Murder for Christmas (Mordecai Tremaine Book One) by Francis Duncan

This book was written in the 1940's but it has a lovely, almost- Victorian turn of phrase. Mordecai Tremaine has a great interest in the study of mankind. His host, who met him at a Party, sent him an invitation to share an old- fashioned Christmas at his home. The Manor House is set in an English Village complete with a set of eccentric characters. Now what could be more perfect for a mystery?

Mordecai is a sentimental Man in his 60's who harbors a desire to see romance in the World. That led to his amusing habit of reading Romance Stories. It was quite a new twist for a Detective and he keeps his habit hidden. I had a good chuckle out of it.

I happen to be partial to Mysteries of this Era and in particular the English Manor House mysteries. The Characters are a little confusing at first but soon become clear as to their place in the story. So if you like the older Mysteries and I do...you will enjoy this one.

Blurb:
When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome—but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests.
When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. A dead body that bears a striking resemblance to Father Christmas. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to sniff out the culprit—and prevent anyone else from getting murder for Christmas.
Murder for Christmas is a festive mystery for the holiday season: mulled wine, mince pies... and murder.

The Witchs' Tree: an Agatha Raisin Mystery

M.C. Beaton writes a biting, humorous mystery with her newest book, The Witch's Tree. The descriptions are often hilarious and so are the quips. That does not preclude the book from moving at a fast pace. Nor the murders from being serious. By chapter three I was both amused, hooked and could feel the eeriness of a good, cozy- mystery.

Sir Edward Chumble and his wife Tiffany felt it necessary to invite the Vicar and his wife to dinner. This should naturally be blamed on Agatha Christie for her wonderful descriptions of village life.  When driving home Rory and Molly Devere find the first body hanging from a tree and from the looks of it ...one more horror to add to the village that has become a nightmare to the Vicar's wife. But one of Beaton's shining qualities is her ability to add humor to a dark situation. 

By the time Agatha Raisin gets hired by Sir Edward Chumble she is once again in the thick of it with her sometime boyfriend Sir Charles Fraith. Favorite characters are still in the picture and I like the Agatha Raisin... Beaton portrays in this her 28th Book in the series. Although I had not read any of the books before now I had watched the TV Series. The book stands alone you can start anywhere in the series and pick up enough to enjoy it.

A Witch's Coven adds a little bit more October fun. That and Agatha on the hunt again determined to root out everyone's secret makes for an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the quirky characters and the dialog very much. I will certainly be an Agatha fan after this and I rated the book five stars.

Blurb:

The Witches’ Tree continues the tradition in M. C. Beaton's beloved Agatha Raisin mystery series—now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television.

Cotswolds inhabitants are used to inclement weather, but the night sky is especially foggy as Rory and Molly Devere, the new vicar and his wife, drive slowly home from a dinner party in their village of Sumpton Harcourt. They strain to see the road ahead—and then suddenly brake, screeching to a halt. Right in front of them, aglow in the headlights, a body hangs from a gnarled tree at the edge of town. Margaret Darby, an elderly spinster, has been murdered—and the villagers are bewildered as to who would commit such a crime.

Agatha Raisin rises to the occasion (a little glad for the excitement, to tell the truth, after a long run of lost cats and divorces on the books). But Sumpton Harcourt is a small and private village, she finds—a place that poses more questions than answers. And when two more murders follow the first, Agatha begins to fear for her reputation—and even her life. That the village has its own coven of witches certainly doesn't make her feel any better...

This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber

Anna Lee Huber writes a fast- paced mystery set after World War I. The story holds you from the very first page with its wonderful descriptions. The tension increases from chapter to chapter with a touch of the Gothic. A cryptic Message has been sent to the Widow of an Officer killed on the front. It alludes to the fact he may have been a Traitor. Her trip to find the truth is the beginning of a dangerous mission. But one she feels she must go on...

The Guests are all invited to an Engagement Party, set on Umbersea Island, complete with a Castle and estate grounds. Many of the men were from the same unit overseas, the unlucky Thirtieth- overrun by the Germans. It seems an odd beginning to the festivities as several are still stamped with the bitterness of War. Then the deaths begin...without Verity having any idea why or who is behind this. But as she is stranded on the island... it will become life or death to find out what is going on... and play along. Is it a form of revenge or is there a crazed Killer among the group?

