Helma Zukas is summoned to the home of her best friend, Ruth, in order to inspect a dead body which has been found in a periwinkle patch. At the same time, her co-workers at the library are trying to persuade Helma to do the canoe section of a relay race which attracts over 200 teams. Intrepid woman that she is, Helma manages to do both, with her usual careful preparation and fine eye for detail. This is a delightful series and this particular book is one of the best of the Miss Zukas series. Dereske's characters are likeable and humorous and she does a great job of describing the area in Washington state where the series takes place. She also manages to tie up all of the loose ends from the murder and gives the ending a bittersweet tinge.

Miss Zukas is a conservative, intelligent librarian who is thrown into solving another murder when her flamboyant artist friend Ruth is implicated when the body shows up on her lawn. You'll delight in the many twists and turns in this light mystery whose setting is a lush Washington waterfront community. Not only are you drawn into a community, but you're privy to the internal functions of a library with interesting carictures of the staff, and an unlikely suspect within. Helma Zukas in an intelligent sleuth who probes every angle like a true information specialish. Humorous contrasts between Helma's staid lifestyle and wild Ruth's freespirited one abound. Light romance between Helma and Officer Gallant, and insight into office relationships make for an interesting read. The subplot of the Ski to Sea race show Helma's canoeing skills, her valiance as a competitor, and an ulikely canoe clue. Helma is an admirable sleuth and librarian who leaves no stone unturned as she uncovers the mystery, and in a whim of compassion lets the suspect slip away. I highly recommend this readable, witty, classy mystery.

I'm not much of a fiction person, but this book really got me hooked on them. I really loved the way Erik took responsability of such an important task. This is a perfect book for anyone who likes futuristic stories. I definatly reccomend this to anyone.

Helma Zukas' best friend Ruth talks her into going on a hike in the Cascade Mountains to celebrate Ruth's 40th. birthday. Ruth promises that two hiking experts will accompany them, but when the day arrives, Ruth's friends are unable to join them. They set out on their own, and to their horror they discover a dying man. Before he dies, he is able to tell them that he had a companion who may be in trouble, so Helma and Ruth decide to look for him. A blinding snowstorm forces them into an emergency cabin, along with a group of other hikers. This setting allows Jo Dereske to introduce a whole new set of characters who are an interesting change from Miss Zukas' usual co-workers ath the library. This is a well-written and entertaining "cozy".

This is my favorite of all of Helma's adventures. Great mystery/thriller story interspersed with Helma's very inspiring examples of being properly prepared to be on a mountain in a blizzard surrounded by some not very civilized people. I love this series. Always look forward to Helma's interactions with Boy Cat Zukas too (I love cats but this is hilarious!).

Perhaps because I am a retired librarian and my father was a librarian, I was able to see the little bits of irony and the take-off in Ms. Dereske's discription of Miss Helma Zukas. Helma almost fits "the typical librarian" in the libraries of the past. She is over-organized, dedicated to knit-picky details, dresses in such a way as to seem almost invisible, and (possibly her worst character defect)she has no sense of humor.Ms. Dereske has written tongue-in-cheek about most librarians' favorite stereotype. The idea that Miss Zukas enjoys adventures that few people get involved in, much less staid and sober librarians is part of the fun. I have enjoyed all the murderous events that Miss Zukas has become enmeshed in and I'm hoping for many more. Go, Miss Zukas. The Dewey Decimal System, though inadequate, will lead us out of the vale of ignorance.

Miss Zukas, a librarian in Bellehaven Washington, is asked to catalogue a collection of Native American books and memorabilia in the new Cultural Center. She is replacing Stanley Plummer whose dead body was found in the ladies' restroom at the Center, having been stabbed by a spindle-wielding murderer. She is not particularly pleased at having been "loaned" to the Center without her consent and is somewhat apprehensive as to whether she may be the next target of the murderer. In self-defense, and armed with her usual curiosity and powers of observation, Miss Zukas carries on her own investigation. As usual, her sidekick, the freewheeling artist Ruth, assists Miss Zukas in her pursuit of the killer. While working at the Center, Miss Zukas learns a lot about the Indian culture and meets some very interesting characters. With this book, Jo Dereske produces another delightful and entertaining "cozy" in her Miss Zukas Mystery Series.

I'm hooked on this series. The sleuth, Helma Zukas, is a librarian in the public library of the fictional town of Bellehaven, WA. Although a complete amateur she is unwittingly dragged into a murder investigation by the murder victim himself.

The murder victim was done to death by a paper spike in the women's washroom at a Native Cultural Centre. He was the curator of a collection of rare Native Indian books. And his death brings in Helma who takes over where he left off and then some.Quite a clever story really.

