Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

 (Lord Peter Wimsey #1)

212 pages / 5 hrs, 51 mins

"The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath."  --from the publisher

This book was first published in 1923. I saw it on a list of "bests," so I gave it a try. I found it interesting and engaging. The reader of the audiobook is very good, but was hard to hear at times. I think I would have enjoyed it better by reading it in print. I gave it four out of five stars.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

 (Harry Potter #7)

759 pages / 21 hrs, 36 mins

"Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him...

"In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited."  --from the publisher

This is my second time reading the series and I enjoyed it even more than the first. Happy sigh. I will probably listen to them periodically throughout my life.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

 (Harry Potter #6)

652 pages / 18 hrs, 32 mins

"The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

"And yet . . .

"As in all wars, life goes on. The Weasley twins expand their business. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, through Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

"So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complete story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort - and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability."  --from the publisher

Another well-written story in the saga. I give it four out of five stars.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

 (Harry Potter #5)

870 pages / 27 hrs, 1 min.

"In his fifth year at Hogwart's, Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the unreliability of the government of the magical world to the rise of Ron Weasley as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Along the way he learns about the strength of his friends, the fierceness of his enemies, and the meaning of sacrifice." -- from the publisher

Loved it! I may have shed a few tears during this one. Four out of five stars from me.

The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse by Alan Bradley

(Flavia de Luce #6.5)
27 pages

"Murder! the letter says, Come at once. Anson House, Greyminster, Staircase No. 3. How can Flavia de Luce resist such an urgent plea? After all, examining a dead body sounds like a perfectly splendid way to spend a Sunday. So Flavia hops upon her trusted bicycle, Gladys, whose rubber tires hiss happily along the rainy road, and arrives at her father’s mist-shrouded old school. There, a terrified boy leads her to the loo where, sitting in a bathtub, is what appears to be a statue. But, no: To Flavia’s surprise, the thing is in fact a naked dead man. Save his face, he seems to have been carved out of copper."  --from the publisher

I love this series! This one is a fun little mystery that reminded me of the Ellery Queen short stories I used to purchase from my elementary school's Scholastic Book Fair. I give it three out of five stars. If you've not read the series, I highly recommend enjoying these in order. Good stuff!