Please Don't Push Up the Daisies by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: "This is the last of it," Tex said from behind the wheel of a moving truck.

 

Meeting her boyfriend's family for the first time is stressful enough, but interior decorator Madison Night doesn't know the half of it. Tex Allen's sister Lily has been trying to finalize her divorce from her botanist husband for years. Left alone to raise four high-energy boys on her own, Lily is more than happy to accept a move-in ready house as part of her divorce settlement. There's just a little matter of picking up the signed papers, and Madison is more than happy to go along as moral support. 

 

Instead of completed paperwork, Madison finds the ex's body lying in a corner of the arboretum where he works. And with Tex sidelined, it's up to Madison to find the killer. 

~

Please Don't Push Up the Daisies is an essential new chapter in the life of intrepid interior decorator Madison Night, and I have enjoyed watching one of my favorite fictional characters rising to each and every occasion as this series progresses.

This newest installment is all about relationships and family. Past events in Madison's life have always made her feel like the person on the outside looking in, but meeting boyfriend Tex Allen's sister and four nephews begins to change all that. (And while I'm on the subject of those nephews, let me just say that I was not amused by their "antics". There's a difference between high-spirited and "Call 9-1-1!") 

One of the departures in this book is the sidelining of Tex Allen. Madison is effectively cut off from her investigative mainstays, and she has to look elsewhere for help. The help she receives often surprises her, further highlighting the importance of relationships and family. 

Please Don't Push Up the Daisies is another enjoyable entry in one of my favorite series. Whodunit surprised me, which I always love, and there's a bonus epilogue available which I heartily recommend reading. If you enjoy strong female characters, intriguing mysteries, humor, and a strong dash of creativity, this series is the one for you. Begin at the beginning with Pillow Stalk so you don't miss a single step of Madison's journey.

Please Don't Push Up the Daisies by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579743-

Polyester Press © 2023

eBook, 236 pages

Cozy Mystery, #11 Madison Night mystery

Rating A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

 

First Line: At night we rode up to the old railroad tracks on the west side of town, turned the headlights off, and waited for the dead to appear.

 

When a fellow waitress goes missing, no one seems to care but young Annie McIntyre, college graduate and reluctant returnee to Garnett, Texas. Her concern leads her to join her grandfather's private investigation firm. Annie may lack direction, but she certainly doesn't lack ambition, and it shows as her search for clues leads her to honky-tonks, oil fields, and mile after mile of country roads.

 

The longer she investigates, the more she begins to identify with the missing woman, and this forces Annie to confront incidents in her own past that she's tried to bury. 

~

Samantha Jayne Allen's debut mystery, Pay Dirt Road, drags readers right into small-town Texas. In fact, the setting was the part of the book I enjoyed the most. Unfortunately, I had problems with the rest of it. 

 

When the bad guy is obvious (as in this book), I need something more than the setting to keep me fully engaged, and I just didn't find it here. I'll be honest and say that my reaction is almost completely subjective. Too many of the characters in Pay Dirt Road seemed to think that having a good time meant going out, getting drunk, and doing something stupid. That behavior has never ever floated my boat-- not even when I lived in a town smaller than Garnett with even fewer choices of "fun things to do." So... you can see why my attention would wane.

But I did finish the book because the writer does have talent. I'll just have to apologize and regretfully decline Annie McIntyre's next invitation to come investigate a crime with her.

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

ASIN: B09JXZWKKP

Recorded Books, LLC © 2022

Audiobook. 8 hours, 46 minutes.

 

Private Investigator, #1 Annie McIntyre mystery

Rating: C

Source: Purchased from Audible.

Love Me or Grieve Me by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: There were forty-seven people at my funeral.

 

Canceled lines of credit and flowers and cards of condolence to her loved ones are just the tip of the iceberg for interior decorator Madison Night when a junior copy editor at a Dallas newspaper uses her life story in the obituary of a deceased woman with a similar name.  

Addison Nigh was once a popular jazz vocalist, but she'd fallen into obscurity, and her obituary surprises many who thought she'd been dead for decades. This identity mix-up gives Madison backstage access into the singer's life, and it soon becomes apparent that Nigh played a part in an unsolved murder-- a murder that Madison can't resist trying to solve.

 

 

~

It's good to know what I have to do in case I'm mistakenly declared dead, but that's not the only reason to read this latest installment in Diane Vallere's excellent Madison Night series.  The entire series has shown readers Madison's journey to self-realization and how she has changed through her experiences and the people who've come into her life along the way. Madison isn't a one-note wonder; she's changed and grown over the course of the series, and she finally realizes this in Love Me or Grieve Me. She even shows us why Doris Day is the perfect role model for her transformation. (Never fear-- being familiar with Doris Day and with mid-century modern interior design are not necessary to enjoy these books but don't be surprised if your interest is piqued.)

The mystery is a good one, but as always, my delight is in the details. How nepotism doesn't work in the newsroom. How it pays to be very careful in reading the details of a real estate listing. How having a reliable dog sitter is crucial. And how one of Madison's favorite pastimes ("letting someone from a different generation share their stories") and how her line of work shapes how she sees others ("It's impossible for me not to profile people based on their living spaces") make her even more special. (And since I just completed a kitchen renovation, it makes me wonder how Madison would profile me.)

Diane Vallere's Madison Night is one of the best cozy mystery heroines in the business, and I'd never miss a book in this fun (yet grown-up) series. More, please!

 

Love Me or Grieve Me by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579408

Polyester Press © 2022

eBook, 263 pages

Cozy Mystery, #10 Madison Night mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Kill of It All by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: The pitch made it sound glamorous.

 

After legal troubles that dragged on far too long, Madison Night and her Mad for Mod interior design firm are back in business. She's busier than ever thanks to some TV spots she made, and the police commissioner wants her to replace the original actress in his feel-good campaign for local law enforcement. But when the first woman's body is found on the set, the last thing the police need is publicity.

At first, Madison steers clear of the investigation by focusing on Mad for Mod's relaunch, but when gossip links the victim to someone special in her life, she finds herself getting involved.

