Murder at the Highland Games is the fourth in the Ally McKinley Mystery series by Dee MacDonald. It starts out as such a fun day: dancing, bagpipes, competitions of all kinds, which, much to the annoyance of the locals, are being won by (shudder) Canadians! Yes, they do have ties to the area, but really, to come in and win everything? Then one of them dies, and there's no doubt it was murder. As Ally works on figuring things out she learns just how many locals had motive. Not to mention the wife. And her uncle. A complex case for sure, and a great read. :-)

A young woman has been found dead, in a boat, wrapped in a shawl that makes her look like a mermaid. Who is she? And why the staging? When Redmond and Haze dig into her past there are all kinds of unexpected findings, including a connection with the London underworld. And a mermaid tattoo. On more than one person. Murder of a Mermaid is the 11th in the Redmond and Haze Mystery series by Irina Shapiro, and it ended with such a dramatic cliff hangar that I read the next book immediately!

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The description on the back of Remainders of the Day: a Bookshop Diary, by Shaun Bythell calls it "a hilariously grumpy year behind the counter ..." which is absolutely true! Also witty and charming and a most enjoyable read, just like his earlier books. You will read about the books he'll buy for his shop (the largest used bookshop in Scotland) and those he won't (and why). You'll get to know his customers from the regulars to the tourists, those who buy, those who will argue over any price ... it's more engaging than I am making it sound, trust me!

A recent viewing of the movie The Sound of Music inspired a search for a book on Oscar Hammerstein II (there is already one on my shelf about Richard Rodgers). I found this: Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical, by Laurie Winer. It wasn't quite what I was looking for, that is, what inspired his wonderful lyrics, but still a most interesting read. Maybe more of a social history book? There are what influenced the books/stories picked for musicals of that era, what was happening around the world, issues in the news and so on. Turns out, Rodgers and Hammerstein were quite progressive for their time. :-) There are the failures, here, too, and some of the not so positive aspects of their characters. I felt it was well balanced, though. A somewhat dense and detailed read. :-)

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Here is a cozy, a true cozy, in the traditional sense ... and a fun, quick read as well: Cozy Mysteries with Humor for Senior Women: A Small Town Murder Mystery with Amateur Sleuths, Puzzles, and Snarky Seniors, (gotta love the subtitle!) by Tunia Sahil. There are several mysteries to solve here, from murder to missing gnomes and the Thursday Morning Detective Society tackles them all!

A stablehand found the Earl of Granville dead in the stable one morning. Skewered with a pitchfork, a very gruesome end. Redmond and Haze are soon on the case, which turns out to have lots of ... well, to paraphrase from the back of the book... "disturbing revelations". I don't want to give anything away here! Murder in the Mews was another great read by Irina Shapiro. It is the 10th in the Redmond and Haze series. (It looks like I might have skipped book nine, but that's actually where I started, it was in a box sent to me from Wandering Reader, it is in the January 12, 2026 post).

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 I am trying to make myself slow down in the reading of the Liturgical Mystery series, after all, there is a finite number of them as the author (Mark Schweizer) is dead, but it's hard ... they are so much fun! The Maestro Wore Mohair is number 12. (Number 11, remember, is in the post from December 29, 2025 as it had arrived in a box from Wandering Reader and got all this started). ;-) There do seem to be a lot of murders in this small town but this time, at least, it's a cold case, from some thirty years ago. A body has been found in the woods. It's near what was a camp, then a nudist village, and now is being transformed into a Renaissance Faire ground, which is when the body was unearthed. Who was at that camp all those years ago? And what happened? (Many of the records have been burned). Can the small police force of Hayden, Nancy and Dave figure it out? And not to worry, the 'bad' writing entries are just as bad!

Here's a curious and fun mystery, especially if you like to do word search puzzles! Murder Among the Stacks, the first in A Cranberry Creek Word Search Mystery series, by Rosie A. Point and puzzles by Charles Timmerman. Each short chapter includes a word search puzzle with words from that chapter. Abby is starting a new life, in a new (small) town. She runs a book store and has a local, well known author for her first event. Things to not go well when said author dies at that event and Abby is considered a primary suspect. However, there is also the mother, a good friend (really?) and her assistant who all could have possible motives whereas Abby does not. A quick read (but I did not do the puzzles). ;-)

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Murder in Half Moon Street, book eight in the Redmond and Haze Mystery series by Irina Shapiro is a classic 'locked room' mystery. A young woman is found savagely murdered in her bed. There is a lot of blood ... but none on the floor or carpet, no foot prints you might expect to see, no blood on the door knob. And the room is locked (door and windows) from the inside. The house is too new for secret passages. There were lots of people around ... staff, guests ... Redmond and Haze are dealing with personal issues, too. An engaging read.

