This is the second book I have read by Joan Hess, now I want to read them all. I was constantly changing my mind as to who I thought committed the murders. It is light, fast, fun reading. Great book to take to the beach.

This 367-page collection of short stories includes: Ruth Rendell (Liar's Dice), Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky (Settled Score), Lawrence Block, Carole Nelson Douglas (The Maltese Double Cross), Edward D. Hoch, Ed Gorman, Reginald Hill, Michael Z. Lewin, Sharyn McCrumb, Joan Hess (The Last to Know), Barbara Collins and Max Allan Collins (Cat Got Your Tongue), Charlotte MacLeod (The Perplexing Puzzle of the Perfidious Pigeon Poisoner), Loren D. Estleman, Norman Partridge, Jeremiah Healy (The Winfield Trade), Bill Pronzini, Nancy Pickard, Robert Barnard, Peter Lovesey, JUne Thomson, Jan Grape, Barbara D'Amato, Edward Bryant (While She Was Out), and Pat Cadigan (True Faces)

I HAVE READ SEVERAL OF THE MAGOODY SERIES NOW AND I WAS NOT CRAZY ABOUT THIS ONE. THE OTHERS WERE FUNNY AND LIGHTHEARTED WHILE THIS ONE WAS TOO SERIOUS. HOWEVER I'LL KEEP ON READING MORE OF THE SERIES.

Joan Hess and Janet Evanovich are the two most enjoyable mystery writers in America. If humor in a mystery novel offends you, avoid them like the plague. But if you read for fun, if you read to escape for a few hours from the drudgery of a job or the drivel of television, read a Joan Hess mystery set in Maggody, Arkansas, or a Janet Evanovich mystery set in New Jersey. These two ladies have a way of putting words on paper that is simply and purely entertaining. In The Maggody Militia, a few paranoid members a rightwing militia decide to hold exercises in the woods near Maggody. As usual, Chief of Police Arly Hanks has to solve a murder while dealing with the strangest set of characters ever to appear in a mystery.

This is just what police chief, Arly Hanks, needs. A militia of homegrown super patriots have camped in Maggody, trying to recruit new members, and playing war games up on Cotter's Ridge. With deer hunting season about to begin, guaranteeing drunken, brazen good old boys shooting at any and everything that moves out there in the woods, she figures it's only a matter of time before somebody will end up getting hurt. And that's exactly what happens. Not only does militiaman, Dylan Gilbert, get shot and killed on the first day of maneuvers, but it seems that the bullet is not what did him in. Add to that the disappearance of the ever-creepy, Brother Verber, a very pregnant and missing Dahlia Buchanon, a rash of burglaries in and around Maggody, and a couple of wayward ostriches wreaking havoc, and you could say that Arly has her hands full in a very big way..... Joan Hess is back with another hilarious, manic romp through Maggody, and this is a series that just gets better with each new installment. The story line is entertaining, the writing, crisp, witty, and engaging, and the dialogue, irreverent and full of down-home colloquialisms and backwoods humor. But it's Ms Hess' unique cast of wacky and quirky characters that make this book stand out, and once you've gotten to know Arly and company, you'll be hooked for sure. With an ending that brings all the plot lines together, and ties up the loose ends into a nice, neat, satisfying package, The Maggody Militia is a delightful and humorous mystery that shouldn't be missed. For those new to Arly Hanks and Maggody, Arkansas, start at the beginning with Malice In Maggody, and read them all. For those of you who are already fans, Joan Hess definitely doesn't disappoint this time out.

Potboiler; passes the time when there was nothing more interesting at the library. The cop boyfriend is a really cardboard character. A bunch of weird excentics. Won't check out any more. Try Ann Cranger or Deborah Crombie for a GOOD read.

this was a fun book to read & it kept you guessing.

Claire sure knows how to get around a question when the police ask her something. She kept everyone guessing through the whole book & the ending is a surprise.

