Synopses & Reviews
To the quirky and colorful residents of Maggody, Arkansas, population 755, "going online" is something one does at the DMV. So when the high school's new computer lab gains access to the Internet, the town is plunged into virtual chaos. Students are caught sneaking peeks at pornographic Web sites, and compromising photos of prominent Maggody citizens are being flashed across the display monitors. But when the body of a promiscuous young woman is found in an abandoned shack, a web of suspicion ensnares the community. Now, as cyber crime strikes Maggody, police chief Arly Hanks has to use all her low-tech resourcefulness to pull the plug on a murderer.
Review
"This is the 13th novel in a mystery series featuring Arly Hanks, the sheriff of Maggody, Arkansas, who narrates this tale with bemused detachment. The plot centers on the introduction of computers into the high school-and the havoc email and the Internet unleash in this tiny community—including murder and lesser evils too numerous to mention. Arly alternates between wry commentary on the foibles of her flock—depicted for the most part as cartoonish caricatures of rural types—and condescending hyperbole in which incest and stupidity get prominent play. Can Arkansas really be like this?" Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
The New York Times Book ReviewAn indecently funny backwoods mystery
Review
Kirkus ReviewsThe true delight here is a chance to travel alongside the sharpest small-town sleuth since Miss Marple.
Review
Booklist (starred review)
The latest in a very funny series....Don't miss any of it.
Review
Amazon.comFull of local color and colorful locals; the mystery is merely the container for this Southern-fried ramble through lovingly described and defiantly redneck country.
Synopsis
A new era dawns in the small town of Maggody, Arkansas, when the high school connects to the Internet. Soon, the town plunges into chaos as students sneak peeks at pornographic Web sites, and compromising photos of prominent citizens appear. But when the body of a promiscuous young woman is found, police chief Arly Hanks must use her low-tech resourcefulness to find the murderer.
Synopsis
To the quirky and colorful residents of Maggody, Arkansas, population 755, "going online" is something one does at the DMV. So when the high school's new computer lab gains access to the Internet, the town is plunged into virtual chaos. Students are caught sneaking peeks at pornographic Web sites, and compromising photos of prominent Maggody citizens are being flashed across the display monitors. But when the body of a promiscuous young woman is found in an abandoned shack, a web of suspicion ensnares the community. Now, as cyber crime strikes Maggody, police chief Arly Hanks has to use all her low-tech resourcefulness to pull the plug on a murderer.
About the Author
Joan Hess is the author of the critically acclaimed Maggody mysteries, including the Pocket Books paperbacks
Muletrain to Maggody, Maggody and the Moonbeams, Misery Loves Maggody, and
murder@maggody.com, nominated for the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award. She has received numerous awards, including the American Mystery Award, the Agatha Award, the Drood Review Readers' Award, and the
Macavity Award. A former president of the American Crime Writers League, she is currently president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance, as well as a member of Sisters in Crime. Joan Hess lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.