Although the disclaimer in the front says this is a work of fiction my feeling is that some of the stories are very true ... the author is a dog walker after all! :-) Still, there are some stories from the view point of the dog, so ... Lots of fun tales here (catching a loose dog) and pictures of the dog(s) who inspired a story. Nudges from a Wet Nose, by H A Byrd was a fun read for this dog owner.

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I decided to post these books together as they share a theme, both take place on the set of something being filmed. A movie and a reality show. Gwinny has a small part in the movie Draculania (a female twist to Bram Stoker's version). Location is a damp and eerie castle with a vampire history. The lead is a bit of a diva and filming often revolves around her moods. Things change when a cast member is found dead in the prima donna's trailer with a stake through his heart. The door was locked from the inside. That will now become a crime scene, but good luck with finding any useful clues, everyone (cast and crew alike) have been in and around the trailer, touched everything, walked everywhere ... and lots of them have motive ... this will be a tough case. Add to the chaos is the fact that Gwinny ended up with the care for Lily, the Jack Russell, when her aging owner was sent to the hospital. The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead is the third book in this series by Antony Johnston.

In Purrfect Revenge, by Nic Saint, Detective Chase has been instructed to include Odelia in his investigation of the death of reality star Shana Kenspeckle who was found dead in her own bed. Most of her, anyway. This was a violent end (but there's also the attitude that it was too bad it wasn't filmed, it would have been good for the ratings). Odelia, of course, includes her cats in the hunt for the killer, after all, they are free to wander anywhere and listen in, then report back to her what they've heard. (The women in Odelia's family have been able to talk to cats for generations). It's a hard case because what the rest of the family says about Shana differs depending on if the cameras are rolling or not. There is an obnoxious French Bulldog, too, just to complicate matters. This is the third in the Mysteries of Max series.

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One of the many nice things to come from the visit of some long time friends who now live east of the mountains, which finally happened after a few years 'off' was that I learned of a new author/series of mysteries! Purrfectly Deadly is the second in The Mysteries of Max series by Nic Saint. And unlike a lot of authors, he puts that number right there, on the front cover where it is easy to see ... :-) Odelia writes for the local paper and has helped with solving crimes before ... with the help of her cats, Max, Dooley and Harriet. Since they can, and do, wander every where, they hear things (often on purpose) and then report back to Odelia. Yes, they can talk to her. It's a talent that's been in her family for generations. There is a new detective in town (in a small town for his own reasons) with a rather bully of a cat. There's been a party, a wild party, which resulted in the death of a once famous, much loved 80's pop singer. Follow along as the cats gather the clues! This is a fun, quirky series. Not quite a traditional cozy, but delightful all the same.

Once again I turned to historical fiction when I couldn't find a non-fiction book on an interesting subject. The Librarian Spy: a Novel of World War II, by Madeline Martin is based on real people and true events. Ava is a librarian at the Library of Congress, recruited to help 'save' literary works from the Nazi forces by converting them to microfilm and sending them to the U.S. She also speaks several languages, which helps since she is also a spy gathering intelligence. Elaine is learning to run a printing press to print up materials for use by the Resistance. She also helps distributing them, and, when necessary, moving parts of the printing press to a new location. This is done by breaking the machine into small parts and hiding them in the false bottom of the basket folks carry to buy what meager rations are available. There adventures are mesmerizing. Intense, descriptive, sad and powerful. Never underestimate the printed word!

