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Gathering Mist–Excellent K-9 Mystery

Gathering Mist

By Margaret Mizushima

Deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 partner are based in Colorado, but in Gathering Mist they travel to Washington to help hunt for a missing child. Her patrol partner Robo is an extremely smart, well-trained 100 pound German shepherd. He has an excellent reputation, as does Mattie as his handler. In trying to locate the child, Robo uses both his well-established ground tracking skills and the air scenting that the pair has been working on.

River, the missing child, is the son of a famous movie star. He disappeared while he was supposed to be in his trailer doing his homeschool work. Mattie is not supposed to solve the case, but just find the boy in the deep woods with difficult terrain during a season of rain and cold. Other search and rescue dogs have been brought in as well as other types of law enforcement officers and lots of volunteers from the community. With no solid hits, they fear time is running out. Mattie and others begin to speculate on who might have taken the child and what the motive would be. Some wonder if it is just a public relations stunt to publicize the mother’s upcoming movie.

There are other complications. Some of the isolated homeowners living there off the grid resist having the search teams and their dogs on their property. Dead animals show up near a stream with no apparent cause of death. When a volunteer’s dog gets sick with the closest veterinarian an hour away, Cole, Mattie’s fiancé who is a vet, volunteers to travel to Washington to be with the team in case there are further health issues for the dogs. Other issues arise, but I don’t want to include any spoilers. Suffice it to say that the book includes exciting action and opportunities for Robo to show off his skills. Just as the search takes time, so does the revelation of River’s story. Added tension arises because this all happens the week before Mattie and Cole’s planned wedding. Some people would have turned down the assignment, but Mattie couldn’t bear the thought of a child lost in the cold, wet and dangerous woods.

The book includes sweet dog moments and opportunities to learn more about the skills of a K-9 officer. This is a series that is well-written with good plots and character development. The descriptions are so authentic that I felt wet and chilled along with the characters, and I looked up once or twice to make sure I wasn’t trying to find my way through the misty, foggy forest along with Mattie.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Fiction, Mystery

Notes: 1. #9 in the excellent Timber Creek K-9 series, but could be read as a standalone.

    2. Clean

Publication:  October 8, 2024—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

Yes, the cop side of her recognized that someone could hide a body that would never be found in this place, even while her spiritual side felt a connection to this lush earth where plants were nurtured by the fertile soil and plentiful rain. As the early morning light brightened, it was like entering an emerald cathedral.

When Robo heard the word “work,” he pranced on the back seat and leaped out to join Banjo on the ground. The bloodhound, older by several years, gave Robo a stolid look as if to say “Kids.” His face drooped more than usual and he looked worn out as he sat near Sarge’s left heel.

That dog is so smart. At Mattie’s command, he could take down a dangerous criminal, or on his own, he could sense a child’s emotional distress. Either way, he was there for people.

Murder with Chocolate Tea–tea with everything

Murder with Chocolate Tea

By Karen Rose Smith

Chocolate Lovers Unite! At Daisy’s Tea Garden, the featured tea this month is Chocolate Tea which Daisy serves with a variety of sweet treats. It seems to go particularly well with chocolate chip cookies.

As always, delicious foods from soups and salads to high tea are served at Daisy’s teahouse. Daisy has a lot of things going on in Murder with Chocolate Tea. She and Jonas are planning their wedding, and she has put one of her enthusiastic employees, April, in charge of a tea celebrating a local covered bridge. Most importantly for the reader, Daisy is trying to solve a recent murder and a cold case.  Is there a connection between the two? Daisy finds herself in danger as she draws closer to discovering the truth.

Daisy’s friends and family have their share of difficulties. Her daughter Jazzi is preparing to go to college. Her daughter Vi’s husband is overworking and over stressing over his new job.  Aunt Iris still has two suitors who are getting impatient. Her kitchen manager’s boyfriend has begun a true crime podcast.  He endangers many in his efforts to discover the truth including those he interviews.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in this mystery. Many friends of the the murder victims are suspected of the crimes, but we don’t get to know them as well as I would like. It’s mind boggling to watch Daisy juggle work and home commitments, but with the help of supportive employees and relatives, she manages well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating:  4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes:  1. #10 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series

    2. The author does a good job of reintroducing characters for the new reader. It could be a standalone, but there is a lot of backstory to be gained by reading the whole series.

