Bed-and-breakfast mystery

The true gargoyle is a waterspout, an architectural necessity that medieval artisans transformed into functional fantasies. The informative introduction to Holy Terrors explains everything that is known or conjectured about the history, the construction, the purposes, and the mysterious meanings of these often rude and rowdy characters. The three chapters that follow are devoted to the gargoyles themselves, imaginatively carved of stone in the form of people, real animals, and fantastic beasts. In clear, lively language, Janetta Rebold Benton puts these personality-filled sculptures into the context of medieval life and art and captures their quirky diversity in her engaging color photographs. Concluding the book is an invaluable guide to gargoyle sites throughout western Europe, as well as suggestions for further reading.

"Innkeeper and irrepressible sleuth Judith McMonigle Flynn and cousin Renie face off against a cold-blooded killer in a beach community in this delightfully charming Bed-and-Breakfast mystery from USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Mary Daheim.With the holidays gone and Hillside Manor almost empty, Innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn has a bad case of the blues. A housesitting stint at her aunt and uncle's retirement home on Whoopee Island with cousin Renie seems like the ideal pick-me-up. Surrounded by retirees in the off-season sounds peaceful and pleasant--or so the duo thinks. But it isn't long before a dead body pops up in their vicinity. Not surprising in an area full of older folks--until they learn it wasn't a bad ticker that did in the victim, but a very sharp knife. With clouds of suspicion hovering over her and Renie, Judith reluctantly begins sleuthing--if only to prove they didn't commit the crime.But what she finds is puzzling. The victim reputedly didn't have an enemy in the world--except for the killer. Digging for clams and answers, the cousins discover that retirement can be deadly--at least among the eclectic, eccentric residents of Obsession Shores"--

When Ruby Tooms, the world-weary barmaid she met at Oktoberfest, arrives at her bed-and-breakfast with some unexpected baggage, Judith McMonigle Flynn agrees to help Ruby solve the twenty-year-old mystery of her mother's murder.