Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Desert Hedge Murders by Patricia Stoltey. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
The Desert Hedge Murders by Patricia Stoltey
A Sylvia and Willie Mystery
Five Star (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59414-785-X (159414785X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-785-2 (9781594147852)
Publication Date: August 2009
List Price: $25.95
Review: The Florida Flippers are on their way to Laughlin (Nevada) for a weekend of fun … and murder … in The Desert Hedge Murders, the second mystery in the Sylvia and Willie series by Patricia Stoltey.
Sixty-year-old Sylvia Thorn, of Miami, agrees to accompany her mother, Kristina Grisseljon, and friends of her travel club on a week-end of fun and scenic tours. The elderly ladies call themselves the “Florida Flippers” because they all are devoted fans of the Miami Dolphins. Just prior to the start of their journey to their next destination, Laughlin, one of the members, Velma Rasher, falls and breaks her hip. One of the Flippers, Sandra Pringle, invites a friend, Patsy Strump, to go as Velma’s replacement. Before the ladies can get comfortable in their rooms at the motel, however, Sandra and Patsy yell for help. They have found a fully dressed man lying dead in their bathtub. This incident does not deter most of the women from seeking out the gaming fun at the local casinos. But when the police came to question the ladies, Patsy, Sandra and their rental car are nowhere to be found. Is this just a coincidence or is there a link between the murdered man and Patsy and Sandra? The other ladies decide they will all do a little sleuthing on their own to find their friends.
Meanwhile, Sylvia’s brother, Willie, who has experienced moments of clairvoyance since his tour during the war, senses Sylvia is in trouble. He and his dad, Peter, head for Nevada. Between the Nevada police, the Arizona police, the FBI, the Flippers, and now Willie, the hunt for the two missing women and a murderer has turned into a confusing mesh of twists and turns. Soon they're convinced there must be a connection between Patsy and Sandra and the dead man, but a more alarming thought crosses their minds: was Velma’s fall actually an accident?
The Desert Hedge Murders is a delightfully amusing mystery. The members of the Flippers are so typical of a group of women their age, each trying to get the first and/or last word in. The author captures to great effect the colors of the modern west in the setting, juxtaposing glitzy casinos with dusty abandoned gold mines. Finally, the murder plot is well developed and provides a good and enjoyable puzzle for the women, and the reader, to solve.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Desert Hedge Murders and to Patricia Stoltey 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 The Desert Hedge Murders from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.
Synopsis (from the publisher): A body in a bathtub is the last thing Sylvia Thorn expects her mother’s travel club to find when they check into their Laughlin, Nevada hotel rooms.
The Florida Flippers, named for their long-standing support of the Miami Dolphins, scatter like dandelion fluff, intent on investigating a murder case to which they have no apparent connection. From the elderly wannabe cowgirl with wild red hair to the caustic- tongued volunteer park ranger in orthopedic hiking boots, the Florida Flippers keep Sylvia on her toes as she does a little sleuthing of her own.
But when the Laughlin detectives want to interview the Flippers, one of the elder travelers and her rental car are nowhere to be found. The tour group soon makes a grim discovery at the Lone Cactus Gold Mine near Oatman, Arizona, and Sylvia realizes there may be a connection between her mother’s club and the body in the tub after all. To add to the confusion, and Sylvia’s internal turmoil, the handsome and much younger FBI agent, who tormented her in so many ways in Florida, is now in Laughlin showing intense interest in her group’s activities.
Soon Sylvia’s brother, reluctant clairvoyant Willie Grisseljon, senses trouble. Unable to contact his mother by phone, and prompted by his father who is equally alarmed, Willie abruptly abandons his bachelor weekend in Florida and impulsively, with Dad at his side, flies to the rescue. Willie soon wishes someone would rescue him instead.
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