This story has great interlocking characters. Some you like... others you feel sorry for...but as the bodies pile up it becomes a question of truth. This book captivated me from the first page. I read it in one sitting. I could not go to bed until I found out what happened. Huber writes with a consistent tension that keeps you hooked. If you like historical mysteries then I highly recommend this one.



Blurb:
The Great War is over, but in this captivating new mystery from award-winning author Anna Lee Huber, one young widow discovers the real intrigue has only just begun . . .
 
England, 1919. Verity Kent’s grief over the loss of her husband pierces anew when she receives a cryptic letter, suggesting her beloved Sidney may have committed treason before his untimely death. Determined to dull her pain with revelry, Verity’s first impulse is to dismiss the derogatory claim. But the mystery sender knows too much—including the fact that during the war, Verity worked for the Secret Service, something not even Sidney knew. 

Lured to Umbersea Island to attend the engagement party of one of Sidney’s fellow officers, Verity mingles among the men her husband once fought beside, and discovers dark secrets—along with a murder clearly meant to conceal them. Relying on little more than a coded letter, the help of a dashing stranger, and her own sharp instincts, Verity is forced down a path she never imagined—and comes face to face with the shattering possibility that her husband may not have been the man she thought he was. It’s a truth that could set her free—or draw her ever deeper into his deception . . .

A Christmas Peril (A Theater Cop Mystery ) by J.A. Hennrikus

J.A. Hennrikus writes a good- little- mystery in time for an early Christmas read. The heart of the story is the mystery, not the jingle of bells or even the town. The past is only a reference to the people and to Sully herself. But, the plot is strong and any number of people could be the perpetrator. I like stories like that and those which tie up neatly at the end.
 
Sully, has left the Police Force and is a General Manager for a Theater group. She is also involved in a murder. Peter Whitehall, a distant relative, and  a leading Citizen of the Town is found dead. Sully, is drawn into helping when she is asked by the murdered man's Lawyer. He also happens to be her ex-Husband. But can she stay out of trouble as the bodies start dropping?

There are quite a few little sub-plots in the story. One is her ex-husband which leaves the door open to a reunion and romance. Another is the play and all the Actors with their various quirks and problems.  But the pieces tie together well and there are likeable characters which keep you reading. All together a nice mystery for a cozy night of reading.

Blurb:

Sully Must Get Her Childhood Friend Off the Naughty List Before They’re Both Scrooged
When Edwina “Sully” Sullivan’s life imploded, she left behind her job on the police force and her unfaithful husband to start a new life as the general manager of her hometown theater, the Cliffside Theater Company.
For five years, she focused on budgets instead of crime and kept the Cliffside running alongside its mercurial artistic director. But when her childhood friend is suspected of killing his father, no one is looking for another culprit. So, in between keeping A Christmas Carol on budget and Scrooge sober, Sully dusts off her investigative skills to find a murderer. Her two lives collide when her ex-husband arrives on the scene to play lawyer and she’s forced to confront her past in order to save her present.

Black Plumes by Margery Allingham

Margery Allingham writes a beautifully crafted story of murder.  The twists and turns lead you to a smooth conclusion. You think!  But as with other great Mysteries of hers, I became so enamored of the characters I missed the last clue. That only added to the enjoyment. Her writing is deeply entrenched in another Era similar to Dorothy L.  Sayers, but that makes the flow of her words lovely.  Each chapter keeps you firmly turning the page.

Francis Ivory has come to her Grandmother for help.  There is something unnatural and fishy going on in the family business.  Her Brother-in-law is trying to force her to marry against her wishes and his own terror is impinging on the family business.  Her Step-Sister is a hysteric and in bed most of the time.  She either is very frail or scared to death.  Francis decides to take on a fiancée, who can at least protect her from an unwanted marriage.  But can he protect her from the Murders that begin at the family Home?  Death is walking those hallways.

The interaction between the characters is very strong.  Gabrielle, the Matriarch of the family is either very shrewd and capable of murder- or facing senility. At times I suspected both.  That is the beauty of Allingham’s writing. And between the hysteria there is some very real terror going on.  People are dying. The Author is a master at projecting suspense to the Reader.  The tension is carried from Chapter to Chapter as it always is in a good mystery.  I highly enjoyed this Mystery and I am giving it five stars.


