So this was a pretty fun read (and may mark me rereading more cozy mystery books if I can find them).

Dry Bones is the third in the Village series, staring retired Colonel Hugh, who lives in the village of Frog End. By the time the novel starts, he’s already solved two cases and settled down in the village, which he moved to after retirement and the death of his wife. When his late wife’s friend, Cornelia, unexpectedly summons him to her village, he finds that a body was found in her house. He persuades her to call the police and then starts a little investigation of his own.

This was a very pleasant and fairly short mystery. Even though it’s the third book in the series, the references to past events felt pretty natural and I didn’t feel like there were any infodumps. It helps that the Colonel is a likable detective – old enough to have seen the world (and even been to Singapore – I’m always very pleased to hear mentions of home) but also befuddled by the fact that everyone likes to confide in him. As it turns out, he’s not perceptive about everything.

For some reason, this book reminded me of a Christie mystery. I was even temporarily confused about when this took place, because there’s no mention of the internet or smartphones. But then I read about the microwave so I figure it’s got to be present time or slightly earlier. It’s just the countryside that makes it seem like it belongs to a different age.

There isn’t much else to say about this book. This is a fun read, good for when you want something entertaining and comforting. I liked the Colonel, his cat Thursday, and most of the other characters mentioned, and I’m definitely interested in reading the first two books in the series to see how he met them and find out exactly what happened before Dry Bones started.