Publication Date:September 1, 2008 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
Tucked away in a cozy cul-de-sac on Heraldsgate Hill, Judith McMonigle Flynn hopes for smooth sailing in her longtime role as an innkeeper. But Judith's skill in dealing with guests is matched only by her knack for coming across corpses.
Mystery lovers who enjoy madcap mayhem will have no reservations about returning to Hillside Manor in the twenty-fourth Bed-and-Breakfast book from USA Today bestselling author Mary Daheim.
Judith's worst nightmare comes true when Vivian Flynn—husband Joe's first wife—moves back into the neighborhood, bringing along her newest spouse, Billy "Blunder" Buss, a former minor-league baseball player who is many years younger than his shop-worn bride. Still, the B&B business is going well and the newlyweds don't seem to be causing problems for the Flynns. That seemingly calm summer idyll is broken when Vivian, who has become mysteriously wealthy, announces plans to tear down her own house and the recently vacated bungalow next door so she can build a big, bad condo. Judith, along with the rest of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac, is up in arms, vowing to fight the project to the death.
Vivian's past catches up with her when Frankie Buss comes to town. Billy and Frankie's late father, elderly Oklahoma rancher Potsy Buss, was married to Vivian for nine months before dying and bequeathing her his vast wealth. Frankie Buss intends to stir the pot of gold that Potsy left his widow, and he's trying to cut a deal with Vivian and her most recent mate, Billy. Naturally, where else would Frankie and his wife, Marva Lou, stay but at Hillside Manor?
And naturally, somebody checks out . . . permanently. The "somebody" isn't a Buss family member, and turns out to be a "nobody" because the body can't be identified. To save the B&B as well as her sanity, Judith must figure out not only who did it, but who it was who was found dead in Vivian's backyard.
Customer Reviews:
Hooray for Judith!September 4, 2008 After reading the series over a period of a few months I had a little break before this book. I found this book very enjoyable and back on the track of the first ones that I enjoyed so much. The mention of the hip thing so frequently still irks me ( and helped lower the star rating ), but this time it is forgiven given how the book ends. I also enjoyed that Judith manages several times to stand up for herself and actually gets rewarded with appreciation from unexpected quarters. The other thing I can say that bugged me was the added dimension of how truly wasted the years that Judith and Joe lost was never addressed and seemed not to change the dynamics of Joe to Herself, and given human nature I do NOT find that believable.
fresh cozyAugust 26, 2008 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
In Seattle, Judith McMonigle Flynn owns and manages the Hillside Manor bed-and-breakfast. However, domestic tranquility and bliss vanish rather quickly when Joe's former wife "Her" with the ample cleavage as always openly on display, nouveau riche Vivian, arrives.; Accompanying her is her much younger boy toy spouse, former minor league baseball player Billy "Blunder" Buss.
However the Heraldsgate Hill cul de sac residents including Judith, her cousin Remy, and Joe are horrifically stunned when Vivian announces plans to build an ostentatious condo complex amidst their homes. Adding to the growing fiasco is the arrival of Billy's brother Frankie and his wife Marva Lou who stay at the B&B. Frankie is irate that his late father left a fortune to his trophy wife Vivian. When a corpse is found behind Vivian's new home, Judith can't help herself. She starts investigating though she denies to Remy every sleuthing step of involvement she takes.
This long running cozy keeps its freshness with the interrelationships, many dysfunctional between the cast including the cousins. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as an eccentric horde invades the Heraldsgate Hill neighborhood causing havoc to the residents and amusement for the reader. The investigation is cleverly handled to add to the overall fun of exacerbation as Judith reconsiders her second time with Joe due to his eccentric people invading their of people.