April on the Bookshelf

I wanted to let you know about a terrific series from a pal of mine, Sheila Lowe, who writes the Claudia Rose mysteries. Sheila and Claudia are both forensic handwriting experts.

In her first, Poison Pen, a powerful Hollywood publicist is found dead in a hot tub, and the authenticity of her alleged 'suicide note' comes into question.

Written in Blood, the second in the series, has Claudia involved with a troubled teenager at a Bel Air school for girls, whose owner has asked Claudia to validate her late (and much older) husband's will.

I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series, Dead Write, coming in August.

What I'm reading now. I've had these books on my shelf for ages and ages but never quite got around to reading them until a friend suggested that the last of the series was a must-read. So, naturally, I started at the beginning. They're the Arthurian novels of Mary Stewart - The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment - all told from the point of view of Merlin, Arthur's famous enchanter - and The Wicked Day. I'm in the middle of The Hollow Hills at the moment, and completely absorbed. If you have any interest in the magnificent legend of King Arthur and the sword and the Knights of the Round Table, read these books!