~

I walked into this series with the fourth book, The Decorator Who Knew Too Much, which I loved so much that I went back and snapped up the first three books to read. Since then I haven't looked back. This series is one that I keep up with, gobbling up each new book when it's released. With all the series mysteries that I read, that's saying something: Madison Night is very special.

The wait to get Madison back to work in her design firm seemed to drag on forever, but The Kill of It All shows readers that her creative mojo is just as strong as ever. Diane Vallere has led me to a better appreciation of both the actress Doris Day and of mid-century modern furniture and design, and when she shows Madison deep in her creative process, I'm totally absorbed.

There are so many pieces the author puts together to make The Kill of It All such a satisfying read. The work Tex is putting into making his police force better. How reading obituaries leads Madison to estate sales that add to her inventory (and what those purchased inventories say about the people they belonged to). Readers even get to see some of what goes into the making of television commercials. And there's one scene in particular that brought a very wet James Garner to mind.

If there's anything I'd want to change in this book, it's the fact that Madison never gets a chance to go back to that old furniture warehouse; it sounded as though it was filled with treasures. But I suppose I can always hope that Madison can get back to it in the next book.

If you're a reader who's come across these books and decided not to give them a try because the covers look too "cute," think again. Madison Night is fiftysomething,  a strong, intelligent woman with plenty of life experience, common sense, and talent. It is altogether possible to get a great deal of enjoyment from reading these books even if you don't care for Doris Day movies or mid-century modern furniture and design. This is some fine storytelling that should not be missed. You can start at book one (Pillow Stalk) or do what I did and jump in midstream. Whatever you do, just give this series a try. I'm pretty sure you're going to turn into a fan just like me.

The Kill of It All by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579286

Polyester Press © 2022

eBook, 235 pages

Cozy Mystery, #9 Madison Night/Mad for Mod mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Texas Job by Reavis Z. Wortham

 

First Line: The buckskin's hooves landed with soft thuds on the sandy East Texas road.

 

It's 1931 when Texas Ranger Tom Bell rides into an East Texas oil boomtown where thousands of men have flocked to find work. He's hunting for a fugitive murderer, and it's obvious that the sheriff and his men aren't going to be any help.

 

But his search for the wanted man uncovers more than he bargained for. Something's not right in this town, and since it does tie into his own search, Bell can't help but ask a few questions here and there. Unfortunately, his investigation stirs up a hornets' nest of resistance. Now Tom Bell is a wanted man himself.

 

~

 

For anyone familiar with Reavis Wortham's Red River mystery series, the name Tom Bell will be a familiar (and welcome) one. Bell is an old man in the 1960s setting of the Red River mysteries, but The Texas Job shows him as a young man in 1931 with more than a touch of Wyatt Earp-like invincibility. 

 

Wortham aptly describes the boomtown sensibility of Texas oil fields, of everyone out to make as much money as fast as they possibly can. And where there are boatloads of fast money, there are boatloads of outlaws, from petty criminals all the way up to the gangsters of organized crime. These are the days of Pretty Boy Floyd, of Ma Barker, John Dillinger, and Bonnie and Clyde. The Texas Job gives readers shootouts and ambushes and twisted, evil plots to grab control of the rights to all that oil and money. And if all that sounds a bit far-fetched, I'd suggest a little additional reading... David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon, for instance. 

But if this sounds like too much action and not enough setting and characterization, think again. The opening scene of The Texas Job is beautiful and lyrical. Wortham paints such a vivid picture that I easily found myself on horseback riding along with Tom Bell. Yes, there is beauty to be found in this book, as well as love, kindness, greed, and ugliness.

And then there's Tom Bell. A man who has to think on his feet in order to stay alive. A man who doesn't see skin color, and as a result meets unforgettable eleven-year-old Booker Johnston, and Booker's friends and family. The bad guys in this book are the types you love to hate, and you want to see them come to bad ends, but it's Bell's interactions with the marginalized there in town that bring a smile to my face and make the story come to life.

If you're a fan of Wortham's Red River mysteries, you already know you have a treat in store for you in The Texas Job. If you haven't made the acquaintance of Tom Bell, there's no time like the present. You're not only going to like him, you're going to want more.

The Texas Job by Reavis Z. Wortham

eISBN: 9781464215711

Poisoned Pen Press © 2022

eBook, 416 pages

 

Historical Thriller, Red River prequel

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

At Ease With the Dead by Walter Satterthwait

 

First Line: Normally a Santa Fe summer is one of the blessings of the Weather Gods.

 

While out fishing, private investigator Joshua Croft saves elderly Navajo Daniel Begay from a trio of abusive rednecks. Never expecting to see him again, he's very surprised when Begay shows up in his office and wants to hire him. The case is unusual, and it isn't going to be easy. Begay wants Croft to recover the bones of Ganado, a Navajo warrior... and those bones have been missing since 1925.

Ganado's skeleton was stolen by an oil prospector on sacred Navajo land. Less than a month later, the prospector was killed, and the bones haven't been seen since. 

Making it perfectly clear that he probably won't be successful, Croft takes on a case which he believes to be hopeless but relatively harmless. He couldn't be more wrong. The deeper he digs, the more danger he puts himself and others in. From El Paso to the Navajo Nation, Croft's investigation puts him solidly in the sights of someone who thinks nothing of killing to keep long-buried secrets.

~

A few years back, I stumbled across a mystery, Miss Lizzie, in which Satterthwait made Lizzie Borden one half of a detective duo. I loved the story, and I loved Satterthwait's poetic writing style. I went looking for more written by him and came across his first Joshua Croft mystery, Wall of Glass. Since the series is set in Santa Fe and I'd fallen in love with the place after a visit, I read it and knew I'd be back for more. I really enjoy Satterthwait's descriptions of the New Mexican landscape, how he develops his characters, and his stories.

Croft works for (and loves) wheelchair-bound Rita Mondragon, an intelligent, beautiful, and stubborn woman who states, "I'll leave this house when I can walk out of it." Croft feels she's making a mistake, but he's willing to accept Rita on her own terms. 