Blurb:
The slashing of a valuable painting at the renowned Ivory Gallery in London, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world – followed by the murder of the proprietor’s son-in-law, Robert, sets the stage for another finely tuned Allingham mystery. The proprietor’s mother, 90-year-old Gabrielle Ivory, holds the key to the web of intrigue and danger that permeates the gallery.

Gabrielle Ivory was once a society beauty. But now, nearing 90, she’s largely disregarded by the younger members of the Ivory clan, who like to imagine Granny as rather a relic of a dead era. That’s a mistake, and it’s not their only one. A series of malicious attacks is threatening the Ivory Gallery in London. Robert Ivory and his high-strung wife, frantic to preserve the status-quo, want to chalk it all up to practical jokes gone wrong. But Gabrielle is not inclined to collude in this delusion.

A brilliant standalone mystery from the author of the beloved Campion books. Golden Age Crime at its intriguing best.

The Man of Dangerous Secrets by Maxwll March

Maxwell March is the pseudonym of Margery Allingham. So, if you enjoy her work, which is similar to Dorothy L. Sayers, then this is another mystery you should read. The plot is very thick with characters but that does not deter. From the first page I was intrigued. How could you not be? The book starts with an almost murder and keeps up the tense pace till the end.

The Dealer, is blackmailing four very important Tycoons in their field. He is known only by a Pseudonym. One of the blackmailed, Sir Henry Fern, has a beautiful Daughter- who has lost two fiancée's in bizarre accidents. But were they accidents? Jennifer Fern is contemplating another proposal when Tony is poisoned. She decides to find someone to help her track down the Killer and stop them. The easiest way for someone to do that...is to become her third fiancée and stay one step ahead of death.

I should "fess" up and say I love these older Mysteries. It is another Era and the stories are interwoven with chivalrous Characters, stolid British Policeman and glamorous Women. But they also contain evil, murder and blackmail. The writing has an old- fashioned, charming, quality to it that people who read the older mystery classics will recognize and approve. I enjoyed it. 

Blurb:

He was haunted by the face of a girl, a girl lovely beyond all imagining, with stark terror in her wide grey eyes.

Robin Grey is Scotland Yard’s inside man – handling matters requiring a delicacy, integrity, and secrecy outside the jurisdiction of regular government offices. He is a man of details, of observation, and of intuition.

While lurking about Waterloo station on a mission for the Foreign Office, Grey’s interest is piqued by a suspicious looking character. Tailing him, Grey catches the man shove a fellow passenger onto the train tracks. Rushing to intervene, Robin Grey never stops to think that saving the victim might ensnare him in the same sinister plot.

Heiress Jennifer Fern is cursed: tragic accidents have claimed two past fiancés, and she would have lost a third had it not been for Robin Grey’s heroic actions. Terrorized by the torment that stalks her, Grey is drawn to this young woman and feels honour-bound to help her. Tempting fate, he goes undercover to solve this deadly mystery.

But if loving Miss Jennifer Fern means certain death, can Grey protect her, and his own heart, before history repeats itself?

Queen of Classic Crime, Margery Allingham, delivers a dazzling mystery writing as Maxwell March.

The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

The latest story of Susan Elias MacNeal, The Paris Spy, has all the smoothness of a Chàteau Lafitte Rothschild. The descriptions are lovely on the Rue Saint Honorè, a boulevard filled with People- though there is the palatable taste of fear mixed with patriotism.  I can actually see Paris like a downtrodden flower, with rainy streets trampled by the Germans. The darkness, filled with humiliation   for some... beauty and fashion for others.

Maggie Hope has a job to do for Intelligence. She is posing as a neutral Irishwoman coming to buy her trousseau and accidentally meets the famous Coco Chanel. They attend the ballet and Moulin Rouge together. That opens the door to the fashionable among the Germans and the French. Four other Agents are there in the huge gathering and an arrest occurs. Two of those four are friends of Maggie and she will not rest until they all complete their Assignments. British Agents have been signing in with information in code and leaving off their security checks. It is vital the Germans do not have the codes.Tension is high as the SOE has a mission to complete and the alternative is death for thousands of Soldiers if any leaks occur.