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I'm describing Death at the Savoy as having a 'wrong place, wrong time' story line. The main character, Priscilla, in her job at the Savoy Hotel, keeps coming across dead, or nearly dead, bodies. Which makes her a prime suspect, of course! Set in the late 1960's at the famous London hotel this is a fast moving story combining the old school management (no scandal, ever) who don't like the new blood provided by Priscilla (young, blond, mini-skirts) and would love to fire her, with famous celebrities (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Noel Coward, Bob Hope and more), royalty (Princess Margaret) behaving badly, Russians, spies, poisons, Scotland Yard, journalists (heaven forbid they print the 'wrong' sort of story) and more. Lots of details to keep straight, but over all, not a bad start to the Priscilla Tempest Mystery series by Ron Base & Prudence Emery (who actually worked at the Savoy during this time period).

The third Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency mystery takes Maud and Daisy to visit Daisy's cousin, who lives in the Highlands. Members of a local choir have been found dead and the cousin is worried the deaths are not accidental (as the local police and doctor have determined). The choir is one of the finalists in a choir competition. Could the murderer be from a choir who has lost? Or from one still in the competition? Or something else? It seems too, that the murderer knows why they are there and sends them poems with clues as to the next victim, the location, and the method ... if they can figure them out! And, they have to deal with they fact that they are (gasp) women, too, in an era when they should be married, in the home, and caring for babies. (Do love how the author deals with that)! Mystery in the Highlands is by Lydia Travers.

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Working Horses in London, by Miriam A. Bibby is the history of the use of the horse from Roman times to present day in London. War horses, cart horses, draft horses, ceremonial horses, and more, this was an interesting read (probably more so if you are a bit horse crazy, though). ;-) Nicely written. Great pictures.

From time to time Wandering Reader sends up a box of books ... and it's always been fun! That's how I discovered the Mark Schweizer and Irina Shapiro mystery books after all! In the recent box was also a fascinating non-fiction read: Women Who Kept the Lights: an Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers (Second Edition), by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford. Records were often sketchy ... sometimes the name of the woman would not be included, or just initials were used ... so I am impressed with the research done here (there's a great bibliography)! Light houses in Washington Territory are included, too. :-) Remarkable women, wonderful photos.

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Amber Winslow needs a place to go. Somewhere safe and where a certain someone cannot find her. She heads for her grandmother's fancy retirement community in Arizona. They don't know each other all that well, in fact, they've never met face to face. Amber's mother has made sure of that, but, as it turns out, they have a lot n common. There are many interesting characters in the facility, including the Admiral, who is found dead shortly after Amber's arrival. There is also a missing family heirloom. His family (who never visited) is angry over this and demands something be done. Amber's grandmother is arrested for the murder and theft. This puts Amber on the trail to solve it (she's sort of a PI in training, after all). Some interesting twists here, rather enjoyed this read. :-) Murder Runs in the Family is by Tamara Berry.

As we've learned from past tales there is often a new, interim priest in St. Germaine and so is the case in The Cantor Wore Crinolines, by Mark Schweizer, the 11th in his Liturgical Mystery series. Groundhog day usually isn't a religious holiday, but this priest wants to have a mass that night: "St Groundelmas". What should the choir sing? Three houses have been auctioned off, a bit odd, perhaps, in that there were so many this time, but no one things too much about it. Until the bodies, yes plural, are found. One in each of the houses, in a closet, posed and dressed for church. The settings are straight out of the trashy book the local Blue Hills Bookworms book club is reading, down to the professions of each victim. Can Hayden and his crew figure everything out before the special mass on February 2nd? Another great entry in this series, pay attention to the names in the 'bad' writing sections as Hayden continues on his quest to write in the style of his hero, Raymond Chandler.

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While The Christmas Cantata: a St. Germaine Christmas Entertainment by Mark Schweizer is listed with the Liturgical Mystery series (#10) it differs in that there is no death to investigate. Christmas is coming and the entire town seems to be in a crabby mood. Will that change? There are no entries of Hayden's book he's trying to write in the style of Raymond Chandler this time, instead we get snippets of a woman who lived in the area in 1937. A cantata has been found in a box in the basement of a house being cleared out ... a beautiful piece of music (it takes some practice to get to this point) based on verse from Sara Teasdale. In investigating more about it, Hayden learns it has never been performed, the one time it was scheduled it was canceled at the last minute. Why? Can he even figure that out after all these years? Just a nice read, won't take you long!

