Book 2 of another amusing series by Joyce Porter. Book 1 is hard to get/expensive for some reason (?). Anyhow this one finds the Hon Con (Honorable Constance) investigating the death of an au pair in a house somewhere below her in the town. She must chat up the neighbors (with whom she has frosty relations) to pursue her investigative hobby. She trips into a cheerful girl cab driver with whom Hon Con flirts shamelessly (poor old Ms. what's her name, the house sharer/cleaning lady at HonCon's house). Finally it is all worked out - though mostly for good clean Porter fun. ( )

These are such fun! I apparently have a special fondness for domineering British battle-axes, and the Hon Con is such a delightful example (lesbian, delusional, but indefatigable) of the species. When reading a mystery my highest praise is if I'd enjoy the book just as much if there were no mystery at all to be solved, and I must say I would follow the Hon Con to other genres with great delight.

Not quite a 5 because, charming as they are, they aren't quite laugh-out-loud funny (not to the level of Blue Heaven or the Lucia series), nor am I especially emotionally invested. But in all other respects this is a great choice for lovers of cosy (but not twee/whimsical) mysteries.,

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )