Mud Bog Murder
by Lesley A. Diehl
(The) Author cares about her characters, and plans her mysteries so that protagonist Eve has plenty of opportunities, and reasons, to grow and evolve, to make the choice to be “the better person”…
~Mallory Heart’s Cozies
I enjoyed this book, the characters are fun and a story line with plot twist that will keep you hooked until the end.
~Shelley’s Book Case
Ms. Diehl write such great stories with characters so full of life.
~Community Bookstop
I would call this a classic cozy. You have enough wacky, eclectic characters to make every reader happy…
~Laura’s Interests
Mud Bog Murder (An Eve Appel Mystery)
4th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Camel Press (September 1, 2016)
Paperback: 268 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603813150
My Review
I’m a southern gal and there’s nothing more fun than reading a story set in the land that offers you tasty mudbugs, pecan pie, and sweet tea.
Eve Appel came to Sabal Bay, Florida to start fresh. While waiting for her building to be refurbished, she and her friend Madeleine have taken her business on the road, literally. A friend loaned her an RV and she’s fixed it up as a consignment shop on wheels.
Business is brisk until the gals join a protest against a mud bog event. The giant trucks tear up the swampland and kill or destroy the habitat of local wildlife. It’s not just the town folk boycotting the business they have to worry about after the host’s head literally lands in Eve’s hands.
Okay, I snickered. I could just see it. Those big truck tires slinging mud all over the place, and then this head comes flying out. And once Eve realizes what she’s caught, she knows she can’t just toss it. It’s evidence at a crime scene.
It’s a free for all as accusations get slung, finger’s point to suspects, and some damning evidence is discovered, along with a convenient anonymous tip.
With so many suspects to choose from, it’s not an easy mystery to solve. So enjoy the ride as the author introduces you to her colorful cast of characters from south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Two of my favorite things about cozies are the characters and the small towns portrayed in them. I had a blast meeting these characters and the town felt familiar. The charming, fun mystery kept me sifting through the clues and snorting at some outrageous scenes. There’s also a bit of a love triangle. Kind of. Sort of.
This is the fourth book in the series, but you can read this one without having read the other three. I did. The author drops in some tidbits about previous events and some character insight without barely a hiccup in the story’s flow.
I hope you give this book a go. I pinkie swear you’ll have fun.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
When Jenny McCleary leases her property to be ravaged by the annual mud bog races, the small rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, is divided into warring camps: environmental activists versus monster truck fans. Jenny, who frequents the consignment store owned by Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, doesn’t seem to mind when Eve and Madeleine join the protesters the day of the races.
During the race, Eve catches Jenny’s airborne head after it is tossed into the air by the wheels of a truck. Now every protester is a suspect in Jenny’s murder. What’s left of her alligator-gnawed body is found near the airboat business of Eve’s Miccosukee Indian friends, Sammy Egret and his grandfather. When more evidence turns up nearby, Grandfather is arrested.
Even without the disembodied head, Eve has her hands full. The town resents her role in the protests and is boycotting the consignment shop on wheels. She is torn between two men–GQ-handsome, devoted PI Alex and tall, dark, and exotic Sammy. Jenny’s sweet and needy teenage daughter is dating a petty criminal. Will Eve and Madeleine ever be able to move into their new digs? Not unless the town forgives them. And not if whoever decapitated Jenny gets to Eve before she and her sleuthing buddies solve the mystery.
Author Lesley A. Diehl
Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York. In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport. Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse. When not writing, she gardens, cooks and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work.
She is the author of a number of mystery series (Microbrewing Series, Big Lake Mystery Series, Eve Appel Mystery Series and the Laura Murphy Mysteries), a standalone mystery (Angel Sleuth) and numerous short stories.
Visit her on her website: www.lesleyadiehl.com
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Follow the tour
September 1 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 2 – Bibliophile Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 3 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
September 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
September 5 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW, GUEST POST
September 6 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
September 7 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
September 8 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
September 9 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
September 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
September 12 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
September 13 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW
September 14 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – SPOTLIGHT
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