The mystery in At Ease With the Dead (the title taken from a quote by Geronimo) is filled with danger, archaeology, oil prospecting, and humor. It's a "buddy movie" in which Croft often finds himself paired with the elderly Navajo, Daniel Begay. The old man has so many tricks up his sleeve that one day Croft looks at him and asks, "Are you really Batman?" This pairing provides much-needed levity in what could have been a very dark story.

Croft has a smart-alecky wit that I really appreciate. Satterthwait has developed a strong cast of characters, and he certainly knows how to construct a mystery that keeps readers guessing as well as bringing his setting to life. He also has the knack of including sentences that can make you stop and think. "Guilt is sometimes a secret sort of self-esteem" or "If you see the world as an organism, a single entity, which of course it is, then you can't help but see the human race as a kind of virus on its surface, actively engaged in  killing off the host."

Story, setting, language, characters, Satterthwait's Joshua Croft is an often thought-provoking mystery series that I will certainly be returning to.

At Ease With the Dead by Walter Satterthwait

eISBN: 9781453251287

Open Road Integrated Media © 2012

Originally published 1991.

eBook, 248 pages

 

Private Investigator, #2 Joshua Croft mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Winter Seeks Out the Lonely by Larry D. Sweazy

First Line: January 13, 1935. Sonny Burton stood on the front porch and watched an open-topped jalopy sputtering down the hardpan road, rolling slow enough to kick into the air any dust worthy of noting.

 

It's a bleak, cold January in the Texas Panhandle. The Depression lingers on, digging its dirty fingers deep into every nook and cranny of life. The local Texas Rangers office is closing, which means Sonny Burton's son Jesse will probably lose his job. A ragtag, tired circus camps outside Wellington, needing rest before continuing on its journey, but most townsfolk don't seem to want it there. 

 

Sonny Burton is retired from the Texas Rangers, but that doesn't stop anyone from coming to him for help. His friend, Aldo Hernandez, comes seeking help for his cousin who got into a fight and cost another man his chance to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Although Sonny doesn't want to get involved, he finally agrees to help and finds himself in a snarled mess of corruption, bigotry, and hate. 

 

Sonny would much rather focus on the letters he's been receiving from Edith Grantley. While he worries about Edith being willing to share her life with a one-armed man who's used to living alone with his three-legged dog, Edith has grown tired of waiting for a response to her letters. She's jumped into her car, left her home in Huntsville, and is driving all the way to Wellington to see him-- not necessarily the wisest thing to do in these hard times. For both of them, it's a time of dangerous confrontations.

 

~

 

I've been a fan of Larry D. Sweazy's Sonny Burton mysteries since the very first one, A Thousand Falling Crows. During a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie Parker's aim cost Sonny his arm. There can't be any one-armed Texas Rangers, so she cost him his job, too... the most important thing in his life. His dedication to his job took a huge toll on his personal life, and even though his son Jesse joined the Texas Rangers in his father's footsteps, their relationship is strained. Sonny lives outside of town with his three-legged hound, Blue, feeling very much the outsider, and the cold, bleak winter is making him feel rootless and lonely. He's not the only one.

In the second book in the series (there are now three), The Lost Are the Last to Die, Sonny met boardinghouse owner Edith Grantley who's also feeling lost and alone. While Sonny thinks he's not fit to share Edith's life, Edith has her own thoughts on the matter and is brave enough to jump into her Pierce Arrow and make the journey from Huntsville all the way to the Texas Panhandle where Sonny lives. I could talk about these two characters all day because Sweazy brings them to life, but Sonny and Edith aren't the only reasons why you should read this book.

 

Sweazy also sets readers down right smack dab in the middle of the Dust Bowl and the Depression. You get a real feel for the landscape, how people lived, what they thought. If you enjoy historical mysteries set in the western United States, then don't miss Sonny Burton. 

The mystery concerning Aldo Hernandez's cousin is a good one, and it kept me trying to figure out what happened, but the part of the book that really grabbed me was Edith's journey across the state of Texas. Any female reading Winter Seeks Out the Lonely is going to put herself in Edith's shoes and find herself wishing that Edith's bright yellow Pierce Arrow would go faster. Faster. Faster. What makes this part of the book so memorable is that it isn't only adrenaline-churning action, it shows us just what kind of a person Edith is.

For Edith, "The road trip had revealed a world desperate to survive, to express its rage, and to take whatever it wanted without consequence." For readers, Winter Seeks Out the Lonely is a road trip deep into the Depression with two characters who show the strength and resiliency of the human spirit. I am so glad I found these books.

Winter Seeks Out the Lonely by Larry D. Sweazy

ISBN: 9781432868963

Five Star © 2021

Hardcover, 290 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #3 Sonny Burton mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author

Fatal Family Ties by S.C. Perkins

 

First Line: I was angling my taco toward my mouth with the speed of the ravenous when a voice made me nearly fall off my barstool.

 

When Camilla Braithwaite tracks Lucy Lancaster down at her favorite Austin restaurant and asks for her help, the normally sunny dispositioned Lucy doesn't jump at the chance. You see, Camilla was one of three women who made her life miserable at her former job. Memories like that don't just fade away.

 

Lucy would prefer to spend her time with Ben, an agent with the FBI, but the lure of proving a magazine article wrong about Camilla's Civil War veteran ancestor is too irresistible.

 

One of the first things Camilla does is to take Lucy to the Texas History Museum and the exhibit on her Civil War veteran ancestor. That's when Lucy learns about a triptych painting that the man did, and which has been passed down in the family through the generations. One of the panels is missing, but Camilla takes Lucy to see the one in her uncle's possession-- and that visit is a catalyst for calamity. A member of the Braithwaite family is found murdered and another panel of the painting disappears. Something's wrong here, and Lucy Lancaster, ancestry detective, will not rest until she finds out what it is.

