Muletrain to Maggody

The big draw of this book for me was the setting of a small Arkansas town along the Missouri border a.k.a. my home. The author did an excellent job in capturing the homespun, hardscrabble life in a small, Ozark town (not surprisingly she actually hails from Northwest Arkansas). The mystery that Arly Hanks is charged with solving is overshadowed by the comedy that ensues after the town When the town is turned on its ear by the filming of a Civil War documentary and a rumor of a hidden stash of gold. Fun characters and an easy read.

The local historical society has decided to shoot a documentary in Maggody reenacting a small skirmish during the Civil War and Arly, chief of police, has to deal with the reenactors and people descending on the town searching for hidden Confederate gold. Then two murders occur and things really get crazy. A fun entry int he series. It was good to visit with the kooky citizens of Maggody again.

Funny but not memorable. Getting a little tired of the characters.

Although the characters in the book were somewhat amusing I felt the author strained to make them that way. The setting of a Civil War battle re-enactment made the mystery somewhat interesting. I almost put the book away during the first few chapters.