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Critic's Corner
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GRINNING IN HIS MASHED POTATOES Reviewed by:
Patricia Ann Jones "I probably wouldn't have noticed, but I was sitting next to him and when he took that first bite of the Eagle Brand lemon pie with the mile-high meringue, I wished I had the nerve to do the same. "My mother always said, 'Eat your vegetables first,' so I did, even though she died more than ten years ago. She might have had a point. Twyman Towerie licked the meringue off his lips with a satisfied grin and fell over dead into his mashed potatoes." With these first few words Margaret Moseley, in her third mystery novel, is off on a tale of suspenseful intrigue. Moseley's first novel, the Edgar nominated "Bonita Faye," and her second, "The Fourth Steven," set a high mark of excellence that few new authors ever achieve. Now, in "Grinning In His Mashed Potatoes," she again reveals her expertise of creating bewitching characters set into a plot full of the unexpected. I often read that there are no new plots only derivations of oft told stories. You can forget that. Moseley's plot is something different, something not read before, with a "gotcha" ending. Honey Huckleberry, a book representative for a small respectable number of publishers, was introduced in Moseley's "The Fourth Steven." Honey inadvertently became a sleuth of sorts in her debut book due to two murders being committed in her home. She's back with her friend Janie, owner of Pages a small book store, Steven Hyatt, Honey's oldest and dearest friend, and Silas Sampson, the best looking police detective south of the Red River. The new characters in this second "Honey" story include one Twyman Towerie, world famous author (the gentleman who ungallantly dived into his mashed potatoes). Then, there is Clover Medlock, the first of Towerie's four wives. Clover is quite a gal. She wrangles cows with the best of the ranch owners in Texas, but has a gentler side as well. Clover also likes to write and is working on a memoir that will just "kill" old Twyman when it is published. Perhaps that's why he tried to get her to remarry him. Next you have Babe, an entertainer who's seen better days, but still performs in Las Vegas. Marcie Coleman another ex-wife saved Twyman's life when he got sick. He's a diabetic with a heart problem. Marcie nursed him back to health. She later opened a spa, The Bargello, for the rich and famous who needed to shed a few pounds of caviar. Gabriella Rusi, the publicist is also an ex-wife and one who gave Twyman quite a boost in his career. That's four ex-wives and four motives for murder. You only had to know Twyman to know each had a motive and a good one to do away with him. Everyone thinks Twyman died of natural causes, but Honey believes otherwise. She had been seated next to Twyman at the luncheon fund raiser honoring the famous author when he leaned over and said to her, "Can you tell me how one goes about finding out if someone is trying to kill them?" The chase Miss Honey leads readers on is often humorous, a bit tantalizing with hooks and cliff hangers, and her stops at Massey's in Ft. Worth for Chicken Fried Steak with real cream gravy and, pardon the expression, mashed potatoes, will leave you breathless and totally satisfied. If for some reason you do need something more, the last few pages of the book will knock your socks off. "Grinning In His Mashed Potatoes" is another summer read you dare not miss. ### |
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