Organize your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini

This was an absolutely perfect beach or curl up in a lounge chair book. It was fun and without a terribly difficult plot. The heroine has real life problems and two adorable yet loyal little dogs. I was drawn to the idea of an organizer solving crimes since organization would seem to be a prime quality for a sleuth. In theory, I understand the importance of being organized but it is certainly not my most dominant quality. The setting is the upper Hudson River Valley which was also a draw for me since I am familiar with the area. Charlotte Adams, just starting a business of professional organizing in her home town, runs into all kinds of situations trying to solve the murder of a former and quite unpopular teacher. Suspects and helpers for Charlotte are certainly not lacking and, in fact, some overlap. Red herrings are numerous but even when it seems obvious who the culprit is, more surprises await. "Organize Your Corpses" was an enjoyable read. I would definitely try another. Perfect for stashing in a suitcase, the book is available in easy travel paperback. Maffini is a Canadian native with three crime series with heroines including Charlotte Adams, as well as Camilla McPhee, a detective, and Fiona Silk, a failed romance writer.Both sound lie fun. Maffini is a former president of Crime Fighters of Canada. Her books have been nominated for a number of mystery awards.

The Five Bells and Bladebone confusing choice

"The Five Bells and Bladestone" by Martha Grimes made it as my "G" book simply because it was on my bookshelf. Originally, I had picked it up at a book sale because I had heard of the author vaguely and there it was when I needed it. This book published in 1987 is ninth in the prolific series featuring protagonist Richard Jury and his friend, wealthy Melrose Plant. In spite of that it was fairly easy to follow the story and realize who the characters were from other books. It was an engaging but confusing read. To tell the truth, I really still don't know who exactly either the victim or the killer was and I thought I knew half way through the book. I found the characters to be fairly stereotypical: gay antique dealer, ornery aunt, lovely but not quite available female interest, crotchety bar tenders, etc. All of the novels in the series are named for English pubs, a fact which initially intrigued me. In this one, the chapters are all named for lines in a poem. Twenty-three years later, Grimes is still publishing mysteries so I feel at some point I will try another one.
An interesting side note is, that although my blog partner and I usually surprise each other with our choice of alphabetical authors, this time we both chose Grimes. Can't wait to see what she has to say.