 

~

 

Whenever I need a change from the grittier mysteries and thrillers that I read, there are a few cozy series that I enjoy, and S.C. Perkins' Ancestry Detective mysteries are right at the top of my list. Fatal Family Ties is the excellent third entry in a series that doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

 

The mystery is a good one. The bad guys are rather easy to pick out of a lineup, but why they're working together and how is what really fuels the mystery. The other thing that puts the zing into sleuthing is the historical tidbits that Perkins adds-- how tricky it can be to decipher Civil War military records, for example, or the burial practices involving soldiers. (Now, that last one may seem morbid to some, but it is important to the plot, and I found it interesting because one of my ancestors died in battle in Tennessee and his body had to be transported to southern Illinois.) There's also a bit of art restoration in Fatal Family Ties, which I always find fascinating.

But of course, when you talk cozies, you've got to talk character because the characters are what bind everything together. I really like Lucy Lancaster, her friendly, open disposition, her willingness to help others, her passion and talent for her work. She listens to and works with the police-- not against them-- and she never intentionally does anything dangerous or stupid. It doesn't hurt that her boyfriend, Ben Turner, is an FBI agent, and it also doesn't hurt that Ben realizes she has a talent for rooting out important clues. Besides a smart, handsome boyfriend, Lucy also has two great friends, a supportive family, and a grandfather who was a spy and has a penchant for terrific neckties. 

If you're in the mood for a mystery that involves some history and a little art theft, a mystery that's full of good people doing the right thing for the right reasons, a mystery that can make you smile and just plain feel good, pick up Fatal Family Ties. It can be read as a standalone, but don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the other two, Murder Once Removed and Lineage Most Lethal.

 

Fatal Family Ties by S.C. Perkins

eISBN: 9781250789655

Minotaur Books © 2021

eBook, 320 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #3 Ancestry Detective mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Teacher's Threat by Diane Vallere

 

First Line:"I'm sorry, Madison. You're just not good on paper."

 

When Madison steps out from yet another rejection at yet another bank, she looks across the street and sees a college, so she immediately goes over and signs up for the classes she needs to get an MBA. That MBA on her resume and applications should make a difference, right? 

Most of her classes are a yawn; she's already learned everything from running her Mad for Mod decorating business. There's only one that really holds her interest, and Madison is right on the scene when the professor of that class dies. Rumors are thick on campus, but both the police and Madison are sure the professor was murdered. Is the Why? going to help them find the Who?

~

Tastes can change as a person ages. When I was young, the Doris Day movies when she starred with Rock Hudson or James Garner were okay and good for a laugh or two, and I certainly remember those mid-century modern clothes and interior design (even if I didn't care for them very much). Years passed, and Doris Day was no longer on my radar. Then I read the talented Diane Vallere's "Material Witness" cozy series and thought I'd give another of hers a try. I dove into The Decorator Who Knew Too Much, even though, up to that point, I'd been ignoring the Madison Night/Mad for Mod books because of their "too cute" covers. Now I love the covers that remind me of the McCall's and Simplicity patterns my grandmother used when she made all my clothes. I think Doris Day is an actress who had an amazing range and that she makes a perfect role model. What about the mid-century modern interior design? Well, you're never going to find it in my house, but I now have an appreciation for it, and I can absolutely love it when reading the books in this series.

 

I enjoyed Teacher's Threat a lot. It takes a good book to make me forget that I'm sitting in an Emergency Room waiting room, and this book did the trick. I didn't find the mystery aspect of the book overly taxing-- there were two secondary characters who stuck out like sore thumbs to me so I knew they were up to something-- but it was more than good enough to hold ER Funk at bay. The mystery also introduced me to two police officers named Ling Tsu and Sue Niedermeyer whose 99% rating on suspect confessions has led to a new saying at the Lakewood Police Department: You've been Sued. I definitely want to see more of these two in future books!

 

The cast of characters is far from static, and the character who's changed the most is Donna "Nasty" Nast. Well, that's not quite accurate. Nasty hasn't changed, it's just that readers have learned more about her as Madison has. Nasty may be abrasive. She may say exactly what's on her mind. Her conversation may not be littered with please's and thank you's, but that's not what really matters. This is one intelligent woman who's made a life and a successful business all by herself, and when your chips are down, this is one person you want on your side. Neither Nasty or Madison would ever want to admit how similar they are, but readers can just smile at them and feel indulgent.

What can really make me fall in love with these Madison Night mysteries is when Madison's creative juices start flowing. When her natural talents for design, for pulling things together start to percolate, these books can sing. The simple act of creation fires them up, and it doesn't make one molecule's difference that I don't care for mid-century modern design. Madison has the power to make her passion my passion, and that takes the kind of talent that will keep me coming back for more. I was thrilled when things began-- finally!-- to look up for Madison and her business!

Do you think the book covers are too cute? Get over it. Do you think Doris Day is a crazy choice for a role model? Get over it. Do you think mid-century modern clothing and interior design are ugly? Get over it. Because if you don't, you'll be missing out on an excellent, unique cozy mystery series with an intelligent heroine who will never go out of style. Hurry up and write the next one, please!

Teacher's Threat by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579132

Polyester Press © 2021

eBook, 276 pages

Cozy Mystery, #8 Madison Night mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

 

First Line: Wichita Falls, Texas, Winter 1870. Captain Kidd laid out the Boston Morning Journal on the lectern and began to read from the article on the Fifteenth Amendment.

 

In the years following the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through north Texas giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. His life takes a major turn when he reluctantly agrees to take a ten-year-old girl who'd been captured by the Kiowa back to her family outside of San Antonio. Raised by the Kiowa since the age of six, they are the only family Johanna knows. She has no desire to learn the language or "civilized" ways of the whites, let alone to go and live among them.

 

Kidd knows that most captives brought back to their white families do not fare well. Besides, he's lived through three wars and fought in two of them, and he enjoys his solitary existence. With two such very different people, it's no wonder that the perilous journey the old man and the young girl make will change both their lives forever.

 

~

 

Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is an interesting blend of pragmatist and dreamer, and he introduced me to an occupation that I'd been completely unaware of: that of a traveling newsreader who brings the outside world to people hungry for news. It's his belief that "If people had true knowledge of the world perhaps they would not take up arms and so perhaps he could be an aggregator of information from distant places and then the world would be a more peaceful place." Watching his character develop-- as well as that of the young Johanna-- is the best part of News of the World, and Paulette Jiles gives a strong, steady pulse to her characters and setting.

