The Unravelling of Violeta Bell

March 31, 2008
In Corwin's charming third Morgue Mama mystery (after 2005's Dig), Maddy Sprowls, an Ohio newspaper librarian in her late 60s, pitches an idea for a human interest story about a quartet of garage sale queens, one of whom claims to be a real royal. Young reporter Gabriella Nash, to whom Maddy plays reluctant mentor, gets the assignment. When Violeta Bell, self-proclaimed Romanian monarch, turns up dead after her 15 minutes of fame in the Hannewa Herald-Union, Maddy turns detective, dragging along Gabriella. Maddy's newly acquired googling skills lead her to Canada to meet another claimant to the Romanian throne, yielding only further conundrums. Meanwhile, Maddy grapples with her still fresh \x93autumn\x94 love affair with Ike Breeze, her opposite in many ways, as well as a bothersome (to Ike) sleep disorder that may need medical attention. Irascible, fearless and unapologetic, Maddy is a heroine cozy fans will embrace.