Murder At The Old Vicarage, Jill McGown; St. Martin's Press

“A killing blow on the head took the life of Graham Estow, but the vicar and his wife were hardly grieved. He was the son-in-law who had severely beaten their daughter Joanna a few months ago. Unfortunately, it appears that someone very close to the household is the murderer, though no one is about to confess to it. Inspector Lloyd and Detective Sergeant Judy Hill wander through a maze of self-confessed killers, myriad motives, and their own frustrating partnership to find a murderer with a message.”

Liz’s Note: A well written, traditional British mystery by a writer who deserves to be much better known. Lloyd and Hill are wonderful characters.

Earthly Delights: Corinna Chapman Mystery (Corinna Chapman Mysteries), Kerry Greenwood; Poisoned Pen Press

“Corinna Chapman was once a high profile accountant and banker. Now she is a baker working in her own business, Earthly Delights, in Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Australia. Corinna is living in an eccentric building on the Roman model called Insula. She is quite content with her cat, Horatio, and her shop until a junkie falls half dead on her grate, a gorgeous sabra stalks along her alley and tells her that she is beautiful, and she starts receiving threatening letters accusing her of being a scarlet woman. Life for Corinna has suddenly become interesting. And she still needs to get her bread out in time for the morning rush….”

Liz’s Notes: Entertaining characters, a terrific sense of place and mouthwatering descriptions of food make this Australian mystery absolutely delightful.

Dying To Call You: A Dead-end Job Mystery, Elaine Viets; Signet

“While making the best of her new telemarketing job, Helen Hawthorne thinks she hears a murder on the other end of the line-and must avoid a close call with a killer.”

Liz’s Note: One of the great things about this humorous series is knowing that the author has actually worked all of the “Dead End” jobs she writes about. Reading about the people on the other end of those annoying telemarketing calls is eye opening as well as very entertaining.