Dominating my “to buy” list are the books of Phoebe Atwood Taylor. Whether starring Asey Mayo or Leonidas “Bill Shakespeare” Witherall I enjoy the slightly zany, breathless rush of improbable events and coincidences that lead to the triumphant resolution of a murder mystery. I also enjoy the glimpse of another world–of America recovering from the Great Depression or in the grips of World War II. Either way, these then-contemporary books show the human side of living through these times.