It was so nice to have Aunt Bessie books on my shelf again that I read another one fairly soon after the first one. Seems there are years of ... well ... who knows what stored in out buildings and store rooms of the Manx National Heritage at Peel Castle. In Aunt Bessie Volunteers, one of the Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series by Diana Xarissa, Bessie has offered to help sort through the boxes. While most of the stuff is old, broken, water damaged and so on, there are some interesting historical items. And a body, well, a skeleton. First thing is to determine if it is real (it is), and then, of course, the who and why it ended up where it did. It might take some time, the skeleton is thirty years old!

Here's another wonderful recommendation from Canadian Reader. She actually started with the second in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery Series, but I'm starting with the first: The Secrets of Wishtide, by Kate Saunders. Laetitia Rodd is a widow, one without much money. Her brother has ten children (and another on the way) so he cannot help much financially, but he can help her find work, work that is appropriate for her to do (times are stuffy folks, appearances are everything!) What she can do, and do well, is conduct quiet investigations with the utmost discretion. She is rather good at disguise, and can often get people to talk to her when they won't talk to the police. Charming and delightful!

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Two Birds with One Stone is the first in the Helen and Martha Murder series by Sigrid Vansandt. Instead of a scheduled meeting in the small English town of Marsden-Lacey, a body is found. Delighted to have met up (although the circumstances could have been better), Americans Martha and Helen become fast friends, as well as sleuths. The deceased is not a popular fellow, few will mourn his passing, but what was the motive? And it all starts in 1855, with the Bronte sisters, and a hidden manuscript.

Aunt Bessie is back! It will be a while until Canadian Reader can come for a visit so we have come up with a strategy ... I will collect the Aunt Bessie books and she will do the same with the Ghostly Mystery series, and we'll swap whenever the next visit is possible. :-) "U" was the next in line, in Aunt Bessie Understands. Hugh's wife is about to have their first child so he is a bit distracted, so much so that when he is supposed to be driving Aunt Bessie home, he drives to his home instead. (To be fair here, he is sleep deprived, and he and Bessie have just discovered a body in a vacation house that should have been empty). She understands all this, sends him into his house and walks to her home, just a short distance away. Turns out the body is a local who had moved away, so why was he back? And without telling anyone? (Well, except the murderer). This is another book in the Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series by Diana Xarissa.

Jacqueline Winspear writes wonderful historical mysteries and The American Agent, one of the Masie Dobbs books is no exception. An American correspondent, hoping to become part of Edward R. Murrow's team is found dead not long after her first broadcast from London. She reported on what she'd seen on a ride along with Masie Dobbs after one of the bombings of the city in 1940. Masie has been asked to investigate, as has an American agent. Turns out there is more to the American correspondent than they first thought, as well as an, mmm, 'interesting' ambassador from the U.S. And really, who can be trusted?It's hard to know that as there was a lot of war work that no one could talk about, there were spies, propaganda, secrets ... A great read with an intense feel for the time period.

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Here's a book I truly had no interest in reading. At All. Events conspired, however, and the timing was right so I decided to give it a try. 1. I'd just finished a wonderful, charming, delightful new author/series, you see. I always feel a bit bad for whatever book might follow something like that, it would have a lot to live up to, after all! 2. Kiwi had recently loaned me another book of a common theme, and, 3.Tall Reader's cousin passed this book on to her, and since she had grand kids coming and knew she wouldn't have much time to read so she passed it on to me ... I found myself taking a look at, and then reading Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, by Mary L. Trump. (It's not really a 'tell all' regardless of what some news folks are saying). That's Dr. Trump, by the way, the author has a PH.D in Advanced Psychological Studies. It's rather like a train wreck ... it was hard to look away! This is a terrible family ... toxic, dysfunctional, unloving ... it explains a lot about the current POTUS, and why he should NOT be in the White House.

Now, just before this, Kiwi had loaned me The Trump Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Through What You Hoped Would Never Happen, by Gene Stone (and several other contributors listed on the title page). This came out after the election, but before the inauguration and still the author was spot on most of the time. There are chapters on Civil Rights, Education, Energy, Environment, Immigration, and many more. There's a brief history of each, followed by what Obama did, and what the new president was likely to do, or at least try. Each chapter ends with what you can do to help keep some really bad possibilities from happening.