Publication:   November 28, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

Courage is just something that happens when you want to get out of a predicament you didn’t intend to be in, and you don’t have another way out.

Daisy stroked Pepper’s back, and the cat turned over in her lap, showing her white belly. Daisy ruffled it, giving affection and taking comfort. The cats were so good at that.

Silent Nights Are Murder–finding family

Silent Nights Are Murder

by Libby Klein

For once, Poppy McAllister is not the one to find the dead body, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be dragged into a murder investigation. Her cop friend Amber convinces Poppy to go undercover at her ex-boyfriend’s restaurant because the body was discovered in Tim’s walk-in freezer. In a previous book in the Poppy McAllister Mystery Series, Poppy decided to drop Tim in favor of a relationship with the handsome barista Gia who thinks she is gorgeous. Now as Poppy tries to help, she discovers that Tim’s new work and personal partner Gigi is pregnant with a due date set 9 months after Tim and Poppy broke up!

It is hard for Poppy to gain the trust of the restaurant staff and sort out the lies they tell. Most of them seem to be hiding some secrets. As Poppy explains to a frustrated Tim, “a killer will lie about their alibi.” Someone seems to have been messing with the books and the inventory also.

There are so many plots going on all at once. When Poppy was almost nine, her mother dropped her off with promises to return for her. She does—thirty-five years later—and checks into the Butterfly Wings B & B. Poppy and her Aunt Ginny, who helped raise her, spend time trying to figure out what Iris wants and how to get rid of her. Meanwhile, Figaro, Poppy’s cat, does battle with Christmas ornaments that appear to be birds, complete with feathers (until Figaro get ahold of them). Guests at the B&B enjoy a decoration daily murder scene villa setup by an unknown person at the inn. 

Aunt Ginny’s friends, the Biddies, add hilarious fun as there might be a wedding coming up and they want to be a part of it. Aunt Ginny, as usual, has some wack-a-doodle plans. In this case, the Christmas season calls for some competition.  Aunt Ginny is determined to have both the prize winning recipe and the house with the most Christmasy ambiance (think National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but  on steroids). 

Gia’s son Henry is adorable and refuses to tell anyone what he is asking Santa for. As you read Silent Nights Are Murder, I think you’ll know what he wants for Christmas, but will Santa be able to deliver?

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #9 in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series. It could be read as a standalone, but would be enjoyed more if some of the earlier books were read first. 

    2. seven gluten free recipes for Christmas goodies

Publication: September 24, 2024—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

There were three seasons to obsess about the weather. Tourist season—when guests considered it a personal failure on my part if it rained during their vacation. Hurricane season—because my creditors don’t care about safety cancellations, they just want to be paid. And Christmas season—because I was delusional enough to want snow like I was living in a Bing Crosby movie. Irving Berlin had set sixty percent of the country up for annual disappointment.

Flashing police-car lights blazed through the night, and the men tried to look like three normal guys waiting for a table. They looked as normal as a trio of gorillas in hoop skirts.

He ran his hands through his hair and looked like he was about to fry up a conniption and serve it with a big side of meltdown.

A Slay Ride Together with You–who’s causing trouble?

A Slay Ride Together with You

by Vicki Delany

If you enjoy cozy mysteries in small towns, but want a Christmas flair, then A Slay Ride Together with You is the perfect combination. 

The protagonist, Merry Wilkinson, owns a gift shop, Mrs. Claus’s treasures while her best friend from childhood, Vicky, owns Victoria’s Bake Shoppe. The story is told from Merry’s point of view, but Vicky plays a huge role as she is a wonderful pastry chef, is planning her wedding to Mark, the chef at The Yuletide Inn, and is writing a cookbook. Mark and Vicky are also restoring an old home that has garnered a reputation for being haunted.

