Gourdfellas
A Gourd Craft Mystery #2
by Maggie Bruce
Lili Marino is settled into the cozy town of Walden Corners, but what she doesn’t need is a casino opening almost
on her doorstep. It is all supposed to be in a good cause to help Native Americans, but why a casino, and why in
such a beautiful and unsuitable place? The town is divided, and tempers run high at meetings. Then Lili
discovers a rifle hidden in her ceiling, and one of the casino’s main supporters is found shot dead in the woods.
Suddenly she is the prime suspect, but she knows that she didn’t do it... Which one of her new friends might have
done it instead?
The sequel to The Gourdmother (also reviewed
on this site) is another winner. Ms. Bruce combines the pros and cons of living in a small town, Lili’s numerous
relationships with family, friends and colleagues with a tortuous plot (I didn’t even begin to guess whodunit and
neither will you) and the picking up of many long-running threads. Not least of these is the mysterious donor of
Lili’s home and the circle of poker-playing women who make up "the gourdfellas." Stir in some gourding tips and
allow to settle... then sit back in a favorite chair and enjoy. Although this is a cozy like the first book it is
not a humorous frolic, as Ms Bruce continues to show us raw emotion and plenty of it, from a woman dying of cancer
to people in mediation sessions, to complex families. This is not a puzzle alone, as we are never in any doubt
that these are real people (in the best book sense) suffering from being murder suspects, or being injured, or
the possibility of having their beloved town destroyed. Reading it was actually quite exhausting, and all in
under 300 pages. A pattern book for other would-be writers to show how it can be done. One of my very favorite
cozy series. |
The Book |
Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Group USA) |
March 2007 |
Paperback |
9780425212264 |
Contemporary Crime - New York |
More at Amazon.com
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UK |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2007 |
NOTE: |
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