Book Review: Murder and the Mad Hatter

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Murder and the Mad Hatter    
Barbara Jaye Wilson
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Humorous   Cozy   Amateur Sleuth
Avon, Jan 2001, $5.99, 242 pp.

If Brenda Midnight used her brain she would have said no when her boyfriend's sleazy agent Lemon B. Crenshaw asked her to marry him. He wins her hand in matrimony by persuading her that he illegally resides in this country, but not for long as the INS has caught up with him. If deported, Lemon explains that he will not be able to rejuvenate her boyfriend's sagging career. Unbelievably, Brenda falls for the entire sad sack story and marries Lemon even though they keep separate residences.

Brenda becomes furious when she learns she must remain married to Lemon for six months. Her ire rises to stroke levels when she finds out he actually needed to wed her to win a bet. Determined to get even with the slimy Lemon, Brenda breaks into husband's apartment and steals her husband's valuable brassiere collection. A thump in the apartment above frightens Brenda who flees Lemon's apartment. At the elevator, she runs into a rude stranger. At home Brenda learns that someone murdered the wealthy philanthropist who lived above Lemon. She knows what the thump was and tracks down her fellow elevator rider. Each accuses the other of murder to the bewildered police.

Barbara Jaye Wilson writes humorous mysteries that will appeal to fans of cozies and amateur sleuth tales. Some of the one-liners throughout MURDER AND THE AND HATTER will leave the audience deeply laughing. Whimsical characters from previous works augment a tender feeling of familiarity while propelling the complex mystery forward without giving many clues to the reader. Ms. Wilson makes reading fun.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner