I stopped by Battenkill Books today to check on their mystery arrivals, which often come on Thursdays and Wednesdays. I hit pay dirt: two of my favorite mystery writers have new books, and I got both. Both are red hot and in great demand.

Richard Osman has a terrific new series about older adults in a wealthy English nursing home who can’t mind their own business and set out to solve murders that have stumped the local police. The head of the group is a retired MI5 spy who remembers her training and is afraid of nothing—the people who underestimate her because she’s old regret it. His newest book in the series, The Last Devil To Die, came out this week.

The series is a lot of fun and skillfully plotted. It’s a compelling world to spend some time in. It’s a very original idea, and the series has taken off. It’s the perfect mystery series to read just before bedtime – no nightmares.

Ann Cleves (Shetland, Vera, Two Rivers) is perhaps well known to mystery loves.

She has a new book out, The Raging Storm. Her Vera and Shetland series are also among the streaming mystery series.

The Brits know how to do it, most of the American efforts are just dumb and overly dramatic or violent. Her new book, The Raging Storm, is a Detective Matthew Venn mystery. I just wanted to share the good news, and I can’t wait to do some reading tonight. I just might not get to Louise Penny.