Characters you will enjoy include three dogs with prominent roles. Vicky’s dog Sandbanks is an “ancient golden Labrador” who frequently sleeps through excitement. Merry’s dog is Matterhorn (Mattie), a faithful Saint Bernard. Alan, Merry’s boyfriend, adds to the canine mix with Ranger, his “overly active Jack Russell.”

Vicky is not sleeping well in her new home because of weird sounds all through the night. These noises come to a climax when Merry is visiting and someone knocks on the front door and then the back, disappearing before the doors can be opened. This is a cozy mystery, so expect a murder and lots of suspects including Vicky’s fiancé Mark. I have always found references to extended family members of an ever widening circle to be confusing. That turmoil happens to Merry also as she investigates the various people that might want the victim dead. There are inheritance and relationship issues that emerge too.

I enjoyed A Slay Ride Together with You and will jump at the chance to read more in this series. Delany has written several more cozy mystery series. One I particularly enjoy is the Tea by the Sea Mystery Series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. I started Delany’s Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series with #6. A Slay Ride Together with You is #7 in the series and I had no problem jumping into either book. I believe the setting of Rudolph, New York, with the nickname of “America’s Christmas Town,” is standard from one novel to the next and the characters recur, but Delany does a great job of giving background on the characters so the reader’s introduction to the series is almost seamless.

  2. Includes recipes for several cookies and a fall soup that Vicky makes at her cafe.

Publication:  September 24, 2024—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

Mattie sat next to me, hoping for some lunchtime tidbit to drop. It never does, but he never gives up hope. A lesson for us all, perhaps.

Jim was a reverse Santa Claus. He made enemies and spread ill will everywhere he went.

Vicky and I had changed out of our wet clothes and were wrapped in sweaters and thick blankets against the cold that seemed to have penetrated into our very bones.

Trouble is Brewing–dysfunctional family

Trouble is Brewing

by Vicki Delany

There are a lot of appealing aspects to Vicki Delany’s Tea by the Sea Mystery Series, but most important is the way the various aspects (setting, characters, and plot) are integrated. They share the focus of the books as they support the mysteries, but the author allows each feature to have prominence at various times.

The setting is the backdrop of Cape Cod Bay and the Victorian-era mansion Grandma Rose purchased to transform into a B&B along with a cottage on the same property that becomes a tea room for her granddaughter Lily to operate. The gardens on the grounds are rated at the top of visitor attractions for North Augusta, and the view from the cliffs is outstanding. The reader can not miss the ambiance.

Characters, especially the investigative trio of Lilly, Rose, and Lily’s best friend Bernie draw readers into the story. Lily works hard as the owner of the tea room and the pastry chef at both the B&B and the tea room. Rose will keep you smiling with her energy, enthusiasm, and ability to use her advanced age to her advantage when necessary. Bernie, the “Warrior Princess,” is in a never-ending loop in writing her first novel because she keeps changing her plot and characters. She reminds me of a butterfly flitting from one idea to another.

In Trouble is Brewing, the characters and setting do not outdo the mystery. When Lily agrees to host a bridal shower at the tea room, she doesn’t anticipate an anonymous prank gift that upsets the bride, the death of a guest at the B&B, or the negative feuding of the two families involved in the wedding. The action keeps coming and the clues lead to a variety of suspects. I definitely didn’t see the identity of the murderer before the author revealed it. 

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #5 in the Tea by the Sea Mystery Series but Delany writes so well that new readers are updated almost seamlessly.

    2. A book focused on a tea room and a B&B must have recipes, so the author includes recipes for Banana Bread with Walnuts, Egg Salad Sandwiches with Herby Mayonnaise, and Maple Pecan Squares.

Publication:  July 23, 2024—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

“The whole thing was weird.” Bernie stopped cutting scones and waved the cutter in the air. “Like a gathering of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Each group kept strictly to themselves, trying the pretend the others weren’t there.” “You’re full of literary references today, Bernie,” I said. “Earlier it was Romeo and Juliet.” “Them too,” Bernie said. “Feuding families.”

