The Angel Whispered Danger

June 23, 2003
Augusta Goodnight, that heaven-sent assistant to earthbound amateur sleuths, is back for her fourth appearance in Ballard's heartwarming tale (after 2002's Shadow of an Angel). Kate McBride and her young daughter are headed for a family reunion in Bishop's Bridge, N.C., while her estranged husband is in California for a professional conference. Nearing despair over the state of her marriage, and uncertain how to handle her daughter's truculent behavior, Kate frets over what to tell her inquisitive family members. The family is soon distracted from asking pointed questions about the absent husband when the housekeeper of Kate's great-uncle Ernest falls off a ledge and claims she was pushed. Kate doesn't want to think that someone in the family is a murderer, but aided by guardian angel Augusta and her clumsy trainee angel, Penelope, she looks for the answers to several questions. What really happened to Ernest's runaway wife, Rose? Or to the two hippies who disappeared many years ago? Can the current troubles be connected to those long-buried secrets? Ballard's warmth and compassion for her characters make this series a must for readers who like their mysteries on the cozy side.

July 1, 2003
Having journeyed to mountainous western North Carolina for a family reunion, Kate McBride pines for her estranged husband, worries about ten-year-old daughter Josie, and meets her guardian angel, Augusta Goodnight (An Angel To Die For). This "ghost" fits right in, provides intermittent wit, and acts as a kind of deus ex machina for the plot. When someone pushes Kate's great-uncle's housekeeper off a ledge, Augusta prods Kate into sleuthing. Midnight graveyard wanderers, diggers in the night, a tarp-wrapped skeleton, 1960s missing persons, and an "accidental" car wreck death add to the moody but populous surrounds. A real treat for series fans and readers who enjoy cozies. Ballard is also the author of the Eliza Figg mysteries.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2003
Augusta Goodnight is an amazing character: she floats about in iridescent raiment, wafting through with peppermint tea and scones, trailing the scent of strawberries and happiness. She is, after all, an angel. She is also a kind of sleuth; although she doesn't foretell the future or keep people from specific danger, she is deeply sensitive to emotional clues and past history. In this latest in the series, Kate McBride goes home to North Carolina with her 10-year-old daughter and bruising memories of her estrangement from her husband. Great-uncle Ernest is hosting the family reunion, and Kate arrives to find the usual familial tensions abraded by memories of a long-ago murder and disappearance. Augusta appears at key moments to propel Kate in the right direction or provide both solace and chocolate. Murders are solved and relationships mended, of course, and Augusta even has a young angelic assistant in training to watch over. Not quite so seamless or beguiling as last year's " Shadow of an Angel," but with the same southern artlessness and warmth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)