Date with Deceit is the sixth in the Dales Detective Series by Julia Chapman. As expected it is well written and kept me up far into the night ... however ... it's also my least favorite at the moment because what is in the title ... 'deceit' ... is what happens and that is sad! The wife of the mayor comes to the detectives to see if her husband is having an affair. There are 'deals' going on that aren't what they seem, some involving land. Many of the story lines started in earlier books come to a head here, too.

I decided to partner The Otley Murders, one of the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series by J.R. Ellis with the above book because both deal with grim subjects. Well written, it will keep you reading, but it's a sad part of history concerning orphans/children's homes and the people who were there to take care of them. A dangerous criminal has managed to escape, one who threatened DCI Oldroyd ten years ago. Then, bodies start appearing ... bodies that are staged and with a message written on their foreheads. How is everything connected?

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The Pony Express is probably something we all remember from the history of the U.S. It is easy to conjure up an image of a young man on a fast horse racing across the country (and boy, is it big)!, braving weather, rough terrain, buffalo and Indians. (it's okay, that was the word used at the time);-) And yet, much of this is not true! Many accounts were written years or even decades after the fact, or from hearsay, or second and third hand accounts, even those who actually saw it like to embellish! Author Christopher Corbett has done a wonderful job of filtering through all this, pulling out what was actually true and what wasn't in Orphans Preferred: the Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express. There's a lot of the history of the West here, too. And some nice mini-biographies of names you will recognize such as Mark Twain and Buffalo Bill. A bit of a slog a couple of times, but overall a captivating read! My favorite image might be that of the Pony Express riders racing past the crew putting up the poles for the telegraph lines that would soon connect this vast country ... and of the buffalo who found them to be wonderful for scratching! :-)

Stuart McLean might be best known for The Vinyl Cafe, a show on CBC FM ... although maybe not so much anymore as he sadly died at much too young an age in 2017. He also wrote essays on everyday life. The Vinyl Cafe Notebooks is filled with beautiful, lyrical, thoughtful essays on everything from the daily newspaper (the 'real' one, in print, that could be found on bus seats, park benches, in the break room), the family piano, worms, various months, and so much more. I laughed (twice in public), I cried, I nodded in agreement ... spend some time here, don't rush, contemplate what you read.

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I'm not sure I agree with the blurb on the back of Paw & Order, the first in the Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery, by Chris Abernathy ... "What's better than a K-9 cop? A feline detective" but I will admit, I am a dog person. :-) Whiskers even has a badge! He helped the late husband of Sheila until his retirement, they'd even figured out a way to communicate with each other when Whiskers knew something Fred didn't. Alas, Sheila has not as yet picked up on how that was done, so when she becomes the main suspect in the retirement town where she now lives she has to figure things out for herself. A nice, light, cozy mystery.

This recommendation came from Canadian Reader, who likes We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman, better than his Thursday Murder Club series! It's an unusual team: Steve, retired, loves his pub quiz nights; Amy, working in personal security,her current client is a famous recluse, Rosie. When bodies start to show up, each with a bag of money, and with a connection to Amy, they become a team to figure who is behind the murders, and why Amy is a target. More of a thriller than a cozy, the adventure will take you all over the world. (Private jets must be really nice to have)! It's the first in Osman's new series.

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Nova Davies is new to the small Cornish town where she recently moved from London. She starts a book club at the local community center with hopes of gathering folks together. Well, she does do that, but all they seem to do is disagree! Then money was stolen, a lot of money, money needed for a new roof. Other issues arise, all seemingly pointing toward Nova, including the dead body that was found ... just what is going on? Is she really becoming so forgetful? And then there's Phyllis, an Agatha Christie superfan who is sure she can solve all these mysteries the way Miss Marple would. The Busybody Book Club, by Freya Sampson was a fun read with some clever twists to the plot.

A Most Puzzling Murder, by Bianca Marais proved to be a most interesting book. It's an interactive book, I'm told, in that there are puzzles to solve, and a few 'choose your own ending' chapters (remember those books??). There's a dark and stormy island where nothing electronic works, even though book is set in present day. There is a large, dysfunctional family and a spooky castle like home. There is a ghost. And a raccoon. Oh, and there's magic, lots and lots of magic, each family member having a talent at something different. The patriarch has called them all together (we know part of the reason, but the family does not). Yes, there is a murder, but I won't say too much more! Family secrets (and there are lots of them) emerge. I mostly liked this book, but thought it was too long, some of the story lines could have been shortened, or used in another book, perhaps.

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A story on war pianos sent me on a hunt for more information. They were upright, but smaller than the usual version, sat flat on the floor, and were made sturdy enough so they could be transported by jeep, or dropped by parachute out of a helicopter. They were made by Steinway. I found more information in one of the Images of America books, Steinway & Sons. This is a history of both the family and the pianos, it was fascinating! At the very end is chapter of many of the famous folks who played on a Steinway. You'd expect most of them ... Van Cliburn, Rachmaninoff, and Michael Feinstein ... but there is also a delightful picture of a young Elizabeth (the future Queen) and her sister Margaret who learned piano on an upright Steinway! I had to look that up ... seems they both continued to play throughout their lives.