Kidd is a man in his early seventies who has grown children as well as grandchildren. A printer by trade, he's grown accustomed to his nomadic, solitary existence, so watching the growing bond between the old man and his young charge as they make their perilous way through Texas is a quiet thing of beauty.

Perhaps it is because I felt so invested in the characters that I had an adverse reaction to the way Jiles concluded her book. The ending felt rushed as it galloped through several years. I would have much preferred that News of the World gave those years the treatment they deserved, or that the book ended when little Johanna finally arrived home. When all is said and done, I found Jiles' novel to be an absorbing read that was marred by its conclusion.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

eISBN: 9780062409225

William Morrow © 2017

eBook, 212 pages

 

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Laying Bones by Reavis Wortham

 

First Line: I rode against the passenger door in the front seat of my cousin's midnight blue 1964 Comet, watching the headlights cut through the cold darkness.

 

It's a bitterly cold January in rural Center Springs, Texas, and Constable Ned Parker doesn't believe the death of his nephew was accidental, so he methodically begins turning over every stone he can find to shine a light on the truth.

 

Some of the stones lead Ned right to the Starlite Club, a new honky-tonk built on no-man's land on the Texas side of the Red River. There he finds suspicious characters, drugs, and gambling, but what's worse is the string of murders that seem to be eliminating anyone who might know what really happened to Ned's nephew.

 

All he can do is keep digging away, relying on his fellow police officers and help from an old Texas Ranger... and his grandchildren who have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

~

 

It's been a very long three years since the last Red River mystery, and I was thrilled to bits to find out that Reavis Wortham had finally written another one. Laying Bones is an excellent addition to the series, and it has a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming (but should have).

Wortham always creates a strong mystery, and finding the truth behind R.B. Parker's death is no exception. In Laying Bones, he gets extra points for fooling me, although I'm going to say that I was so wrapped up in the story that I ignored the clues he planted along the way. Besides the mystery, there are two major reasons why I enjoy this Red River series so much: the pitch-perfect sense of place and a standout cast of characters.

Wortham puts you right smack dab in the middle of rural northeast Texas in the 1960s and lets you watch as the problems of the outside world slither in. He can paint a scene that comes alive in your mind's eye, and he does it, not just by visual cues of kids going to see a John Wayne movie in a midnight blue 1964 Comet but also by language, and I think it's the language more than anything else that draws me so deeply into Wortham's stories. In the small farm village where I grew up, we didn't say "barbed wire," it was "bobwire" like it is in Wortham's fictional Center Springs-- and "You ain't just a woofin'" was a common phrase used that I haven't heard since I moved away.

The second major reason, the standout cast of characters, is probably the strongest reason of all for my love of this series. Wortham lets you see the story from more than one point of view. You get to see the world through Ned Parker's teenage grandson Top's eyes as well as those of his young cousins and friends. In Laying Bones, Top mostly feels like a fifth wheel as the others have begun pairing up. These kids are good kids, but they certainly do have a knack for being where they shouldn't be-- usually at the instigation of the free-spirited Pepper. However, if they didn't have that knack, they wouldn't be able to provide Ned and the others with valuable information from time to time.

You also get to see the story through the grownups' eyes. There's a whole passel of Parkers led by Ned. Cody, his nephew, is the police chief who's finally reached the stage of his career where he knows when to tell his uncle to calm down and stay put. But of all the grownup characters, one of my two favorites is big John Washington, the Black deputy. In his quiet way readers get to see what life was like for Blacks in 1960s Texas. When it comes right down to it, I don't know who I'd want to have at my back in a fight, John Washington or retired Texas Ranger Tom Bell. Mr. Tom might have been chasing outlaws in the 1930s, but anyone who dismisses either him or Ned Parker as just an old man does so at their own peril. Both of these men don't talk much but they have a huge presence.

From the mystery to the sense of place to the characters, these Red River mysteries are most definitely more-ish, and I hope with all my heart that it's not another three years before I see these folks again.

Laying Bones by Reavis Wortham

eISBN: 9781464214387

Poisoned Pen Press © 2021

eBook, 336 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #8 Red River mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Apprehend Me No Flowers by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: The flowers were a nice touch. 

Madison Night's interior decorating business is on hold due to a lawsuit. Warned away from doing the slightest thing that could possibly pertain to her business, she's at her wit's end. It's just not normal for her to have nothing to do. That changes when she and police captain Tex Allen have a picnic in the park and Madison finds a body. Then Allen gets word that there's a second body on the other side of the park.

The bodies are unidentifiable and bad weather ruined both crime scenes. Now Madison definitely has something to keep her busy, but when the case is solved, will she have a business to go back to?

~

Apprehend Me No Flowers lacks the punch and sparkle of previous books in this series that I love, but it's still an enjoyable read. It introduces a new character, Imogene, the new receptionist (and wannabe mystery writer) at the police station, and I hope to see more of her. 

With Madison's interior decorating business Mad for Mod out of commission, I did find that I missed the creativity it always brings to the series, even though mid-century modern furnishings aren't my favorite. Vallere has a knack for writing about this style that draws me right in-- reminding me of some of the furniture my mother had as well as the movies of Madison Night's hero Doris Day.

One thing that Apprehend Me No Flowers used to very good effect is how so many police stations are fighting to deal with big budget cuts while all the rich folk are still demanding them to be at their beck and call. Some of the difficulties Allen's station was experiencing kept me from putting all my little grey cells to work on the identity of the killer, and that's a good thing.

This seventh book in the Madison Night series may not have the pizzazz of previous entries, but that doesn't keep me from looking forward to book number eight. I love the character of Madison Night, and I think many of you will, too. In fact, if you haven't tried this series, start with the first book, Pillow Stalk, so you don't miss a thing in character development. Don't let the covers mislead you: Madison Night isn't all froth and fun; she can be a bit edgy, too. There's a lot more to the series that meets the eye. Give it a try and find out for yourself.

