These delicate, senstive, and intricate stories are a delight to read. I was sad to see this was a volume of short stories; as soon as I began to read my sorrow increased because the group around the fire in the first story is so fascinating. Yet the conclusion is so powerful that I quickly changed my mind. Read these one at a time, not in one gulp, because the same themes do recur. These will appeal to readers of Barbara Pym and J.B. Priestly more than fans of Christie's Hercule Poirot. The stories are more vignettes than true mysteries.