I tried another new author and series with The Mystery of the Missing Book, by Judith Cutler. (Book one in The Antique Shop Mysteries). Lina Townsend is just learning the antiques trade. An orphan, shuffled around a lot she has had little education and stability in her life until she meets Griff, who becomes her mentor. When she finds a single page from a rare medieval manuscript the adventure starts! Is it authentic? If so, where is the rest the book? Is it still intact? Once she has the page (which she hides away) there are several break-ins to the caravan and house where she and Griff live, and he is even attacked. She needs to find the missing book, and protect Griff (he's old, and a bit frail). Not a bad start.

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There were several major finds in Egypt in the late 1800's and this book: Murder on the Sea Witch feels like an homage to that. The ship in the title is a freight ship, designed to bring home, in this case precious, cargo. The body of the chief archeologist has been found inside the sarcophagus he was bringing back to London. When it is discovered that his brain has been removed in the fashion of preparing a body for mummification Redmond and Haze believe that should make it easier to find the killer. It does not! Since the ship is designed for cargo, not passengers, those aboard all had something to do with the dig, many have been on several digs, and most know how to remove the brain from a body! Who might have had a grudge against Blake Upton? Another 'keeps you up late reading' mystery, this is the seventh in the Redmond and Haze Mystery series by Irina Shapiro.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death, by Maxie Dara was a read completely different from what I usually read, even though it was a mystery! It is the second in the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery series. (Any of you remember the show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.?) I have not read the first. Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., she schedules the reapers, those who go out at the death of someone to be sure the soul moves on properly. This goes well until the name of her brother comes across her desk. He is her twin and all the family she has left so she is NOT going to let this happen! They flee to the small town their father is from, and what a strange little town it is! A most curious read, for sure! I take exception to the review on the cover: "funny and warm, delightfully fresh" ... to me is is NOT funny or warm ... there is death, lots of it, paranoia, fear, fright and so on ... it IS however, fresh, in that the point of few is certainly new to this reader! Do note, this is NOT a cozy! There is lots of bad language. It fits with the characters and the story but I wanted to give you a heads up. :-)

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In these times that I find rather depressing and discouraging given what is happening in this country it was nice reading a happy, cheerful book, this one, by Dick Van Dyke! 100 Rules for Living to 100: an Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life. Follow along as the author talks about his life and work, the good times and bad and how he's been successful or not. He's still dancing, and works out at a gym ... that's how he got a recent role on a tv show, a soap opera! A feel good sort of read.

What was your favorite song from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins? Dick Van Dyke's book inspired me to go through the song book I have from the movie and pick out the songs on the piano (pretty much just one handed these days). Like Mr. Disney, I love Feed the Birds the best, but I also like Chim Chim Cheree and how it evokes the life on the rooftops of London (it's right there, in the lyrics)!, and Step in Time for energy and enthusiasm. Made for a nice afternoon of memories. (My dad DID recognize the elder Mr. Banks as portrayed by Dick Van Dyke and we watched the credits until his name became unscrambled and dad could say "I knew it!" :-)

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Christmas is coming, a time of family, friendship, gathering .... and death? Well, yes, but mostly because this a mystery. ;-) Death at the Swan Tavern is the sixth Veronica Vale Investigates mystery by Kitty Kildare. When one of the guests, someone invited to join the festivities at the last moment (so as not to be alone over the holiday) is found dead everyone is hoping it was an accident. It wasn't, and as his past is uncovered there are more and more suspects. Can the reason be discovered before Christmas? I love the sub themes of dog rescue and Ruby, who can drive any sort of vehicle (there's a tractor on the cover for a reason). Set in the 1920's.

Next is another Redmond and Haze Mystery by Irina Shapiro: Murder at Ardith Hall. Also set at Christmas and also the sixth in the series. (And yes I did read them back to back and no, did not do this on purpose)! The death happens at a sèance, one where folks have gathered in the hopes of contacting a loved one who has died. One of them is the wife of Daniel Redmond. It is not hard to determine that this person was murdered, but also determined that someone had been trying to kill him for some time now. (I know this is fuzzy, but I promised no spoilers, and the method here was very interesting)! Set just after the American Civil War, in England.

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Company and projects have kept me from reading as much as I usually do so there was just one book ready for me to post ... and most of the time I like to do two ... so ... what to do? Then I remembered that some time back now, Seattle Reader asked me if I'd ever consider doing posts on books that folks like to read over and over again. I said yes, did a bit of checking with friends on that, and then ... nothing happened. Now it will! And, take a look at the image today! That's from a set of bookends! Wouldn't those be fun?!

