Elizabeth Daniels Squire's new Peaches Dann mystery, Where There's a Will, has everything: the beauty and danger of a high mountain setting in western North Carolina; a hazardous trans-Atlantic voyage on the fictional British luxury liner, the Ocean Queen; and a motley cast of newly made multimillionaires, one of whom may be out to murder the others. To this mixture is added a baffling plot with more twists and turns than a DNA helix. The result is an exciting adventure in mystery reading, especially the climactic scene in which Peaches, at the risk of her own life, solves the murder of handsome, charming Wingate Scott. When you start reading Where There's a Will, be prepared to read it straight through to the end, because you won't be able to put it down.

If you haven't met Peaches Dann, an amateur detective with a memory problem, you are in for a real treat. I would, of course, suggest that you pick up the first books in this series as well. When an reclusive multi-millionaire dies and leaves his fortune to various members of the family to the tune of fifteen million each. Deaths begin to occur even though it seems each member of the family is satisfied with the portion received. A friend of Peaches asks for her help in uncovering the killer. The family must make a joint trip to England to satisfy the terms of the will. When Peaches' friend is almost killed, Peaches flies to England to come back with them on the ship. This is no "Love Boat" cruise. Attempted poisonings, near misses on pushing members of the party overboard and a most humiliating, but hilarious, attempt on Peaches' life add to the non-stop excitement and fun of "Where There's a Will." This is a must-read for all cozy fans.

Suffering from a terrible memory, Peaches Dan takes lessons to learn a few tricks that will help her survive in the everyday world. She writes a book, How To Survive Without A Memory, to help others with similar afflictions recall critical things. Surprisingly, Peaches also solves murder mysteries by using her tricks to help her recall the clues.

Marietta, a high school friend, asks Peaches to investigate the death of her brother Winston, who allegedly jumped off a cliff. Marietta insists her sibling would never venture near an overhang because he deeply feared heights. Money could be a motive as Winston and his relatives recently came into a $15 million inheritance each. On a trip to England, someone tries to kill Marietta, who immediately persuades Peaches to join her. On the luxurious return trip by sea, several other murder attempts occur, including one on the sleuth. Peaches knows she must identify the culprit rather quickly before someone else dies at the hands of the unknown assailant.

Elizabeth Daniels Squire has created a near perfect sleuth in Peaches. The middle aged person with a faulty memory refuses to allow her ailment to stop her activities. WHERE THERE'S A WILL is a who-done-it loaded with misdirection cleverly executed by the author. Anyone who reads this novel will search for the previous five books in this humorous series with a deep message.

Harriet Klausner

Peaches Dann might be forgetful, but she's beginning to resent the labels foisted upon her by well-meaning bystanders. Deputy Wynatt insists that she's "murder prone" and it's turning out to be true.

Peaches accepted the job as a feature reporter for the small town newspaper just so she could avoid crime scenes, but when a childhood friend arrives in her office telling tales of murder and mayhem, she doesn't have much choice. Belle claims Isaiah Hubbel is responsible for the death of her husband, but he's related to half the town and Belle has no evidence.

Despite every intention to stay uninvolved in the investigation, Peaches finds Belle unconscious in the woods, then gets abducted at gunpoint by Hubbel's brother. When Isaiah turns up dead and Belle is the most likely suspect, Peaches doesn't believe she's guilty, and her own list of suspects grows longer by the minute. Using every available memory-sharpening tool, she finally remembers the clue that might give them the answers and takes off on a last minute quest, only to be ambushed by a killer intent on silencing her forever. Has she left enough of a trail for help to find her in time?

For some, Peaches Dann is an old friend. For others, she's a new but quirky heroine. Squire has crafted an amiable character whose erratic memory and her attempts to compensate are endearing, as is her propensity to follow a trail to the truth, wherever it might be found. Squire has obviously found a formula that works. Forget About Murder is not a stay-up-all-night thriller - it's a cozy mystery with likable characters, a colorful setting and a highly satisfying conclusion.

PJ Nunn for The Charlotte Austin Review

It only takes a few pages of the latest Peaches Dann Mystery to realize you are reading a writer at the top of her form. I have followed the development of Peaches from her first investigation, and Forget About Murder grips you, not only from the questions posed in that first chapter, but the power and strength of Ms. Squire's writing. Ms. Squire, tie a string around your finger or use some other memory trick, we want more Peaches!

Elizabeth Daniels Squire provides an in depth, and yes, practical guide to palmistry. She is sure and accurate, though it does take a couple of reads, and I would advice any beginning palmist to look for archtypes, and feel free to find your own style. Advice that (genius that she is) Squires doesn't give, but the book is more than worth it.

This is one of the best books on palmistry ever written! I was introduced to this book many years and still consider it top in its field!

