Marsh Madness

May 16, 2005
In the pseudonymous Cousins's fizzy second adventure (after 2003's Fiddle Dee Death
), South Carolina cousins Lindsey Fox, Margaret Ann ("Mam") Matthew and Bonnie Lynn Tyler get together for a grand wedding at Pinckney Plantation on Indigo Island. When one of the bridesmaids, aspiring actress MaryMar Futch, goes missing and her look-alike assistant is found unconscious, the three amateur sleuths soon find themselves tangled in a kudzu-like mystery. The pace quickens after the assistant dies and someone steals Mam's identity. When MaryMar shows up claiming she's being stalked, Lindsey's not-so-secret beau, Maj. Will McLeod, hides MaryMar at Lindsey's for safekeeping. As Mam goes overboard on the wedding floral arrangements, MaryMar tries to seduce Will and puts on beauty queen airs. Lindsey tries to keep life on an even keel, but is plagued by jealousy and insecurity. Full of Southern charm, Low Country imagery, snappy humor and the requisite secrets and lies, this cozy shows that three heroines aren't too many; they are a triple treat.

February 1, 2005
A wedding in the South Carolina Low Country and a body in the Gatortorium has detectives Lindsey, Margaret Ann, and Bonnie (Fiddle Dee Death) sleuthing in another tale of Southern mystery and manners. Cousins is a pseudonym for a trio of authors.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2005
Three cousins, Lindsey, Margaret Ann ("Mam"), and Bonnie, solve a murder on the fictional island of Indigo, South Carolina, in their second adventure. When they attend the opening of the Gatortorium, they find a woman passed out in one of the public bathrooms. The woman, Lorna Spivey, who later dies, turns out to be the look-alike and personal assistant of former beauty queen Mary Martha "MaryMar" Futch. While the police investigate, Lindsey must keep the annoying MaryMar hidden in her home to protect her from the person who may be trying to kill her. The cousins make amiable cozy characters, with plenty of humorous banter, and the author evokes a strong sense of place. (The details of the extravagant wedding Mam is planning with the demanding mother of the bride provide an entertaining diversion.) Unfortunately, Lindsey, the narrator, is less defined as a character than are her two cousins, and the three of them seem to stumble into the solution of the murder rather than solve it. Still, this is an enjoyable romp written by three women who are themselves cousins.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)