June's Selection

A Murder of Quality

by John le Carré    author's website

"A Murder of Quality is the second novel by John le Carré. It follows George Smiley, the most famous of le Carré's recurring characters, in his only book set outside the espionage community. . . George Smiley is called by a wartime colleague, Miss Brimley, who now publishes a small Christian magazine, to investigate a "death menace" letter sent by a reader who claims her husband, a boarding school teacher, is trying to kill her. Terence Fielding, the brother of a classics professor who was one of Smiley's close wartime associates in the Circus, is also an teacher at the school where the woman's husband teaches, the famous Carne College. Unfortunately, the woman is killed before Smiley can even talk to her, and Smiley goes to the school to investigate, in an effort to ease Miss Brimley's concern that her failure to call the police was a cause of the woman's death." Wikipedia

May's Selection

Sovereign

by C.J. Sansom    author's website

"Sansom's engrossing third historical featuring Matthew Shardlake (after 2005's Dark Fire) finds the hunchbacked barrister at the vortex of strife-torn Tudor England in the rainy autumn of 1541. Northern Britain anxiously awaits the arrival of the Great Progress taking Henry VIII and an entourage of thousands toward York to quell a fresh rebellion. Recently appointed a legal counsel for the Progress, Shardlake has a secret mission from Archbishop Cranmer to guarantee the safe return to London of imprisoned conspirator Sir Edward Broderick. With his trusted assistant, Jack Barak, Shardlake also investigates the death of master glazier Peter Oldroyd, a suspected papist, who fell from his ladder and was impaled on glass shards. Their search of Oldroyd's house reveals intriguing documents that question the royal line of succession and even impugn Henry. Despite complex court politics and several attempts on his life, Shardlake stalwartly maintains his integrity while searching for truth amid the "vipers' nest" of Henry's court." Publisher's Weekly

April's Selection

March's Selection

Butter Safe Than Sorry

by Tamar Myers    author's website

"Mennonite innkeeper Magdalena Yoder is at the bank with her four-year- old son when three armed Amish men burst in and start shooting and-more surprisingly- cursing. Magdalena protects Little Jacob, and the robbers flee at the sound of police sirens. 

When Jacob wonders why the bandits had mustaches-unlike all the other Amish men he knows-Magdalena springs into action to catch the thieves. They may be armed, but they may not be Amish!." Information from the publisher.

February's Selection

A Catered Valentine's Day

by Isis Crawford     

"Catering sisters and moonlighting investigators Bernie and Libby Simmons (A Catered Murder) are on the case again when the local funeral director asks them to discover why the body of Ted Gorman, owner of the town's deluxe chocolate shop, is in the grave of a Ms. McDougal. And where is her body? A charming and witty mystery, with recipes included." Library Journal Review