Book ~ "Every Crooked Nanny" (1992) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ After ten years of cleaning up Atlanta's streets, former cop Callahan Garrity trades in her badge for a broom and starts a housekeeping business. She's on the job when her client announces that her pretty nineteen-year-old Mormon nanny has disappeared - along with jewelry, silver and some sensitive real-estate documents.

Soon Callahan and her crew of eccentric cleaners are involved in a job messier than any they've ever encountered. Illicit love triangles, crooked business deals, long-distance scams - it's going to require some industrial-strength sleuthing on Callahan's part to solve this one.

Callahan used to be a police officer for ten years but quit to open her own investigation agency.  That didn't work out so she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna.

Lilah, someone Callahan went to school with years ago, hires her cleaning service.  She then hires Callahan as a detective when she discovers that Kristee, her nanny, has disappeared along with some jewelry, silver and documents relating to her husband, Bo's real estate deal.  As Callahan starts digging, she discovers the real estate deal may not be as legal as it should be, Kristee may not be the innocent nanny everyone thought she was and anyone, including Lilah, Bo, Bo's business associates and even Kristee's lover, could be involved in Kristee's disappearance.

The writing style and storyline were just okay.  The editing could have been tighter as there were typos.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  I found there were a lot of characters to keep track of.  The end was came together quickly and was a bit unbelievable.  I don't know why the author had Callahan have a breast cancer scare ... there was enough going on in the book so it wasn't needed.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the first in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series, originally written in 1992.  While I thought it was just okay, I liked it enough to want to read the next one in the series.

Book ~ "I is for Innocent" (1992) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ Lonnie Kingman is in a bind. He's smack in the middle of assembling a civil suit, and the private investigator who was doing his pretrial legwork has just dropped dead of a heart attack. In a matter of weeks the court's statute of limitations will put paid to his case. Five years ago David Barney walked when a jury acquitted him of the murder of his rich wife, Isabelle. Now Kingman, acting as attorney for the dead woman's ex-husband and their child (and sure that the jury made a serious mistake), is trying to divest David Barney of the profits of that murder. But time is running out, and David Barney still swears he's innocent.

When Kinsey Millhone agrees to take over Morley Shine's investigation, she thinks it is a simple matter of tying up the loose ends. Morley might have been careless about his health but he was an old pro at the business. So it comes as a real shock when she finds his files in disarray, his key informant less than credible, and his witnesses denying ever having spoken with him. It comes as a bigger shock when she finds that every claim David Barney has made checks out. But if Barney didn't murder his wife, who did? It would seem the list of candidates is a long one. In life, Isabelle Barney had stepped on a lot of toes.

It's the 1980s and Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, in her thirties.  She is renting space from her lawyer, Lonnie Kingman.  Six years ago, David Barney was acquitted of killing his estranged wife, Isabelle Barney, by shooting her through the spy hole of her front door.  Isabelle's first husband, Kenneth Voigt, is suing David in the civil courts to secure the fortune for his and Isabelle's daughter, Shelby, and has hired Lonnie as his lawyer.  After Morley, Lonnie's private detective, passes away suddenly, Lonnie hires Kinsey to continue with the investigation.  Kinsey discovers that David has an alibi and everything he says seems to be true.  There are many who could have killed Isabelle so Kinsey doesn't lack possible killers.

In the meantime, William, the hypochondriac brother of her elderly landlord, Henry, is visiting from out of town.  He and Rosie, the cranky owner of the local Hungarian tavern, surprisingly hit it off.

I liked this book and found the story interesting.  I did find there were a lot of characters and I had a bit of a hard time remembering who was who.  It's written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the ninth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, in October), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.

Book ~ "Toronto Sketches: The Way We Were" (1992) Mike Filey

From Goodreads ~ Mike Filey's "The Way We Were" column in the "Toronto Sun" continues to be one of the paper's most popular features. In "Toronto Sketches", Filey brings together some of the best of his columns. 

Each column looks at Toronto as it was and contributes to our understanding of how Toronto became what it is. Illustrated with photographs of the city's people and places of the past, Toronto Sketches is a nostalgic journey for the long-time Torontonian, and a voyage of discovery for the newcomer.

Mike Filey had a column in the Toronto Sun for about 30 years and I read it for many years (I like learning about the history of Toronto) ... this book is a compilation of some of his columns.  We learn about "Little Norway", Tip Top Tailors, TTC stories, Mary Pickford, Red Skelton, Gooderham and Worts, theatres, etc.

Tip Top Tailors (built in 1929)

Now condos

Even though the book was published in 1992, it was still an interesting book because it dealt with many historical events in Toronto.  Plus since it was published in 1992, it was interesting to see what was going on back then and what has changed (or hasn't). For example, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport was still called the Port George VI Island Airport, BCE was just being built (it's now called Brookfield Place), the Rogers Centre was still the SkyDome, etc.

Port George VI Island Airport

If you live in Toronto or are from Toronto, you should check it out.