An Alpine Adieu and an Ode to Books Too

Reading a favorite book series is like catching up with an old friend.  They tell you their problems, and you tell them yours.  Maybe you're still processing that Corvette that cut you off, or the look that the lunch lady gave you when you said that your mashed potatoes absolutely, positively could not touch your Salisbury steak.  And the books listen without judging you or spilling your secrets or asking for anything in return.  That's why books make the best friends.  And that goes double for whodunits, where discretion means staying on the right side of the law -- not to mention the cemetery.    

So it was with mixed feelings that I began reading The Alpine Zen, the last book in Mary Daheim's Alpine cozy crime series.  Although I was excited to find out how things would end up for journalist-extraordinaire-slash-sometimes-sleuth Emma Lord, I didn't want to say goodbye to Alpine and all the fun, suspense, and comfort that it's given me over the years.  Because a little intrigue and a familiar cast of characters -- no matter how backward or crotchety -- go a long way toward dissolving those day-to-day doldrums.  

Next up: girls trip with Amelia Earhart.