Synopses & Reviews
"Delectable and continually surprising" (The New York Times Boos Review), Joan Hess's one-of-a-kind mystery series digs up murder and mayhem in the sleepy little town of Maggody, Arkansas.When beleaguered chief of police Arly Hanks hears that her mother, Ruby Bee, and best friend, Estelle Oppers, are headed for Memphis on an Elvis Pilgrimage, she thinks she may be getting a long-overdue break. But before she can say "Thank you, thank you very much," the trip is completely stalled by a variety of deadly doings.
Estelle calls home to report that Ruby Bee has collapsed and is in the local hospital. And even before Arly's seen the delta dawn, one of the other clients on the tour takes a fatal plunge from the hotel balcony -- which adjoins the room of a prominent Maggody citizen, who's now doing the Jailhouse Rock in the local pen. What's more, Estelle's all shook up that the tour van is being followed by ominous thugs. For Arly, it's now or never, because if her suspicious mind doesn't figure out what to do quickly, residents of Maggody may be returned to sender -- in a hearse.
Review
Grand Rapids PressThe real mystery is how Joan Hess could write twenty-two books before a mystery series fan like myself discovered her. But once I stumbled into Maggody, Ark., and met Police Chief Arly Hanks and the crazy cast of characters who live there, I soon felt like we were old friends. Plenty of murder and mayhem....I laughed all the way to the end.
Review
Tampa Tribune-TimesRaucous and rollicking fun.
Review
Tulsa WorldMisery Loves Maggody is one of the best in the series.
Review
BooklistAnother hilarious episode in a superb series....If you haven't yet met the denizens of Maggody, there's no time like the present.
Review
Flint Journal (MI)
It's a rare treat to enter the world of Maggody and her citizens....Hess has a wonderful sense of the ridiculous and a deft touch for creating endearingly wacky characters. And she is as good as anyone in crafting a classic whodunit plot with plenty of humorous ruffles and flourishes.
Review
The Pilot (Southern Pines, NC)
The fast-paced and funny volume will please mystery fans everywhere.
About the Author
Joan Hess has written twenty-two mysteries for which she has received numerous awards, including the American Mystery Award, the Agatha Award, the Drood Review Readers' Award, and the McCavity Award. A former President of the American Crime Writers League, she is currently President of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. Joan Hess lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.