I suppressed a shudder. “No, I do not have any fat-free scones.”  “What’s a fat-free scone anyway?” Bernie said. “Might as well eat a pile of raw flour.”…”I don’t know what I have that’s completely fat-free. Afternoon tea is not known for being diet friendly.” “Want me to run out to the garden and collect some dead leaves?…Is compost fat-free?”

“What were you doing in her place for two hours, if not helping cook?” Simon asked.  “Girl talk,” Bernie said. “More mysterious than the origins of the universe,” Matt said.

Songs of Wine and Murder–band competition

Songs of Wine and Murder

by Lynn Cahoon

Every good cozy mystery has a focus and a crime to be solved. The plot in Songs of Wine and Murder centers around a band competition as part of the Moonstone Beach festival to be held in  South Cove, a town which has both commuters and businesses that depend on tourists. Jill owns a combo coffee shop and bookstore; her fiancé Greg is the police chief. In this book, a band member that no one likes is found dead. There are many suspects after it is determined that the death is a homicide, not a drug overdose or a suicide.

Jill has to put in a lot of work hours during the festival as she supervises both the coffee shop and a food truck. Jill is a great boss, giving her workers full benefits and treating them with respect. During the festival she takes orders and provides her staff with meals from the town’s only full-service restaurant. Greg has to put in extra long hours along with his officers as they interview suspects and others who might have information about the murder. Jill tries to stay out of the investigation, but she stumbles across clues and conversations that help Greg.

The mayor’s wife can be over-the-top mean if she doesn’t get her way. She gets very angry when she thinks her nephew is being treated unfairly in the competition, and she blames that and everything else she can think of on Jill and Greg. Jill has a number of friends who are involved in this story, and the reader gets to know them well. My favorite of her employees is Deek. He is a good looking young man with blond dreadlocks and violet eyes who has really grown over the course of the series. He is an aspiring writer who takes the bookstore seriously and also has lots of very good ideas for managing events and pushing the coffee shop/bookstore through PR efforts. He is somewhat intimidated by Greg referring to him as “Police Dude.” Her staff member, Toby, works as a cop and a barista.  An attractive guy, he can’t understand why Tilly, a new hire at the shop, says she has never met him. He claims hey were an “item” in high school. Which one of them is lying?  

The murder is solved…until new information comes to light opening the investigation up again.  It was a great twist to the story; just as Greg and Jill think they can relax and resume planning for their wedding, they are thrown back into the chaos of “whodunit?”

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #15 in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series. It includes some humor, some mystery, and some relationships—new and old. Songs of Wine and Murder was fun for me, but not Cahoon’s best work. I am not recommending it as a standalone, but if you are a fan of the Tourist Trap Mystery Series, you will probably enjoy it.

  2. Includes a recipe for “Jill’s Neptune Salad Wrap” as a healthy replacement for all the fish and chips Jill devours in this book.

Publication: June 6, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

The fight was over. Neither participant looked victorious, which was what happened most times when people were in love. Everyone felt the pain of the fight, not just the loser.

“The one thing I can promise you about relationships is that as soon as you start thinking the other person can read your mind, you’re in trouble.”

I delivered Harrold and Aunt Jackie’s meals and noticed Lille had put in two slices of cherry pie that I hadn’t ordered. She’d known that this order would be given to Harrold, and she loved him like a grandfather. I suspected that Lille had a heart; it was just hidden under all that snark.

Murder with Earl Grey Tea–tea, goodies, and danger

Murder with Earl Grey Tea

by Karen Rose Smith

Lots is going on at Daisy’s Tea Garden in Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. The tea flavor of the month is Earl Grey—one of my favorites. Daisy and her Aunt Iris, who jointly own the tearoom, are serving up regular tea time favorites like scones with the help of their efficient and friendly staff. They also have seasonal finger foods along with soups and salads.