Apprehend Me No Flowers by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781939197863

Polyester Press © 2020

eBook, 252 pages

Cozy Mystery, #7 Madison Night mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

First Line: Geneva Sweet ran an orange extension cord past Mayva Greenwood, Beloved Wife and Mother, May She Rest with Her Heavenly Father.

Like most other folks who live there, Darren Mathews is well aware that East Texas plays by its own rules when it comes to law and order. That's why he moved as far away as he could... until duty called him home. Now he's a Black Texas Ranger on suspension when his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy.

Mathews travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark where the murders of a Black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman have stirred up plenty of trouble. Mathews needs to solve the crimes before Lark's racial fault lines shatter. If he can do this, he can also save himself in the process.

I'm glad I waited to read Bluebird, Bluebird until now. Until the actions of #BlackLivesMatter have begun to spark this nation to change. Attica Locke takes those of us who have lived basically sheltered lives and shows us what it's really like for Blacks in the South, and it's not pretty. If you're Black, you have to navigate an entirely different roadmap from the rest of us. How did I feel as I read this book? As if I were suddenly thrown onto a different planet. As Darren Mathews walked into a bar that's home to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas to local blind-eye law enforcement to Geneva Sweet's restaurant, I was with him, and I was on edge. You see, my way of thinking is that, if Blacks are treated like third-class citizens here in Lark, who's to say that someone who's not from these parts (even though she's white) will be treated any differently? I didn't feel any safer than Darren did, and that's a good bit of storytelling on Locke's part.

Mathews is an interesting character who certainly doesn't always do the sensible thing-- even when he knows how "the system" works in this area. Raised by his uncles, he's got a strong sense of justice, and he doesn't know when to quit. He can also see both sides of a situation: when things get tough for a white character, he can see that the man is being treated the exact same way the Black suspects were-- and that's not right.

Bluebird, Bluebird is a fast-paced intricate mystery that hooked me almost immediately, but be forewarned. If you don't like cliffhangers, this book ends on a doozy. Personally, I don't mind taking another trip up Highway 59. I have got to find out how Attica Locke continues Mathews' story in Heaven, My Home.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

eISBN: 9780316363266

Little, Brown and Company © 2017

eBook, 318 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Highway 59 mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Lineage Most Lethal by S.C. Perkins

First Line: "Stop," I begged. "Please."

Hotel heiress Pippa Sutton has invited genealogist Lucy Lancaster to spend the week between Christmas and New Year's at the swanky Hotel Sutton. Lucy will be relaxing, but she'll also be putting the finishing touches on her presentation for Pippa and her family. Things take a turn for the bizarre when a man staggers up to her outside the hotel, presses a classic Montblanc pen into her hand, collapses, and dies.

Since Lucy's grandfather is an avid Montblanc collector, she takes the pen to him. Not only does he recognize the pen, he reveals the fact that he was an Allied spy during World War II. The pen is a message regarding one of his wartime missions.

When people begin dying whose names happen to be on a microdot found in the pen, Lucy has to work fast-- her beloved grandfather's life is in jeopardy.

S.C. Perkins' Ancestry Detective mystery series is turning out to be delightful. Lucy Lancaster is one bright woman who, after the events in the first book in the series (Murder Once Removed), took a CPR class, a self-defense class, and went to a counselor. So many amateur sleuths never seem to take these precautions, so I always appreciate it when I see it happen. Lucy also keeps going to the police with the information she uncovers even though she's not being taken seriously.

Readers learn quite a bit about Lucy's grandfather in Lineage Most Lethal. It seems the old man has been keeping quite a few secrets under wraps. There are even codes to decipher which I always enjoy. Having helped my mother and grandmother with our family history, I was intrigued by Lucy's use of something called Soundex, a phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound as pronounced in English. If my mother had known about Soundex, she might have been able to trace a very elusive family name. Who says you can't learn anything by reading mysteries?

World War II, spies, secret missions, microdots, codes, and a lead character who makes me smile. I can't wait to see what Lucy Lancaster gets up to in her next adventure.

Lineage Most Lethal by S.C. Perkins

eISBN: 9781250750082

Minotaur Books © 2020

eBook, 336 pages

Cozy Mystery, #2 Ancestry Detective mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

November Road by Lou Berney

First Line: Behold! The Big Easy in all its wicked splendor!

It took a while but wiseguy Frank Guidry, a loyal lieutenant for New Orleans crime boss Carlos Marcellos, has finally learned that everyone is expendable. How? He knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Within hours after the assassination, people with ties to Marcello start turning up dead, and Guidry knows he's next. He hits the road for Las Vegas to see an old associate who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish. When he sees a young woman with two little girls standing by a broken down car on the side of the road, he figures they'll be good cover. Marcellos' men will be looking for a man alone.

For Charlotte, Guidry's promise of help in getting a new car in Las Vegas is all-important. That car is her escape from a stifling life in small-town Oklahoma with a hopeless drunk of a husband. What's unexpected is that these two people find each other on their journey. But they're breaking an unspoken rule: a road isn't just a road, it's a trail, and ruthless killers are closing in on Guidry... and Charlotte and her two little daughters.

With writing like "...the towel could have sanded the faces off Mount Rushmore", Lou Berney certainly knows how to turn a phrase, but that's just icing on the cake of November Road. He also is no stranger to crafting a fast-paced, spellbinding story populated with fully-fleshed, memorable characters. The story is told in three voices: Frank's and Charlotte's, the two people on the run, and a hitman most refer to simply as Barone.

The circumstances revolving around the assassination of JFK are more than plausible, and some of the scenes brought back a childhood memory or two, as well as Guidry's escape route along Route 66. The cat-and-mouse chase can make your heart pump a little faster as first we learn where Guidry and Charlotte are before switching to Barone who's rapidly closing the distance between them. Part of me wanted a fairy-tale ending for Frank and Charlotte, who begin to fall in love the closer they get to Las Vegas, but the other part of me was still in the real world. Berney proved to be skilled at leading me on.

