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Assorted Entanglements, Volume 1 by Mikanuji
Batter Off Dead by Maddie Day and Laural Merlington (Narrator)
Chickenology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Barbara Sandri et al. A Flock and a Fluke by Hillary Avis and Kitty Hendrix (Narrator)
Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright by Chris Riddell
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My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron
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Overdue or Die by Allison Brook and Mia Gaskin (Narrator)
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
Shot Through the Hearth by Kate Carlisle and and Angela Starling (Narrator)
Spinning in Her Grave by Molly MacRae and Emily Durante (Narrator)
Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts and Cris Dukehart (Narrator)
Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker and Thérèse Plummer (Narrator)
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune (2021)
Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillón (Illustrator)

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Batter Off Dead: 11/14/23

Batter Off Dead

Batter Off Dead by Maddie Day and Laural Merlington (Narrator) (2022) is the tenth book in the Country Store mystery series. Robbie and Abe are married. They attend the South Lick 4th of July fireworks together with some friends and at the end of the show, Vi Perkell is dead, killed in the exact manner Buck's mother was killed years before.

At the heart of this mystery is a long run, semi-corrupt knitting club. The organization has the problems that so many older clubs that have gotten too small to avoid conflicts of interest have.

The complexity of the crime, its ties to older crimes, and the detached, almost emotionless demeanor of so many of those directly involved in Vi's death brings to mind Patricia Highsmith's mysteries. I'm especially reminded of Strangers on a Train (1950) — the book, not the movie which has some significant differences.

On the personal front, I love how solid Robbie and Abe's relationship is. At no point in this mystery did the events surrounding Vi's death or Robbie's investigation threaten their partnership and trust / devotion to each other. Abe and she are separate people, equals in the relationship and confident enough in each other to completely trust one and other even when extraordinary events intercede.

The eleventh book is Four Leaf Cleaver (2023)

Five stars

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