The Balloon Man by Charlotte MacLeod

In ten words or less: Body found beneath hot air balloon; Max and Sarah investigate.

Review: Sarah Kelling Bittersohn is planning a huge wedding for her husband's nephew at their North Shore estate. The wedding goes off without a hitch--except for the hot air balloon landing on the caterer's tent, and the squashed corpse found beneath it.

The balloon belongs to the neighbors across the road, and nobody knows who the corpse was. When the long lost--and extremely valuable--Kelling rubies appear during the wedding, Max Bittersohn leaves to investigate, but doesn't return.

Why bother? When Max disappears, it's up to Sarah to recruit family members to search for him, and to identify the body found on their lawn. More action than usual in a MacLeod mystery, but still delightful, as both the Kelling and Bittersohn families united to save one of their own.

The Odd Job by Charlotte MacLeod

In ten words or less: Museum director/forger murdered; security guard is arrested. Sarah investigates.

Review: When the director of the Wilkins Museum is found murdered, stabbed to death with an antique hatpin, Sarah Kelling Bittersohn is shocked. And when the murder weapon is found in the Bittersohn's office and an obituary announcing Sarah's death appears in the Boston Globe, it's time to investigate.
The museum has been involved in a scandal years before, when it was discovered that many of its paintings were forgeries. The new head trustee has accused Sarah's husband Max of falling down on the job of recovering the museum's stolen art and has accused a mild-mannered security guard of the murder.

Why bother? Sarah Kelling Bittersohn and her far-flung family of eccentric Boston bluebloods take on the world of art forgeries. Sarah and Max give Nick and Nora Charles a run for their money.

Saturday at the Farmers' Market

It's been a good year for cucumbers here. Here's a slightly different version of sweet and sour cucumber salad.

Cool Hand Cukes

Ingredients:
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups water
2 cucumbers, sliced thinly

Instructions:
Combine lime juice, sugar, oil and water in sauce pan; heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cukes; marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Six servings.

Nobody Runs Forever by Richard Stark

In ten words or less: Parker and pals plot to steal an armored car.

Review: A bank in rural Massachusetts is transferring assets via four armored cars. Parker is told about the job by a former security guard who had an affair with the bank manager's wife. Any number of people can throw a wrench into the works--an unscrupulous, cheating doctor; a bounty hunter and his good-looking blonde partner; and the security guard's law abiding sister.

The efficient and ruthless Parker keeps one step ahead of the law in another page-turning adventure from author Stark, also known as Donald Westlake.
Why bother? Nobody writes a caper novel like Stark/Westlake. Parker is not a likeable protagonist but fans of modern noir will savor each adventure of the efficient career criminal.

The Anteater of Death: a Gunn Zoo Mystery by Betty Webb

In ten words or less: Who killed the zoo volunteer? Not the giant anteater!

Review: Did Lucy, the giant pregnant anteater from Belize, kill the man who was found in her pen? When a bullet was discovered to be the cause of death, Lucy is off the hook, but a spiteful zoo director keeps her confined and off-exhibit.

Teddy Bentley, daughter of a socialite beauty queen and a fugitive embezzler, is the zookeeper who feeds and cleans up after Lucy, and can tell that the prospective mother is stressed out by her house arrest. She wants the head zookeeper Zorah to intercede on Lucy's behalf, but when Zorah is arrested for the murder, Teddy posts her bail.

Sheriff Joe Rejas, Teddy's high school sweetheart, wants her to question the society movers and shakers who were present at the fundraiser where the victim was killed. Teddy resists at first, but is drawn into the investigation.
Why bother? The zoo is a fun setting for a mystery, and Teddy shares the spotlight with giraffes, monkeys, and spectacled bears. Readers of Donna Andrews will enjoy this series.

The Scoop from "Bird Poop;" 35 years of wild bird rescues by Bebe McCasland

In ten words or less: True stories of wild bird rescues.

Review: When called to investigate the cries of a hawk in distress, wildlife rehabilitator Bebe McCasland discovered a Swainson's hawk chained to the ground in a weedy lot. Every one of the bird's talons had been cut off, leaving it unable to catch anything with its feet, or to roost--because it could not grip a limb. Covered with an oily substance, the bird was weak and thin.

After being rescued, the bird was examined and it was determined that the talons would eventually grow out, although they would be uneven and not tapered as they should be. The bird could never be released in the wild, but would be used as an educational bird.

McCasland has dozens of stories about vultures, hawks, owls, and other birds, told in an engaging and straightforward style. Not all the rescues have happy endings but they make the reader aware of all the perils that can befall birds--contaminants, trucks, weather, and the encroachment of humans upon bird habitats.

