Something Light: Mysteries

It's time for something light. The news lately has been too grim for a loyal C. U. alum. So let's talk about mysteries that have a more or less logical solution. At least the good guys almost always win out.

Well, not always. Sometimes you are not quite sure. I found a new Colorado author recently. Stephanie Kane laws born in Brooklyn, but after a stay at the University of Colorado she was hooked on the state and now lives in Denver. She introduces Jackie Flowers, a young lawyer who is dyslexic. A lawyer who can't read very much is sounds like an oxymoron. . But Jackie is very smart and has an investigator, Pilar Perez who fills in the blanks. A young C. U. coed is found dead, and the obvious suspect is Jackie's former law professor, Glenn Ballard, a powerful Federal Judge. Much to her surprise, he chooses Jackie for his lead defense attorney. This is a story, full of legal, probably very accurate detail. I found it a little bit heavy, but very much worth reading if you are into legal mysteries.

Sneaky Pie Brown has a new mystery. You may know the author better as Rita Mae Brown, who furnishes his board and room. Sneaky Pie is the tiger cat, she discovered b at her local SPCA. Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie have collaborated on thirteen Mrs. Murphy mysteries. I simply must teach my cat Mercury to type.

Crozet lies in the Shenandoah Valley. Postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen has quit her job because the manager will not allow her pets in the new Post Office. She is also trying to decide whether to return to her ex-husband, Fair. To think things over, she heads for the local Monastery high on a hilltop. As she gazes on the statue of the Virgin Mary who is looking out over the valley, she is amazed to see tears of blood running down the Virgin's cheeks. The monks are equally amazed, but Mrs. Murphy, the feline, helps Harry find the answers. A bit of mysticism goes along with the mystery. Lots of fun.

Those of you who fell in love with Precious Ramotswe owner of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana will welcome author Alexander McCall Smith's new series of three. The first one is "Portuguese Irregular Verbs." I must confess I have not read all of it, but after skimming through it and reading the reviews, I'll stick my neck out and say that it a real gem, as human and funny as the Botswana series -- and of course, a little far out.

The publisher says, "The eminent (if shamefully under-read) philologist Professor Dr. Mortiz-Maria von Igelfeld of the Institute at Regensburg is naturally tall, hypersensitive to slights, and oblivious to his own frequent gaucheries. He is engaged in a never-ending quest to win the respect he knows is due him. "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" follows the Professor from a busman's holiday researching old Irish obscenities to a flirtation with a desirable lady dentist." Smith is a very sensitive and funny writer.

If you have not yet read "Bless me, Ultima", I hope you will. In spite of the fact that some mothers and the Superintendent in Norwood tried to censor it, It is very much worth reading. Life is not easy for a little boy trying to find out who he is and what he believes.