On the personal front, Daisy and her boyfriend Jonas, formerly a detective, are making wedding plans. Daisy’s older daughter Vi and her husband and son are moving out of Daisy’s small garage apartment into a larger home. Daisy’s youngest, Jazzi, is close to high school graduation with plans to go to college. Daisy’s life is already undergoing lots of changes when she discovers the body of a friend who was murdered, leaving behind a husband, a preschooler, and a restaurant/event center, The Farm Barn.

There are lots of suspects, but everyone in town loved and respected the victim. What happened is quite a puzzle and there are no witnesses. Friends and family ask Daisy to investigate and having been the one to find the body, Daisy feels a responsibility to unravel the mystery. Along the way, Daisy discovers secrets that several people had hidden even from those close to themselves. Her efforts put her in danger and require the rescue of one of her staff members. I didn’t guess the murderer, and the plot included an interesting twist.

All of the characters contribute to the plot development. The two detectives on the case are extremely reluctant to share information, but welcome the clues Daisy gathers, often from overhearing conversations at the Tea Garden and in talking to locals. The reader will like Jonas as he is very supportive of Daisy and her family. Aunt Iris has two suitors actively trying to pursue a relationship. Daisy and Jonas’ dog Felix is present in many scenes and they have two cats as well. Needless to say, there are always plenty of delicious treats enjoyed both at the tearoom and  at home.

I always enjoy a visit to Daisy’s Tea Garden and this book is no exception. I especially liked the Alice in Wonderland themed tea event that focused on children.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #9 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series. Although the author does a good job of refreshing the reader’s memories of characters and events in previous books in the series, I recommend starting with an earlier book.

    2. It includes 4 recipes.

Publication:  May 23, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

“I told them snow was predicted tonight. They shouldn’t have gone on a date.” “They’re teenagers,” Jonas reminded her with a sigh, as if that covered the subject completely.

Buggies were an integral part of the Amish community and signaled a slower paced life. They reminded fellow travelers not to be in a rush. They took the Amish off the grid, so to speak, to a time that was more peaceful, wholesome, and less complicated.

Daisy knew that children and pets were often the best healing medicine.

The Path to the Last House Before the Sea–sad secrets

The Path to the Last House Before the Sea

by Liz Eeles

Alyssa has come to Heaven’s Cove to start life over, changing her name and her profession while harboring a big secret. She lives in a small wooden caravan on Magda’s property. Magda owns an ice cream parlor and returned a number of years ago to be close to her best friend Penny and husband Stan. Magda has her own secret that is eating away at her despite the happy face she presents to the world. Jack is taking a hiatus from his work to help out his dad Stan in the town’s only grocery store, a tiny place that the community depends upon. Their lives become intertwined as an unlikely romance develops between visionary Alyssa and nerdy Jack. 

A major thread is Alyssa’s search for clues and information about a 300 year old tale of a missing couple and a smuggling ring. Her search for the truth puts Alyssa and Jack’s lives in danger. Meanwhile Jack is dealing with his soon-to-be ex-wife, her boyfriend, and his beloved adopted son. 

Author Liz Eeles weaves all of these threads into a background of a wedding in Heaven’s Cove that the whole community is involved in. The setting is beautiful and the town’s residents are both kind and gossipy at the same time. If you like an interesting plot and characters in a clean novel, The Path to the Last House Before the Sea would be a great choice.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Notes: #5 in the Heaven’s Cove Series, but can be read as a standalone. There are characters from previous books who make cameo appearances, but each book in the series has new characters who are the focus of the current book.

Publication:  May 18, 2023—Bookouture

Memorable Lines:

A hot wash of shame flooded through him. When had he become so…? He turned into the lane that led past the village green, unable to settle on the right word for his behaviour. Arrogant, maybe? Ignorant? Boorish?

“Three point one four one five nine…” he began to mutter under his breath. Reciting the mathematical constant pi from memory, as far as he could go, always calmed him down. The number was beautiful. It was fixed and unchanging—unlike his life right now.

Alyssa crossed her fingers, just in case, and watched seagulls—tiny white dots—swooping over cottage roofs, and a child’s lost red balloon floating into the sky. The village looked like a spider’s web from up here, with paths going in all directions and the church in the centre.

