Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Misery Loves Maggody
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Joan Hess
Class/Genre: Mystery Cozy Humorous Woman Main Character
Series: Arly Hanks # 11
Simon & Schuster, Jan 1999, $22.00, 285 pp.
Arly Hanks returns to Maggody, a town of 755 people, to recover from the trauma of marrying and divorcing a Yankee. She accepts the job of police chief, thinking that nothing major ever occurs in a small burgh like Maggody. However, she quickly reassess her opinion when her town is invaded by Hollywood, militia crazies, a militia unit ,and a belief that a UFO invasion occurred.
Arly's mother Ruby Dee and her friend Estelle go on an Elvis vacation where they see the Maggody Mayor in a motel with a woman, who is not his wife. Arly is soon shocked when her mother ends up in the hospital after collapsing for no apparent reason. The police chief is further stunned when the Mayor is arrested for allegedly throwing an exotic dancer off a balcony to her death. Instead of helping her mother, Arly is up to her armpits in police cases.
The eleventh Maggody mystery is the funniest and probably the best written novel in this very good series. The primary and secondary characters are a hoot and a half as they exaggerate small town living. The various subplots coherently weave together into a fantastic tale that should not be missed. Joan Hess is a writer whose novels keep getting better and better.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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