Carolyn Hart is probably the reigning queen of cozy mysteries, those mysteries with little sex or graphic violence, usually taking place in a small town with a continuing set of characters.  Hart’s book meets all of these requirements.  The writing is serene. most of the characters are highly civilized, and the two main sleuths, Max and Annie Darling, seem to be an extremely contented couple.

In this story there is a series of deaths which at first appear unconnected, but soon turn out to be related.  The police fail to see these connections until they are pointed out to them by Max and Annie.  The plot is appropriately puzzling and keeps the reader guessing up until the last.

There is a large cast of characters, including a whole corps of amateur sleuths assisting Max and Annie.  At first it may be difficult to keep all of them straight, particularly if you haven’t read earlier books in the series.  But Hart spends some time delineating them in the first half of the book, so the second half can be devoted to rising tension.

This books and others in the series may seem a bit too precious to those readers who prefer their mysteries a bit grittier, but fans of cozies will enjoy it.

Most writers and editors will tell you that in order to have a good detective series you must have three things:  an interesting protagonist, a memorable setting, and a good plot.  All three of these are present in Crider’s Dan Rhodes mysteries.  Rhodes is sheriff of a county in west Texas and his normal duties include a variety of crimes from dealing with animal complaints to solving murders.  This book, the twenty-first in the series, is no different.  The problems Dan must deal with in the course of this book range from corralling runaway donkeys, to taking down a meth lab, to solving the murder of a man who was unpopular and didn’t like art.

As in all the books in the series that I have read, there is lots of humor in this book and a good sense of what the day-to-day life of a sheriff must be like.  The mystery is also satisfyingly complex with a credible conclusion.  I am always surprised at how Rhodes avoids using any more violence that is absolutely necessary, even when his own safety is threatened.  He serves as an example of good policing.  This is a book you should take a look at, as are all the others in this series.

Before discussing today’s book, I want to indulge in a bit of self-promotion.  My latest book, THE BAD ACTOR, will be coming out from Five Star on July 22.  It is currently available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in preorder.  Usually my books come out as e-books in a few months, and the price of the hard cover version drops in price.  This is the newest in the Laura Magee series.  If you aren’t familiar with these books, start with the first, TO GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, and follow along through the twists and turns of Laura’s life.

Although BIG LITTLE LIES by the popular Australian author Liane Moriarty would not not normally be categorized as a mystery, the plot does hinge on two puzzling issues.  Is the boy accused of bullying the little girl really guilty?  And who is the boy’s father?  These two questions run through a book that is ostensibly about the relationships among parents whose children attend the same elementary school.  Another way in which the story is similar to certain kinds of mysteries is that one of the main characters withholds information until the end when the revelation shocks us into seeing several characters in a dramatically different way.

Moriarty is superb at her characterizations of middle class women.  Each has her own unique identity well delineated even though they share many of the same values.  She is also a very funny writer who depicts human foibles in a gentle but humorous way.  I would highly recommend this book as well as her earlier one, THE HUSBAND’S SECRET.  Both take the concept of the mystery in interesting directions.