Blueberry Blunder–Harvest celebrates with a Blueberry Bash

Blueberry Blunder

by Amanda Flower

If you need an escape from real life or from a challenging nonfiction book, I highly recommend Blueberry Blunder. Amanda Flower has once more written a cozy mystery that confounds the reader and includes a lot of humor and a tad of romance.

Bailey, a former New York chocolatier, is currently expanding Swissmen Sweets, an Amish candy shop she owns with her grandmother in Harvest, Ohio. The candy factory under construction experiences a huge setback when Bailey has to fire her general contractor and then later finds him dead in the unfinished factory. His murder is, of course, the prime focus of the mystery, but there are many other threads. Cousin Charlotte who is estranged from her Amish family because she decided not to join the church is preparing for her wedding to Deputy Little. There are lots of interactions of Amish and Englisch in this cozy, and it is a great opportunity to see that there are many differences among the various Amish districts. Aiden, Bailey’s boyfriend, resigns from Ohio’s Bureau of Investigation, and returns to Harvest to begin a business as a Private Investigator. His mother Juliet is thrilled and is anxious for him to propose to Bailey. Meanwhile, Juliet is convinced that Jethro, her polka-dotted pot bellied pig needs to frequently accompany Bailey as she goes through her day making candy and investigating crimes. Bailey is also being shadowed by an intrusive film crew of two from Gourmet Network which produces Bailey’s candy show.

There is plenty of fun to go around and lots of characters with probable motivation for murder. I very much enjoyed my return visit to Swissmen Sweets and Harvest, Ohio.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #8 in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, but can definitely be read as a standalone because the author does an outstanding job of filling in background without boring readers of previous books in the series.

Publication:  May 23, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

“Sit.” She pointed at the empty chair at the table. I fell into the chair as if I had been shot from the sky. Graceful to a fault, that was me, I thought sarcastically.

It was a clear to me that he had some of the same anger issues as his father. He might not like how his dad treated him, but I could see him going down the same bitter road himself.

I could think of about a million things that I would rather do than spend the day with the elder Littles, such as swim with sharks and get a root canal.

Dearly Beloved Departed–danger for Christmas Eve grooms

Dearly Beloved Departed

by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

Pat, a former law librarian, is beginning work as an independent Private Investigator. She is engaged to marry Tim, a Sargent in the Sheriff’s office. She is hired to do background checks on the fiancé of a lawyer’s daughter. He had gang affiliations and certainly seems to be trouble. Before Pat can finish her investigation, the young man is shot and killed. There are a number of people with motivations to kill him. More shootings follow, all injuring grooms with Christmas Eve wedding plans. What an odd assemblage for serial killings except the only victim who actually died was the first one. Finding a motivation that would include all the victims is difficult. When you add opportunity to the sorting process, the puzzle is even more contorted. 

This is an interesting cozy mystery and would make a good casual read. Two of my favorite characters are Dot, Pat’s Dalmatian, and Whimsey, her cat with an attraction to Christmas trees. On several occasions, Pat tricks suspects to determine their innocence or guilt. Her shenanigans with her best friend Syda who is always ready for a creative adventure keep the reader engaged as do her methodical and logical efforts to sort out the facts and ferret out the murderer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #4 in the PIP Inc. Mystery Series, but it worked quite well for me as a standalone.

Publication:  March 2023—Good Reader Publishers

Memorable Lines:

“Syda, how would you feel about doing an undercover operation with me?”  “Will we be pretending we’re old ladies, or jewel smugglers, or ooh, ooh hookers? I have fishnet stockings I’ve never worn, a padded pushup bra…and black leather hot pants.” Syda gushed.

Ashley used a remote on the table to turn on the television and the twins quieted down as the first stanza of the Sesame Street theme music began. Ashley took a deep breath and sighed, “Ahh. I love Big Bird almost as much as I love my husband.”

“I’m so frustrated. There’s something that I almost know right there on the edge of my consciousness, but I can’t reach it.”