MacNeal, writes descriptively of the life that the Parisians had in the midst of a takeover by the Germans.The beautiful Women, that German Officers pursued in their boredom, with drink and fashion... may be Collaborators or something else. But the Author also masters the wartime terror of the Agents sent in to bring back information. For those outside the favor of the Nazi Officers are dealt a much different treatment than most of France. They see only starvation and torture.

I have always loved WWII research and the detail that goes into these stories. The glamour of mixing artists and actresses with the  descriptions of creativity in a Country at War and the horror seem to go hand- in -hand. The little vignettes of  courage were touching that those people who went into intelligence faced. For they knew the risks when they were sent behind enemy lines and went anyway. They did not take the easy way out.

I found this book well researched and incredibly moving for the sake of its contents. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat. I read this in one night and couldn't sleep until I had finished it.

Blurb:
American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope secretly navigates Nazi-occupied France to find two brave women during the darkest days of World War II in the latest novel in this New York Times bestselling series—“a treat for WWII buffs and mystery lovers alike” (Booklist, on The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent).

Maggie Hope has come a long way since serving as a typist for Winston Churchill. Now she’s working undercover for the Special Operations Executive in the elegant but eerily silent city of Paris, where SS officers prowl the streets in their Mercedes and the Ritz is draped with swastika banners. Walking among the enemy is tense and terrifying, and even though she’s disguised in chic Chanel, Maggie can’t help longing for home.

But her missions come first. Maggie’s half sister, Elise, has disappeared after being saved from a concentration camp, and Maggie is desperate to find her—that is, if Elise even wants to be found. Equally urgent, Churchill is planning the Allied invasion of France, and SOE agent Erica Calvert has been captured, the whereabouts of her vital research regarding Normandy unknown. Maggie must risk her life to penetrate powerful circles and employ all her talents for deception and spycraft to root out a traitor, find her sister, and locate the reports crucial to planning D-Day in a deadly game of wits with the Nazi intelligence elite.

Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood

Kerry Greenwood writes a really strong story set in  Australia...with loads of character and action. Phyrne Fisher has been asked to look into the disappearance of three pregnant girls and a female Reporter. There is a hint,that white slavery may be involved. The Book is set after World War One so there are characters who live with the scars of War. Mr. Bates, who is one of them, resented his story being taken over by the girl Reporter. But so do others resent her. Phyrne is on the trail of the disappearing girls. She interviews the homes they came from and the friends or people they talked to. The list is growing of people who could have helped them disappear ...but did they?

The main character has a large group of people in her life who help with the investigation. Mr. and Mrs. Butler run her house, Dot, Ruth, Jane and now with this one Tinker, help on occasion with research and cover. Many of those they interview live in seedy circumstances and in a couple of cases, a jealous Mother or an abusive Father are not ruled out. The puzzle builds as Phyrne goes to the Blue Cat Club for a Conference with a group of men who have to remain anonymous. They may have information however. 

Greenwood has gone into many of the taboos of the post World War One time-frame. This includes a Priest who inpregnated one of the girls, a Father who sold his daughter to a Neighbor for rent, beer and cigarettes, and a comunity of Men who love their fellow man not a Woman. The attitude of the sparse, religious setting the girls were forced to live in and have their babies... which would be taken away from them as soon as they were born, adds a fine historical touch to the plight of Women.  All- in- all you have a fine, mixed plot to enjoy and savor.

The vintage tidbits bring realism to the book. I enjoyed the description of designer clothes, and food, that the Phyrne household got to eat. The licentious, underbelly of Society, Phyrme treads to interview and has no fear of ... as she follows the path of the disappearing four Women- just expands the flavor. It is easy to see why these Books were made into a Television Series they have everything. I read this book in one sitting. 

Low Country Bonfire by Susan Boyer

I really enjoy this series. Susan Boyer has the dialect of the South down just fine with her newest addition. Her Liz Talbot series is a fine and dandy Mystery. I defy anyone to stop reading in the opening Chapter when Tammy Sue sets fire to her Husband's Mustang, over his cheating, and a body is discovered. Half of the island is there to witness it. 

