An Old-Fashioned Murder

March 21, 2016
In Miller’s lighthearted third Moonshine mystery set in southwestern Virginia (after 2014’s A Nip of Murder), a freak blizzard strands an ill-assorted group of people at the Tosh Inn, whose elderly proprietor, Emily Tosh, is viewed with affection by baker Daisy McGovern, who works for the “tough old biddy.” Things take a turn for the worse when an antique secretary, a recent gift from Emily’s spry, 94-year-old friend, Henry Brent, falls over and fatally crushes one of the guests. A second death suggests that the first was no accident. It’s an intriguing setup, but the underdeveloped characters do little more than bicker among themselves, slowing the pace. Even Daisy seems to go through the motions of caring for her ailing mother and helping Emily with the chores. Since all the action takes place within the inn’s confines, the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains setting, which featured prominently in earlier installments, gets short shrift in this outing. Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM.

March 1, 2016
Unexpected weather and a deadly antique turn a Virginia house party into a nightmare. Daisy McGovern is more than happy to help out her Aunt Emily with the grand reopening of the Tosh Inn. Actually, Emily isn't Daisy's real aunt (or anyone's), but Daisy, her mother, and Daisy's best friend are grateful boarders at the old Victorian landmark, which suffered badly during a fall flood. Now Aunt Emily is having a celebration for a select group of people, including the elderly antiques dealers from whom she bought replacement period furniture; Henry Brent, a spry nonagenarian; a couple who are determined to buy the inn; and Daisy's beau, bat conservationist Drew Alcott. Daisy is still technically married, though her husband ran off years ago, and an unwelcome guest--her husband's sour-faced aunt, Lillian Barker--disapproves of Drew's presence at the party. She and the other guests have even more on their minds, however, when Henry is found crushed to death by the huge heirloom secretary he had delivered as a surprise for Emily. About the time his demise starts looking like murder, a freakish blizzard cuts off the inn's residents from the rest of the world. As the winter winds batter the walls and threaten the electricity, a mysterious refugee from the storm asks for shelter, Aunt Emily's Remington rifle disappears, and the guests behave more and more bizarrely from the horror of having a killer in their midst. Daisy is finally forced to turn to the one person she least wants help from: incorrigible moonshiner Rick Balsam. Daisy's third is less of a romp than its forbears (A Nip of Murder, 2014, etc.), partly because the man she loves to hate is largely absent. But Miller's twist on the classic country-house murder, including bootleg whisky and rooms named after Confederate generals, is still enjoyable.

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May 1, 2016

Daisy McGovern and her invalid mother reside at the Tosh Inn in southwestern Virginia. Newly restored after a flood, the hotel is due for a grand reopening. Proprietor Aunt Emily (who is really no one's aunt) has invited several folks to celebrate: Henry Brett, an antiques dealer; Edna and May Fowler, Emily's dear friends; Drew Alcott, Daisy's beau; Lillian and Parker McGovern, Daisy's former in-laws, and bootlegger Rick Balsam. When an heirloom bookshelf falls and kills Henry, and the house is cut off from the outside world by a sudden snowstorm, the guests are, rightfully, agitated. VERDICT In her third series outing (after A Nip of Murder), Miller adds an alluring Southern flavor to the classic country house whodunit. Her characters are lighthearted, and the dialog is quite clever. Recommend for anyone who misses Anne George's "Southern Sisters" mysteries.

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