OK so I didn't see the ending coming which is good but this woman! GROW UP ALREADY!!!!! Yes, your husband left you but come on.... ( )

A fun, light read although due to the constant introspection of the main character, not as entertaining as the first in the series. Where are those half-stars when you need 'em? ( )

Catherine is at it again. This time her ex-husband is visiting their daughter, bringing with him his "lady friend". When their son-in-law is accused of a murder nothing will do but for Catherine to start the hunt for the real killer. While this is going on she also needs to come to terms with her feelings for the ex, and to determine if she should let him back into her life.

This is a ton of literary references in this one, most of them explained, some I believe we're supposed to know. Since my Shakespeare, Marlowe and others are not that great I was a tad overwhelmed.

Still, I do like this series and can't wait for the next one to come out. ( )

I thought that the first book, Arson and Old Lace: A Far Wychwood Mystery (Harwin, Patricia. Far Wychwood Mystery Series.), was good, but this volume is even better. I was gripped by the story, sitting up until the wee hours with it, and am becoming very fond of the characters. I would recommend that fans of Jeanne Dams' Dorothy Martin series give it a try.

This series features a woman who has moved from New York City to a small English village near Oxford, where her daughter, son-in-law and grandchild live. Catherine's relationship with her daughter is prickly, but thankfully not overwrought into melodrama; I sympathize with both characters. Harwin doesn't try to substitute bickering for plot. This volume has a lot of fun with the difference between England and the US, especially in vocabulary. The chapters are headed with quotes from 15th-16th century works that are exceptionally well-chosen for their beauty.

In this book, Catherine is forced to confront her ex-husband at family affairs. One thing that I like about this series is that it appears that the character is not going to be locked into an unchanging formula, facing the same problems without resolution over and over again. When her likeable son-in-law is accused of murder, and Catherine finds that the police see no reason for further investigation, she goes into action. Although I would like Harwin to find solutions for Catherine other than breaking and entering, I am very happy to say that she is NOT the sort of amateur who, hearing that an axe murder might be in the cellar, goes down to check.

While I don't think that Harwin is necessarily ruling out romance, I like that Catherine is an independent woman who can do just fine by herself. Harwin doesn't follow the rather tired plot device of having the character find Mr. Pluperfect in the first book.

In addition to Jeanne Dam's Dorothy Martin series, I also recommend Monica Ferris' Needlecraft Mysteries featuring Betsy Devonshire and Katherine Hall Page's Body in the ... series, featuring Faith Fairchild. ( )