Since it was an idea from Seattle Reader, I will start there. "Books I tend to re-read are often the first book of a series (even if the series ultimately was disappointing) such as Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. On the other hand, David Eddings five book series The Belgariad has been read more times than could be easily counted! And of course, DRAGONS! Dragonsong, by Anne McCaffrey!" (me, too!) (This is the first in the Harper Hall Trilogy and ties in nicely with The Dragonriders of Pern books).

And, from a friend who died much too young, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville! This was a book I could barely get through once, although to be fair, I was also reading it for a class with one of the worst profs I ever had, might that have colored it? Any way, it was an annual read for this person ... loving the story, the writing, the descriptions and more, I was told.

I've also been told twice recently, that in these troublesome times, it's nice to go back to an old favorite or two.

The important thing here is, new or old, actual book or ereader (or audio book), just read! :-)

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We had company this past weekend: two humans, two dogs! It was glorious fun AND I got a recommendation for a new author and series! :-) Nic Saint writes a series about cats who help solve crimes: The Mysteries of Max. Book one is Purrfect Murder. The cats and their human (a local reporter) can talk to each other, it's something the women in her family have been able to do for generations. And, since cats can wander pretty much any where, they can do a lot of eavesdropping! The body of a famous author has been found, in a most unusual spot. Impeding progress though are two newcomers to this small town: an arrogant cat and his equally arrogant human (a detective, who does NOT like interference with his investigations). A nice light story, good for these troubled times. And, if you like them there are more than 100 books in the series!

And, then it was back to the next Liturgical Mystery by Mark Schweizer, the Countertenor Wore Garlic. It's coming up on Halloween and the town is getting ready to celebrate, big time. There are standoffs between vampires and zombies, a visiting (hellfire and damnation) priest, and a 'congregational enlivener' ... something I've never head of before ... the body is found at in the hay bale maze, the identify hidden due to a pumpkin on the head of the corpse. Expect puns. Don't miss the 'reviews' of the book at the beginning. Enjoy! (I laughed out loud).

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Here I am, back with those two favorite authors again!

The Organist Wore Pumps is the eighth title in the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer. There has been an accident (swerving to miss a family of skunks) and Hayden is in a cast so cannot play the organ for the church services. His replacement is someone he knows from his past, and doesn't really like all that much. It's Christmas, or nearly so, and there are all kinds of activities going on leading up to that special day (and beyond). Disrupting this schedule is an obnoxious deacon (his sermons are MUCH too long) who ends up dead. From a bullet from Hayden's gun. ??? How did this happen? Hayden is trying to write a children's book, too ... that should give you a chuckle (remembering how bad is hard core detective stories are ...) ;-)

The body may never have been discovered if the grave digger (fussy about his work) had not checked out the grave he'd dug for the afternoon funeral and noticed things were 'off' about it. Sure enough, at the bottom was a body. It is someone new to the area but everyone liked him, found him to be a good, kind man. Is there something from his past that finally caught up with him? Clues are hard to find. Murder in the Grave, by Irina Shapiro is the fifth Redmond and Haze Mystery book.

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Riding Reader has an unusual way (to me) of selecting books. There's a stop at a local county branch of the library and then a quick dash in where five or so books are plucked either from a 'to be shelved' cart, or the new book shelf. It's a system that has worked well ... always a diversity in the subjects, and always at least one worth reading! Recently there was The Traveling Archivist: Eastern Oregon. It's the first in the Della Waters Archival Mystery series by Mary B. Hansen. The state of Oregon is initiating a new program, one designed to help small towns collect, preserve and protect various city records. A professional archivist is sent out for a period of several weeks, with supplies and, of course, the know how to do just this. It should be fairly easy but there is one rather obnoxious 'pillar of the community' who tries to thwart her at every step (His family founded this town after all, it is up to him to protect the history properly). The reason for this becomes more clear once Della finds some records, woefully misfiled (but with reason, as it turns out) of the trial documents for the massacre of thirty-four Chinese gold miners more than one hundred years in the past. Based on a true event. Not a bad debut!

