Here is an absolutely delightful new find! The Cat Who Caught a Killer, by LT Shearer. And, it's the first in a series! Conrad is a most unusual detective. I won't say more because I've promised no spoilers and part of the fun is getting to know him. :-) Lulu's mother-in-law dies suddenly, from something that isn't fatal in and of itself, so, did she have a little help? And who is the new wife of her brother-in-law? Not a bad debut novel, I stayed up until midnight to finish it. Canadian Reader likes the audio version. :-)

Royally Whacked, a Duchess of Snodsbury Mystery, by P.C. James & Kathryn Mykel showed up in a box of books sent from Wandering Reader. It is the second in the series, and it might help to start with the first, things were a bit confusing at the start. Still, it was a nice little cozy with some good characters. There is the Duchess, of course, and a wonderful butler (who has all kinds of skills), three young women and a dog. It is London, 1959, at a week long celebration of summer. Join in as they 'help' the local police solve the murder. Don't miss the author biographies at the end.

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Here we are, back with Lady Hardcastle and her maid in The Beast of Littleton Woods, by T E Kinsey. Another delightful romp (well, except for the bodies) (it starts with a sheep), this time with what looks like to be a wild beast doing the killing. Then there's the curious incident of the messed up mail at the local post office ... someone is sneaking in and re-sorting the mail so letters are going to the wrong addresses. And there are sightings of other strange critters, too. This is book twelve of the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series. Just a fun read! ;-)

"And now for something completely different" is a quote from Monty Python, usually voiced by John Cleese ... and while that was for a comedy and this book is not that at all, it fits. ;-) Polostan, by Neal Stephenson is Volume One of Bomb Light. It is unlike what I usually read for sure and came as a recommendation from the person who rings up and bags my groceries when I do my weekly market. Dawn/Aurora was raised in Russia, er, The Soviet Union, and Montana. It is during the 1930's, so think Fascists, rising Nazism, spies, the Depression, intrigue ... she is fluent in both Russian and English ... she admires Bonnie and Clyde ... there is polo ... machine guns are smuggled in violin cases ... The author is known for his careful attention to history, and his story telling, so it's worth a try!

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I love it when something pops up when I'm looking for something else! That's what happened with Crossing the Line: a Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever, by Kareem Rosser. The game is polo, played in inner city Philadelphia (from a place known as "The Bottom"), the idea of a white woman who believed that horses were a way to keep kids engaged and off the streets. She was right, at least some times. She started the Work to Ride Program (still exists today). All kids were welcome, but you had to stay in school and do chores to earn the right to ride. For the author's family (written when he was just twenty-seven!) it was both ... older siblings started in the program but drifted off to earn money selling drugs, ending up in jail and so on, but for Kareem, it was just what he needed. This is a powerful read, much tragedy and death, given the location, but also hope and pride. And consider, too, these are Black youth playing a rich man's game. The teams they played were from elite schools, with parents who also played the sport, had access to expensive ponies and facilities (the Work to Ride team often practiced in a cow pasture). At one point he evaluates what makes his team weak and strong (pgs 236 - 240). I reread these pages three times, it's an amazing bit of writing, and thinking. What a find!

Many of you probably saw this coming, I'm sure! Peter Taylor also wrote/compiled Weird War Two: Intriguing Items and Surprising Stuff from the Second World War. Winston Churchill may be responsible for the 'onesie'! He designed an all-in-one siren suit that could be put on quickly in an air raid. There were several versions including denim and velvet. Citizens were encouraged to grow their own veggies so no space went unused ... check out the garden planted in the dry moat of the tower of London! Gas masks game in a variety of styles. There was a flying jeep (it was not successful). Love the posters and warnings and so on for keeping mum, tell no one anything!! Again, a most interesting read.

