Overview:Playing Bunco may be fun…but murder proves a game-changer.Octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover has never heard of the dice game Bunco. Regardless, she steps in as her daughter-in-law’s sub and reluctantly puts her game face on.Bunco turns out to be child’s play. But when a body is discovered, Myrtle realizes another game is afoot. Before long, she’s playing cat and mouse with the killer.… she’s playing cat and mouse with the killer.
Can she track down the murderer before the game is up? Or, with the killer playing hard to get, will it end up being “no dice?”
Other Works…
If you want more Myrtle Clover, please check out the other books in the series: The books can be read out of order, but the technical order of the books is as follows: Pretty is as Pretty Dies, Progressive Dinner Deadly, Dyeing Shame, A Body in the Backyard, Death at a Drop-In, A Body at Book Club, Death Pays a Visit, and A Body at Bunco.
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This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this book. It is so much fun and sure to make you chuckle, if not laugh out loud. I love everything about it and the whole series from the mystery to the characters to the cat, even the garden gnomes. If you haven’t met Myrtle Clover then you are in for a treat and can I just say why are you starting on book 8, do yourself a favour and get the rest you won’t be disappointed. Myrtle is such a great character, she is feisty and sometimes (when the occasion a raises) frail old lady that runs rings (with her walking stick) around the police as well as the bad guys. The supporting cast is just as good and as it is a long running series (one that I hope continues for a long time) you get to know them so well. As well as a strong cast the mystery is also good and I think could compete with Jessica Fletcher and Cabbot Cover on tv, or at the very least compete with Myrtle’s favourite show. Off to listen to the next book.
When Myrtle’s son and daughter-In-law suffer a major bathroom mishap Myrtle rushes in to help by offering to host Elaine’s Bunco night at her house. Sloan the newspaper owner will also be happy with Myrtle hosting the party because on of the players is the biggest gossip In town and he needs Myrtle to get close to her in order to help the struggling newspaper. Hosting twelve people in her small house might be a tight fit and get Myrtle closer to the gossip than she would like, especially as Red her son is in trouble and Myrtle’s entire gnome collection has made an appearance in the garden. But losing a guest to murder wasn’t exactly the plan either as the women hit over the head with the garden tool was the gossip herself. Myrtle’s sidekick Miles is laid up with a stomach bug and with gremlins playing havoc with all the cars in the town Myrtle will have to get out her walking stick if she hopes to catch a killer and save her beloved newspaper. Good job Pasha her cat is on hand to lead a paw.
I wasn’t sure about the narrator at first because she made Myrtle sound to old and dodery to me and not like someone who could stand up to her grandson let alone a killer but she soon won me over and I enjoyed her interpretation of the characters
After a monumental plumbing issue at Elaine’s house, Myrtle graciously says that she’ll host the month’s Bunco game. With plenty of wine, the night begins with ten other women having fun before the game even starts, with Puddin and Miles subbing for two of the regular women. Things change drastically when a member of the Bunco game ends up dead in Myrtle’s backyard. Myrtle discovers her dead, beaten over the head with a wrench left behind by her hapless yardman, Dusty.
What follows is another mystery that Myrtle is determined to solve before her police chief son. With her usual tact (or lack thereof), Myrtle begins the task of talking with each of the suspects. But things take a turn for the worse when Miles comes down with a vicious stomach virus and is taken out of the investigation early. And when another body turns up that appears to be linked with the first, the killer becomes even more dangerous. As Myrtle gets closer to the answer, she becomes more aware of the danger. Is this Myrtle’s last case, or can she solve it before she’s added to the body count?
This mystery is another fun addition to the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series. With familiar old characters as well as several new ones, this book expands what we know of the small town of Bradley, North Carolina and winds us deeper into the webs of secrets that fill the town. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, and the killer was deceptively clever. Myrtle’s attitude was just as snide as ever, and yet she proves she loves her family and close friends very much, in her own way.
If you enjoyed the other Myrtle Clover books, definitely pick up this one. But once again, I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series. The mysteries are so much fun, and the characters in the small town of Bradley are fascinating. The atmosphere of the small town just gets better and better as the series goes on. And even the main cast is being expanded as we go on. I can’t wait to read even more about this wonderful town and all of the wonderful characters.
I CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH MYRTLE!!!!! Doing a favor for her daughter-in-law almost spells the end for Myrtle but with the help of some great friends, they bring the hammer down on a killer. Laugh out loud funny but some very sweet moments between “friends” Myrtle and Miles.