Murder on a High Note is the first in the Music Shop Mystery books by Jennifer Lamont Leo. It's set in a small town in Idaho in 1916. For most of the year Timber Coulee is a lumber town, but for six weeks every summer it is host to an established and much loved music camp. This year, sadly, due to the war in Europe, there are 'anti-foreigner' feelings and stores are vandalized depending on the last name of the owner. (Some things never change, do they). Then the expected guest conductor cancels and in his place is an unknown ... who is this guy? He is charming, and he is a conductor, but why does he have an interest in an old man's death and the boxes in his shed? Join with Amanda (the store owner) and her niece as they work through the clues. A fun start!

As much as I love (and prefer) a printed book, this one, Tragedy at Piddleton Hotel, might be better as an audio book! It's written to be humorous, something much easier to convey with voices than just letters on a page! Annabel Churchill, now a widow, has moved to the village of Compton Poppleford. She has purchased the detective agency there, somethings she's sure she can do because her late husband was a detective with the London police. It comes with a secretary. Her first case is a fat cat, the owner wants to know who else is feeding his cat! Then there's a more serious case: local busy body Mrs. Furzgate has died in a fall down a flight of stairs. Was it an accident? There was a dropped sticky bun at the top of the stairs after all. Delightfully crazy characters (pay attention to their names) and some sleuthing that is almost slap stick, this was a hoot of a read! It is the first in the Churchill & Pemberley Cosy Murder Mystery series by Emily Organ.

Reading Hermit With Dog