Frozen Stiff

June 6, 2011
The discovery of a beautiful young woman's body in the snow by a cornfield propels Ryan's absorbing third mystery featuring Sorenson, Wis., deputy coroner Mattie Winston (after 2010's Scared Stiff). Mattie's life, already complicated by a soon to be ex-husband and a new boyfriend, Steve Hurley, the Sorenson PD's main homicide detective, becomes even more complicated after Steve arrives at the crime scene, blanches at the sight of the stabbed corpse, and beats a hasty retreat. It turns out Steve once dated the victim, a Chicago investigative reporter. When another body turns up and the police detain Steve as a possible suspect in both murders, Mattie must draw on all her forensic skills to clear his name. At her peril, the intrepid Mattie sets out in her midnight blue, slightly used hearse in search of answers. The pseudonymous Ryan, herself an R.N., smoothly blends humor, distinctive characters, and authentic forensic detail.

July 1, 2011

Deputy coroner Mattie Winston's (Working Stiff) heart cracks just a little when she learns the beautiful corpse in the snow was once the girlfriend of handsome local detective Steve Hurley. The victim was a Chicago news reporter, and the killer dumped her in small-town Sorenson, WI, to frame Steve. Or is Steve really a killer intent upon wreaking havoc on all his neighbors and friends? A series of wild events over the Thanksgiving holiday truly challenges Sorenson's law-enforcement team. Mattie continues her clumsy but fearless forays into finding the answers to puzzling questions. Her self-deprecating, slightly raunchy humor can detract, but her competence as a former ER nurse, plus a quirky supporting cast, makes the series intriguing. VERDICT Ryan has a good eye for forensic and medical detail, and Mattie gets past her Big Girl complex to be the woman of the hour in her third outing. Sue Ann Jaffarian fans might like. Ryan is a pseudonym for suspense writer Beth Amos.

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