (although the author has many others out if you want to look her up).

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I do love quirky history books and Sweet Land of Liberty: a History of America in 11 Pies, by Rossi Anastopoulo did not disappoint. It starts with apple pie, nothing is more American than that, right? Except that most, if not all, the ingredients are NOT native to this country! There are pies where there are two versions, one baked for the plantation owners, the other for the slaves. There are pies with no fruit, in fact made with crackers (it's on the Ritz box to this day). With each pie there is a well written (great notes at the back) if often sobering, explanation, of our history, much of what we did not learn in history class. And, the final chapter, is back to the apple pie and how it became so strongly associated with the U.S., how the lingo and slang and references all developed to make it the American symbol it is.

Here's a topic that is decidedly foreign for me ... cooking! I am a terrible cook, and don't really enjoy spending time in the kitchen ... but I quite enjoyed Home Cooking: a Writer in the Kitchen, by Laurie Colwin! It's true, there are recipes,(which I ignored), but there are also delightful essays on cooking and what can happen (everyone has a failure at some point), on meals that were total flops (sometimes with guests), and surprising twists on favorites. Unexpectedly enjoyable. :-)

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I really am trying to make the West Wales Murder Mysteries by P.F. Ford last, but they are just so good it's easy to just pluck the next one of the shelf! Several old cottages, once home to miners and their families, are due for demolition, until, of course a body is found. The victim is dressed in fancy and expensive clothes, what was she doing in one of the shabby cabins? There is evidence, too, of, perhaps, squatters in another cabin as well. The team sets out to figure things out, and what a lot of interesting twists and turns there are in A Body in the Cottage. Clear your reading time, it's hard to put this one down.

It's always fun getting a box of books from Wandering Reader as the mysteries that are found at garage and estate sales are different than those found up here. Return to Sender is one of those. It is book four in Tonay Kappes A Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery series. Bernadette Butler delivers the mail ... on foot ... to folks she's known for years. One day a registered letter is slipped into her bag by mistake, but since she knows who it is for, she figures she can deliver, get his signature and so on. He is not at his place of business and his partner seems puzzled by the letter. Then, later, when there is a 'return to sender' box the sender is found dead. There is a 'gadget' here that the creators were going to patent in both names, but that registered letter? It was from the patent bureau with just one name on it. And what about that return to sender package? Remember, too, this is neighborhood mail carrier who has solved crimes in the past (even though I have yet to read about them), so she's at it again ... and she has the help of the Front Porch Ladies for help ... those 'women of a certain age' who like to watch what is going on the neighborhood. A fun read, even jumping in at book four. :-)

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Now here is something like I've never read, even with as many mysteries as I've posted on my blog! It starts out fairly typical ... two women, life long friends, of retirement age, are pursuing a dream they've had for a very long time ... to travel the United States. They are single/widowed so they purchase an RV and head out, with a dog, to do just that. A wrong turn takes them down a road that becomes more and more remote, and they come across a man standing next to a car that broke down. There is no signal for phones. The man makes the women feel uncomfortable, so while they won't take him anywhere, they will call for a tow as soon as they get a signal. They do so, but when the tow truck driver arrives he finds the man dead. With pictures of them, and their license on his phone. They are arrested for his murder, (at gun point) but quickly cleared. Now, at the end of each chapter is a 'dispatch' from some government agency dealing with a secret project and missing scientists, possible espionage and so on. At one point there are even Russians! The women continue their trip, often encountering strange people who seem eager to make their acquaintance, check out their RV and so on. Whatever is going on? And no, do not expect Gemma and Jo to decide the police and feds are incompetent and set off to solve this ... like I said, it's not like any mystery I've read before! I think you will really enjoy One Wrong Turn, the first in the Gemma and Jo Mysteries by Patri Lawson.

Strike out 4 Murder, by J.C. Eaton was in the box from Wandering Reader, and was a title well in to the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. This is a small community, with lots of clubs (pretty much every one is retired), and everyone knows everyone else. A body is spotted on the golf course, and reported, but when the police and EMTs arrive, the body is gone. Then someone on the softball team (lower level) is suddenly promoted to a better team ... what happened to that player? Then the person who spotted the body in the first place is clipped with a softball ... if this all sounds sort of muddled, it is, but it's a fun read and all will be made clear. :-)

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If the title Mastering the Art of French Murder conjures up memories of another book with a similar title, it should! Julia Child is a character in this first An American in Paris Mystery (another familiar title) by Colleen Cambridge. It's 1950. Paris is recovering from the Occupation. Tabitha has moved there to help care for her grandfather and uncle. She is not a good cook and is taking lessons from a neighbor, a young Julia Child! Julia and her husband love to have parties and after one of them, a woman is found dead, stabbed. The weapon is next to the body, and it is one of Julia's knives. Then, Tabitha's name and contact information are found in a pocket. Inspector Merveille thinks the case is a slam dunk, but (of course) it's not! A rather nice start to the series. :-)

In one of those odd moments of timing, Canadian Reader and I ended up finding and ordering the same book: Murder Next Door, the first in the Jim and Ginger Cozy Mystery series by Arthur Pearce. When Jim Butterfield was fired, er, let go, from his job at the library, he opted to move to Oceanview Cove. It's where his late wife grew up, and she inherited her childhood home. They'd planned to move there in retirement, but now it was just Jim. Almost as soon as he meets his neighbors one of them is murdered and the cat that was living there moves in with Jim. There is something unique about this cat, seems some humans can hear him talking in real words. Turns out one of them is Jim. Since he is new to town, and could have a motive (the neighbor once dated Jim's wife in high school), Jim is considered a primary suspect. Jim and Ginger team up to find the real murderer. Quite the unlikely and fun team!

