β Scribed by Daheim, Mary
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The off-season blahs, a pyromaniacal mom, and a recently retired husband who is constantly underfoot have poor Judith McMonigle Flynn going stir crazy at Hillside Manor. So the harried R&B hostess leaps at cousin Renie's suggestion that Judith accompany her to Creepersthe stately estate of kindly old Leota Burgess. The wealthy senior is certain that someone is determined to do her in for moneymost likely one of her disreputable relativesand Judith and Renie have agreed to look into her allegations. And when they stumble upon Leota's bruised but still breathing body at the foot of the grand staircase, they realize the old lady's fears may be well-founded. But the decidedly dead corpse lying on top of Leotahis head bashed flatter than the proverbial French pancakesuggests that there's more to these homicidal doings than meets the eye. And now it's up to the cousins to follow the clues to the creep who's creeping around Creepers with murder on the mind.
Seattle B&B owner Judith McMonigle Flynn and her ill-tempered cousin, Renie, leave behind their recently retired husbands to look after the elderly mother of an indisposed friend in this chatty mystery. Convinced someone is trying to kill her, and undeterred by her relatives' strong opposition to outside interference, wealthy widow Leota Burgess welcomes the middle-aged sleuths into the prisonlike confines of her aptly named estate, Creepers. When they find the family doctor's bludgeoned body at the bottom of the stairs, Judith and Renie quickly set about snooping into the reticent clan's sordid past. More than once, their probing unearths references to a mysterious past employee named Suzette, who some say still haunts the house. Daheim (Legs Benedict, etc.) pokes fun at Burgess's dysfunctional, WASPy family, whose skeletons include suicide, adultery, racism, mental illness and murder. Her acerbic wit and sarcasm propel the dialogue, but sadly, Daheim leaves few clues to the killer's true identity. 5-city author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"Judith and Renie are sleuths to treasure...Daheim writes with wit, wisdom, and a big heart. I love her books." -- --- Carolyn Hart
Version : 5.0
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