50% Off Murder

April 1, 2012

Savvy Maggie Gerber has led her Good Buy Girls shoppers club for 20 years, and when one of their own, librarian Claire Freemont, needs them, they respond as a group. Shockingly, a man is stabbed to death in the library's basement with Claire's cake knife. Maybe more surprisingly, Claire reveals that the victim was her ex-lover, a venture capitalist from Baltimore, who had precipitated her move to this little suburb just outside Richmond. It is time to bring in a lawyer, and Maggie finds local Max Button. Soon, the women learn the victim had been putting the squeeze on their town's small business owners through his shifty practices. Mix in handsome sheriff Sam Collins, who is smart enough to use the talents of the Good Buy Girls in his investigation. VERDICT This delightful series debut could have faltered owing to an overabundance of quirky characters, but it successfully maintains a winning pace and patter throughout. Belle is a pseudonym for one of my favorites, Jennifer McKinlay. A good readalike might be Dorothy Howell's handbag mystery series.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Maggie Gerber runs the Good Buy Girls, made up of four women who are master shoppers and coupon clippers. That somewhat pedestrian premise launches an engaging mystery full of humor, a layered plot, and even a little romance. Librarian Claire Freemont acts strangely at a GBG meeting and then is arrested when her ex-boyfriend is found knifed in the library basement with her utensil. Naturally, Maggie and the other GBGs launch an investigation. Maggie's former boyfriend Sam is back in town as the new sheriff, and he always knows when she is hiding something. The quirky characters drive this clever story, which will be enjoyed by Elaine Viets fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)