And Helma's side-kick Ruth is fun. The characters of Ms Moon, Eve and other caricatures of the library world seem all too familiar to a public library patron like myself. And the Native Indian characters are quite decently drawn. I liked Young Frank, Audrey and Juiliana.

Really a good mystery.

Besides, I've never seen the Vancouver Public Library in a mystery before and in the Raven's Dance it gets a cameo.

I read this on vacation under Hawaii's sun and was ever so grateful not to be in the gray and rainy Washington town with Ms Zukas. As a librarian, I enjoyed the librarian detective, but hope my profession isn't peopled by too many as spacy as "Ms. Moonbeam" or as hidebound and routine-driven as Ms. Zukas. Young Frank was appealing, and Ms. Zukas's free-spirited friend was beguiling. When I got back to town I went to a bookstore and purchased another paperback in the series. I guess I'm hooked.

Helma Zukas is given a ticket for running a red light, but she refuses to pay the fine, feeling that the ticket is unjustified. In lieu of paying the fine, Helma works at a mission for homeless men, dishing up food and doing other chores. During one of her volunteer nights, an influential businessman is found dead near the mission on his way in to a meeting to consider a grant proposal. He is also on the library board and has disagreed with Helma on policy in the past, thus placing her on a list of suspects. Helma discovers that there are lots of people with an ax to grind against the victim and she begins to sort through the clues and suspects in order to find the murderer. As always, her artistic friend Ruth serves as a comic foil for the straight-laced Miss Zukas and the road to a solution is an entertaining one.

Wilhelmina Zukas, reference librarian for the Bellehaven (Wash.) Public Library, finds herself doing community service at a mission for homeless men. When a library board member is murdered outside the mission, Miss Zukas is quick (once again) to help police in their investigation ... while a prior public disagreement with the victim places her in criminal suspicion as well. If you've read any of the other titles in this series, you'll enjoy following the continuing sagas of: the weather in Bellehaven; the bizarre antics of Ruth, Helma's artist friend; and the glowing embers of the quasi-platonic relationship with Wayne Gallant, the city police chief. And those of us in the library profession can easily identify with many of the quirks of the library staff and patrons. "Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow" is a quick and delightful read, and you might not figure out who the murderer is until just before Miss Zukas does!

This was a great addition to the series.

Miss Zukas is embroiled in audits, relationship difficulties, (more than one man is involved, that's all I'll say,) the homeless, and the fending off her mother, aunt, and New Age boss. This is a great combination of social commentary and mystery. The right to privacy is a big, big, issue in this book, and it is weaved within a very exciting mystery.

Support the ALA!---(American Library Association.)

In this, the second book in the series (the first was MISS ZUKAS AND THE LIBRARY MURDERS), Helma the librarian is trying to organize her mostly Lithuanian classmates into having a 20th-year high school reunion, with little or no help from her best friend Ruth, the artist. Once again, Dereske gives us a fast-paced thriller that's hard to put down. She develops the characters introduced in the first book and adds a touch of romance, scandal, threats, anonymous letters, fog, and, of course, murder. MISS ZUKAS AND THE ISLAND MURDERS is a fun, old-fashioned cozy set on an island where murders and threats abound.

When Helma Zukas graduated from high school, 20 years ago, she was put in charge of the class treasury and charged with organizing a 20th. class reunion. Helma is reminded of the promise by an anonymous note which spurs her on to begin organizing the event. Since she had wisely invested the class's money, she had enough to fly her classmates out to Seattle where she had moved from Scoop River, Michigan. Furthermore, her best friend Ruth, also a classmate, offered the use of her friend's island resort as a gathering place. Many surprises awaited Helma, Ruth, and their classmates on the island, and most of them were unpleasant. Dead bodies begin to appear and Miss Zukas is again in the middle of a murder mystery. A dense fog covers the island and the threat of the murderer becomes even more imminent. Helma and Ruth go through their usual amusing efforts at crime solving and finally do uncover the murderer. This is a fun and quick read!

I have been a librarian for 10 years, and I have never actually "met" Miss Zukas, but she is a very believable character. I am a real mystery fan, and I loved this book. So does everyone else who has read it! This book, and its predecessor, Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, has been passed between about eight librarians all across the U.S. to gales of laughter and rave reviews. Ms. Dereske's books have great characters,well- thought plots, and an engaging style. Highly recommended

Helma Zukas' brother calls with the news that their Aunt Em has had an accident and is unable to care for herself for awhile. Helma steps in and volunteers to take time off from her job as a librarian to take care of her favorite aunt. As soon as Aunt Em arrives, strange things begin to happen, from stolen suitcases to the appearance of a dead body. Aunt Em seems to be at the center of the occurrences and Helma begins to suspect that her aunt's past is not quite as pristine as she had believed. She and her best friend Ruth begin to investigate the people who surround Aunt Em and finally discover a motive for the crimes which have been committed. Aunt Em is blissfully unaware of the stir that she is causing and proceeds to befriend several people in Bellehaven. She is a delightful character who would be an asset in future books. As always, this Miss Zukas Mystery, is a fun and enjoyable read.

