Carol Miller (4)

Carol Miller serves up another puzzling and very unique mystery in the Moonshine Mystery series with her latest release, A Nip of Murder. Daisy McGovern is now the proud owner of Sweetie Pies and her bakery is doing a booming business. That is until a mysterious break in leads to murder and Daisy is finds herself embroiled in a search for the dead man's identity.

Daisy does not have much confidence in the deputy investigating the break in at Sweetie Pies and she decides to do a little sleuthing on her own. The discovery of a mysterious chip leads her to a moonshine "nip" in a neighboring town where she finds uncovers more baffling evidence. A couple other strange break-ins add to her confusion but Daisy is convinced that all of the events are somehow connected.

Once again, Daisy finds herself crossing paths and matching wits with Rick Balsam, a childhood friend whom she does not trust any farther than she can throw him. She is also saddled with the Rick's brother Bobby, who is harmless but not overly bright, but surprisingly, he does have a few useful skills that prove very helpful. Both of the Balsam brothers are key players in the case, and Daisy's continued animosity towards Rick hinders the investigation.

A Nip of Murder is another delightful installment in Carol Miller's Moonshine Mystery series. It is a very engrossing story with a mystery that is virtually impossible to solve. With a colorful cast of characters and plenty of down home Southern charm, A Nip of Murder is a fun and unique read that mystery lovers are going love.… (plus d'informations)

4.5 stars.

An Old-Fashioned Murder is the third outing in Carol Miller's Moonshine Mystery series starring baker turned amateur sleuth Daisy McGovern. In this latest release, a surprise blizzard strands Daisy and a motley assortment of guests at the Tosh Inn where tensions mount as she and bat conservationist/love interest Drew Alcott investigate the death of one of the visitors.

Daisy is happy to assist her honorary Aunt Emily host the grand reopening of the Tosh Inn following repairs on the beautiful Victorian mansion. The guest list is small but includes Edna and May Fowler, owners of the antique store that Emily frequents, close friend Henry Brent (an entertaining 94 year old), inn guests Sarah and Kenneth Lunt, Daisy's beau Drew and two unwelcome party crashers, Parker and Lillian Barker. Also present is the inn's newly hired employee Georgia Ross, a newcomer to town with a bit of a mysterious past. The party is off to a bit of tense beginning since Lillian is Daisy's aunt by marriage and despite the fact that Daisy has not seen nor heard from her husband Matt since he vanished five years earlier, Lillian is not at all happy that her niece-in-law is dating Drew. Equally troubling is Kenneth's unexpected offer to purchase the inn even though it is not currently for sale. In the early morning hours, the shocking discovery of a dead body casts a pall over the celebration and leaves everyone looking at one another with suspicion since a second death soon makes it apparent there is a killer in their midst.

Daisy, Drew and Emily are eager to uncover the killer's identity but with few clues to go on, they find it impossible to narrow down their suspect list. With most of the guests behaving a little suspiciously, they try to focus on possible reasons for the murder, and while they come up with several plausible theories, they cannot find proof to back up their suppositions. Snippets of overheard conversations seem to offer a valid motive for the first death, but Daisy's investigation quickly hits a dead end. Furtive behavior by one the residents rouses Daisy's suspicions but new information soon ends that line of inquiry. A second death puts pressure on Daisy to solve the crimes but will she unmask the killer before another person is murdered?

With plenty of red herrings and a vast pool of credible suspects, An Old-Fashioned Murder is a brilliantly written whodunit that is virtually impossible to solve. Carol Miller keeps the Moonshine Mystery series fresh by the introduction of new characters and the clever use of a party, a blizzard and the Tosh Inn as a backdrop for the murders. Although Daisy's nemesis Rick Balsam remains on the periphery for much of the story, he is once again an invaluable source of information for Daisy during the investigation. An absolutely stunning plot twist will leave readers impatiently awaiting the release of the next book in the series.… (plus d'informations)

Carol Miller serves up a big dose of Southern hospitality in her debut novel, Murder and Moonshine. This murder mystery is quite puzzling but it is the delightfully appealing cast of quirky characters that kept me glued to the pages of this compelling story.

Daisy McGovern has her hands full with her ill mother and gun-toting honorary Aunt Emily when local recluse Fred Dickerson unexpectedly passes away in the diner where she is a waitress. This spunky independent young woman is struggling financially in the wake of her husband's disappearance and the unfair seizure of the family farm by the ATF. So she is not all happy when ATF agent Ethan Kinney shows up to investigate Fred's death. Deciding there is some truth to the old adage "keep your friends close and enemies closer", Daisy reluctantly joins forces with Ethan to uncover the truth behind Fred's demise. A second death hits close to home and puts Daisy in danger as she and Ethan close in on the killer.

A series of misdirects and lack of clear motive keep the plot of Murder and Moonshine moving at a brisk pace as Daisy and Ethan investigate Fred's death. Inside information about the intricacies of the moonshining business provides valuable insight into how Fred was murdered but they are left wondering why anyone would kill the elderly man. The pair are equally mystified by the sudden interest in who owns Daisy's old family homestead. But it is Daisy's preoccupation with new owner's identity that obscures a vital clue and puts Daisy, her mom and Ethan in harm's way.

Murder and Moonshine has an interesting and well-developed storyline that is full of twists and turns. The eclectic cast of characters is three-dimensional and quite entertaining. Carol Miller perfectly captures all of the complicated nuances of Southern living and she brings the small town vividly to life. While most of the novel's mysteries are solved, I am desperately hoping the next installment will answer the question of what happened to Daisy's husband!… (plus d'informations)