Most cozy readers know that there's a bit of formula to this niche of mysteries. One of the "rules" seems to be that the amateur sleuth tends to live in a small town and all the murdering and sleuthing happens there. Then I stumbled across Adriana Licio's first Homeswapper mystery, The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies, in which two retired teachers solve a crime while on vacation in Germany. That really piqued my interest because not only would a series like this solve the age-old problem of "Cabot Cove Syndrome," it would give me a chance to learn about other places, and that would certainly please my inner armchair traveling sleuth.

Dora and Etta are two recent retirees who have little money yet a great desire to travel and see the world. Dora, the empathetic and intuitive one, learns about homeswapping and persuades Etta, the extremely judgmental one, into participating. It's perfect for their needs. They save money yet get to stay in a nice home for an extended period of time which lets them really explore an area.

This first book in the Homeswapper series kept my interest throughout, and I enjoyed following the two as they roamed the medieval streets of Rothenburg. I learned about several things, like shame masks, and I was perversely delighted to watch Etta (who tended to rub my fur the wrong way) have to put up with the addition of Leon the Basset Hound to their merry little band.

I'm definitely going to be taking a look at the other books in this series to see where Etta and Dora continue their travels.

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