The work done by the Six Triple Eight Battalion in World War II is most fascinating. The US Army did not know what to do with women, let alone Black women. They were finally all put in the same battalion and assigned a job where failure was a given. Except that it wasn't. There were millions (actually more) of pieces of mail waiting to be delivered. Others had tried and failed to clear it out. They were given six months ... they had it cleared in two! The non-fiction books I found were either picture books, or had such dismal reviews that I opted for a novel about them. Women of the Post, by Joshunda Sanders was a good read, but I would have liked more about how they did what they did! Still it was an excellent, if unsettling, read of what it was like to be Negro (in the language of the time period) and how they were treated. Powerful, too, these were strong, smart women.

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Today I'll be posting just one book, but it's an amazing book! I did look for a companion to go with it, and did find something, but despite a good bibliography and so on, the book itself, sadly, was just, well dull!

The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work, by Sam Quinones was not! Seems the author, who writes mostly about drugs and crime wanted to do an 'optimistic' book. He went back to a file he started some years ago on the tuba and decided that would be his next project. Yes, the tuba! The tuba is a relatively new instrument, dating from the late 1800's or so. Something was needed, with more power than a stringed instrument to anchor the orchestra. Many were, and are, produced, but two remain supreme, both owned by the Chicago Symphony at the time of the writing of this book: the York tubas made almost a century ago now. They have never been equaled in sound ... it's been tried, they've been studied ... (it was a fun chapter) ... and, the author actually got the chance to (try and) play one! It took a lot of air, but he finally made a sound, which, he said, sounded so much like a growling stomach that he felt the need to apologize. It was as if he had burped in a cathedral. (p. 24) An odd side note here, the instrument that takes the second most amount of air is the flute, mainly because most of that is wasted by blowing across the mouthpiece.

The author, who works mostly from interviews, sets out to meet up with tuba players across the country. In one of the poorest areas of Texas a director has set up a program to make music available to everyone. To that end he hires teachers who play a brass instrument, and will teach marching band. They will stay with a student from 6th grade through high school. They arrive early and stay late so there is always an open room for practicing (which they insist on). At concerts the girls wear a black dress, the boys black pants, white shirt and a tie (the director provides them if necessary). These bands do well, and start beating out fancier, more elite schools in competitions. Some of the students go off to college with scholarships ... I am not dong it justice here, this is an amazing program! I found myself nodding frequently while reading this, and thinking how much my dad would have approved.

Two observations here: I come from a musical background, my father was a band director, and had marching bands. I marched in band through college, and then played in various bands and orchestras for some time afterward. I played a brass instrument (so did my Dad, actually). I felt great kinship with many of the events in this book. Because of that, I asked a friend of mine, who is in a book club, if they would consider reading it. None of them have musical backgrounds so they said 'no'. I looked up the reviews, which were glowing ... even from those without a musical background but, they had read the earlier books by this author and loved his writing style (it is good) ... so ... there it is, maybe this will help you decide whether or not to read this book. :-)

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I am in a rut, aren't I?! Here's another of the Liturgical Mystery books by Mark Schweizer: The Diva Wore Diamonds. In spite of all the good in his life (and there is a lot of that), Hayden Konig has dreams of being a mystery writer in the style of Raymond Chandler, and is in the process of writing that novel along with his other jobs of police chief and choir director. The results are not good! When they were rebuilding the church (you'll learn why in an earlier book) they come across a time capsule buried in 1900. Among other things, it includes diamonds. Diamonds that were found on local property ... but where exactly? There is a squatter trying to claim land, folks trying to sabotage Bible School, and the world premiere of a previously unknown work by Henry Purcell. Oh,and a body (of course)! Madness and mayhem as usual for this author. :-)

Needing to get out of my rut I found and tried a new author and series for me: Dead in the Morning, the first in the Oxford Don Mysteries by Margaret Yorke. There is a large family, in a big house, being controlled by a rather nasty matriarch, who is confined to a wheel chair. Tension abounds (but folks pretend it doesn't). There is a housekeeper who keeps things together, and can cook as well! One of the sons has remarried (his first wife died), to an American! She seems to be well received, until she meets the housekeeper. THAT was a very strange interaction. How could they possibly know each other? Lot of secrets bubble to the surface here. Then the housekeeper ends up dead, but was she the intended target? The Oxford Don is a rather interesting character. Not a bad start.

