DEATH OF A KINGFISHER (M.C. Beaton)

Constable Hamish MacBeth is in good form, as usual.  He is now sharing his little police station with Dick, an older and very lazy  constable with an incredible talent for game show trivia.  Hamish still lives in fear of his station being closed down and being forced to leave Lochdubh and move to Strathbane or another larger village.  He is still battling the incompetent and small-minded inspector Blair (and still getting the better of him!) and still falling in love with the wrong women at every turn.

When a local glen is turned into a tourist attraction, complete with tour buses and fairies, can murder and mayhem be far behind?  Besides Mary, the beautiful (and married) manager of the glen, Hamish has to contend with an amorous female cop, a sour old woman, her creepy grandchildren, and Dick's obsession with game shows.  When a kingfisher is strung up at the glen Hamish is ridiculed for reporting it as a "murder," until it leads to a tangled maze of money, murder, and family greed that only the clear-thinking Hamish can navigate.

M.C. Beaton never disappoints when it comes to Hamish, a tall, red-headed, exceedingly handsome constable.  While this was not Hamish's finest adventure (I like to see the locals more closely involved in the the story), it was certainly well worth reading, especially if you are a long-time Hamish MacBeth fan.  Now if Hamish and Elspeth would just get together!

DISTURBING THE DEAD (Sandra Parshall)

Rachel Goddard has started a new life in Mason County, Virginia, leaving the traumas of the past and the people the that she loves behind.  In Heat of the Moon, where we last saw Rachel, she was working in a veterinary clinic run by fellow veterinarian Luke Campbell, who had become her lover.  Now she has moved on, opening her own practice in Mason County and befriending Tom Bridger and Holly Turner.

When a set of human bones is discovered on a remote hilltop, Tom Bridger is convinced that there is a connection to the unsolved disappearance of Pauline McClure, Holly's aunt.  When Rachel and Holly, who is staying with her, become the targets of a series of violent attacks, the cold case heats up.  The remains of a second body turn up on the mountaintop and Tom begins to suspect that Holly's mother, Jeanne Turner, who has not been home to Mason County in years, might have been involved, but the Turner family is not cooperating.  Tom's research dredges up old questions and and suspicions about his late father, who was in charge of the original investigation, but why are Rachel and Holly being targeted and is it connected to this case or Rachel's past?  Is there a connection between the bones and Holly's father's criminal activities?  Will Tom and Rachel fall in love?

I love Parshall's Rachel Goddard series. The only complaint that I have is that there seems to be a whole series of life changing events for Rachel that took place between the first and this, the second, book.  Someone on Facebook suggested that we need a book 1 and 1/2 to fill in the gap.  I would enjoy that, but I seem to enjoy everything Parshall writes!  Under the Dog Star, the fourth in the series, is on the NEW shelf in our library right now and I am thinking seriously of checking it out this week, but I may have to wait.  So many books, so little time!

AS THE PIG TURNS (M.C. Beaton) ...Revisited...

It appears that I was just in a weird mood the first time I attempted to read the latest Agatha Raisin mystery.  With the assurances of co-worker and fellow fan Patty, I tried again and found  that I enjoyed Agatha's latest adventure tremendously.  Poor Agatha is a brilliant, intuitive woman when it comes to solving crimes, but she is incredibly needy emotionally.  I love her relationship with Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife, who is the only steady influence in Agatha's life.  Yes, Agatha sometimes tends to use Mrs. Bloxby, but she truly appreciates her and it is unusual to see a true friendship between a hard-nosed, self-involved business woman and a lovely, selfless woman who always puts others first.

When Agatha notices a tattoo on the main entree at a pig roast in Winter Parva, she realizes that a human torso, rather than a pig, is roasting on the spit.  In the meantime, obnoxious police officer Gary Beech has disappeared.  Is there a connection?  When Beech's former wife Amy hires Agatha to investigate her former husband's disappearnce, she uncovers a tangled web of intrigue involving infidelity, murder, and the mob.  With the help of Roy, Charles, and former husband James, Agatha risks life and limb to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Beech's murder.  As usual, the local police minimize Agatha's contribution, but she ultimately uncovers the solution.  you'll like it!

FREE RANGE KNITTER (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee)

I will just make quick mention of how entertaining Pearl-McPhee's essays continue to be despite the fact that I am not a knitter.  As a crocheter I do have a yarn obsession, so I can identify with the author on that subject, but her witty and insightful observations of life are spot on and have universal appeal.  You don't need to be a knitter to read this book!  Through a series of chapters named for the progression of steps involved in knitting, Pearl-McPhee expertly tackles such topics as knitting as a cure for depression, motherhood, how knitters are perceived by non-knitters, self-esteem, and how to escape from your family.  You will laugh out loud or maybe cry a little, but if you are a woman you could not fail to identify with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

THE DIVA TAKES THE CAKE (Krista Davis)

Set in Old Town Alexandria, VA (where we spent our vacation last year with fellow Christie Capers moderator Janet and her husband), Davis' Domestic Diva series is fun and packed full of quirky, likable characters.  Based on comments from the Christie Capers discussion group, Diva Takes the Cake is not the best of this series, at least as the first to read.  Because the venue for this mystery is a wedding, there are a few too many characters to keep track of, especially when you add in the aliases!  I have to confess that I kept confusing Natasha with Nina and Phoebe with Jen (I can't explain that one) and I had to keep reminding myself of who was related to whom and how.  I even was getting the various animals confused!  That being said, I loved the tongue in cheek quality of Davis' writing.  Nearly every chapter, it seemed, ended with a surprise: a wedding disaster, an intruder, an accident, a dead body.  My advice would be to start with the first book in the series, Diva Runs Out of Thyme, to get familiar with the characters and their background before you read this one.  Although Davis did introduce everyone adequately, the sheer number of people and activity make it difficult to follow it all if you don't already have some background.  Once you get done with the first, though, I think you'll want to keep on reading.  Oh, and the book covers are wonderful!

THE VILLA OF DEATH (Joanna Challis)

In the summer of 1927 aspiring author Daphne du Maurier is 21 years old, in love with a man who is engaged to someone else, and anxious to write and publish her first novel.  Her friend Ellen is about to marry the father of her 10-year-old daughter after years of separation and Daphne is part of the wedding party traveling to Ellen's family estate, Thornleigh.  Daphne is dismayed to find the object of her affection, Major Browning, and his beautiful and aristocratic fiance at the festivities.  Groom Teddy Grimshaw is found dead soon after the ceremony, precipitating a series of apparent attempts on Ellen's life and compelling Daphne to investigate.

I don't know about you, but I particularly enjoy well-done fiction featuring real historical or literary figures.  This is the third in Challis' Daphne du Maurier mystery series.   I wasn't so sure about it at first, but after I read up on du Maurier's life it sparked my interest.  Challis does a good job with the period details (old money vs. people who work, family estates, moral issues) as well as with the mystery itself.