I'm a huge fan of Simon Brett and I may not be capable of giving him less than 4 or 5 stars.   He's one of the five authors I would take to a desert island.  So realize as I write this review of his newest Fethering mystery that I am a huge fangirl.  All that said, I think this one lives up to what I've come to expect of him. It's fun and twisty and the characters are colorful. Jude is as free a spirit as you'll ever meet and Carole is as uptight as a person can get. Does traveling together really seem like a good idea?

Jude gets the opportunity to use the villa of an old friend for a vacation. The villa happens to be in Turkey. Carole is not at all sure that this makes any sense, she hates to leave her granddaughter and she's sure she will be sick the whole time but after much shilly-shallying she decides to go. Packing her Imodium, of course. As she suspects, the old friend is an ex-boyfriend of Jude's who's wife is a bit on the jealous side. Jude starts to wonder if she's made a terrible decision, inviting Carole to go. It should be a great vacation. I love to travel so the plot already had me intrigued. It does, however, have a little different feel than most of his other writing because usually his books are so very British and this is set in Turkey.

There are murders, there are suspects galore, there are weird neighbors, there is an exotic setting and there is the fabulously witty writing of Simon Brett. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review but I would have bought it when it came out if I hadn't been able to get it from them.  Yeah, lifelong fan of Simon Brett.

Charlotte MacLeod, writing here as Alisa Craig, is one of my take-to-a-desert island authors so you can expect a gushing review from me for this book and you'll get it. It's warm, it's witty, it's fun, it extremely well-written, it's cozy but my favorite word to describe her writing is gentle. This is a gentle mystery.

Dittany Henbit is a member of the Lobelia Falls Grub-and-Stakers as is everyone else in town. Archery is the main interest of the club but they do all kinds of civic duties when called up. Dittany, a professional typist, is up on a mountain which has been donated to the city as a preserve when she encounters a new employee of the water department, very strange since there is no water run up onto the mountain, and then the manager of the water department, very dead.

As the mystery develops, we meet a lot of the town folk and they are of the wacky yet lovable variety. I appreciate that even when presented as slightly weird, they are still treated with respect. We all have odd-ball friends and that's who some of these people feel like. Alisa Craig loves to use an interesting vocabulary. It comes across as almost Victorian at times but in a way that's fun, not old-fashioned. And very easy to read. I particularly love the Scottish police chief and his phraseology.

For me, this book and anything by Alisa Craig or Charlotte MacLeod is like getting home after a hard day and putting on your warm fuzzy pajamas to watch your favorite old movie. Just comfort and relaxation. Everything's going to be all right in the end and you're going to have a good time getting there.

It's really hard for me to describe how much I love Charlotte MacLeod. Her gentle manner of writing, her wonderful command of the most obscure use of the English language, her ability to plot a mystery, the way she draws characters, the way she uses humour. It's as good as it gets for me. She ranks with Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters on my list of mystery writers who's works would accompany me to a desert island.

If you've never been to Balaclava Agricultural College, you've missed a great treat. This is the second visit we can make there after the first in the series "Rest You Merry." Peter Shandy and his new wife Helen have settle down to a pleasant life in the brick house on the Crescent when a terrible omen appears. An upside-down horseshoe is found in the barns. Nothing good can come of this. And, of course, the terrible omen is followed by a series of tragic events, not the least of which is the kidnapping of the college's prize pig.

Peter and Helen become embroiled in the mysteries invading their comfy little world and great fun for the reader ensues. This is as far away from hard-boiled as a mystery can get. This is clever and witty. It's as cozy and comfortable as my warm fuzzy fleece socks. It's pure pleasure for those who like their mysteries without blood and gore. Pure pleasure, pure silliness and, in my opinion, pure genius.

MPM is one of my take-to-a-desert-island authors whether she’s writing as Elizabeth Peters or Barbara Michaels. Her books never fail to entertain and intrigue. Naked Once More is one of the best as is evidenced by it’s winning the Agatha Award in 1989. It comes as close to pure mystery as anything she writes and it’s wildly entertaining.

Jacqueline Kirby is in her fourth outing in this book. She’s become a famous writer of romance novels which she feels are complete rubbish but pay the bills. She’s flamboyant, extravagant, stubborn and has a great sense of humor. In Naked Once More, her manager takes her to lunch to tell her that he is retiring and also that a sequel is being planned to one of the most famous books published in recent history. It was a book called Naked in the Ice and the author, Kathleen Darcy, disappeared mysteriously 7 years ago. The courts have finally declared her dead and her family is looking for someone to write the sequel. It’s all about money.

Though there are a number of authors vying for the job, Jacquelyn does get it and moves to the small town where Darcy lived and where her family still lives. Mysterious events begin which make her and the readers realize that all is not as it seems.

A lot of time is spent dealing with the difficulties of being an author and the oddities of the publishing industry. I did wonder if the issues surrounding the problems of writers were autobiographical. That writers are compelled to write, no matter what the circumstances, certainly is a theme of this book.

Through the entire book, homage is paid to many other mystery writers. That’s always fun to see. It has great pacing, the story keeps moving forward and you are drawn along through the mystery with never a dull moment. The characters are interesting and distinctive. Her descriptions bring everything to life. There is a feel to an MPM novel that is distinctive and you would know you were reading one even if you didn’t see the name on the cover. Elizabeth Peters just knows how to make a book fun to read.

I received this copy through Netgalley and I appreciated the opportunity to give it an honest review.