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. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

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!

Reading Hermit With Dog

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!

Reading Hermit With Dog

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.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Here's another the mysteries featuring 'old folks' (there are many nowadays)! Problem is, Margaret cannot remember something she is sure will be useful. And it's her best friend that was murdered so she really wants to help! She has a wonderful grandson who spends a lot of time with her, and thinks he can spark her memory. Follow along as they investigate this case. The Margaret Code was written by Richard Hooton in honor and memory of his grandmother, who had Alzheimer's, and with whom he spent a lot of time. I was impressed. :-)

It starts with a rare bird, said to be nesting at a fine villa in the Swiss Alps. Lady Caroline has been sent to assist her Uncle Albert who is there to add said bird to his life list. All cannot go well, you know that, and one, then two people are found dead. She's done this before, solved a murder (A Body in the Villa is the third in the Lady Caroline Murder Mystery series by Isabella Bassett), and when the police are, um, well, not heading in the right direction she just has to step in and help! Sent in the 1920's, in an era of wealth and privilege, this was a most interesting read that came up in the box from Wandering Reader.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Professor Fitger was looking forward to a break when he learned he was 'selected' to chaperone eleven undergrads on the annual Payne Experience: Abroad to London. (Selected meaning that the prof originally scheduled is suddenly unavailable and everyone else has a good excuse (think family, holidays, etc.) and since he is single, well ....) He is a literature professor, so he expects each student to turn in a short (500 word) paragraph about everything they visit, with a longer essay at the end of the class. The students, as you will learn, are an eclectic bunch! This is not a mystery, but The English Experience, by Julie Schumacher was not a bad read. ;-)

Another book in the box from Wandering Reader was All She Wrote, a Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery, by Tonya Kappes. There is someone new in town, Courtney, who is the niece of Florence, who does many good things for the community, but is also, well, sort of a pain! Naturally Bernadette (the mail carrier) and the Front Porch Ladies (retired neighbors) are most curious. Especially after the 'wrong' person is awarded a scholarship, there is an unexpected wedding, and then Florence is found dead! What will Bernie and the Ladies discover? It looks to be the third in the series.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

 A spin here, on the 'old folks' mysteries: Old Detectives Home, book 1 in the Omnipodge Trilogy by Mike Belfeler. There should be lots of familiar characters here! Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Dash Hammett, Dot Sayers and more! Some are residents in an assisted care facility for aging sleuths, others are staff of that facility! A body is discovered on the beach, that of a most unpopular person. He has been shot, beaten, bludgeoned, tossed off a cliff, strangled, poisoned ... just about any method you can think of. There is an abundance of clues leading to everyone in the facility. There is a raven, too, who has just one thing to say. (Not quite what you're thinking). A Detective Moriarty is sent to solve the crime. An amusing and clever read for sure!

Deadly Overtures is the third in the Music Lover's Mystery series by Sarah Fox. There are four finalists in a composing competition hosted by the Point Grey Philharmonic. Each piece will be performed and a winner will be chosen. Let's just say all the finalists don't get along, but still, it's a shock when one of them ends up dead. Once again Midori (a violinist) decides to investigate. Other secrets surface as the investigation goes on, and threats are made to her to get her to stop. (She won't). ;-) I will say I was puzzled by the cover ... the copy I had featured a saxophone, an instrument rarely used in an orchestra, and never featured in the story. Curious!

Reading Hermit With Dog