Miss Zukas and the Island Murders

"The Island Murders" is the second in the Helma Zukas, librarian, cozy mystery series. Miss Zukas receives an anonymous letter reminding her that she promised she would plan her 20th year high school reunion. Why an anonymous reminder and how can the conscientious Miss Zukas successfully plan a reunion from a Michigan high school when she lives in Washington state?

Of course it was no great challenge for the determined Miss Zukas, though the murders that took place during the reunion were certainly not part of her plan. Chief of Police Gallant seems to have a special interest in Miss Zukas, and considering her habit of getting involved in murders, she'd just better be glad.

Straight-laced librarian Helma Zukas finds herself in charge of planning her high school reunion. Miss Zukas decides to fly all of her classmates out to the Washington coast for a resort reunion. This will give Helma the chance to investigate the mysterious death of one of her classmates during their senior year. Those accustomed to Helma's exploits will not be surprised to discover that danger follows the reunion, and Helma and company find themselves in grave danger.

This book provides the usual entertaining fare one gets in the Miss Zukas series. There are elements of the story that belie conceivability, which is also typical of this series. The reunion takes place in Washington, though the class graduated in Michigan. Helma funds show more the trip for the entire class, as she was supposedly able to invest left over money from class fundraising in high school. Getting around these issues this volume provides Dereske's usual standard of entertainment. This volume was more removed from the library and its environs than some of the other books. I thought that was a shame, as the library is a huge part of this series's draw. show less

An anonymous letter reminds spinster librarian, Helma, that she promised to organize her high school reunion. Reunion sabotage and a series of murders lead Helma to uncover a sordid murder from the past.

There is nothing outstanding about this book; it's the standard mystery paperback you find in the bin at the dollar store. It's extremely difficult to keep track of all of the bland characters.

I really enjoy Miss Zukas, and Boy Cat Zukas too, but the reunion was a bit weak.