Blueberry Muffin Murder

Joanne Fluke
I love these Hannah Swensen books so much. She owns a cookie shop. She finds dead bodies. She solves the murders. She bakes more cookies.


Freaking Brilliant!


And there are honest to goodness recipes interspersed throughout. Her tuna sandwiches are magnificent. As are her fudge cupcakes and Apple Orchard Bars.

Oh, and these books are so squeaky clean. Even though she is dating two eligible bachelors, they always just drop her off with a good night kiss. Thank you Joanne Fluke!!

If you read this book and love it I am not opposed to you showing your appreciation with baked goods!

The Cat Who Turned On and Off

Lillian Jackson Braun
This book was published in 1968. The third in the series. It is a little gritty. I like seeing into Qwill's life when he still lived "Down Below". I have read most of this series (28 books). She wrote the first three and then took an eighteen year hiatus before book 4.

The mystery is pretty light, but you can find the clues if you are looking. I like the cat angle. Koko and Yum Yum have a certain way about them that cat lovers will gravitate towards.

Qwill's pipe smoking is very dated, but I can over look it due to the age of the book. It is somewhat distracting, though.

This is a good one to start with, as it introduces Mrs. Cobb. I just LOVE Mrs. Cobb!!! Of course it would be even better to start at the beginning with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.

Vittoria Cottage

D.E. Stevenson

This delightful drama is set just as WWII is ending. A widow, Caroline Dering, is relieved to have her son home after three years in Malay. Also floating into the village is a stranger. A man that Caroline develops a friendship with. That friendship becomes strained once her sister Harriet arrives and Caroline realizes Harriet's feelings for the newcomer.

The story moves slowly and sweetly. I loved the slice of English village life that we get to examine. It is a time of radical social and economic change. The older generation and the younger generation have to struggle to fit themselves together.

I am looking forward to reading the sequels, Music in the Hills and Shoulder the Sky.

The Cat Who Smelled a Rat

The Cat Who Smelled a Rat

Lillian Jackson Braun This is one of my favorite series. LJB delivers another great installment of Qwill, Koko And Yum Yum. Later books in the series are a little disappointing, but her form is still good here. It is sort of a mystery and sort of a romance, but really it is the story of this strange little town called Pickax that Qwill lives in. Do not start with this book! She has been writing this series since the 60's. This is installment number 23. You need not read them in order necessarily, but start closer to the beginning so things are clearer. The lives of Qwill and his friends are very interesting....

The Circular Staircase

Mary Roberts Rinehart
Written in 1907, this is an oldie, but what a goodie! It is full of all the "fun" moments that used to make you jump onto your bed as a kid so the monster wouldn't grab your feet! There are faces looking in through the windows and "ghosts" dropping and dragging noisy objects. Maids scream and faint. Fabulous. It is silly and scary and fun fun fun!

Mary Roberts Rinehart was a prolific writer in the first half of the twentieth century. You can find many of her books still in print. She wrote more romance than mystery, but is remembered for the mysteries more.

You will not be able to put this down.

Unsolved Mysteries in American History

Paul Aron

This was a fun read. I liked having a book handy that was full of 15 minute stories. Perfect for pick up lines and waiting for kids at piano! It was well written but not very enlightening. I didn't really discover anything new, but it was fun. I am a history and mystery buff, so it was right up my alley.

The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library

Alice Kimberly

I really enjoyed this one. I think the part that I liked best is that I figured it out. It wasn't easy, but pieces started to fall together. I like that in a book. So many times you get to the end and the mystery is solved and it is so improbable. Very enjoyable.