Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves

Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves is the sixth in the series of British crime novels with Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope. Her protégé, Detective Joe Ashford discovers that a woman has been stabbed on a crowded Metro train just days before Christmas. The victim, Margaret Krukowski is an elderly woman that Vera learns has many secrets. A few days later a prostitute that Margaret was trying to help is also found murdered. The clues lead to the residents of Harbour Street who are trying to keep their own secrets safe. Through this is the sixth in a series, it stands alone with its vivid characters and suspenseful conclusion. The Netflix series, Vera, is based on the compelling and flawed characters from these books. What a moody and atmospheric story that keeps its readers guessing until the end.

The Case of the Dotty Dowager by Cathy Ace

The Case of the Dotty Dowager by Cathy Ace is an amusing British cozy mystery. This is the first in a planned series featuring the WISE Women Detective Agency.  These female detectives are WISE because they are from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England respectively. Henry Twyst, the eighteenth duke of Chellingworth, discreetly employs the detective agency to discover whether his mother, the Dowager Duchess, actually saw a corpse in her dining room. Has the Duchess gone senile? One of the WISE detectives is a family friend, the Honorable Christine Wilson-Smythe, who just so happens to be the only daughter of a Viscount and Viscountess. Christine and her friends discover what really happened that night in the Duchess’ dining room. This book is a clever beginning to a fun and entertaining genre series.