Naturally (well, to me, anyway), I thought I should include The Wit and Wisdom of Donald Trump, by Jack Knoff. It is a totally blank book. ;-) (It turns out there are several versions, by different authors ....!!)

The lack of an image of any book on this post is intentional.

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Flying, in the early days, was dangerous. Really, really dangerous. It was also fun, and thrilling ... something new and different. Racing became extremely popular. So, of course, women were not expected, or allowed to participate. They were weak and fragile, after all, and certainly not smart enough. Hah! Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History, by Keith O' Brien is the story of the women who chose to fly anyway. I agree with a review from the back cover, this is an exhilarating read.

There have other books about obituaries in my blog, but mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving, by Mo Rocca and Jonathan Greenberg has an interesting twist. It's not just about people. There are entries for dragons, and fashion trends (think corset, codpiece), scientific ideas, characters from TV shows (like the older brother on Happy Days), even trees. There are people included as well, some you'll recognize, some you won't. Oddly, a nice way to spend an afternoon. :-)

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In the stack of books left by Canadian Reader last year was the second book by Jim Eldridge (see the post for January 27, 2020 for the first): Murder at the British Museum. A body has been found ... that of a professor who was about to give a talk on the legend (or truths?) of King Arthur. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton (now partners in the private sector) are hired by the museum to figure out the who and why. Stubborn police (the chief is sure it was a lunatic) and annoying journalists hamper their investigation. This is a great series!

The rogue cops of the Awkward Squad are back, this time they were brought in on a high profile case because Anne Capestan was once married to the son of the deceased. (She is also the one sent to tell him). Other bodies show up as well, and there could be a connection here, but how? The investigation is made all the more difficult because the 'real' detectives are not willing to share what information they have, see that this distant precinct has updated computer programs and so forth. Add to this the arrival of a new member of the Squad all makes for an interesting read in Stick Together, by Sophie Henaff and translated from the French by Sam Gordon. I love how they are able to figure things out!

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Here's one for my 'you read what?' list: Oh, La La! Homegrown Stories, Helpful Tips, and Garden Wisdom, by Ciscoe Morris. I do not garden ... if it doesn't bark or whinny then I'm just not interested. However, I do know who Cisco is, and this looked like it could be good ... and it was! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (even with the short bits on more serious gardening stuff) and even laughed out loud several times. I had no idea Wisteria could be so aggressive. Or the best way to keep deer out of a yard (this was one of the 'big laugh' chapters).

I am not, and have never been a fan of phones, so imagine how I feel about unsolicited calls! Caller ID and call blocking helps, but still, too many get through. Naturally, I had to see if I could find a book! Telephone Terrorism: the Story of Robocalls and the TCPA, by Dennis Brown, was the result. (That's the Telephone Consumer Protection Act). There are laws, several, on the books, designed to prevent unwanted calls, but frankly, there are loop holes big enough for a garbage truck to navigate. This is the history of those laws, who protested and why. It's a dry topic folks, but the author has a nice style, and even injects a bit of humor here and there. It is also possible, and your right, to go after the companies who violate the Do Not Call list and that process is explained here as well.

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Secrets in a Bottle is the first in the Whodunit Antiques mystery series, by Shelly West. It does read a bit like a 'first' book, but there are many things to like ... a small town, dogs, a long lost relative ... and pirates! A phone message from her mother sends Abigail to check on her grandmother who is in the hospital ... a grandmother she didn't even know was still alive. Who broke into the antique shop? And what does the ship in a bottle have to do with it? And why haven't her mother and grandmother spoken for decades? A good "clean" cozy! (It says so, right on the back cover). :-)

It seems I either like a book by Alexander McCall Smith, or I don't (a couple I couldn't even finish!). The Department of Sensitive Crimes, first in the Detective Varg series, I did like. The crimes here are not the ones that make the headlines. Often they are minor crimes that no one wants to deal with. A man has been stabbed, in the back of his knee but no one saw anything happen. A young woman makes up a boyfriend, and then has him disappear and one of her friends worries she has killed him. There are strange things happening at a local inn. So, nothing major, but an engaging read all the same. :-) Canadian Reader has heard the author speak and said he is delightful. She and Tall Reader enjoyed this book, too.

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