Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Stiffs and Swine by J. B. Stanley. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
Stiffs and Swine by J. B. Stanley
A Supper Club Mystery with James Henry
Midnight Ink (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7387-1267-1 (0738712671)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-1267-3 (9780738712673)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $13.95
Review: One of the "flab five" supper club members is arrested for murder in Stiffs and Swine, the fourth mystery in this delightful series by J. B. Stanley.
Much to the group's delight, they are asked to judge the “Queen Sow Contest” in Hudsonville, Virginia. It would mean an overnight trip causing James Henry, head librarian for the Shenandoah Valley County Library, pause. Recently a large number of teenagers had been visiting the library on Friday nights, not reading or doing homework, just milling around waiting for something to happen. Since they didn't appear to be causing any trouble, James decided to wait until he returned from the contest to look into the matter.
At a charming bed-and-breakfast, the site of the contest, the group meets up with Jimmy Kane, a loud-mouthed flirt who seems to be offending everyone in sight, especially the women. When Kane wins first place for his BBQ brisket, Gillian, one of the supper club members, confronts him, screaming that he is the man who deliberately ran down her husband years ago, killing him. Gillian said that not one day had gone by that she had not wished him dead. The next morning, Kane is found dead in his motor home, Gillian sitting on the steps. The sheriff arrests Gillian for his murder, but the other four supper club members go into amateur sleuth mode. There is clearly no shortage of suspects. And there even seems to be a suspicious link between Kane and the teenagers occupying the library Friday nights.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Stiffs and Swine (in light of the plot, a particularly clever title) is the harmony and camaraderie between the five members of the supper club. A spirit of "all for one and one for all" resonates between the chapters. This diverse group (an ex-professor librarian, sheriff's deputy, mail carrier, high school art teacher, and animal-loving hippie) might appear to be an eccentric and unlikely bunch but their fun-loving and amateur-sleuthing ways are a winsome combination. Add in an interesting and credible mystery plot (and scrumptious-sounding recipes) and the result is, to paraphrase the words of the Queen Sow Contest moderator, a winner.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Stiffs and Swine and to Midnight Ink for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
If you are interested in purchasing Stiffs and Swine from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.
Synopsis (from the publisher): When the supper club members are invited to be guest judges at a regional barbecue contest, they accept the invitation faster than you can say "hog heaven." But the barbecue festival's family-oriented, finger-licking fun turns sour when a contestant is found dead. Things go from bad to worse when one of the five friends is accused of the murder and lands in jail. The strained relationship between James and Lucy is still no picnic, but the supper club members must stick together to find the real killer.
Includes authentic barbecue-friendly recipes!
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