Liz and her Husband Nate are hired to help find the Murderer in their home area. They are watched over by Colleen, who is a former deceased friend of Liz's, and guards the Island. She seems to have a stronger, human- element than the earlier Boyer books, because now she takes solid form on occasion and likes ham biscuits.This among a diet by the locals which has rich gravy, cheese eggs, and all kinds of goodies to eat. You will definitely appreciate the food.

There were quite a few characters in this story and all of them have a history with each other. Zeke, on the other hand, was a huge story- teller, but no one knew the real person. That was a page turner... to find out what happened in those twenty years- before he married, and ended up dead, in the back-end of a Mustang. The first Chapter sets a fast pace and builds to a few surprising twists.

I really liked the Characters built into Stella Maris- the island. Their warmth and family loyalties... even tempers, make it interesting. Low Country Bonfire has lots of brooding feuds, and secrets sure to keep you reading. The food, the characters, all come across as appealing. Susan Boyer writes a fun, entertaining mystery.

Leave It to Cleaver by Victoria Hamilton

Victoria Hamilton writes in a smooth, cozy style. It's almost like coming home to a neighborhood and a group of people you know well. Even though this was my first read out of a series of six books, it will stand alone.

I am also drawn to her covers and titles. I admit it I am a sucker for a clever pun. I have been known to buy a book just for the cover as have many of my friends.

Although the story starts in the present, the mystery part began many years earlier. Two bodies are found murdered in bizarre ways and the town is shocked. The hunt to track a killer is on..Jaymie can help as these victims were classmates of her Sister. But will this stir up more deaths?  How safe is Jaymie?

The Book is written, with chapters fluctuating between the past and present. In some Authors this is confusing but not Victoria Hamilton. She is a clever enough Writer to blend the two well. There are pending marriages between Jaymie and her Sister, which add a nice touch to the mystery. The added charm of vintage cookware and recipes made it that more palatable.This mystery is perfect for anytime reading.The pages turn by themselves.

A Hiss Before Dying by Rita Mae Brown

Rita Mae Brown wrote a multi-layered story of friends and family, interspersed with historical facts, in this cozy. There are two mysteries occurring in the book. I found myself wishing I had started with the first book, because the animals in this series are full of personality and quite amusing. The beauty of fall in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Crozet, Virginia had lovely descriptions, almost like poetry at times.

In the opening Chapter, the three animals, Pewter, Tucker, and Mrs. Murphy are wandering along as an Eagle goes over. I felt the same terror that the small animals do, at this large predator on the hunt. From the Eagle's huge talons hangs a blue eyeball. A seamless start to the new Mystery and one- I was prepared to enjoy.

The gorgeous scenery and bits of history had me so enthralled I actually forgot this was a mystery at times. Then the bodies started turning up and Mary Minor Haristeen ( Harry) identifies a slave pass...well, I won't say anymore.

The Mystery moves slow, layering the time frames, while the personalities of the animals and people work well together. I do like getting to know historical facts and different time frames. But the heart of this series is in the current day I felt and the charm of the animals too, while they talked, fussed and helped. The recent format of switching back and forth between past and present could be confusing to new Readers but not long- time followers. Finally, I enjoyed getting to know all the characters very much and will be adding the first few books of the Mrs. Murphy series to my reading list.

Ivy Get Your Gun (An Ivy Meadows Mystery Book 4) by Cindy Brown

Cindy Brown manages to combine humor and mystery in a delectable little cozy. Ivy, whose real name is Olive, stars in a western- themed play set in Gold Bug Gulch. She is on the trail of a pack of Chihuahuas, who have enticed a pug to join them owned by her friends.  Ivy is also trying to figure out who set up a Cowboy for death. But when the murders keep happening, Ivy follows the path of a killer- who will stop at nothing.

There are many chuckle, aloud moments, as when our heroine deals with cacti, and no toilets, to settle for a bush. The description of that little interlude alone is worth reading the book for. Although, Ivy and her costumes as a P.I. provide some pretty amusing reading as well. Can I say Nun?

The array of characters add to this neat little mystery. We have a bat-loving Conservationist and the sudden addition of a son for her friend, Arnie. There is the cast for the Arnold Opera House and multiple Investors. Let's just say there is plenty of opportunity for laughs and Ivy to track down the killer.

