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I love this second volume already! It is noticeably superior to the first, which I thought held promise. A few aspects in "The Man With A Load Of Mischief" were in tedious superfluity, that are not here. I am enjoying it every step of the way: five-star enjoyment. Martha Grimes' humorous lines are very quotable; a strong pick-me-up, when we need one. An example: Albert Wiggins' "tablecloth of a handkerchief"!

I am enjoying the humour of the two protagonists immensely. I like having an interesting, intelligent, laidback countryman who rejects class titles; paired with a very likeable policeman and his sidekick. Very quickly, we are given a personal portrait that allows us to like Richard Jury more. I will enjoy seeing him and Albert collaborate with Melrose Plant again. I love personal sides more than police elements.

I am revisiting Martha Grime's main series. I liked enough about the first to be glad I collected nearly all of them, over years. I felt good about opening the first novel, "A Man With A Load Of Mischief"; go figure, the last one I located used. This second story already seems freer from the weight of introduction of people, settings, and acclimatization. Her third novel is award-winning: a treat for me later.

I read the first book earlier this year. What I do with compilations, to count separate books accurately, is find individual versions and list them one at a time. I like leaving space before reading the same author again. It might take years to leisurely finish an omnibus of several novels. When I am into the last book, then I refer to the omnibus I own: like this. I think I will like the second mystery better.

Contrary to my preferences, I like Patricia Cornwell, as I've explained before. They use a personal perspective. Even though the usual quartet is a chief medical examiner, her CIA computer-training niece, a CIA officer, and police officer; this series manages to avoid being too police-oriented. It is only their jobs, not a confining category of the novels' tone. They are family and friends. I have reached 1995.

A few recent adult mysteries, the standard crime type, bored me to the point of taking a week to read. I am flying through, with enjoyment on every page, this one! Why? Because it is about solving mysteries, not solving crimes! Authors, we need proper clue-solving quests and creative adventures in adult characters and storylines! Anyone who cites this series' demographic base, misses the reason they are special.

For the second time, I love this! This sequel is fun for clue-solving lovers too. Disregard any comment that this is for "middle-grade ages". I need adult mysteries to be less about dumping a crime into stories, always about "who committed a crime"? What I have always wanted is that adult mysteries be much more about SOLVING MYSTERIES! If you are like me, you might love books like this for that reason: not age!

I would say this is like watching grass go but any prairie person knows that expression has to go. Grass grows with surprising speed. Ask gardeners anywhere.

What also keeps surprising me is authors missing the structure of the genres they chose for their novels. This should be a mystery, with a vineyard and tour group decorating the background. Plopping down a crime doesn't guarantee novels read like mysteries.

This novel is told and explained, instead of putting audiences inside it. I think it is partly to do with dialogue being scarce, which would play scenes instead of having the protagonist narrate all of them. The writing rule I learned as a child, in person from local star, Martha Brooks, yells out here: "Show, don't tell". But setting up a new series takes explaining and I am certainly giving this novel a chance.

This novel's approach and tone are different, which is a treat and a compliment. It is also one of the rare exercises in multiple perspectives that works well enough for me to enjoy and accept. It is likely because none of the switches creates a detour. We're either with one of the protagonists, or we are shown main characters via colourful townspeople reactions to both of them. The action keeps carrying forward.