Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Desert Hedge Murders-Patricia Stoltey

The Desert Hedge Murders
Patricia Stoltey
Five Star, Aug 31 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 9781594147852

In her mind her brother reclusive clairvoyant Willie Grisseljon, a sexagenarian like she is, conned into going with their octogenarian mom and the other Florida Flippers traveling Miami Dolphins’ fan club to Laughlin, Nevada. The former judge and retired Fed widow Sylvia Thorn wonders what trouble can the Flippers get into on their trip when they find a corpse in the bathtub of a room shared by Sandra Pringle and non-member Patsy Strump.

Sandra turns up missing while the troupe heads off to the Lone Cactus Gold Mine. There they find Sandra’s corpse. Willie has a vision of his sister in trouble so with his dad at his side; they race to Nevada while the FBI Agent Damon Falls investigates the goings on at the Mohave County, Arizona mine though he would not mind investigating the much older Sylvia in a more exclusive luxurious locale. As Sylvia tries to keep the Flippers out of trouble, trouble seems to find them; so with Patsy, her sibling, her parents, the other Flippers, and a six foot plus female dynamo, she leads the inquiry (more like a chaotic retreat) into the death of Sandra that forces law enforcement at all levels to share notes.

Though over the top of Hoover Dam, THE DESERT HEDGE MURDERS is an amusing amateur sleuth tale (though the lead “detective” has experience as a former FBI agent). The story line is as fast as Freda the amazon drives her bike and never slows down even when the seniors are a bit tired. Fans will enjoy this zany Nevada-Arizona whodunit.

Harriet Klausner