So, anyway I had the flu this weekend.  My town’s free flu shot clinic is October 19th and I guess waiting for that was not a good idea.  Lots of adults and kids out at work, so I guess I am lucky that I seemed to have had the worst of it over the weekend.  I read these two while I was sick and that may not have been the best idea.  I don’t think I enjoyed them as much as I should have because I just wasn’t concentrating. I got completely confused with the Colin Dexter, whose writing I usually love and I found Hazel Holt’s The Shortest Journey, somewhat depressing.  I just will chalk this up to the flu and the meds I was taking and not any fault with the books.

The Secret of Annexe 13 is an Inspector Morse mystery involving a private hotel hosting a special holiday event complete with masquerade party.  The guests were mainly staying in the new annexe, hence the title, and of course one of them winds up dead after the party.  The guests have various secrets, including infidelity and false identities, that leave Morse and Lewis, his sidekick, following trails and piecing together what really happened and who did it.  All tied up neatly in the end.

The Shortest Journey, other editions titled Mrs. Malory’s Shortest Journey, is by Hazel Holt.  I have just started reading the Mrs. Malory books and I really enjoy the character and her sleuthing style.  In this book, Mrs. Malory is visiting ladies in an old age retirement/care home.  One of them, Mrs. Rossiter, seems to be there more for the convenience of her daughter than for any particular need.   Mrs. Rossiter goes missing and causes a great deal of upheaval due to the contents of a family trust.  Sheila Mallory realizes that Mrs. Rossiter’s family is only concerned with the money and doesn’t really care about Mrs. Rossiter herself.  Sheila takes it upon herself to investigate and find out what has really happened.   I guessed the ending, however that didn’t really spoil the book for me at all.   I did find the subject matter a little depressing, senior women losing control of their own lives, being depressed at the end of life, and having no family or anyone that cares about them.