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Mystery Book ReviewsPage Two of ThreeLove Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig AlbertBerkley, Nov., 1997.Hardcover, 320 pages. ISBN: 0425159698. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
China Bayles, one-time attorney turned herbalist and amateur
sleuth is back in this newest entry in the popular mystery
series. Texas Ranger Roy Adcock is found murdered, shot
with his wife's gun the same day that his wife Dolores
had been hired to do some work for China. This time out the
murder mystery hits a little closer to home. After China
tells longtime love McQuaid about it, he reacts
in a strange fashion and later she overhears a mysterious
phone conversation between McQuaid and an unknown woman.
Is McQuaid having an affair? What is his interest in the
murdered Ranger? China sets out to find the answers
to these and other questions. Along the way she will
face betrayal of trust, disillusionment and corruption
both in her personal life and in the life of the murdered man.
A watershed event for China Bayles, the murder of Roy Adcock will ultimately make her face the toughest decisions in her life, especially about her relationship with McQuaid. Fans of the series will be so curious about what happens next after the cliffhanger ending that they may end up storming the Hill Country demanding that the author write the next installment in the series -- immediately. A fascinating and unusual installment in an excellent mystery series. Murder Under Blue Skies by Willard Scott with Bill CriderE.P. Dutton, Jan., 1998.Hardcover, 208 pages. ISBN: 0525943242. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
America's favorite weatherman Scott turns his hand to
mystery writing with a new cozy series starring Willard's
alter-ego, semi-retired weatherman Stanley Waters. Stanley,
tired of the hustle and bustle of twenty years as a star
weatherman on a national television show retires to his
hometown of Higgins, Virginia to open a bed and breakfast
called Blue Skies. The gala opening of the bed and breakfast
is a hit and is being covered by a national television show.
Things are looking pretty sunny for Stanley until one of his
guests, Belinda Grimsby, eats a chip with salsa then falls
dead -- on national television. Stanley barely remembers Belinda
from high school, but some quick research reveals the fact that
Belinda was universally despised. She never married, but
managed to date every available man in town before her death,
many of whom seem to have a motive for murdering the unpleasant
Belinda. When Stanley meets up with the local police chief
and former flame Marilyn Tunney things begin to heat up in
the investigation and in his personal life.
Not all of the residents of Higgins relish the idea of America's weathermeister playing amateur detective and nosing around into the pasts of the townsfolk. In fact, one of them seems quite disturbed by it, as evidenced by the shocking attempt on Stanley's life. Never a quitter, Stanley is determined to find the murderer, especially when suspicion turns to his cook and his general handyman, who are more than just his employees; they are his friends. Willard Scott and his co-writer Bill Crider have created a delightful new cozy series with an easy style of storytelling. Stanley is a charmer with his determinedly cheerful look on life and his self-deprecating comments. Weather homilies are sprinkled throughout the book ("A rooster's crow at night calls for rain the next day"), adding to the homey atmosphere. Light as a perfect soufflé, down home as peach cobbler, Murder Under Blue Skies is a necessary addition to any cozy-lover's collection. Mystery Reviews Page One | Page Three Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of mystery books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |