This is probably my favorite of the Claire Malloy mysteries because here Joan Hess breaks away from the formula that most of the previous books have followed. Claire is away from the bookstore in Faberville (Acapulco no less) and the usual cast of characters/relationships there (although Caron is along and Peter checks in by phone).

The change of scenery and the unavailability to fall back completely on what has worked in the past seems to have inspired Hess to pen a better written mystery, while retaining all of the humorous touches that distinguish her earlier work. Unfortunatly, this book was a one-off experiment and later installments return Malloy to the predictable but enjoyable confines of Faberville. One only hopes that Hess will someday once again be daring and make another left turn that will breath new life into this fine series.

Presumed-dead cousin Veronica calls Claire from Chicago to ask her to unmask the blackmailer who won't let her forget that she murdered a Hollywood producer thirty years ago. Never mind that she did the time for doing the crime--she's built a new life for herself and doesn't want this stain on her reputation. Off go Claire and Caron to Acapulco--but unlike Elvis, they don't have "fun" there. Unless you call getting arrested by the Mexican police (Claire) and kidnapped by some greasy bum (Caron) fun. As Caron would say, Claire simply Asks for Trouble everywhere from Mexico to a convent (!) in Phoenix to her cousin's elegant digs in Chicago. You'll find Claire joining the jet set, Caron's anguish over Yet Another Major Crisis involving Rhonda MacGuire, Farberville High's Queen Bee, and more delightful flirtation between Claire and handsome cop Peter Rosen, in Joan Hess' latest. Have fun. .

This fun mystery opens with Caron, Claire Malloy's teenaged terror, being selected Miss Thunder Thighs by the Farberville Highschool sophomore football team Naturally, she immediately decides that it is time for her and her best friend Inez to go on a crash diet. So, being Caron and Inez, the duo proceeds to run the gauntlet of every known bizarre fad diet know to man, woman and kook. And they all manage to end up with a pizza chaser.

While the dieting is running its course, Claire's downstairs neighbor volunteers her to become a weight loss mentor to Maribeth, the somewhat overweigh heiress of the Thurber-Farber fortune. This is all very well and good, except Claire just happens to be dedicated to salvation through chocolate and also to avoiding aerobic exercise at all costs.

Before long, Claire is in the middle of some very strange and highly humorous goings on including murder. Joan Hess is at her best spearing fitness centers, fad diets and instant weight loss elixirs. You know from the beginning how everything will turn out in the end, (with Claire solving the mystery despite her boy friend, Peter Rosen) but all the twists and turns and kooky characters are half the fun of a Hess mystery. Without a doubt she is one of the best writers of comic mystery fiction today!

Joan Hess once again takes us on a funny yet exciting adventure through the town of Farberville. A new weight loss center opens up in town and appears to be doing wonders for it's clients. Claire Malloy gets sucked in to provide rides and moral support to a friend of a friend who is a client. Naturally Claire's natural curiosity causes her to sense that there's a lot more going on at the weight loss center than is being advertised. Her digging into the facts leads to much excitement as well as danger to her own welfare. Suspenseful and witty all the way through with the usual characters such as melodratic daughter Caron and boyfriend/police detective Peter Rosen well rounding out the cast of characters.

It was Hizzoner, Jim Bob Buchanon's big day. Jim Bob's Supersaver Buy 4 Less was ready to open. The ribbon cutting ceremony was beginning, the high school band was playing, the cheerleaders were cheering, and the crush of the crowd had created a traffic jam in sleepy Maggody, Arkansas (population 755). With the deli, fresh produce department and food service picnic pavillion, some of the local merchants were far from happy, afraid ol' Jim Bob would put them out of business. But big events like this don't happen too often in Maggody, and so the whole town turned out to check out the new competition and try some of the promised, free "gourmet" food. Within minutes, people started getting sick and dropping like flies, and the big opening became the big closing. With her hands full of citizen complaints, health inspectors, and threats from Hizzoner, Chief of Police, Arly Hanks, could barely keep up with all the chaos, gossip, and rumors. But when another round of poisoning ensues, and a local dies, Arly figures this isn't just some mean spirited prank, turns up the heat on her investigation, and she won't stop until she gets to the truth..... Turn off the phone, and lock the door, Joan Hess is back with another marvelous romp through Maggody that will have you laughing out loud, and rooting for Arly to the very end. Her well paced story line is full of entertaining, vivid scenes, and intriguing subplots, and her writing is crisp and smart, complete with witty, irreverent dialogue and back-woods humor. But it's Ms Hess' wacky and quirky cast of characters that makes this novel stand out, and once you've gotten to know Maggody's finest, and not so finest, you'll be hooked for sure. With a hilarious climax that deftly ties all the story threads together, and a very satisfying conclusion, Madness In Maggody is a pleasure to read in a series that just gets better with each new installment. For those new to Arly Hanks and company, start at the beginning with Malice In Maggody, and read them all. For those who are already fans, enjoy!

