Date with Danger is the fifth in the Dales Detective Series by Julia Chapman. Sheep are being stolen ... all over the Dales and beyond, it seems. And they vanish without a trace, how is this done? Is there a way to prevent it? (I'd love to say more here, but I've promised no spoilers). Things take a more serious turn when there is a death at the most recent sheep auction. And, can Delilah (remember, she has a dating service) find a mate for certain farmer? This is a wonderful series!

Conrad, the talking cat is back! It's a complicated case this time, with lots of twists and turns in The Cat Who Solved Three Murders, by L T Shearer. Lulu (retired detective) and Conrad are off to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday. He and his wife are art collectors. All does not go as planned ... there is an assault (which includes a death) and a robbery, and more (of course) ... why the attack, and why these pictures? Canadian Reader is listening to the audio version here, and tells me the 'voice of Conrad' is perfect.

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I seem to be on a Stuart McClean path at the moment, having read several of his books of late. This one, Home From the Vinyl Cafe is more of the tales about Dave and Morley and their family and friends. Some were never aired, or at least are not on any of the CDS I have. That's always fun! Something new! (to me, anyway). It helps if you know the characters, I think. This has some of my favorite stories ... the one where they are ice skating in Holland, a bird that was blown off course and spent the winter in their yard, an unusual homeless man, a family vacation ... all done with the gentle humor and wonderful observations on the part of the author.

Here was a title I found hard to resist (and obviously didn't): Sassy Senior Sleuths, by P.C. James and Kathryn Mykel. It is a collection of six cozy mystery short stories. Follow along as the 'ladies of a certain age' travel and solve mysteries. I figured some out, others, well, I didn't! ;-) The stories included are: Over the Falls Without a Barrel; Deadly Dunces; The Man in Seat 13B; California Adventure; Destined for Sandestin; and a Christmas Caber. See if you can pick up on the clues!

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Looking for a job? Check one of these out! Quirky Careers & Offbeat Occupations of the Past, Present, and Future, by Marianne Jennings.Quite the fun read! Some we would expect such as dialect coaches for TV and movies. Then there are the unexpected occupations such as dog surfing instructors! Some jobs from the past, well, lets just say they don't exist anymore, thank goodness (intimate care of a royal person) but some I remember, and miss such as a switchboard operator. I think her name was Arlene, and she sat in front of a huge wall of connections to all the phones in the school district main offices. A call would come in to her, she would answer, and then with a cord connect the caller to the proper person. She was good, and fast, and it was fun to watch her at work. :-) Future jobs might include assistant for AI on things like morals and ethics, and virtual reality jobs or a space tour guide. A most enjoyable read.

Here's one of the special publications that pop up every so often: America's Weirdest Places. Divided geographically from east to west it served as a fun 'recliner travel guide' for this reader. It could be used as the real thing, too. :-) There are natural wonders, and man made features (the biggest ball of twine), museums, and amusement parks. There are museums of potatoes, and parks of dolls heads ... something for everyone, perhaps!

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Idaho seems to be a new trend in mysteries, or at least it is for me, this is the second series I'm reading that is set there. It is 1918 and the Great War is raging. Amanda has been persuaded to rejoin the local choir (they need altos) for the upcoming Memorial Day concert. Then, the most disliked member is found dead and Amanda's niece is a suspect. What she learns is sad, and dangerous for her. The sad part is that there are folks who travel around the country taking advantage of those with family fighting over seas. (Scammers have been around forever, it seems). Something Wicked This Way Hums is the second in the Music Shop Mysteries by Jennifer Lamont Leo.

The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead is the second Dog Sitter Detective mystery by Antony Johnston. Gwinny, one time well known actor trying for a comeback, dog sits to make extra money. This time, it is caring for the active Border Collie, Ace while his owner, Crash Double goes on the annual tour of his band (to avoid the Canal Carnival festivities). Ace and Crash live on a canal boat ... a special canal boat. During the opening ceremonies a body surfaces ... that of Crash, who was supposed to be in Dublin. The detective taking the lead seems, um, less than effective so Gwinny steps up to try and solve the mystery. Lots of secrets and history and past relationships surface making for a rather complicated case!

