I saw a tweet about Snare and picked it up on kindle.  The snare of the title refers to a divorced woman left destitute, who is ensnared into some illegal activities.  The story and the plot were really good.  The situation is believable in that desperation can lead a person into questionable choices and actions.  Sonia is a strong and resourceful character with a blind spot as far as personal relationships go, much like many people.  I will be reading the next in this trilogy.

Black Dog is the first in the series of the team of too-nice-for-his-own-good Ben Cooper and thoroughly unlikable Diane Fry.  I found the case interesting and resolution was quite good.  I loved the character of the retired miner, their rather recalcitrant witness, then suspect. Great local community color as well.  I just found every scene with Fry in it cringe inducing.  I don’t know if that is purposeful and that we are supposed to see these characters rub off on each other, inducing change over the course of a series or not.

A Killer’s Wife was a  good serial killer mystery with a good twist at the end.   Yardley becomes a prosecutor after she discovers her husband is a notorious serial killer.  Her ex-husband is now on death row appealing his conviction and a copy cat is starting to reenact his crimes.   As she investigates the copy cat hits closer and closer to home putting her and her daughter’s lives in danger and increasing the chance that her ex’s appeal will be successful.   A suspenseful read.

Murder Underground is part of the British Library Crime Classics Series.  In this case, an unlikable boarding house tenant, Miss Pongleton, is found strangled with a dog leash on the steps to the underground.  This starts an investigation and a young man is arrested rather quickly based on his involvement in a theft.  Light comedy and misdirection abound with several theories of the crime put forth by just about everyone.  Fun mystery read from The Golden Age of Detective Fiction.  I will say that Mavis Doreil Hay wrote three mysteries.  This is the second I read and I much preferred this one to Death on the Cherwell.  

Down the the River and Up to the Trees is a back to nature/folk lore/crafts/ self help book.  I’m not actually sure what genre it would fall into it.  It was charming to read with sections of it definitely reminding me of wisdom of my grandparents and activities from my childhood.  Just an example, something as simple as bark rubbing and making charcoal.    A light read that was in many ways nostalgic for me.