Why bother? This collection of columns, with wonderful illustrations by Don Collins, will appeal to bird lovers and others interested in nature and animals.

Saturday at the Farmers' Market

Yellow and green beans are still available at the local market. Here's a recipe that makes a great dish to take to a pot luck or picnic. In the winter, canned green and wax beans can be used.

Tres Bean Salad

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1/2 pound fresh wax beans, likewise
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup green or red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup Splenda or sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup vinegar

Microwave or steam the fresh beans until crisp-tender; three minutes ought to do it. Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight. This keeps well for days. Makes six servings.

Chili Con Corpses by J.B. Stanley

In ten words or less: Rich, gorgeous twin is murdered; did killer want her or her sister?

Review: James Henry's life was sputtering like a car running out of gas. He had traded his professorship for a job as a small town library director. Approaching forty, he still shared a house with his cantankerous father. Lucy, his girlfriend, was busy getting in shape for a sheriff's exam, and was spending more time with her buff workout partner than with James.

When drop-dead gorgeous twins moves to town, both the men and women of James' circle of friends take notice. The twins join the friends at a weekly cooking class where James--who should be dieting--takes a night off from healthy foods.

James' friend Lindy begs him to chaperone a class trip to nearby caves, but they never dream that one of the twins would be discovered murdered in the cave. And when one of the parents on the trip proves to be an imposter, James, Lindy, and the rest of the group investigate.

Why bother? In a departure from most cozies, the main character is a man. The cast of characters can get confusing, with a large group of friends with gender-neutral names --Bennett, Parker, Kinsley, Murphy, etc. But if you like mysteries with lots of talk about food (and recipes, of course), try the Supper Club Mystery series.

The Palace Guard by Charlotte MacLeod

In ten words or less: a forgery-stuffed museum is the scene of a murder.

Review: Attractive young widow Sarah Kelling accepts the invitation of Max Bittersohn, an investigator of art thefts, to a concert at the palatial Wilkins Museum. Sarah feels guilty for being drawn to her handsome escort, but the mood is shattered when one of the security guards falls to his death off a balcony into the courtyard. An investigation into the crime reveals that most of the art in the collection is forged--and very good forgeries they are, too.

Sarah and her family of eccentric Boston bluebloods join Max and the police to discover the identity of the killer and the forger.

Why bother? MacLeod has more wildly funny characters in her mysteries than clams in a bowl of chowder. The perfect gentle read for those who appreciate wordplay and the unexpected.

A Stranger in the Family by Robert Barnard

In ten words or less: Abducted as a child, Kit Philipson meets his birth family.

Review: Kit Philipson, raised by loving parents in Scotland, discovers before his mother's death that he was abducted from his birth family when he was three years old. Frank and Isla Novello had been vacationing in Italy with their children when young Kit (then named Peter) was snatched. There were no ransom demands, no investigation by the British police, and little publicity. His reunion with his birth family is tepid, at best.

What really happened, he wonders, and starts his own investigation--interviewing old family friends, police, and reading the scant newspaper coverage of the event.

A departure from Barnard's usual witty murder mysteries.

Why bother? The definition of a page turner! Barnard bucks the trend of massive 400-500 page dictionary-size novels, and delivers a tale of suspense in 250 pages. Nothing is as it seems, and Barnard takes readers deftly through twists and turns to a satisfying conclusion.

July's books

The first in a new series, Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck, features Suzanne Hart, a newly divorced woman who buys a donut shop in April Springs, North Carolina. One morning in the early hours before dawn, when she arrives at the shop to start mixing her donuts, a body is dumped outside her store.

Now that her shop is a crime scene, is her business going to fair before it has a chance to suceed? The police investigation is heading in the wrong direction, so Suzanne feels compelled to do her own snooping.

Sizzling sixteen by Janet Evanovich
The last Sherlock Holmes story by Michael Didbin
Sherlock Holmes and the King's evil by Donald Thomas
Baker Street letters by Michael Robertson
Dust and shadow by Lindsay Faye
The patient's eyes by David Pirie
The final solution by Michael Chabon
Wild ride by Jennifer Crusie
The Cinderella deal by Jennifer Crusie
An unopened grave by L. Frank James
Sherlock Holmes for dummies by Steven Doyle
God of the hive by Laurie R. King
As husbands go by Susan Isaacs
Glazed murder by Jessica Beck
Crazy busy beautiful by Carmindy
Breakout by Richard Stark
Cozy by Parnell Hall
Nobody runs forever by Richard Stark
Abby Cooper, psychic eye by Victoria Laurie
The improbable adventures of Sherlock Holmes by various authors