Another wonderful book by Joan Hess

Claire Malloy, bookseller and amateur sleuth, is a person I would love to have living next door. She is wickedly funny and incredibly sharp. With a cast of supporting characters who weave in and out of the main storyline, her neighborhood seems the most interesting in Farberville, Arkansas. Humor and an intriguing storyline make this a welcome addition to the Claire Malloy series which seems refreshed with every entry. I recommend them all for fun reading.

I love these anthologies! There's something for everybody in MALICE DOMESTIC 9, this collected homage to Agatha Christie. Some of the stories are based on Christie's plots, some on her characters, and some just contain references to her works. Of the 14 stories, a couple are dark, some are outright hilarious, and almost all are in the cozy tradition. Besides Christie's own "The Case of the Discontented Soldier," there are stories by Robert Barnard, Jan Burke, Kate Charles, Marjorie Eccles, Teri Holbrook, Gwen Moffat, Marcia Talley, Dorothy Cannell, Charles Todd, Ann Granger, Walter Satterthwait, Carolyn Wheat, and Susan Moody. (There is no story by Joan Hess -- just a tiny introduction.) This is a really fine collection. I've read some of these first-rate stories several times already. These anthologies are an excellent investment!

In the mood for a good Agatha Christie type story? Malice Domestic 9 gives tribute to the talented, matchless mystery author in their 14 original traditional mystery stories. Each story carries a British flavor and sports the Christie flair.

Along with the other stories is a Christie's original The Case of the Discontented Soldier. Major Wilbraham finds England too tame. He has answered Parker Pyne's advertisement in hopes of drumming up some excitement, and he does. I have to say Robert Barnard's story is one of my absolute favorites. Nothing to Lose is about a complaining elderly woman who moves into a nursing home and stirs up trouble - loved the ending! Another I favored was Kate Charles story, Murder at the Vicarage, about a vicar and too many spinsters. Ms. Charles character is a mystery writer named Ms. St. James - a "monopoly" play on words maybe? You don't want to miss Gween Moffatt's The Dark Tower, which offers a brief mystery with her spinster sleuth Miss Pink. Honestly there were a couple of the stories that couldn't keep my attention, but that's ok, it only means they were meant for someone else. Did I feel that the authors captured Christie's work? Yes, I do, and what's more, their individual talents added to this pleasant read.

Don't miss out on this one. It's a wonderful anthology written by Christie fans, for Christie fans. This one goes on the keeper shelf with my other eight Malice Domestic anthologies.

A country and western music star is scheduled to visit his claimed home town and visit his dear old great-aunt. The usual Maggody misadventures and murders familiar to all ardent Hessians take place.
I think this is a series that gets better as it goes on. There is a certain crudity and dependence on cliches and stereotypes in the earlier character drawing. The fat girl Delia is greedy; the preacher is a hypocrite. The later ones have more subtlety.
"She had her cat, Pussy Toes, her apartment in a quiet neigborhood, her meetings of the genealogical society, her knitting projects for nieces and nephews, and her annual vaction to a family-run hotel in Mexico where she remained drunk out of her mind for ten days straight." You might accuse Hess of making fun of alcoholism in that portrait of Miss Vetchling but it has a certain style and sharpness.

Despite the small town of Maggody's inability to pull itself into the sophisticated world of today. Arly manages just fine. When a country music star and his entourage arrive for a Christmas special, things get kinda weird. Not to worry though, Arly has everything under control. Disappearing people and dying mannequins? Do not miss this Christmasy murder mystery.

Fans of Joan Hess won't be disappointed with this one.The fun starts when Claire Malloy gets conned into directing the Miss Thurberfest pageant and the reigning beauty queen, Cyndi, turns up dead? Whodunnit?? There are plenty of suspects...the slick and slimy senator Stevenson...Arnie, the drunken chauffeur..or possibly Eunice,Cyndi's "trainer" (She was once Miss Cherry Tomato)Claire solves the mystery with just a little help (or is it hindrance?) from boyfriend Peter Rosen and

daughter Caron...an enjoyable book!