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It was supposed to be a quiet vacation at the beach, and to look for office space for Veronica's new business venture. It turned out, of course, to be anything but that. Death at the Harbour Arms is the fifth in the Veronica Vale Investigates mysteries by Kitty Kildare. The body of a young woman is found floating off a pier late one night. She was a young, pushy, determined (and talented) journalist. She was known to dig deep for a story ... so who did she annoy? The doctor with a terminally ill wife? The owner/manager of several pubs (and entertainment for men)? One of the ladies who worked for him? Someone else? This series has good, strong female characters, doing jobs meant for men in a time when women should be home having babies. A good read!

Yes, you are right, you are seeing many of the Liturgical Mystery books by Mark Schweizer in recent posts ... seems I just can't keep away from them! The Mezzo Wore Mink is another fun, funny read. This time, as the title hints, it's about mink ... or rather minque (an interesting hybrid of two fur bearing animals). Hopes are high for a lucrative fur business, but things go awry when they escape. Dozens of them! And then there's the Christian nudist camp opening down the road a ways. And to avoid competition with other Christmas celebrations, the first ever production of The Living Gobbler. Kept me up late reading and chuckling. Don't miss the 'advance praise' page in this series, it's worth a read!

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Books by two favorite authors today!

The Bass Wore Scales, is another of the Liturgical Mystery books by Mark Schweizer (#5). In addition to the expected puns, and 'bad' writing there is the additional challenge of determining if, when reading the word bass it is the fish or the musician! There is a 'talking' gorilla (knows sign language) visiting this summer. The interim priest has determined he has been 'saved' and therefore needs to be baptized and sneaks him away to do just that. Sadly, said priest is then found dead. Did Kokomo kill him?

The Romani are camped in a nearby field. They are not well liked by the citizens of Birch Hill so when the body of a young woman is found in one of their caravans, the towns folk want them all arrested. Redmond and Haze have their work cut out for them for sure. Follow along as they figure out this convoluted case (I can't say much, I promised no spoilers)! When a second young woman goes missing the case gets even more complicated. A warning here, this is not a cozy and there is something that happens that is most unpleasant, I'm not even sure it had to happen exactly as the author wrote it, but it's there, so brace yourself! Murder in the Caravan is the fourth of the Redmond and Hazy Mystery series by Irina Shapiro. Well written, great characters, I'll be reading the next one soon!

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

I'm finding it hard not to ignore everything but the dog when reading this series by Irina Shapiro. Murder at the Mill is the third in her Redmond and Haze Mystery series. This time the body was found (with no clothes) strapped to a water wheel. Is there a reason for the location and lack of clothing? (It does suggest anger against the victim). The clues are few and it takes a while to figure all this out, but Captain Redmond and Inspector Haze are determined to do so. Secrets in their own lives emerge as well. An excellent read!

A gift from Riding Reader, Metropolitan Mysteries: a Casebook of London's Detectives, edited by Martin Edwards proved to be another good entry by this editor and publisher of British Crime Classics. Some of the authors included will be familiar, others not so much, or even not at all as some the stories were published in the early 1900's. There is a good introduction at the start explaining some of the words, phrases, and attitudes that might not be as well known, or acceptable today. I'll admit to skimming a couple of the selections, but over all just a nice period read.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

All is not well at the Carraway Dog Park ... much of it has been blocked off to build something no one asked for and no one wanted ... but it was progressing until Rosie (a basset hound) dug up the body of the councilman responsible for said project. And so their investigation begins ... Lorraine (a former PI), Cecil (retired funeral director) and Dixie (stroke survivor). Their dogs Gus (a pug), Winston (Yorkshire terrier) and Rosie help. The police have stalled out on this, seems there really isn't anyone who didn't want Wade dead. The Old Dogs' Club, by Madison Boyd was a good read with some fun characters. :-)

The cold case the crew is working on this time might be one of the hardest yet ... none of those interviewed when the murder actually happened had much to say. They have been re-interviewed as time passes but still, little more has been revealed. Will our cold case folks come up different questions to ask? The Richards File is book 18 in the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa. It's always nice getting back to the familiar characters created by this author.

Reading Hermit With Dog