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Tall Reader loaned me Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt and what a beautiful, lyrical book it was! Narrated by an octopus! Tova wants to keep busy ... her husband has died and her son disappeared nearly 30 years ago. She cleans the local aquarium at night. She makes friends with the often grumpy Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who has spent his life in captivity (you will learn why). They figure out a means of communication that might help solve the mystery of how and why the son vanished. Great story! I stayed up past midnight to finish. :-)

Here is something totally different than what I usually read ... a medical thriller! Actually, a science fiction medical thriller! Recommended by a new person at the audiologist, the blurb and author (a doctor) information was ... intriguing! Primordium, by Mario Loomis is written for teen readers, which is good because I could understand all the medical terminology. :-) The main character, Noah, is a 17 year old boy, working at the same lab as his mom, a biotech lab. They have figured out a cure for cancer, more than that, really, but I promised no spoilers! At some point Noah realizes there is more going on, with big secrets, unusual side effects, and even a major twist in his life. Something else I liked, too, is that it is a "clean read" as in no bad language, graphic violence and so on. Lots to think about, though ... should we do something, just because we can?

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The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor is the second in the Homefront Sleuths Mystery series by father/daughter writing team of Anna Elliott and Charles Velley. It is 1941, the war is raging, and if that's not enough, there are ghosts. Evie doesn't believe in ghosts, but when Lord Hawthorne also mentions seeing 'something' she begins to wonder just what is going on. Then he is found dead at the foot of the stairs. Long buried secrets begin to emerge, estranged family members show up, do they expect to be part of the inheritance? Evie calls on her friends known as the homefront sleuths to figure things out.

The Cold Case Crew, and Bessie, have a reputation of solving old cases. A friend of a friend asks for her help ... his mother was murdered thirty years ago and it was never solved. Mostly he just wants someone to listen to him, which she does, but of course that leads to other things. This is not the cold case in the title: The Phelps File, so she is actually working on two cases this time. Fortunately she has some good contacts with people that can help. The interesting twist this time is in the title case ... no one is especially likeable, and they all lie! The 16th entry in the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa has some good twists. :-)

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Thinking of visiting, or moving to Canada? Here's the ultimate guide! How to be a Canadian, by Will Ferguson & Ian Ferguson. The brothers have explained how to blend in during a visit or a move to, well, just about anywhere in Canada! There's a discussion over politics and sports, food and recreation, and, my favorite, language. (There's a blend of American-English, British-English, French ...) and an absolutely hysterical explanation of the use of "eh?" (yes, with the question mark, always).

I've mentioned before that I enjoy trivia books so there should be no surprise to find So You Think You Know Canada, Eh?, by Marianne Jennings in my blog. Full of fun and true facts it made for great reading during the ads on tv! The egg carton was first developed in Canada ... but not the Zamboni? That happened in California! Canadians eat more Kraft Dinner than anyone else, anywhere. In Churchill, Manitoba, where polar bears can be found walking down the street, residents leave cars unlocked to offer an escape! The instant replay, used so often in sports was first shown in 1955 during a hockey game in Canada. The green ink, used on American money, was invented by a Canadian. So much fun here!

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I had an eerie experience when reading Collectors, Cats, & Murder, by Kahty Manos Penn. One of the characters collects letters, letters from famous authors. He puts them in archivally safe page protectors and binders. Just before I read that, I, too, was putting letters (although not from famous authors, but rather those written during WWII) in protective pages and binders, too! The collector here was an elderly man, so why was he murdered? And what, if anything, was missing from his 'treasures'? Fortunately he has indexed everything, where he found it, when, what he paid and so on. It is a big task, to check everything, but when Leta and the other members of the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency do so, they know exactly what is missing ... several letters ... there were many more valuable items, so why just those? There are a few new additions to the LOL Detectives this time, and as always, help from the talking pets (which only Leta can hear). This is the fourth book in the Dickens & Christie Mystery series.

The Dales Detective Series, by Julia Chapman is one of my favorites but I will say this ... Date With Poison was a tough read. The writing was as good as always, I stayed up late one night, and spent the next day doing only the 'doggy' chores, but this was one .... grim (and compelling) read! Lots of sad/bad/nasty stuff going on. The past starts to catch up with Samso, there are some unexpected twists, and a bit of a cliff hanger at the end!

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I recently learned that Baroness Orczy (The Scarlet Pimpernel) wrote short stories featuring one of the earliest fictional female detectives! That lead to Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, a collection of some of those stories. They are charming and clever and wonderful reads about all kinds of cases (not just murder) that stumped Scotland Yard, but I have to say that the text, at least in the book I had, was a bit small for my aging eyes. Just a warning here, don't let this keep you from these stories, or maybe there's a Large Type version available. :-)

Murder in the Scottish Hills is the second in the Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency series by Lydia Travers. The ladies are traveling to the highlands, by train, and they come across a body ... it falls out of the coach that looked empty and they thought they'd use on their trip. Also, there is something strange going on at the house where they are staying, something to do with art. The police are calling it a tragic accident, but Maud and Daisy think there is more to it, and maybe there's a connection, especially after a local artist is murdered.

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