all your Reads in Here

Rita Mae Brown's foxhunting series is not for every reader. I enjoy the stories, although I haven't read all of them in the series. It really is the scenes of the foxhunting that I enjoy the most. Now, don't get angry about foxhunting, unless you've read these books, and see how humanely all the animals in the books are treated. Although I hadn't read one of the books in a while, I enjoyed returning to "Sister" Jane Arnold's world at Christmastime with  Homeward Hound. Despite the threat of a blizzard, Jane Arnold, Master of the Jefferson Hunt in Virginia, won't stop the Christmas hunt. Jane, known as Sister, even welcomes Gregory Luckham to the hunt. Luckham is president of an energy company that proposes to put a pipeline right through the heart of foxhunting country. Some of the local property owners are wealthy enough to sue the company, so Luckham's appearance is met with only lukewarm enthusiasm. When the blizzard does hit sooner than exp...

I have a confession to make. I actually sent my copy of Harvest of Secrets by Ellen Crosby to a friend who is a big fan. That means I don't have my copy in front of me to refer to. It feels as if the review is missing something when I don't have the book in hand. Lucie Montgomery's workers at her Virginia vineyard may be right. It might be unlucky to find a skull. After a shed was destroyed during a storm, two of the men went to clear it. That's when they find a skull buried outside the family cemetery. They claim it's bad luck, and someone will die. Lucie discounts it, but then events start to snowball. When the rest of the skeleton is found, the forensic anthropologist identifies it as a woman who was murdered. Lucie becomes emotionally involved as she tries to uncover the woman's story, knowing she must have been a relative. At the same time, her DNA results come back, revealing a living relative. Now, Lucie really has worries because she never told the fami...

Friday and Saturday were travel days, but we spent fun time together. After checking out of our hotel, we drove across the street to Biltmore Village. We started our day at the Cathedral of All Souls, the Episcopal Cathedral, built by George Vanderbilt. It's a beautiful church, with stained glass windows made by a father and daughter team who were contemporaries of Tiffany. The church was designed as the connecting piece of the community. This window was dedicated to George Vanderbilt's father, Cornelius Vanderbilt. From the Church, we went to the New Morning Gallery where they have "Art for Living". It's a gorgeous gallery that contains works of over 200 artisans. I think we spent a couple hours there, and Linda and I both bought small pieces there. If you're looking for gorgeous artwork, made by local artisans, this is the place to look. Mom After going to another gallery featuring local artisans, we had lunch at a fun little restaurant that was recommended....

Everything about Victoria Gilbert's Blue Ridge Library mysteries says cozy mystery on the surface. But, the second one in the series, Shelved Under Murder , is darker than many cozies. And, the personal histories that affect the amateur sleuth's family is also darker. Think of Shelved Under Murder as a traditional mystery. Taylorsford, Virginia Library Director Amy Webber is not a fan of the annual Heritage Festival. She ends up spending more time preparing the Friends of the Library table than the Friends do. This year, when she and her boyfriend agree to transport paintings from Rachel LeBlanc’s studio, they find  Rachel's body.  It’s the forged paintings behind a wall that lead to all the trouble, though. With a background in art history, Amy is recruited to assist the police. It’s the state’s art expert who finds a link between forged paintings and Amy’s deceased uncle, Andrew Talbot. Uncle Andrew struggled with drug addiction, and Amy fears he might have taken to crim...

Following Frederick Ramsay's death in 2017, Dana Stabenow polished the manuscript for his last mystery,  Countdown . It's eight years after Jesse Sutherlin's return from the First World War, the story told in Copper Kettle. Jesse is married, with a family, working at the local sawmill. He doesn't expect another mystery in his life. Jesse and Serena have been married for eight years. As much as Jesse loved Buffalo Mountain, Serena wanted the family moved into Floyd where the four kids could go to school for twelve years. She wanted "no more bumpkins in the family." Jesse may be the head of the household, but he knows how shrewd Serena is. Together, the two will deal with the latest family situation. David Privette, the new sheriff, tells them he's found the body of Jesse's father. Jesse doesn't believe him because in 1918, a stranger told them his father died of the Spanish flu in Norfolk, Virginia. But, the body was found in a local icehouse, and h...