Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Five of FiveMurder in the Mist by Willard Scott and Bill Crider
Dutton, Jan., 1999.Hardcover, 244 pages.
ISBN: 0446602620.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Stanley Waters, former weatherman for the Hello, World
television show and beloved celebrity has left behind
the full-time limelight to open an inn in his hometown of
Higgins, Virginia. In this second installment of the cozy
mystery series co-written with noted mystery author
Bill Crider, Stanley is once again drawn into murder and
mayhem in the small town. While participating in a Civil
War battle reenactment, Stanley and local businessman
Rance Woffard are both shot and Rance is killed. Determined
to find out who shot him and who killed Rance, Stanley
sets out to trap a killer, with the help of some feisty
seniors from the retirement home. The only problem is, somebody
is determined that Stanley give up his amateur sleuthing -- permanently.
This second installment in the Stanley Waters series is another folksy, charming entry from everyone's favorite weatherman and the talented Bill Crider. The town of Higgins is well-drawn, and the local inhabitants (especially of the retirement home) are quirky and amusing. But it is Stanley himself that is the draw in these stories. His search for romance is especially entertaining. Another keeper from a winning team that hopefully will have Stanley Waters snooping around Higgins, Virginia for years to come.
A Vow of Compassion by Veronica Black
St. Martin's Press, Dec.,1998.Hardcover, 208 pages.
ISBN: 0312193548.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
The indefatigable and always charming Sister Joan,
Cornish nun and amateur sleuth
extraordinaire, is back in this new entry into the
delightful series. Sister Joan has never really liked
hospital duty overmuch, but now she's up to her
wimple in it. When Mother Dorothy, the Prioress
of the Order of the Daughters of Compassion,
inherits a sizable fortune from her godmother, she
is somewhat troubled by the suddenness of her death
at the local hospital while waiting for a routine
hip replacement surgery. She asks Sister Joan to
discretely look into the matter. It turns out that quite
a few people have been checking into the hospital,
but never check out. What's worse, a little girl who was
being treated for abuse from her foster parents has
been kidnapped. With the help of her good friend
Detective Sergeant Mill, Sister Joan sets out to
trap a cunning killer -- without becoming the next victim.
Sister Joan's latest adventure on the moors of Cornwell is a satisfying and enjoyable puzzler. The appeal of the Sister Joan series is its wonderful heroine who gave up her life as an artist to join the nunnery. Her rebellious spirit often puts her at odds with her strict vows, but her sense of humor usually remains intact. If you haven't discovered Sister Joan yet, by all means go back and read the entire series.
--Claire E. White
Mystery Reviews
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