Dec 2 - 8, 2019

An Act of Villainy by Ashley Weaver - in the fifth book of the series, Amory Ames and her husband Milo are approached by an old acquaintance. He's producing a play and his leading lady is getting threatening anonymous letters. She also happens to be his mistress, a fact which distresses Amory as she had always thought his marriage was a very romantic one. The Ames are asked to see if they can discover the letter writer but before they make much headway there is a murder. These books are cozies in the old tradition. Even though they take place in the '30's there is wealth and glamour. Also lots of witty repartee.

3 stars
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The Fix by David Baldacci - Amos Decker, the man who can forget nothing, witnesses a murder/suicide in front of the Hoover building. His team is put on the case and soon discover the man may have been a spy. But why did he kill the woman? And that question and others are asked over and over and over. There's a little bit of action, a small clue, and then more going over the same questions. I only kept reading because I was concerned one of the "good guys" may turn out to be a bad guy.

2 stars
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There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey - Bobby Barnes is the town of Mattingly's disreputable drunk. Everyone, including him, expect him to die in a terrible accident. And when he does, his last thought is that there will be stars when he wakes up. And there are. Bobby has woken on the day of his accident and must live that day again. He meets five other people also reliving that day but he doesn't believe it's heaven like they do. I just couldn't wrap my head around this.

2 stars
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Arthur and Sherlock:Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes by Michael Sims - this is not a biography but a detailed story of the authors and people who influenced Doyle and led to the creation of Holmes. There is some family history because Doyle was affected by his father's alcoholism and subsequent incarceration in various mental institutions. The book ends right when Doyle is becoming successful.

3 stars
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Bow Wow by Spencer Quinn - the 3rd book in the Bowser and Birdie series for children. A bull shark has been spotted in the bayou and the fishermen are in a frenzy to catch it and claim 10,000 dollars in prize money. At the same time, Snoozy, the employee of Birdie's grandmother, has gone missing and Birdie is the only one concerned. She and Bowser have lots of adventures, all of them narrated by Bowser. It's cute the way Bowser adores Birdie, she's the best at everything in his doggy eyes.

3 stars