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Date with Mystery is one of those reads that will keep you up late at night, just like the previous titles in the Dales Detective Series by Julia Chapman. It starts out as an easy case: track down a death certificate for someone who died over twenty years ago, but is now part of a Will ... one that was recently changed, too. Everything should have been left to the son, the only living member of the family, so why did she change it just before she died? Samson is about to learn that all is not as it seems and so asks Delilah for help. This is good for her as she is about to lose her beloved dog to her ex-husband and new wife. Can they be stopped? It's his name on the papers, after all. You will uncover long buried secrets and the reasons behind them. Will stop here, but 'something' will make you chuckle. :-)

It's the day of the annual fair. Store owners are out displaying and selling wares, from books to pastries, it should all be fun. Until (of course) a body is found. In the local church. Someone is arrested, but Gemma and Mavis don't think he did it and set out to find out who did. As in all small towns, this will uncover secrets from the past which many would just as soon stay buried. A Murder at the Church is book two in The Bookshop Mysteries, by S.A. Reeves.

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A Body Under the Bridge is the sixth of the West Wales Murder Mysteries by P.F. Ford. Alan Edwards is worried about his friend, or rather, chess buddy. They play a game every Monday morning, have for some time, and this Monday, he's no where to be found. Because of his age Detective Norman does go to check it out and finds the house empty, except for a dog desperate to go out, and an living space almost entirely devoid of any furniture. Neighbors report seeing lights, and the dog being walked, but not for a few days. Then a body is found, some distance away, under a bridge. Gareth does not drive, does not own a bike, if it's even him, how did he get so far away? Lots of good plot twists here. Stayed up late reading this one.

Looks like Whiskers, Wreaths & Murder, the third in the Dickens & Christie Mystery series by Kathy Manos Penn will be a 'Christmas in July' read as I wasn't about to wait for December! Leta is looking forward to her first Christmas in the Cotswolds, but the mood is soured when the new (American) earl announces horrible plans to develop the family estate he recently inherited. Even his wife thinks it's extreme. So, when he is found dead in a ditch after a car accident (or was it) there are certainly lots of suspects! It will be up to Leta and her talking pets to figure things out. Just a fun series.

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The second of the Dales Detective Series was just as enjoyable as the first, also with some great humor! It's taking a while for Samson to feel (and be) welcome back in his home town, he left under, um, interesting circumstances. A resident of the local senior living facility shows up in is office one morning sure that someone is trying to kill her. Since she is old, with a touch of dementia and no real proof, he makes a note, but there's not much he can do. Until she ends up dead. Then there are other threats and attacks on residents of the same facility and the investigation heats up. Once again Delilah and her dog step in to help. There is also the search for the missing Ralph, but I've promised no spoilers, so .... ! :-) Date With Malice is by Julia Chapman.

I know you are not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but I really do like the earlier covers for the Enola Holmes books! Still, the story is just as good as I learned when I read Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche, by Nancy Springer. Brother and sister are working together now, and it is Enola who steps up to help when a young woman comes to ask for help in finding her sister, her twin sister. Family has been told she died, but Letitia is sure that as a twin, she would know that. The death was sudden, and the body cremated in a hurry, all with minimal records. This has happened to Earl, the hubby, before, too. Enola goes undercover in this tale, and it's down right scary, I tell you. As before, this is a hard series to put down.

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Lots of women helped out in lots of ways during World War II. Propaganda Girls: the Secret War of the Women in the OSS, by Lisa Rogak focuses on four from birth to death. Their job was to weaken the morale of the Axis soldiers. Creating false rumors was harder than you might think which made for a very interesting read. Detail was very important here, as was the paper a flier was printed on, or even how it arrived at its destination. How was this carried out, often behind enemy lines? Words could be changed in songs, or the tempo changed, or a subtle shift from major to minor all to make a once happy song more melancholy. The OSS had more leeway, luckily, as many of these changes, that maybe should have been routed through the higher ups, weren't, meaning they could be put in place more quickly and with less chance of being found out by the enemy. I read this in one day!

I do seem to come across some rather odd books I think! Weird War One: Intriguing Items and Fascinating Feats from the First World War fits the description. Peter Taylor did a great job scouring the collections of the Imperial War Museum for his books (yes, there is another one). One of the most unusual here is a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson ... done using 21,000 troops! (Taken from a high vantage point, obviously). There are chapters on deception and gadgets, communication, animals that were used, and what was done for fun. There was a shovel, made with a hole so a rifle could be aimed through it and it would also act as a shield. It did not work very well. There were classes in semaphore, the best means of communication from a ship, or in a noisy situation. Even civilians learned it. There were theaters completely underground so the show could go on even during hostile air raids. Most interesting!

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