I am quite enjoying the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa.

This time, in The Flowers File, it's a missing person, and stolen cars. The missing person has been missing for two years. Only his girlfriend seems worried, his siblings just don't seem to care much. And as for the stolen cars ... really, who would steal a car on a small island? Matters were made, more interesting (?) when rental cars were stolen from a visiting policeman. Twice. A fun, short read.

Seems Seattle Reader really enjoyed Baking Bad. So much so than in a very short period of time, all the books in the series had been read, as was another series by Kim M. Watt, and (drum roll, please), a collection of short stories titled Oddly Enough: Tales of the Unordinary, which was highly recommended. It took me a while to get to it, but what a grand read! There are tales of knights and dragons, and one of those 'be careful what you wish for' stories. You'll learn why only one sock goes missing ... just a fun collection of stories, many that are familiar ... but have a twist.

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Nursing Shorts: Stories About Being a Nurse by a Nurse, by Vennie Anderson, is exactly what is says it is! She started as a Candy Striper and ended her career working for the VA. In between there were many stories: happy and sad, depressing and frustrating, many what you might expect, and a few, well, not so much. Along the way she learned she had a talent for developing materials for patients and their families (something not done before). A nicely done memoir.

The Girl Explorers: the Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew, and Fought Their Way Around the World, by Jayne Zanglein will take you on an incredible journey of women who climbed mountains. In skirts and corsets. (Or, if a scandalous nature, then bloomers)! They were the first, or among the first to fly, to go on extended trips into Africa, or China. Sometimes they went with their husbands, sometimes in the company of other women. When the were not allowed to join the Explorers Club, even though they met every requirement, they formed the Society of Women Geographers. There are early deep sea divers, and pilots, film makers, sculptors, all who made a difference but have been overlooked or ignored by history. Until now.

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We learn a bit more about David Graham in The Case of the Forsaken Child, and the reasons why he made the transfer to the small island of Jersey. A conference is in progress, one involving lots of cops from all over the UK, including a former partner and mentor, who is suffering from memory loss. One of the attendees tells Inspector Graham that she thinks her cover has been blown. She later ends up dead, and then, her partner, is electrocuted on stage at another of the sessions. There's no lack of help here, everyone is a cop! This is the seventh in the Inspector David Graham Mystery series by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall.

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If I could give advice to our favorite fictional sleuths, it would be 'don't take a vacation'!! It will not be a restful respite, with lazy days in the sun, or on the deck of a ship, or fishing in the river. That 'tradition' holds true for DI Adams in Book 3 of the Beaufort Scales mysteries: Manor of Life & Death, by Kim M. Watt. A peaceful spa retreat for DI Adams is not to be. (Clues might have been dragons doing yoga on the terrace, and many members of the Toot Hansell Women's Institute at the same place, on the same weekend). Then there's a big storm, which effectively cuts of both communication and closes all the roads, and a body (of course). Chaos ensues! Another fun read in this delightful series.

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It might be cliche to say a mystery started on a dark and stormy night, but in The Case of the Pretty Lady, one of the Inspector David Graham Mystery novels by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall, that's exactly what happened. There is a hurricane, after which the body of a missing scientist washes up on shore. He was involved in some controversial studies of marine life that may (or may not) have affected the local fishing industry. Needless to say, it's not going over very well. Add to this the conflict with French fishermen. And those divers .... just what are they looking for? Good read, fun characters.

Here it is, the last Peculiar Crimes Unit book by Christopher Fowler: London Bridge is Falling Down. The PCU has been closed down. Again. For good. Except ... if they can claim an open case, that might extend the deadline. Looking for anything they investigate the death 'by natural causes' of an elderly woman. However they find no food in the apartment, not in the refrigerator, not in the cupboards. There is no phone of any kind. No radio. No pens or pencils. No shoes. Then a connection between the victim and Arthur Bryant is found. And other bodies start to pile up. What do they all have in common? And why now? As always, a good read with interesting bits of history tossed in. I will miss the PCU, but this was a good ending.

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Thank goodness for the folks you will meet in Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine, by Olivia Campbell. Without these strong, stubborn, determined women, and a few brave men who agreed to teach them it would have taken much longer for women to be accepted in the medical profession. The attitude, the ever changing obstacles, and reasons why women couldn't become doctors will make you angry, or at least shake your head in disbelief. When they succeeded using the rules given to them (passing exams, for example, often with higher grades than the men), the rules changed, but only for them ... that sort of thing. Over and over and over again. Sometimes I found I just had to laugh at the stupidity of it all. Well written, with amazing research, it's a worth while read.

It took a while, longer than I care to admit, to get around to reading Returning to the Branch: Selected Writings, by Alan Rhodes. When I did, however, it was a most enjoyable read ... took me less than a day! :-) I love the 'wanderings' as the author rambles around favorite neighborhoods, down alleys, to some of the small, neighborhood parks or stops for a bit in a local eatery. I especially enjoyed the essay about blocking a developer and saving a habit for the blue heron. Oh, and blackberry stains!

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In The Fatal Flying Affair, a Lady Hardcastle Mystery by T E Kinsey we spend more time with Lady Hardcastles brother. He needs his sister, and her maid, to do some undercover, secrety spy type stuff (remember, they are not who they seem). They jump at the chance because it involves learning more about the new fangled machine, the aeroplane! Because it could have great importance in warfare (the rumblings of WWI have started), there's concern about spies, bribes, sabotage .... The author is a master at clever, witty dialogue and there's lots of that here! This series is thoroughly enjoyable.

Canadian Reader found, read, and then recommended Murder on the Golden Arrow, the first in the Kitty Worthington Mystery series by Magda Alexander. Having finished, well, Finishing School, Kitty, along with her brother (one must be chaperoned, you know) is on her way home from Switzerland. There is an overnight stay in Paris where they run into not only friends from home, but someone that makes Kitty's brother decidedly uncomfortable. Later, she dies on the train home. When her brother becomes a prime suspect, Kitty steps in to do a bit of investigating herself. However, it must be done Very Carefully as this is her 'coming out' year and she mustn’t do anything to jeopardize that! A rather fun start to this new to me series!

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