Joan Hess captured a new and devoted reader with her mystery, A Really Cute Corpse. Using Claire Malloy, an appealing female investigator who is both wise and witty, Hess side-steps blood and violence and focuses on character developement and humor--attractive components to female readers of any age.

A consumate Dorothy Gilman fan (author of the Mrs. Pollifax series and other delightful books) I now search the H authors on each trip to the library--hoping to find a new Joan Hess book on the shelf.

Hess has not created a leading character as lady-like as Mrs. Marple, nor as totally charming as Emily Pollifax, but certainly her women are emotionally strong, mentally awesome, and career-wise down-to-earth, as women of the 90's must be.

I have always come to the Maggody stories for light entertainment rather than edification. The jokes were often corny and the characterization crude but the mixture worked. In this one there are a number of highbrow references and Brother Verber reveals a childhood trauma that may account for his character flaws. Even the relatioship between Raz and Marjory is getting more psychologically complex. Where is all this leading? I'll keep reading to find out.

Maggody, Arkansas Chief of Police Arly Hanks feels that her current task is probably the worst assignment of her career. She, accompanied by the mayor's self-important wife Mrs. Jim Bob, despicable Preacher Brother Verber, and shop teacher Larry Joe Lambertino are chaperoning teens at the Camp Pearly Gates. The teens are a tough enough crowd, but her companions make for a long weekend.

All that becomes moot when one of the kids finds a corpse of a woman. The victim turns out to be a member of the Moonbeam sect, a bunch of space cadets who refuse to cooperate with Arly on the investigation. To make matters even more pressing, a local person is missing and though probably safe could be a second victim. Then there is the usual demands of her position involving pigs, family members, and a suspect who seems to spend more time out of jail than in a cell.

The latest tale in the long running Maggody series, MAGGODY AND THE MOONBEAMS, retains its freshness, something not usually seen by book fourteen. The story line is light, but quite amusing as readers watch beleaguered but competent Arly deal with a crowd of misfits. In some ways this tale satirizes its own series and other regional who-done-its, but does so in a kind reverent manner as Joan Hess provide her audience with a fun to read tale in which the laughs keep on coming.

Harriet Klausner

Maggody, Arkansas Chief of Police Arly Hanks feels that her current task is probably the worst assignment of her career. She, accompanied by the mayor's self-important wife Mrs. Jim Bob, despicable Preacher Brother Verber, and shop teacher Larry Joe Lambertino are chaperoning teens at the Camp Pearly Gates. The teens are a tough enough crowd, but her companions make for a long weekend.

All that becomes moot when one of the kids finds a corpse of a woman. The victim turns out to be a member of the Moonbeam sect, a bunch of space cadets who refuse to cooperate with Arly on the investigation. To make matters even more pressing, a local person is missing and though probably safe could be a second victim. Then there is the usual demands of her position involving pigs, family members, and a suspect who seems to spend more time out of jail than in a cell. T

he latest tale in the long running Maggody series, MAGGODY AND THE MOONBEAMS, retains its freshness, something not usually seen by book fourteen. The story line is light, but quite amusing as readers watch beleaguered but competent Arly deal with a crowd of misfits. In some ways this tale satirizes its own series and other regional who-done-its, but does so in a kind reverent manner as Joan Hess provide her audience with a fun to read tale in which the laughs keep on coming.

Harriet Klausner

A high school principal and janitor are poisoned with cynanide. The scene is Farberville and Claire Molloy the bookstore owner is the detective. Nobel Prize prose it's not. It's written in an almost old-fashioned style with lots of cliches and weak jokes (as you can see from sample pages on this WEB site) but I think this is deliberate attempt to create the cosy atmosphere (If it really is deliberate then I should have given an extra star). No sex or violence. It's light bland entertainment and the victims' deaths are no tragedy. Clues are placed that should enable you to figure whodunnit. The plot is clever enough and the suspects likely enough to keep you turning the pages. Not quite up to Agatha Christie, but in that style. The only ethnic diversity is that Molloy's policeman boy friend is called Rosen and comes from New York. Some curious anachronisms. There are references to jitterbugging and back street abortions but also to the high school class of 1990 and to the 60's "fifteen years ago" (Roe v Wade was 1973). Suspend critical judgement and relax and enjoy.