No matter how strong the story and the writing are-- and they are-- it's the characters who make November Road something special. Theodore, a black teenager who finds himself traveling with a hitman. Charlotte, in despair over her life and the life she's giving her children, changes as she makes her escape from her sot of a husband, and her two daughters, Joan and Rosemary, are easily capable of stealing the show from time to time-- a necessary lightening of the tension that builds throughout the book. But those two children are also strong characters in their own right without becoming cloying caricatures. Even Guidry, who's spent his life living in the moment for whatever pleasure he feels like experiencing, undergoes a transformation when he comes into Charlotte's orbit.

Did I get my fairy-tale ending? That's for you to find out. November Road is a marvelous book, in turn nerve-wracking, funny, heartbreaking, and almost impossible to put down. It's going to be a long time before I forget characters like Charlotte and Theodore, and it goes without saying that I'm on the lookout for more books by Lou Berney.

November Road by Lou Berney

eISBN: 9780062663870

William Morrow © 2018

eBook, 320 pages

Historical Thriller, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

 

The Lost Are the Last to Die by Larry D. Sweazy

First Line: Sonny Burton downshifted the Model A Ford pickup truck and pulled it over to the side of the road.

Texas Ranger Sonny Burton retired after losing his arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, and you'd think they would leave him alone. But when Billy Bunson escapes from the prison in Huntsville, Texas, Sonny is asked to help capture him-- and his partner will be his son, Jesse.

No one knows Billy Bunson like Sonny Burton, and when Sonny learns that Billy escaped while taking a pregnant woman hostage, he knows there's more to this than meets the eye. For one thing, Billy has vowed revenge on Sonny and fully intends to carry it out because of the history between them. From his beginnings as a simple thief, Bunson has turned into a ruthless killer, so Sonny needs to proceed with caution.

The Lost Are the Last to Die unfolds over the twenty-five years that ex-Texas Ranger Sonny Burton and escaped convict Billy Bunson have known each other. In timelines varying from 1911 to 1934, readers are told these two men's stories from both points of view, and it's all about perspective. Sweazy does an excellent job of portraying both men. We see Burton's unhappy home life, his World War I service, and his slightly uneven career in the Texas Rangers. And throughout this time, Billy pops in and out. Billy, whose mother is a prostitute and his grandmother a brothel owner. Billy, a little boy who travels with the women from place to place when business gets too slow. Billy, who's trained as a thief and whose best friend and teacher is a former slave named Jim Rome. And throughout his life, there's the shadow of Sonny Burton, a laconic Texas Ranger who always seems able to outthink him and who always seems to expect more from Billy than Billy wants to give-- and that makes Billy angry.

As I read this engrossing story, two things stood out. One, a scene where Sonny comes across a rabbit cull. He sees a little four- or five-year-old boy covered in blood and screaming for his mother, and as he drives his Model A Ford pickup truck down the dirt road, he thinks about that little boy, wondering what he would remember of that day and what sort of man he would become. This scene not only brings to life a common occurrence during the Dust Bowl (rabbit culls), but it also tells us a lot about Sonny himself. The second thing? In many ways, the character who stood out the most (and who didn't get that much "screen time") was Jim Rome. In a few words, Sweazy manages to bring this man to life and make readers ponder all the things he had to endure. This is some marvelous storytelling.

This is the second Sonny Burton mystery I've read and enjoyed. The time period, the plots, and the characters all capture my imagination, so it should be no surprise to anyone when I say that I hope Sonny makes a third appearance. I really hope he's not done telling us his story.

The Lost Are the Last to Die by Larry D. Sweazy

ISBN: 9781432857233

Gale Publishing © 2019

Hardcover, 332 pages

Historical Mystery, #2 Sonny Burton mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author


 

Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

First Line: The knife had pierced Seth Halloran's heart, exactly at the spot that would stop it cold.

Genealogist Lucy Lancaster loves tacos; she loves Austin, Texas; and she certainly loves her business, Ancestry Investigations. She considered proving a Texas billionaire's great-great-grandfather was murdered a highlight of her career until the billionaire jumps the gun and names his grandfather's killer on air.

There's no proof that an ancestor of Senator Daniel Applewhite killed Seth Halloran; nevertheless, houses start getting broken into, artifacts are stolen, a former co-worker of Lucy's is murdered, and Lucy herself is threatened. This genealogist had no idea that shaking the branches of some family trees could prove to be so deadly.

Murder Once Removed is the first in the promising Ancestry Detective cozy series set in Texas. Author S.C. Perkins used her setting to perfect advantage: not only did I want to book a flight to Austin for a visit, but she also made me crave Mexican food. (Thank heaven Big Flaco's Tacos isn't here!)

Another strong part of her setting is the old office building in which Lucy shares space with her two best friends, Serena the personal shopper and British Josephine who's a translator. Perkins has set up a good supporting cast for Lucy which also includes Juan "Big Flaco" Medrano (the food magician, yum) and NPH-- Neil Patrick Housecat-- among others. The cast might get even larger if some of the family members who were mentioned return from their travels in future books.

The mystery is a good one in Murder Once Removed, plenty of misdirection and red herrings, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out. But there were a couple of things that I didn't enjoy quite so much. Lucy is not supposed to be a fashionista-- preferring to wear jeans and t-shirts to work-- but readers are given a blow-by-blow description of everyone's physical appearance and wardrobe. All the needless detail slows down the pace of the book. There's also a rather run-of-the-mill romantic interest for Lucy-- the gorgeous law enforcement guy who rubs her fur the wrong way-- that really wasn't necessary. Just once, I wish the main character would fall for a homely guy who wasn't licensed to carry any deadly weapons, you know?

Thankfully, the mystery, Lucy and her gang, and the Austin setting rose above the wordy descriptions and ho-hum romance. I'm looking forward to seeing what family tree Lucy shakes next.

Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

ISBN: 9781250189035

Minotaur Books © 2019

Hardcover, 336 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Ancestry Detective mystery

Rating: B

Source: the publisher & NetGalley


 

Too Late to Die by Bill Crider

First Line: It was another damn election year, and if there was one thing that Sheriff Dan Rhodes knew for sure it was that Hod Barrett wasn't going to vote for him this time either.