I have enjoyed Brown's addition to the series. It is not easy to write a mystery with this much humor.The book is a page turner and I finished it in one night.

Nearly Nero: The Adventures of Claudius Lyon, the Man Who Would Be Wolfe by Loren D. Estleman

Loren Estleman does a very clever satire of Nero Wolfe in this book. Claudius Lyon has no license to practice as a Detective. So, he never takes money and his cases are very different than Wolfe's. He has copied Wolfe as much as his life will allow. His sidekick is not Archie Goodwin but Arnie Woodbine. If you mumble, it sounds kind of alike-or does it?

The Chair in his Office is not the famous yellow of the Wolfe Books but orange. His sidekick takes every advantage of him, rounding off checks to the next hundred and his Cook serves pigeon and charges the Boss for chicken. Still they all rub along...Saints and Sinners.

If you are familiar with the Nero Wolfe stories this book has some laugh out loud moments. The comparisons are adroit and very colorful but not always to Claudius Lyon's advantage may I add. He has the girth of Wolfe but very little else. His problems are much smaller but they get solved in a timely way. The comparison of  Lyon's townhouse  to anything Wolfe is very aptly described as working out of a Motel Six.

So if you are a fan of Nero Wolfe you will like Nearly Nero very much. And even if you haven't read the Wolfe Books there are plenty of comparisons to satisfy your curiosity and keep you reading. Each story is different and I enjoyed the characters very much.

The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rhinehart

I had forgotten how well Mary Roberts Rhinehart puts her mysteries together. The opening page pulls you in and sets the flow. The Era she is writing in is Downton Abbey's time frame of plastic collars and alligator suitcases. The Women are Ladies even if they are scheming and old fashioned words are thrown around like "cur." Still there is a forgotten mystique about the authors who wrote and wove these tales and a charm.

Reading this story, set in another Era, you also get a social history lesson. I can spend hours just listening to the slang, savoring the descriptions of costume. As I am a train aficionado I also loved the lurid and inconvenient train trips during this murder mystery. There was a particularly amusing description of a horse and buggy ride too. But I will let you discover that for yourself.

When you read this... go into it with the enjoyment of a student in a strange land. Small details and the larger plot are both here and a cast of amusing and somewhat villainous characters. Personally I enjoyed the housekeeper very much as well as several of the side characters. But in the end the mystery stands on good writing and from her time frame Rhinehart was one of the best.

Rogues' Holiday by Maxwell March (Margery Allingham)

Inspector David Blest has two choices, jump or die. Trapped

aboard a motor boat with a pistol to his head and the life of his unconscious companion on the line, he’d better make his decision quick.

On the trail of the mysterious death of a gentleman in the Senior Buffs Club, young Inspector Blest is led to a fashionable seaside resort on the English coast, where the locals appear all too happy to help his investigation. Things take a turn when Blest meets Judy Wellington, an apparently sickly young woman desperate to escape her past. But who is Judy Wellington? What exactly is she running from? And how has Blest found himself the murderer’s next target?

Margery Allingham, famous for Albert Campion, also wrote serialized stories for Magazines under the name - Maxwell March. While Campion and Black Dudley took off the serials were put together and formed three Novels. And that is the thing about Allingham, no matter what name she wrote under, the plots build nicely and are page turners. They are filled out by Characters that add interest and that I wanted to spend time with.

From the very first page, I was lost under the old spell of the Golden Age of Writers. The Characters are likeable and sometimes hold a certain naivete. The Inspectors are tough and intelligent. This mystery has a rainy night...cozy reading feel to it. I turned pages so fast,that I was through with the book, about the same time I am halfway through others.

The Characters include an intelligent Inspector, a sickly, young Woman who holds the key to a mystery and a dying, Con Man. Margery Allingham is a great, master builder of the eccentric- particularly in people. But what may be the cream of her writing is that she has preserved a certain way of life in England where the "whodunit" lives forever...like Agatha Christie, Allingham needs to be read and savored for the charm her books have.

Elementary, She Read: A Sherlock Holmes Bookstory Mystery by Vicki Delany

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche.