The Maggody series is the funniest mystery series that I have ever read. The characters are very well developed, and it does not take long before you feel like a citizen in this bizarre little town.

Generally I read pretty heavy murder mysteries (James Patterson, John Sandford, etc.). But now and then I like to take a break from novels that are of course fiction, but are close enough to reality to make you uneasy. The Maggody books are murder mysteries but they are also little gems of cartoon like comedy set in a one stop light town on a not so busy highway. This was my fourth Maggody book and it had all the zany regulars back along with a set of newcomers who supply the book with both victims and suspects. If you're looking for an easy read and a pleasant diversion try this Maggody or any of the three that came before.

My favorite Maggody story yet, what with hot X-rated action and sexual tension all over town, it seems maggody is ready to have its own soap opera. A movie company from Hollywood (well close to Hollywood anyway) comes to our little town to make a modern version of "Romeo and Juliet" complete with sex,sex and more sex, much to the confused delight of Brother Verber. A sexy Hollywood starlet, a Hunky Hollywood stud and a complete cast of potential victims makes this a wonderful read.

This eleven-collection mystery anthology showcases Joan Hess at her for the most part amusing best. Two of the tales star Claire Malloy and two others Arkansas Sheriff Arly Hanks (the Maggody novels). Those four tales alone would make the short story collection worth reading, but the other seven tales are also well written with six containing the author's renowned humor with a wink. Surprisingly, the final contribution seems out of place, as it is more of a psychological suspense thriller than Ms. Hess's typical satirical biting social barb that leaves no one standing. Besides the writer's fans and towns with populations under 800, anyone who appreciates a strong anthology will want to read BIG FOOT STOLE MY WIFE! AND OTHER STORIES. Additionally, Ms. Hess' readership will also enjoy her previous collection, DEATH OF A ROMANCE WRITER AND OTHER STORIES.

Harriet Klausner

Miss Emily and her basset hounds, Nick and Nora, have gotten Claire into trouble before (Roll Over and Play Dead and Dear Miss Demeanor) and are not totally innocent bystanders when it happens again. Claire, daughter Caron, and Caron's chum Inez comprise the trio which manages to run amuck on Willow Street--to the expressed displeasure of Lieutenant Peter Rosen. Peter, an employee of the local homicide division of the police department, is Claire's ardent lover and friend. In the past he has made many vehement objections to her forays into the areas of his expertise and, on occasion, has had her arrested to keep her from the fray. This time a famous painter, a nearly-naked neighbor, a writer, promoter, lawyer, two missionaries, and a soon-to-be-dead-wife all contrive to upset the tea party and give Peter ample reason to complain. If you, too, want to discover why the fire department arrives, what makes Miss Parchester say, "Could it be related in some way to the bears I saw in my backyard?", and who kills the second victim, you will have to read the latest and very funny Joan Hess mystery starring Claire Malloy--Busy Bodies.

But, Death of a Romance Writer is wonderful. I'm giving the book 5 stars because that story alone merits the rating. I won't give away the plot, but it involves a romance novel character who is tired of the boring, restrictive roles she keeps having to act out, and what she does about it. The way the story is written is, well, nothing short of brilliant.

This book is one that you will want to read again and again. Joan Hess wrote it in such away that allows the reader to completly "get in" to the book and ignore the outside world for a while.

Each of the Maggody mysteries by Joan Hess is a delight. In Martians in Maggody, an enterprising moonshiner bolsters the local economy by creating a tourist attraction in a corn field. This field of dreams (or nightmares, for the local police chief)becomes a murder scene. As always, Police Chief Arly Hanks is bothered more by her meddlesome mother and by the characters who populate the strange world of Maggody than by the Martians and the murderer who are only passing through.

When the local branch of the bank burns down and they find a body in the remains but are missing two, the confusion begins. The women of Maggody decide they will no longer be second rate citizens and the men do not seem to understand it may be the beginning of modernization in our favorite little town, but don't bet on it. Arly has to sift through the ashes and the motives of the suspects. You don't want to miss this stroy in the Arly Hanks/Maggody series