British Culture 101, by Jeff Watson was mostly a fun read. You'll learn about things like money, government, conversation, the royal family, weather and more. Plan on doing a fair amount of chuckling! On the other had, I was surprised that there was no mention of the iconic red phone booths. Granted, few are in use as phone booths any more, but they are still visible! Many hold defibrillators and other first aid items, some are free libraries, some are mini tea shops, but they ARE still there! And, there were several requests that you scan those square codes for more, something I didn't do (but you might)!

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There seems to be a new trend of talking animals in mysteries, and this is true with Cats and Other Calamities, the first of the A Case for the Master Sleuths books by Alex Wagner. The twist here is that while the animals can all talk to each other (and we, as the readers 'hear' that), the humans just hear animal sounds. So, how do the animals communicate what they've found? To complicate that, the main character inherited Athos (a Malamute) when her father dies. This is her first pet ever so she is not good at picking up on animal body language. She is at a reunion when a friend and former class mate is killed. This friend came with her cat, who bonds with the dog and they become the master sleuths in the series title! A great start, the second book is already on my TBR pile.

I wasn't sure about this book at first ... The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, by Michelle Chouinard, but then at least two reviews called it 'quirky' and I decided to give it a try. Capri earns money giving just such tours of the area, taking the curious on tours of where murders happened, or the victims lived and so on. It doesn't hurt that she is the grand-daughter of a serial killer, did I mention that? (She's always thought he was innocent). Then there is a murder ... and a second ... that copy cat her grandfather's methods ... who? and why?

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The Last Word, by Elly Griffiths seems to be a stand alone book (she's written several series). At 84 Edwin is still working ... mostly in surveillance (after all, who notices an old person). His partner, Natalka, is much much younger and the two of them, with the help of Benedict (runs a coffee stand) the solve murders. Edwin likes to read obituaries (and do the puzzles) in several newspapers. He picks up on an odd connection and then, when asked to investigate the death a local priest with a secret (he writes romance fiction, pen name is female)(!) they decide to investigate. Other authors die, there is a connection to a writer's workshop, and the who and why .... all make for a read that kept me up past midnight. :-)

To be honest here, I did not end up liking this book at the end as much as I did when I started, but it has excellent reviews (except for a few) that say otherwise, so I leave you to make up your own mind. :-) The Examiner, by Janice Hallett is one of many books she's written, but the only one I've read. There are six students taking a course that is supposed to combine art and business and prove that art classes are still important (the university does not think so, and they are about to be cut completely). The six are very different in age, gender, race, abilities ... the teacher wanted this to prove there was wide interest in her class. It's told mostly in emails, texts, and written assignments. I never warmed up to any of the characters, but that might be what the author wanted. Things take a curious twist when an old radio is stolen from the business they are supposed to be helping with up to date advertising and so forth. Things then change dramatically in the last third of the book as you learn what really is going on. It is ... unexpected to say the least!

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While not exactly a mystery, The Last Chance Library, by Freya Sampson, was still an engaging read. It's about the local, much loved, library in a small town ... such libraries are often marked for closure, because, after all, a book mobile would suffice, yes? This does not go over well as this library (as are many, I am sure) is more than just books. You will meet the many folks who use it on a regular basis, and why, and follow along as they rise up to save their library.

Tall Reader has grandkids. Grandkids who read ... real books as well as other forms, and they share the real books when they come to visit. Here's one that was a most interesting read: Restart, by Gordon Korman. Author has written a lot of teen/tween reads and won awards, and I can see why. Chase wakes up in the hospital, attached to all those wires and so on. Why is he there? And who is the strange woman crying? (It's his mother). Turns out, he fell off a roof and has been in an unconscious state for several days. Folks are relieved when he wakes up, but he remembers nothing of his former life ... nothing. How do you start over? When he goes back to school he learns he played football (was something of a star) and, with others was a bully and not a very nice person. This doesn't seem right to him anymore. Can he change? What would you do if you could start over with your life? There's much food for thought here.

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A Guide to Understanding the Biblical Puzzle, by Bob Bernet is the third book in his Spiritual Puzzle series, and his best yet. It is well written and easy to understand. I especially like that he explains many of the lessons from the Bible in a simple, clear way. You don't have to be a church goer, or even all that religious to appreciate them. You can be spiritual without being religious, after all. Give it a try!

Here's one of those fun trivia type books that are good for reading during the ads on tv: History's Most Famous Pets: Tales of Four-Legged, Feathered, and Furry Companions of the Great and the Infamous, by Lenny Lenski. There are pets from the White House, those who lived with Royalty, scientists, pop stars, sports figures, literary folks and so on. Cats, dogs, monkeys, fish ... and wild animals as well. There are some from ancient times as well. I did regret that there is no bibliography, but the author is good at saying when said pet might not have been exactly as represented in legend. :-)

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