Denise Swanson

Quirky, fun, and gee, I will read anything that this author writes. The mystery is linked to the old history of this tiny town in Missouri. Civil War or the War Between the States depending on your geographical viewpoint.

Dev has a dimestore and lives with her Granny and her father who is out on parole. She is not fond of her mother who abandoned her with Granny to chase after rich men whom she married. Many of this mystery's discoveries are by accident and some by sleuthing. She has two men show more romantically inclined towards her so there is competition and she has not made up her mind yet about who she wants to choose. One is currently living with a mentally unstable ex-wife who he is a caretaker and the other has a mother who disapproves of Dev.

Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy the tale. show less

Even though I read this first Scumble River mystery after checking out the 16th from the new mysteries shelf, the 'spoilers' I knew about what would happen in Skye's life didn't prevent me from enjoying Murder of a Small-Town Honey.

Skye Denison is experiencing the humiliation of being forced to move back to the same small town she insulted at her high school graduation. If you think her many relatives, not to mention the rest of the townsfolk, have forgotten what she said 12 years ago, show more think again. The New Orleans fiancé who dumped her after she was fired sounds like a narrow escape, but her mother is determined that Skye get married. The old high school buddy of her older brother with whom she goes on a double date is certainly no prize. The Chief of Police was the object of her 15-year-old self's crush, but Wally is married. As for Simon the coroner, he may be single, good-looking, and comfortably well off, but the way he treated Skye at the grocery store made me dislike him.

The book opens at Scumble River's annual Chokeberry Days Festival. It's grown since Skye was a girl. Some of the businesses in town make a lot of money during the festival, so they're all for it. Other inhabitants are against it because it's noisy, disruptive, and there tends to be some property damage. Is that why the festival is being sabotaged? (What happened to the Cow Chip Bingo game was particularly bad.)

There's plenty of humor in the book (loved the way Skye dealt with the little tin dictator junior high principal when they met). The problems Skye faces as the first school psychologist in over a year were an interesting subplot. The murder has a double-impact on Skye: she's the unfortunate soul who finds the body and it's her brother who is the chief suspect. If you're interested in Scumble River history, see chapter 17. show less

Skye Denison is officially engaged to Police Chief Wally Boyd in Murder of a Bookstore Babe, but her ex-boyfriend, coroner Simon Reid, is still trying to win her back. Wally isn't happy about that. Neither is Skye.

Speaking of engagements, if Skye's brother Vince thought he could keep his purchase of a diamond ring a secret from his mother by shopping at the mall in Kankakee, he was wrong. Who spotted him there? None other than the sister of his Aunt Kitty, wife of his dad's brother. Worse show more luck, the jeweler is the sister's second cousin's niece by marriage on her father's side. May is outraged at being kept out of the loop and expects Skye to find out what's going on. (Skye is already sworn to secrecy.) As for their dad, Jed, in chapter 20 we learn that he'll be 65 on his next birthday, which is January 9th. (This book is set in September.)

There's a new bookstore in town, Tales and Treats, owned by a married couple, Risé Vaughn and Orlando Erwin. (Risé is the more assertive spouse. That, and the fact that she kept her own name, goes over like a lead balloon with some of the Scumble River inhabitants.) Among the persons whom Risé has rubbed the wrong way are Skye's godfather, two first cousins, and another first cousin's husband. Guess who gets to check her relatives' alibis after the murder...

Skye has been back in Scumble River long enough for some of the high school students she's known to have graduated. Frannie Ryan appears, as usual. She works part time for Simon Reid's mother, Bunny. Her father is Simon's assistant. Simon is like a big brother to her, so Frannie can't help wishing Skye would get back with her ex.

Xenia Craughwell, who was such a troublesome (and brilliant) student in Murder of a Real Bad Boy, is now attending the Chicago School of Film and Photography. Her mother is no more nurturing that she ever was, so Xenia turns to Skye. That's how Skye is introduced to another former student studying film: Kayla Hines. Skye never counseled Kayla, who has been hired by the new bookstore. Kayla has been dating Chase Wren (who had a role in Murder of a Sleeping Beauty) since they were freshmen at Scumble River High. Kayla is very talented, but Chase wants her to give up film to marry him and be a normal wife and mother. Kayla also happens to be the daughter of the cousin of one of Scumble River's three principals -- Skye's bosses. Ah, small town life!

The school year has begun so Skye is back to dealing with problems. I felt sorry for the elementary school student who vanishes. Pru Cormorant, the nasty high school English teacher, is against the bookstore, which she is certain will be a danger to the morals of Scumble River's youth. After what she and like-minded citizens do at the grand opening, it seems a shame that Pru's not this book's victim.

As usual, Skye is trying to juggle too many things at once and the results are entertaining. I really like this cozy series.

This time the chapter titles are the titles of famous books. show less

Murder in a bookstore? How could I resist? And this book was actually a good read - more intelligent than many cozies. As one from a series, and the first I read, I can safely tell you it doesn't matter if you begin with #1 or #13 (as I did). Tales and Treats is the new bookstore in the small town of Scumble River, and our heroine Skye Denison (school psychologist and girlfriend of the police chief) discovers a body as she drops off some old books before the store officially opens for the show more day, during their first week in business! The characters are believable, the dialogue realistic, and the mystery kept me guessing. A fun gimmick was a classic book title for each chapter, which related to that chapter (The Sun Also Rises, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice). I'll soon be looking to read another book in this series. show less