Skein of Words

In Diana's Shadow,  author   Liz Helfrich introduces us to well-educated British aristocrat Constance Grey. With family fortunes dramatically impacted by her father's death and primogeniture, she now occupies an awkward space between aristocracy and trade. A situation that was all too common in the 1920s after thousands of Britain's sons perished in the battles of World War I.  As Constance waits in a drawing-room to visit with her childhood friend, Lady Diana Dunbarton, she hears a scream that tears through the house. Upon investigation, she discovers her friend's motionless body in her bed, with a trail of pink, frothy substance running from her mouth. It is quickly established that her death is due to foul play, but who could have wanted the beautiful and vibrant Diana dead. Is it her husband, Lord Alec James Portmore Dunbarton, or is he truly the grieving widower? Who else could it be? Constance is determined to figure out what has happened, and although it sometim...

Those small islands. It's always those small islands where the murders happen! Well, at least in this case!    Gag Me: A Friday Harbor Novel  by Susan Wingate begins with you ( yes, I mean you ) in the local dive bar, listening to bogus songs from the eighties while listening to your good friend (maybe only friend) Winsey complain about her tough day. You are bored and just can't handle listening to her sob, so you call it a night and head home to see your cat Lester and clean up his inevitable furball messes. The next morning you discover that Winsey has been murdered, and wouldn't you know it, you were the last one to see her alive. To prove your innocence and find the killer, you embark on an investigation but are forced to work with the newly arrived police investigator you have recently nicknamed the Gargoyle. You don't want to be with other people, let alone work with them, but you are determined to track down Winsey's killer and clear your name. It...

Lance Lee's The Tale of Brian and the House Painter Mervyn is bright with colour and imagination.   This fable for children and their parents introduces us to a young boy faced with an unknown illness and trapped in his plain, white room. Nothing to do. Nothing to see. No games. Just boredom. That is until his father finds a painter to help change it all - but will the painter, who doesn't much like company and only paints when he feels like it, be able to ease Brian's lonely existence? What happens if this newly created world is so attractive he never wants to leave? Will they never see Brian again? This book is a fantastic bedtime read with your kids or for kids reading independently (6-9 age range). It is a warm, imaginative and well-told story about the lengths parents will go to when their children are hurt and lonely, the ability of art to bring happiness and beauty, and the importance of using gifts wisely (lest things might go wildly out of cont...