I enjoy the Miss Zukas series very much. The contrast between Helma and Ruth makes for a good read. Overall, I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. The plots and writing are good, the only negative aspect of the books are the head of the Library, Moonie nut or whatever her name is. Her I cannot stand. If I was writing this series, I would make her the next murder victim with Helma Zukas solving the murder and becoming the next head of the library. I think that would be a good way for the series to go.

I read this book cover to cover, putting the book down once! I just loved it. True, it may not be the Miss Zukas we have grown to know and love, but I found it very interesting to see a side of her that we haven't seen previously in her other books. Aunt Em was delightful and Ruth hilarious as ever! I can't wait for the next book!

Miss Zukas's relationship with police chief Wayne Gallant seems to be moving to a new level when the chief brings his teenagers over to meet her. Unfortunately the meeting is marred by the distress of Helma's new neighbor, TNT, who is trying to comfort his stepdaughter because of the untimely death of her husband. Things become even more complicated when Gallant has an accident and suddenly Helma finds herself in charge of two sullen teenagers. Fortunately her friend Ruth, her mother, and her Aunt Em all pitch in to entertain the two young people. Helma is torn between helping to solve the murder, visiting Chief Gallant in the hospital, working at the library, and trying to tend to the teenagers. In her usual clever fashion, Helma does a good job of most of these things and manages to entertain the reader in the process.

In this 7th book in the Miss Zukas series, Helma meets Chief of Police, Wayne Gallant's, children for the first time. It seems he wants to take their extremely slow-moving romance to a new level, and Helma is happy to comply. However, before the shock of meeting Wayne's teenagers has time to wear off, both him and Helma become involved in another murder investigation. When Chief Gallant gets injured while investigating the case, Helma and his kids must find the killer before anyone else gets hurt. Adding to the suspense is the fact that a library book is found at the site of Chief Gallant's injuries, and Helma refuses to disclose the library patron who checked out the book. Will she change her mind and violate her personal ethics to save Wayne and his kids? Or will she become the target of the killer since she knows too much?

This was a great installment in the series about the very practical, dependable librarian. We start to see a more human side of Helma as she faces choices to help her love interest, Wayne. I also like the fact that the romance may move forward a bit faster (7 books and not even a smooch!), but not too fast. If you have not tried this series but enjoy cozy mysteries, you will like this book, even if you have read none of the previous books in the series.

The first book in this series is "Miss Zukas and the Library Murders". Enjoy!

Miss Helma Zukas is tactful, resourceful and smart. With her cultural moras and crisp attitude, she tackles problems methodically and boldly. There are very few issues that give her pause as she researches, breaks down the facts and acts.

Dereske gives women a good role model with her mysteries and I hope she writes more! Cheers for Helma!

I found myself continually frustrated with the stupid actions of Miss Zukas, constantly putting herself in harm's way.

Miss Zukas, intrepid librarian, is shocked and surprised to see police cars around Bellihaven's Public Library, her place of employment. A dead body has been discovered in the Mo-Ne aisle and no one knows who or why. The body is identified, but no motive can be established. Miss Zukas is an observant person, so she puts this ability to work and begins her own amateur investigation with her friend, Ruth. Jo Dereske weaves a gently amusing plot with interesting characters to create a "cozy" in a library setting. Mystery fans will enjoy this book.

MISS ZUKAS AND THE LIBRARY MURDERS is the first in a series of mysteries featuring a librarian in the coastal area of Bellehaven, Washington. This book is copyrighted 1994, and the author has added about a book a year since then. A fun and fast-paced thriller with wonderful, fresh, multi-dimensional characters and delightful plot twists. Reads very quickly, making you want more! I just love Miss Zukas (her way of swearing is "Oh, Faulkner!"). This is going to be an enjoyable series! Fun, fun, fun!

Glom Gloom was read to me by the school librarian when I was in the third grade, it was a new book at the time. I was captivated by the wonderful story writing capabilities of Jo Dereske. Raymond, the town trouble maker and doubting Thomas of the old legends decides to explore find whether the legends of the Garter Gates and their races' once enslavement were just some mumbo-jumbo that the adults tell to frighten their children into obedience, or something that they should be paying much more close attention to and not just celebrating the liberation day. I would recommend this story for any child who can read it, and adults. In my opinion, it still is one of the best books I have ever read.