When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

This mystery has a good mix of background, food and interesting characters. Next door to the Bookstore, we have Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room so prepare for mouth-watering descriptions. The luminous view of a water- front Restaurant adds to the blend, as does the hint of a past romance. 

We are led step by step through the passionate and at times frenzied world of Collectors. But would one of them actually have been desperate enough to commit murder...not once but twice for a rare object?

Gemma Holmes, an Englishwoman, cannot help but sense things. Like her Counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, she is good at following small clues... that no-one else would notice. When the Beeton's Christmas Annual is stuck on a shelf in her Bookshop...Gemma decides to track down the Owner. The red herrings in this story catapult Readers to a surprise ending and Murderer. But isn't that the way we like to shadow in our mysteries- fellow Sherlock's?

Vicki Delany does a great job at putting Holmes in this story. Her characters are a blend of amusing and eccentric. To give you an idea- the Cat's name is Moriarty. I could not wait to read this book as I am a huge fan of Conan Doyle and this cozy was a welcome addition to my Holmes- related Mysteries.

Murder Most Pekoe by Laura Childs

When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by  Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued.  As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.

But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.

Laura Childs, in her eighteenth book, continues her successful Tea Shop Series... with an added dollop of murder set in Charleston. The first Chapter sets the tone with a "Rat Tea" for a Murder. Who among the group of prominent Suspects had a motive? Theodosia Browning, ends up on a murder hunt, along with her staff member and friend, Drayton... at the request of the victim's wife.  She also runs a successful Tea Shop, which allows us to be treated to Child's wonderful research on Tea. Some of the scenes made my mouth water as I am a great Tea Lover. I suspect many who read this series fix their Teapot of leaves while they read.

The descriptions are lovely of Charleston and the roads that make up the historical district. I have in my mind's eye those same charming buildings while I read Child's very apt sketches.

But the heart of any mystery is the "who done it." Laura Child's is good at building the mystery- throwing in red herrings, so that at the end I was completely surprised. The pace is slow enough, so that if like me, you are a novice to the series, you can quickly pick up the thread of the characters.

This may have been the first book in the series I have read but it won't be the last.

Crooked Street: A Joanna Piercy police procedural (A Joanna Piercy Mystery)

Jadon Glover, the perfect Husband, did not return home one night.  His wife Eve, calls the police, but too often errant Husbands have run off or had one drink too many, so, the Police are not very concerned. He is a financial Manager with Johnston and Pickles the Officers are told... but when they start digging- he doesn’t work there! Nothing is known of his background or Parents. In short, he is as beige as the background in his perfect life. But then things start to unravel.

The Detective in charge of the case is a second wife.  D.I. Joanna Piercy and her Husband have no children together and his job is as stressful as hers.  They are struggling with the need to move...she to accept his Parents.  The death of a child in her Husbands job is heartrending to him and at one point he says, “he wishes he had something to come home to cuddle and love.” The bulk of our story though is the police work, fitted into a detailed investigation, which leads to a gritty, forensic find.

Priscilla Masters builds the mystery slowly. The layers are interwoven in her chapters... question by question and with a variety of clues. The comprehensive descriptions  threaded within the plot reveal a vendetta against the main character that she ties up successfully.  I sat reading until very late at night and I suspect you will too.

Strangers in Company by Jane Aiken Hodge

Jane Aiken Hodge was one of a series of Writers which included Mary Stewart, and Victoria Holt that wrote gothic suspense.  I devoured her books like “Maulever Hall” and “Watch the Wall, My Darling.”  When I came across a Book of Hodge’s I had not read I was delighted.  This is another Suspense that builds gradually and insidiously.  We don’t know who or what.. until the end.

Marian is hired to accompany Stella as they travel through the Greek Isles.  The Tour throws a group of Strangers together and then accidents begin to happen. Who can Marian trust?  She becomes worried for both herself and Stella.  To complicate matters Marian has become attracted to a classics Professor. This is a nice little mystery and just the type I am partial to.  Read it on a rainy night and let the tension build with each page.  Jane Aiken Hodge is good at that.

"Throughout her career, she wrote books set in what she called the borderland–that line between mystery and romance novel. In her last novels, her mysteries became thrillers. This invisible line–this borderland–made her “gothic romantic suspense” voice unique." (Wray, "Kiss And Thrill," Jan.22)