One of the oddities of Golden Age fiction was its fixation on the occult and the generally weird-ancient gypsy curses, haunted burial grounds, etc. It's therefore something of a relief to settle in with the refreshingly literal Ms. Moyes: When a title refers to a third dog, we are not talking about some metaphysical barking: There were three dogs and now one is missing. Up in arms about this is Emmy Tibbett's sister Jane, a stalwart of the animal-rights...

Mr. and Mrs. Tibbetts pop into a pub for lunch but get served a murder case in this novel with "all the proper ingredients for a cozy whodunit" (The New York Times). What could be more delightful than a long-forgotten relative who dies and leaves you a tidbit in his will? How about if that tidbit is in fact a charming country pub, and that pub is now yours-lock, stock, and barrels of beer? Susan Gardiner is delighted, even when it becomes...

Inspector Henry Tibbett's better half, wife Emmy, takes center stage in a WWII mystery To date, Emmy Tibbett has been something of a secondary character-a placid, pleasantly plump presence who serves mostly to make her detective-husband Henry all the more likeable. With Johnny, however, Emmy at last gets a turn in the spotlight, as she and Henry head off for the 20th reunion of her Royal Air Force squad. It's a bittersweet trip for Emmy: She loved...

Amazingly enough, Henry Tibbett is at work. Crime tends to catch him when he's on vacation, but this time around Henry's at a coppers' conference, an international effort intended to stop drug-smuggling. The conference is in Switzerland (for a Scotland Yard detective, Henry does manage to get around.) and the always sensible Emmy has come along for the parties and the chocolate. It's a glittering whirl of attractive folks in their best early-1960s...

Fans of Emmy Tibbett, have we got the book for you! Vacationing with friends in the Caribbean, Emmy and Henry meet a sprightly and delightful spinster who spins a yarn about a young woman lost at sea and then (perhaps) found again. The yarn gets yet more fascinating when the spinster herself disappears, and Henry-wry, unflappable Henry Tibbett of Scotland Yard-responds in a most uncharacteristic fashion. It's up to Emmy to untangle the clues, contending...