When a pretty and well-liked woman is killed in her own home, Blacklin County Sheriff Dan Rhodes has a Texas-sized problem on his hands. He's already having to contend with a rash of burglaries, and he's running for reelection against a wealthy man who knows how to schmooze any crowd he comes in contact with. But having a killer on the loose is more important than all the other things on his plate. What he doesn't quite take into consideration is how many of his neighbors' secrets he's going to uncover while he's solving the case.

Bill Crider's Dan Rhodes mystery series is one that I've been meaning to get around to reading for a long time. Many of you know how it goes. But a recent recommendation nudged me in the right direction, and I picked up this first book in the series.

I enjoyed Crider's gentle sense of humor throughout the book. Whenever Sheriff Dan Rhodes has to tell someone something he (or she) doesn't want to hear, the first thought through his mind is, "Well, there goes another vote." Rhodes is a genuinely nice guy who's fairly well acquainted with all the folks in his county. Speaking of those folks, Crider's provided his sheriff with a good supporting cast, including his daughter Kathy, Mrs. Wilkie (who has the hots for this widowed lawman), and Ivy, a strong, intelligent woman who's running for justice of the peace. The only problem is, he doesn't always make use of that supporting cast. He likes to ponder a case, and when he thinks he may have all the puzzle pieces in the proper places, he runs off to check it out all by his lonesome. I can see times where that's not going to be such a good idea.

With a main character who has an independent turn of mind, it's a good thing Bill Crider has a lot of talent when it comes to adding elements of surprise and writing action sequences. I can see that this is a series that I'm probably going to enjoy a lot. I may even wind up adding Dan Rhodes to my list of favorite fictional sheriffs.

Too Late to Die by Bill Crider

ASIN: B00CWUJUB6

Crossroads Press © 2013

Originally published in 1986.

eBook, 183 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

Lover Come Hack by Diane Vallere

First Line: I should have expected the letter.

Strong, independent women don't always have a lot of close friends; therefore, spending so much time with fellow mid-century modern designer Jane Strong during the past six months has been heaven for Madison Night. Jane and Madison had put in a lot of work on a collaborative design for an upcoming prestigious competition but when Jane abruptly ends their friendship, Madison decides to go solo.

When Madison personally turns in her entry, she discovers Jane dying in the public restroom, and it takes police very little time to put her at the top of the suspect list. However, Jane's death almost takes a backseat in Madison's mind. Her computer is among several that have been hacked, making Jane's death seem targeted instead of random. With the competition deadline looming, Madison must partner with a very unlikely ally to prevent everything coming to a crashing halt.

Diane Vallere's Doris Day-inspired Madison Night cozy series keeps going strong with this sixth entry, Lover Come Hack. Vallere provides good insights into the emotions and thought processes of her fifty-year-old main character, and I had to laugh at the result of Madison telling the other two sides of her romantic triangle to leave her alone for six months: It's been "the most productive six months of my life."

Once again, the author provides an intriguing mystery laced with computer viruses and excellent misdirection. One thing that I was very happy to discover (and others may not) was the fact that there was a bit more emphasis on interior design in this book. After all, it is one of the reasons why I like this series so much. Another reason to enjoy Lover Come Hack is that it seriously channels Doris Day, even more than previous series books. Vallere has probably caused an upsurge in readers viewing this remarkable actress/singer's movies-- by both the curious and by those who do remember her.

While Madison is the main draw in this series, I have to say that I am enjoying the evolution of another character-- another strong, independent businesswoman-- everyone calls "Nasty," and it is this evolution that really makes me look forward to the next book. Bring it on!

Lover Come Hack by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781635114164

Henery Press © 2018

eBook, 208 pages

Cozy Mystery, #6 Madison Night mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Gold Dust by Reavis Z. Wortham

First Line: The Devil was beating his wife when the rusty green cattle trailer backed through an assortment of oak, pecan, elm, and hackberry trees surrounding a warped and sun-splintered catch pen.

They both should have known better. The crop duster should've known that the two nondescript men with a lot of money to offer had more than checking wind currents and weather patterns on their minds, and fourteen-year-old Pepper Parker should've known better than to let jealousy of a sexy older woman incite her to make up a story about a hidden fortune in gold. But they didn't, and it didn't take long for things to unravel in Center Springs, Texas in the late 1960s.

The biological agent sprayed across the area makes some people sick and puts Pepper's cousin, Top, at death's door. When Top's grandfather Constable Ned Parker finds out about the crop duster, the government, and the supposedly benign biological agent called "Gold Dust," he and a retired Texas Ranger head east to set things straight. While they're gone, the rest of local law enforcement has to deal with cattle rustlers and the effects of the entire area being overrun by treasure hunters.

If like me, you like some good, old-fashioned frontier justice from time to time, you'd have a difficult time finding anyone better than Reavis Wortham to get the job done. Gold Dust is the continuation of his excellent Red River series-- a series that I will never willingly miss an installment of. Why? Because I love the way Wortham tells a story. He's true to his Texas roots, and the language and the time period of the late 1960s. He also creates characters readers can really care about, and adrenaline junkies will fall in love with his action scenes. (And I have to admit that one of the reasons why I enjoy those hair-raising action sequences is because some of the participants tend to be very spry old folks.)

A bit of frontier justice has never seemed more fitting than here in Gold Dust when you've got the government doing things it knows it shouldn't be doing, but I've got a bit more to say about the subject of justice. In previous reviews, I've made no secret of the fact that there is one character in this series who rubs my fur the wrong way: Pepper Parker. That girl really makes me talk to myself, which is a huge compliment to Wortham's skill in characterization. Pepper wreaks havoc with that gold story of hers, and when her "bill came due," I just wish the amount had been higher. I despair of that girl ever getting her head screwed on straight.

But enough belly-aching about a fictional person. If you're a fellow fan of these wonderful Red River mysteries, you have a treat in store. If you have yet to sample them, I suggest you start at the beginning with The Rock Hole. You've got some mighty fine reading ahead of you!    

Gold Dust by Reavis Z. Wortham

eISBN: 9781464209642

Poisoned Pen Press © 2018

eBook, 300 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Red River mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley