Beggars Would Ride

“You know,” I said, “I was looking again at Marvie Saunder’s book.”             “No, Ned,” Pat interrupted. “Remember, you’ve given that up. You’re going to let Cade and Gerald handle whatever is going on about that house. You are fixating on that book of poetry so, stop it!”             Stung, I said, “What a thing […]

Nancy and Me and a Mystery

As a youngster, I learned many things from Nancy Drew besides what was on the pages of her books; I learned that Nancy was the kind of girl I would like to be.  Nancy was a magnet who attracted mysteries. To anyone else, clocks were clocks and staircases were just staircases, but not to Nancy […]

Those Were Good Times

(This is a re-print from one of the past Cozy Critiques.) It was a dark and stormy afternoon. Rain beat against the deck. Lightning flashed and thunder rattled the windows. Within the dining room, four women sat around an antique dining table, sipping coffee and munching chocolate. They spoke in hushed voices, almost as if […]

November Song

This last day of November dawns cloudy and rainy. Brown leaves lie on a soggy ground. A wind stirs damp tree limbs. It’s still dark this morning, but Christmas lights dot the darkness here and there.  Nemo has been out and is now in, rather wet, but he doesn’t mind the rain as long as […]

Parliaments and Rafters

A parliament came my way a few years ago, via Minnesota.  Really! My niece Missy sent, not a flock, but a parliament of owls and I was very glad to get it. It settled sedately into my mailbox in a neat little package–a very colorful group of small owls perfect for a mantlepiece or a […]

A Gathering Place

Are there times when you long for the warmth of a friendly home, the sincerity of a smile, the familiarity of people and a certain place, the knowledge that you are welcome? Do you ever turn to a well-loved book to recapture that comfort? I do. I go to Mary Roberts Rinehart. How many times […]