Jo Dereske (1947–2025)

Well, I had a really good time with this one. Our Miss Zukas (Wilhelmina Zukas, if you please) is a slightly prissy perfectionist...too young still to be the stereotype of an old maid librarian, but treading along that path for sure. Excuse me, for "certain". She corrects her co-workers, even her boss, for usage gaffs such as that one; finds her personal satisfaction in neatness, order and correctness in all things. She habitually chides her oldest friend, Ruth, for using a nickname she show more dislikes (although she has apparently voluntarily shortened her own first name to "Helma", most likely to avoid the inevitable mispronunciations she would have to deal with if she hadn't). Yet, when a murdered man's body shows up in the library, Miss Zukas proves she is capable of some pretty creative thinking and even a little daring action. This was cozy without being twee, and I anticipate Miss Zukas may be destined to loosen up just a little, under the influence of an old friend and a potential new flame. show less

As the book opens, librarian Helma Zukas has finally accepted police chief Wayne Gallant's proposal. Before she has a chance to tell her family, she gets an urgent call from her mother. Helma's Aunt Emily was alone in the retirement home apartment she shares with Helma's mother when a burglar broke in. Now the man is lying dead in the parking lot, having fallen from the apartment's 4th floor window. The police have questions, but Aunt Em's memory isn't good on the best of days. Helma must show more try to figure out the motive behind the burglary and recover her aunt's missing possessions while fending off her mother's attempts to plan her wedding for her.

This is the final book in one of my favorite cozy series, and I couldn't have asked for a better ending. It had all of the elements I've enjoyed in the series – Helma's no nonsense personality paired with her unconventional best friend Ruth; Helma's library colleagues and her eccentric boss, Miss Moon; Helma's neighbors at the Bayside Arms; Boy Cat Zukas; Carter Houston, the homicide detective Ruth loves to torment; and of course, the gallant Chief Gallant. Helma solves the crime with her usual efficiency, and all of the ongoing series threads are neatly resolved. Turning the last page was a bittersweet moment for me. It's hard to say goodbye to characters I've enjoyed so much. Somehow I missed a book along the way so I'll have the pleasure of one more “new” adventure with Helma. I'll save it for a rainy day. show less

I have read almost all of the books in this series, and this one was just as enjoyable as the others. A charming protagonist (Helma Zukas, persnickety yet heartwarming librarian) solves another murder mystery done cozy-style (nothing gory or graphic). You don't have to read these in order, but be forewarned - if you start reading one, you'll want to read them all. And I highly recommend you do!

Once again unlikely friends Helma Zukas, a public librarian, and Ruth Winthrop, an artist, find themselves investigating two suspicious deaths. Ruth's recent break-up with on-again, off-again boyfriend Paul has left her feeling melancholy. She works out her feelings in a tell-all series of paintings for a new show. When two of her paintings are stolen from her home before the show's opening, Ruth asks her friend Helma to help her figure out who stole the paintings and why. The stolen show more paintings portray Ruth's relationships with two men, both of whom recently suffered fatal accidents. Could this be a coincidence, or were the accidents triggered by someone who wanted these men out of the way? Library director May Apple Moon features in a highly entertaining sub-plot involving an on-the-job injury. Both series fans and first-time Dereske readers should enjoy this latest Miss Zukas mystery. show less