Carol Miller (4)

4.5 stars.

An Old-Fashioned Murder is the third outing in Carol Miller's Moonshine Mystery series starring baker turned amateur sleuth Daisy McGovern. In this latest release, a surprise blizzard strands Daisy and a motley assortment of guests at the Tosh Inn where tensions mount as she and bat conservationist/love interest Drew Alcott investigate the death of one of the visitors.

Daisy is happy to assist her honorary Aunt Emily host the grand reopening of the Tosh Inn following repairs on the show more beautiful Victorian mansion. The guest list is small but includes Edna and May Fowler, owners of the antique store that Emily frequents, close friend Henry Brent (an entertaining 94 year old), inn guests Sarah and Kenneth Lunt, Daisy's beau Drew and two unwelcome party crashers, Parker and Lillian Barker. Also present is the inn's newly hired employee Georgia Ross, a newcomer to town with a bit of a mysterious past. The party is off to a bit of tense beginning since Lillian is Daisy's aunt by marriage and despite the fact that Daisy has not seen nor heard from her husband Matt since he vanished five years earlier, Lillian is not at all happy that her niece-in-law is dating Drew. Equally troubling is Kenneth's unexpected offer to purchase the inn even though it is not currently for sale. In the early morning hours, the shocking discovery of a dead body casts a pall over the celebration and leaves everyone looking at one another with suspicion since a second death soon makes it apparent there is a killer in their midst.

Daisy, Drew and Emily are eager to uncover the killer's identity but with few clues to go on, they find it impossible to narrow down their suspect list. With most of the guests behaving a little suspiciously, they try to focus on possible reasons for the murder, and while they come up with several plausible theories, they cannot find proof to back up their suppositions. Snippets of overheard conversations seem to offer a valid motive for the first death, but Daisy's investigation quickly hits a dead end. Furtive behavior by one the residents rouses Daisy's suspicions but new information soon ends that line of inquiry. A second death puts pressure on Daisy to solve the crimes but will she unmask the killer before another person is murdered?

With plenty of red herrings and a vast pool of credible suspects, An Old-Fashioned Murder is a brilliantly written whodunit that is virtually impossible to solve. Carol Miller keeps the Moonshine Mystery series fresh by the introduction of new characters and the clever use of a party, a blizzard and the Tosh Inn as a backdrop for the murders. Although Daisy's nemesis Rick Balsam remains on the periphery for much of the story, he is once again an invaluable source of information for Daisy during the investigation. An absolutely stunning plot twist will leave readers impatiently awaiting the release of the next book in the series. show less

A Nip of Murder is the second book in Carol Miller’s Moonshine Mystery series. Set in rural Virginia, it features Daisy ‘Ducky’ McGovern, a former waitress at the H&P Diner, which she now part owns and has converted into a bakery. Business is good, especially with the daily patronage of a group of geocacher’s in town, but strangers also mean trouble. When three men break into Sweetie Pies, Daisy’s baker, Brenda, is forced to defend herself and one of the men ends up dead while the show more others flee with ninety pounds of cream cheese. The motive for the robbery is inexplicable and Daisy, who doesn’t have much faith in the local deputy’s ability to solve the mystery, decides to do some sleuthing of her own.

There is yet another strange local theft, and murder, while Daisy follows the evidence to a local ‘nip’ joint (a hidden bar selling moonshine), and then deep into the Appalachian mountains, all while planning a bridal shower and creating a red velvet wedding cake on short notice for Rick’s brother, Bobby and his bride to be, one of the geocacher organisers.

The well paced mystery is complex but not overly complicated and the motive of the thieves and the killer are not easily guessed. There are a number of red herrings to distract and a neat twist waiting at the end for the unwary.

I like the characters who offer a mix of eccentric southern charm. The storyline continues to highlight the complicated relationship between Daisy and Rick. A gun-toting moonshiner whose actions often put him on the wrong side of the law, Rick is an enigmatic character. He and Daisy, who have known each other all their lives, spar like enemies but there is a simmering attraction that Daisy tries hard to ignore.

A Nip of Murder is an enjoyable cozy mystery, it’s not essential to read Murder and Moonshine first but I would recommend it. show less

Murder and Moonshine is a debut mystery for Carol Miller. Set in rural Virginia, it begins when a reclusive old farmer stumbles in to the H&P Diner and dies, foaming at the mouth. Waitress, Daisy McGovern, is horrified, and even more so when ATF Agent Ethan Kinney shows up to investigate his death. Daisy bears a grudge against the FBI who, in the wake of her father’s tragic death five years before, seized her family’s farm and she is determined to ensure Agent Kinney doesn’t stay long. show more Then Hank (the H is H&P Diner) is murdered and suddenly Daisy finds herself in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy, and Ethan may be the only person she can trust.

There is a touch of humour, romance and moments of high tension in Murder and Moonshine. The story has more authenticity than I usually expect from a cozy mystery and the plot is well thought out, twisting in unexpected directions. While I found the pace a bit slow initially, the story does gather momentum as it unfolds and I was surprised by the denouement. At its heart lies family secrets, murder and a conspiracy of greed.

Daisy proves to be feisty and resourceful with a history of tragedy – from the death of her father and the loss of her family home, to being abandoned by her husband, and to now coping with her mother’s prolonged illness. Her motivation to become involved in the mystery makes sense, the murders are linked to her old homestead and both she and her mother are in danger.

Of course, no southern murder mystery would be complete without a cast of quirky characters from the gun toting Aunt Emily to the moonshine brothers, Rick and Bobby.

I enjoyed Murder and Moonshine, and I look forward to seeing how the series develops. show less

Carol Miller serves up a big dose of Southern hospitality in her debut novel, Murder and Moonshine. This murder mystery is quite puzzling but it is the delightfully appealing cast of quirky characters that kept me glued to the pages of this compelling story.

Daisy McGovern has her hands full with her ill mother and gun-toting honorary Aunt Emily when local recluse Fred Dickerson unexpectedly passes away in the diner where she is a waitress. This spunky independent young woman is struggling show more financially in the wake of her husband's disappearance and the unfair seizure of the family farm by the ATF. So she is not all happy when ATF agent Ethan Kinney shows up to investigate Fred's death. Deciding there is some truth to the old adage "keep your friends close and enemies closer", Daisy reluctantly joins forces with Ethan to uncover the truth behind Fred's demise. A second death hits close to home and puts Daisy in danger as she and Ethan close in on the killer.

A series of misdirects and lack of clear motive keep the plot of Murder and Moonshine moving at a brisk pace as Daisy and Ethan investigate Fred's death. Inside information about the intricacies of the moonshining business provides valuable insight into how Fred was murdered but they are left wondering why anyone would kill the elderly man. The pair are equally mystified by the sudden interest in who owns Daisy's old family homestead. But it is Daisy's preoccupation with new owner's identity that obscures a vital clue and puts Daisy, her mom and Ethan in harm's way.

Murder and Moonshine has an interesting and well-developed storyline that is full of twists and turns. The eclectic cast of characters is three-dimensional and quite entertaining. Carol Miller perfectly captures all of the complicated nuances of Southern living and she brings the small town vividly to life. While most of the novel's mysteries are solved, I am desperately hoping the next installment will answer the question of what happened to Daisy's husband! show less