Death in Focus By: Anne Perry

What a rush!  Leaving behind the gentile manners of Victorian and Edwardian London, Anne Perry has moved us to the more modern and violent world of 1930s Europe.  Elena, our protagonist is feisty, smart, talented and fierce.  Embroiled in international intrigue, family secrets are revealed, lives are imperiled and the action never stops.  Always character drive, Perry has struck gold with this new series.  Each character is fully developed and we are immediately drawn to them and into their world.  While I know that Elena is the focus of the series, I was enthralled with her grandmother, Josephine.  Only in a few scenes within the story, she packs a punch in her quiet, steely grace.  I've been reading Perry's work since her first book, and she never disappoints!

 

Sell Low, Sweet Harriet By: Sherry Harris

 

I'm not sure how I managed to not read this book, since I have all the others in this series, but now that I have read it, it clears up a lot of my confusion while reading Absence of Alice (the next in this series).  Sarah is has so many mysteries to solve in this one, is a wonder she can get anything done!  And yet, she manages to get to the bottom of all of the tangled webs in this fantastic story, all while prepping a a huge estate sale and teaching herself to cook chicken marsala.  Sarah is a divine protagonist-one of my favs!

Live Free or Die: A Granite State Mystery By: Jessie Crockett

It's always fund to read an authors first book, after you've read her other works, to see how it all began.  I finally tracked down a copy of Live Free or Die and tore through it like a fire through dry brush!  A tiny town in New Hampshire with it's own prejudices is the setting for our Postmistress/Acting Fire Chief heroine.  She must solve the rash of fires, two murders and get all the packages and mail sorted for the Christmas season! 

 

Taken Too Soon By: Edith Maxwell

 

If anyone had told me that I would be a fan of a mystery series starring a Quaker Midwife, I'd have told them they were nuts...and yet here we are 6 books in and I adore Rose!  She is no nonsense, intelligent, inquisitive, observant and whip smart.  She and new husband (finally!) are called away to the Cape to assist her Aunts in the investigation of a young girls murder.  Family intrigue, prejudice and burlesque abound in this installment in a wonderful series!

Murder, She Meowed By: Liz Mugavero

With only a few weeks until her wedding, Stan is enjoying being love with her soul mate, and enjoying the success of her cafe for people and their pets...what could go wrong??! A corpse, a stalker, a boiled "bunny" and a mother from hell changing Stan's wedding plans, that's what could go wrong!  Another delightfully quirky visit with Stan and friends, will confuse, beguile and entertain fans of this series.

 

Triple Jeopardy By: Anne Perry

Daniel Pitt, as a character, is as intriguing as his father, and if we had to see the end of the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series, I'm trilled that we have the Daniel Pitt series to fill the gap. The second in this series starts off innocuously, and turns into a complicated and twisted tale that ends with a bang!

Deathtrap By: Iran Levin

A play, within a play, within a play!  Throw in a dash of handsome, a pinch of ESP, and healthy dose of hilarity and you've got one of the most inventive stage thrillers ever!

 

Good People By: David Lindsay-Abaire

 

This is a second read through of this play.  While I stand by my original thoughts, that it's absolutely brilliantly written, this time however, I didn't empathize with Margie as much as I did the first time.  I found her to be thoroughly distasteful on second read...I wonder what's changed in my life to facilitate such a radical shift in perspective?

Brooklyn Boy By Donald Margulies

When I first read this play, 15 years ago, I thought it was meh.  Now, with a little more life behind me and the passing of my father, this seems like a whole new play.  Revisiting things one has read before can lead to new insights, which in a way, is what the lay itself is about.

The History Boys By: Alan Bennett

Still one of my favorite plays.  Second read through, I've seen it live and I've watched the movie several times, and it never gets old for me. The use of language and the characters are so fascinating, and I glom onto something new every time I read it.