"Remember the Alibi" takes place in a small North Carolina town, where Peaches Dann, the 55-year-old absent-minded sleuth in this series, is trying to solve a potential murder mystery involving her rich, willful father. After somebody poisons his tea with digitoxin, Peaches believes her father is the next target of a con artist who swindles elderly people out of their money and then conceals their murder as a suicide. The suspects range from her young cousin's current and past boyfriends to a few of her father's round-the-clock nurses. With the help of Ted Holleran, Peaches' 64-year-old husband/sidekick, and a few other characters from the previous book ("Who Killed What's-Her-Name?")--such as "Mustache" (aka Lieutenant John Wilson) who helped solve the previous murder case--, Peaches hopes to uncover the serial killer's identity before s/he has a chance to kill again.

Overall, I thought "Remember the Alibi" was quite good, except for the continuous mention of Peaches' memory book, the one she's in the process of writing: "How to Survive Without a Memory". That slowed the book's pace a bit, though some of the memory tricks were interesting. Still, I thought Peaches was a wonderful female detective--witty, resourceful, and intelligent--even though she was a bit forgetful. I'd certainly recommend this book/series to anyone who likes mysteries solved by quirky, older amateur sleuths.

KF: I like Peaches Dann, the amateur sleuth with the faulty memory. But this is not the best of the lot. Actually, it is fairly confusing - giving one the impression of hasty writing and inattention to plot and transition. Certainly not fascinating or intriguing. Actually, not even very interesting.

Peaches Dann has such a faulty memory that she constantly has to create ingenious ways of reminding herself of what is important to her. Her methods are so effective, Peaches decides to help other people suffering from the same problem. She writes a book and starts a tour to promote it. Unfortunately, the book tour is interrupted by her rapscallion of a father, who, though wheelchair bound, has eloped with some woman he has only known for a few weeks. Peaches feels guilty because she introduced her lonely father to the colorful Azalea Marlowe.

She only finds out that they were married when Peaches receives a call from a Tennessee hospital spokesperson who informs her that Azalea has fallen down a ladder at the family homestead she was renovating. Her dad wants Peaches, who has demonstrated some crimesolving ability in yhe past, to investigate the incident because he suspects it was not an accident. When Peaches arrives at Azalea's place, she learns that the family's home has had several mysterious occurrences, including the unsolved disappearance of a groom and his future brother-in-law in 1849. That mystery reaches into the present day as someone is murdering people trying to learn what happened in the mid nineteenth century.

IS THERE A DEAD MAN IN THE HOUSE? Is the fifth book in the Peaches Dann series, starring a unique heroine whose faulty memory makes her crime solving abilities a delightful counterpoint. Elizabeth Daniel Squire creates a realistic murder mystery that is only solvable if the reader is a genius or an expert on amateur sleuths. Ms. Squire has created a charming series that successfully combines the best of a cozy with the elite of a literary mystery.

Harriet Klausner

This book is at the emotional level of a third grader. There is no concept of suspense, realistic events, or realistic characters. The plot moves like molasses and Peaches Dann speaks to us as if she has no faults (besides her cutesy memory problem). There is no emotion in this story whatsoever. Someone killed my aunt, and is trying to kill me? I'm not going to show any emotion or hide out. I'm going to be stupid and hang around investigating! My latest amazement comes from the fact that it ships in 24 hours from amazon - while reading it, I was somewhat amazed that it was ever published. To sum up, the bright spots of the book were a cat and uhh, the other cat.

Peaches Dann is used to her father's paranoid outbursts, so she only goes out to check the pond to humor him. Much to her dismay, she finds that her father was right this time. Her Aunt Nancy's body is lying face down in the water. But who could have wanted to kill her aunt? Or was Peaches the intended victim, since she and the victim have similar dresses. Then another murder takes place, in a trap most likely meant for Peaches. What does it all mean? Peaches will have to use every memory trick she's learned over the years to figure this one out.

With a title like this book has, I went in expecting a cozy mystery and was not disappointed in that regard. The book could have been better overall, however. The plot moves along at a slow pace and I really struggled to get into it. While there are several likeable characters, I also found myself irritated by many of them. The references to Peaches' poor memory (which I didn't think was nearly as bad as it was made out to be) and excerpts from her "book" on memory techniques were also overdone.

Peaches is certainly a pleasant character. I'll probably give the author another try to see if she developed as a mystery writer. Not my favorite book read this year, but I've certainly read worse.

I was saddened to read the above review about the late Elizabeth Squire's work. The person obviously doesn't like cozies. With her permission, I was happy to include a counter review that was posted on Dorothy L recently. This book begins the absent minded sleuth Peaches Dann series, which includes 6 other books, all of which were reviewed most favorably by numerous literary critics and fans. Why else would there be so many! I hope future readers will not be diswayed by the above review and keep the legacy of Peaches Dann and her author alive for many years to come. Just remember ... these are cozies! Enjoy the ride!