Gertie Johnson is in her sixties and decides to investigate a death in the local community. Her son the sheriff is petitioning to become her legal guardian. If I was related to her so would I. ( )

After her neighbor is shot in his hunting blind 66-year old Gertie Johnson, a widow living in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) in Michigan forms an ad hoc investigation agency consisting of her man-hungry best friend, Cora Mae (think Blanch Devereaux,), and larger than life, pin-curled friend Kitty to find the killer.

Gertie is a hoot; she’s feisty, snarky, and wholly independent (despite her son’s petition to get her a guardianship). While I didn’t laugh out loud per se, it did bring lots of grins and knowing smiles to my lips. Few cozy mystery heroines are this funny and entertaining. I can’t believe this series hasn’t been nominated for a Lefty Award (humorous crime novels)!

While the mystery is really secondary to Gertie, her friends and her family, Baker still does a fine job of creating a cozy mystery and I really didn’t figure it out until Gertie did, so all in all it was a fun romp of a read perfect for a lazy summer vacation. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

What do you do when you are 66 and have recently lost your husband, you find new interests. Gertie has decided she will investigate the death of a neighbor because her son Blaze, the sheriff, has called it a hunting accident without looking at the scene. With her friends Cora and Kitty, they begin checking out every possible suspect leading to some different situations.

Fun cozy mystery. ( )

Very funny, lots of funny little one-liners. A nice change after all the set texts I'd been reading before it.

Didn't find Gertie hugely likeable, she was a bit of a batty old lady who got by on sheer luck but that added to the comedy of the story.

May look out for more books about Gertie because it was an enjoyable, quick read. ( )

After her neighbor is shot in his hunting blind 66-year old Gertie Johnson, a widow living in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) in Michigan forms an ad hoc investigation agency consisting of her man-hungry best friend, Cora Mae (think Blanch Devereaux,), and larger than life, pin-curled friend Kitty to find the killer.

Gertie is a hoot; she’s feisty, snarky, and wholly independent (despite her son’s petition to get her a guardianship). While I didn’t laugh out loud per se, it did bring lots of grins and knowing smiles to my lips. Few cozy mystery heroines are this funny and entertaining. I can’t believe this series hasn’t been nominated for a Lefty Award (humorous crime novels)!

While the mystery is really secondary to Gertie, her friends and her family, Baker still does a fine job of creating a cozy mystery and I really didn’t figure it out until Gertie did, so all in all it was a fun romp of a read perfect for a lazy summer vacation. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
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