What do Vermont, Vicarages, and Bookshops have in common? Oh just a little thing like murder...

Well-Offed in Vermont (Pret' Near Perfect Mystery, Bk 1) by Amy Patricia Meade (library copy) -

Stella and Nick are likeable; I especially enjoyed seeing how good their marriage was even when compromise was needed.  I found it interesting how they could go around asking questions and even the Sheriff had no problem sharing information with civilians.  And it was amusing how quickly these newcomers to Vermont were annoyed by the "flatlander" tourists even though they were flatlanders themselves.  I don't know what the second book will be or when it'll come out, but I'll give it a try.

The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, Bk 1) by Agatha Christie; Read by James Saxon (library Audiobook) -

It took me awhile to get through this because AudioBooks aren't always convenient - especially since the stereo in my car wasn't working.  It was interesting.  This is the second Agatha Christie book I've read now, and I was wondering if the mysteries are always told by one person but sleuthed by another.  It seems strange.  I think I'm going to continue reading vintage mysteries in Audio.  I get to enjoy the classics without the issues I run into reading the print copies.

Double Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery, Bk 1) by Ali Brandon aka Diane A. S. Stuckart aka Alexa Smart aka Alexa Gerard -

I've read Diane A. S. Stuckart's first Leonardo da Vinci Mystery (though I didn't post it for some reason), but I never would have suspected she was Ali Brandon if it hadn't been mentioned in the author bio at the back of the book.  It may have been the switch from historical to contemporary or something else (maybe I'm just not that observant).  Whatever the case, I'm happy to say I enjoyed this book too.  For the characters I  liked Darla and her supporting cast.  Her former cop friend was a nice source of insider police information without being too in your face.  I could believe that the current cop would trust his former partner.  Regarding the story, I guessed certain things and didn't guess others.  And as for the cat... I was just so relieved the the book didn't go into "Cats and Curios" territory.  Hamlet (the black cat) did pull out books with titles that seemed to fit the storyline, but things managed not to get too weird.