This book was saucy and I enjoyed it very much. Until the ending. I was left feeling as though it wasn't finished. But there wasn't any conclusion concerning Miss Dort, and Miss hart's fickle boyfriend. Miss Dort, helped the now dead principle with a crime, and I feel that before the book ended, they both should have been dealth with. So although I liked the book, I certainly didn't like the ending, it didn't solve anything. I hope in one of her future books she will take care of this. anna cook

When the journalism teacher at Faberville High School is accused of pilfering petty cash and suspended from work, Claire Malloy finds herself pushed into substitute teaching while trying to clear the teacher's name. The principal is poisoned and all clues point to the dear journalism teacher. Then a second body turns up. Claire works to clear the journalism teacher's name before having to chaperone the school's dreaded Friday night home coming dance. While the characters could have been better developed, this does not detract from the story. Antics at Farberville High rival the best soap opera plot, motives abound and humor prevails - all adding up to a page turning, fun mystery.

This is ground zero, the first in the Maggody series and now rather difficult to obtain (the first hardcover edition sells at a premium as a collector's item). Actually you don't get a lot of extra detail about Arly Hanks that you wouldn't have figured out from the later books. This is not a roman fleuve (pardon my French) like, for instance, Sue Grafton's alphabet series that we read almost as much to follow what will happen next in Kinsey Milhone's life as for the plot of the individual book.
The series is set in a a small town in the Ozarks, populated by simple country rubes, where Arly Hanks, a displaced and divorced New Yorker is chief of police. The stories are told partly in the first person by Arly but switch to other characters' points of view. There are the usual faults that we criticize Joan Hess for. Delia is funny because she is fat and eats a lot. Brother Verber is funny because he is a blatant hypocrite. I suspect that Hess is faux naif (French again) and the cartoonish drawing of supporting characters is a deliberate ploy to fix the town of Maggody in our minds. She never makes any bones about saying what a depressing place Maggody is, and often describes stark tragedy, yet the effect is somehow cheerful and reading a Magoddy book is a delightful relaxation.

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. If you're looking for an easy read and a pleasant diversion you should spend a little time in Maggody.

Meet Chief of Police, Arly Hanks. She's back home in Maggody, Arkansas, population 755, recovering from a nasty divorce. She wanted some quiet time to decompress and gather her wits about her, and that's just what she got. Life in Maggody is slow, really slow. There's no crime to speak of, and about the only action she ever sees is a car wreck out on the highway, once every month or so. Her biggest chief of police decisions usually involve where to set up the speed trap, in the school zone, or at the signal light. So it comes as a big surprise when two real crime cases fall her way on the same day. First a former Maggody resident, now housed at the state correctional institution escapes and looks to be heading home. Then an EPA contract specialist sent to sign the paperwork for an unwanted sewage treatment plant that the residents of Maggody are sure is going to pollute their swimming and fishing holes, goes missing. Add to that the murder of a local, and it looks like Arly is going to have to buckle down and get busy, fast. With the whole town tight lipped and stonewalling her investigation, it's going to take all her cunning and training to sort out all this mayhem and madness, and get to the truth..... Sit down and get comfortable, Joan Hess is about to take you on a roller coaster of a ride through the Ozarks. This is a light, comical mystery, easily read in one sitting, that will have you smiling, chortling, and laughing out loud. Her entertaining story line is well paced and clever, and her writing is crisp, witty and full of irreverent dialogue and back-woods southern humor. But it's Ms Hess' well drawn, engaging and original characters that really make this novel stand out, and once you've gotten to know Maggody's finest and not so finest, you'll be hooked for sure. Malice In Maggody is the first of a marvelous and delightful series. Do yourself a big favor, start here at the beginning, and read them all.