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Finally! It took a while for Alison Golden (along with Grace Dagnall) to come out with the next (the tenth) Inspector David Graham Mystery, but they finally did! Cleaning out an attic in an old house, one that has been an inn for a very long time, something odd is noticed. There's been a huge storm, the house has been buffeted about and there is lots of damage ... and yet, one piece of furniture has not shifted. Why is that? Because it has been disguised to look like an upholstered sofa but is actually made of concrete. And there is a body inside. And so begins The Case of the Body in the Block. Just how old is this body, and who is it? And, of course, why was it stashed in the attic? It was fun 'working' with these characters again.

I've been on a non-fiction kick for a while, but when that was over I headed back to P.F. Ford and the fourth of the West Wales Murder Mysteries, A Body at the Farmhouse. I have become quite fond of the characters and their interactions, they have become a great team that are happy to be working together for sure. There was supposed to be a wedding but instead, the groom finds his bride hanging from the rafters in the barn. It is assumed to be suicide (we know that's not true, right?), and there are hints that it is not, which sets our team on the trail of what happened.

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There are common words and phrases that we all use all the time: fast lane, eager beaver, no bones about it and more. Where did they all come from? (On the nose is not a racing term, by the way). One was a totally made up word that started as a prank. Word Nerds Unite!: the Fascinating Stories Behind 200 Words and Phrases, by Webb Garrison was a great read! Some of these I knew, some I only thought I knew (and was wrong) and many of the origins were new to me. Delightful!

If you enjoy books about language and how it changes you might like Gobsmacked! The British Invasion of American English, by Ben Yagoda. It's been happening for more than 200 years, after all, and the author traces the words and phrases back to the earliest use he can find. I was not all that surprised, actually, probably because I read so many mysteries by British authors! And, I'll admit to finding some of the history and graphs a bit dry, but overall I enjoyed the book as I am fond of using, um, less than familiar words and phrases. ;-)

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 Looks like I didn't hit 'publish' on Monday, sorry about that! There will be two posts today. :-)

It took a while for Quenby Olson to come out with the third Miss Percy Guide book, but Miss Percy's Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons was worth the wait. Dragon eggs have begun hatching all over Wales. Miss Percy is the expert on these things and hopes to keep things under control, but her niece has other plans. Belinda has recently stolen a newly hatched dragon along with at least a dozen of unhatched eggs and headed to London, pretty much to gain attention to herself, and make money. Getting the eggs back will not be easy! The prince regent is interested, and is actually sponsoring Belinda. He wants to keep the eggs/dragons in London, they can only add to his popularity, yes? Belinda is putting herself forward as the expert on dragons (she has stolen Miss Percy's notebooks, put those into her own handwriting so it looks as if all the knowledge is hers). Said knowledge is incomplete! ALL dragons are different ... so far one can start a fire by sneezing, one needs to ingest coal on a regular basis, one burps acid that can burn whatever it touches ... Miss Percy is very worried if dragons are hatched in London and what might happen! The quest to find and return the eggs to Wales makes for a glorious adventure!

Those that live in Sunset Hall are old, so, when a body shows up next door, and they think they might have ideas about that, the police pretty much just dismiss them. They decide to solve the mystery themselves. Join this quirky bunch, all with various infirmities, mobility issues, and levels of dementia as they figure out the reason for not only the death of their neighbor but two more as well. Along the way you will learn more about the characters, a bit about their pasts, and why they live together. The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp is the first in the Miss Sharp Investigates series. It was written by Leonie Swann and translated from the German by Amy Bojang.

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After starting, and giving up on a book that looked hopeful, and had an interesting subject matter, but was too dry for this reader to continue, I plucked the fourth Enola Holmes mystery by Nancy Springer off my TBR shelf. Enola has been working on mundane, but paying cases ... a missing dog, a missing ring, and, of all things, a missing artificial leg! Back in the days before indoor plumbing, there were public restrooms, often with sitting areas so those weary (think women in layers of clothing) could 'set a bit'. It is here when Enola and a former client recognize each other. Lady Cecily, dressed in the most fashionable, uncomfortable and confining dress (and with questionable chaperones) manages to signal to Enola that she needs help. She does so through the language of the fan. (!) And so begins the Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan ... another grand romp with the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Why is Cecily no longer with her mother, and just where is the mother? Who are the rather dreadful chaperones attending to her? And why is she being held at other times in an orphanage? Such fun!

A strange 999 call (think 911) with nothing more than ragged breathing leads the detectives of Llangwelli to a body, some odd tire tracks, and eventually, of course, another body. One of their own is attacked ... why? And how did the dead biker end up propped against a tree? Lots of odd happenings here, with some good twists and turns as the evidence is collected. A Body Down the Lane is the third West Wales Murder Mystery by P.F. Ford.

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