Named 2016 Best Mystery Series by Texas Association of Authors. When Madison Reynolds finds herself widowed and penniless before forty, she does the only thing she knows to do – she packs up her teenage twins and moves back home with her eighty-year-old grandmother. Life in The Sisters, Texas has not changed much since she’s been gone, but at least her best friend Genesis is there to soften the … friend Genesis is there to soften the transition back into small-town life.
To make ends meet, Madison opens In a Pinch Temporary Services. Her first real client is Ronny Gleason, but when she shows up for the first day of work at the Gleason Poultry Farm, Madison makes a gruesome discovery. The dead body she finds belongs to Mr. Gleason. When a local man is arrested for murder, Madison takes on the job of proving his innocence. Even though she is not a private investigator, both mothers are desperate: Lucy Ngyen to clear her son’s name, and Madison to pay her bills. But as she begins asking questions around town, her interference is not welcome.
With a daughter determined to go back to Dallas, a son settling into small town life, a feisty grandmother who knows all the town gossip, bill collectors calling, and now someone trying to keep her silent, Madison has no time for re-kindling her high school crush with police chief Brash deCordova. She has her hands full just trying to stay alive.
If she survives her amateur investigation, Maddy has a decision to make. Will she go back to her life in Dallas, or will she build a new life here in The Sisters?
Read the Full Award-Winning Series, in Order. FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Book One: Chicken Scratch
Book Two: When the Stars Fall
Book Three: Stipulations and Complications
Book Four: Home Again: Starting Over
Book Five: Genny’s Ballad
Book Six: Christmas in The Sisters
Book Seven: The Lilac Code
Book Eight: Wildflower Wedding: With a Killer Reception
Book Nine: To Be Announced
All available FREE in Kindle Unlimited!more
Looking forward to the rest of the series.
This was a good read. I would recommend it. Nice mystery.
First book in a series. The characters were good enough to keep me reading through the entire set. Fascinating mysteries.
Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1) by Becki Willis was a fun book that I really enjoyed reading. I enjoyed the characters and plot. I really like reading cozy mysteries and trying to figure out who did it. I liked Gennys Granny Bert and got a real kick out of her. It was my first book by the author and I would definitely read others. 4 star rating!
Chicken Scratch
The Sisters,
Texas Mystery Series
Book 1
By Becki Willis
This is a full length novel. The beginning of a great series. Of which I will be reading this as soon as I can. Mild, clean, and funny. This is the way a mystery story should read, as far as I’m concerned.
Maddy and her twins have moved to make a new start. They will move in with her Grandmother, in her hometown. That is just the beginning of this story. Maddy is stronger than she thought as she wades through her new journey. That is where I leave you. As you will have to read Maddy story to believe it. So much action!
I love how Becki Willis has written her fast paced mystery. The characters she has created make me wonder if they were her neighbors. She gives that much into her book. I also enjoyed how the focus was solving the mystery and just the right amount of the budding romance. This is a no spoiler review. Becki Willis I am looking forward to reading your complete series.
Chicken Scratch by Becki Willis is the first book in The Sisters, Texas Mystery series. This is a cozy, fun mystery to read. What happens when you have gotten used to the big city and have to move back to small-town life with your children. Madison finds herself in this position and tries to make the most of it. When she starts her new job she finds a dead body. Now to find the killer!
I enjoyed the characters and how they were developed to be individuals. Each plays a part in the story. I also like the small-town setting. It takes it from being a gritty, detective novel to something a bit lighter. I will definitely be picking up the next book to see where the story goes.
Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1) by Becki Willis
5 Stars
Becki Willis is a new to me author and I can’t figure out why it has taken me so long to find her books. Chicken Scratch looks to be the 1st of many books in this series and I can not wait to read every one of them. This is my favorite genre and this author filled this book with everything I love. I think my favorite part is that the relationship that is just touched on here and there is still completely up in the air. Not sure why I like that so much but the build up is my favorite part and that was perfection.
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and my mind jumped around a bit because every time I had it figured out something else would get thrown in the mix and I’d be completely wrong. Again just another favorite part of this genre and this book. I also appreciated the clean story, dont get me wrong I love the grit as well but it was refreshing reading an entire book without the sex scenes.
Granny Bert was my favorite, I loved Maddie and her best friend and the interaction between them all was spot on. I laughed quite a bit and I just can not recommend this book high enough. I can not wait to read the rest. There was no major cliffhanger but there are unanswered questions.
Awesome read!
I give Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1) Becki Willis, 5 stars.
This is an author I have not read before, but I quite enjoy cozy mysteries and the story looked interesting so I thought I would give it a try. I enjoyed it from the very beginning. Having it set around chicken house/chicken farming is unique and not something I have seen in a cozy mystery before. That is big here in Southern Delaware and a coworker of mine actually has some chicken houses, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could easily follow along. The author has obviously either had experience with this or has done lots of research. That speaks highly to me of the author.
But there is much more to this book than that. We have a gruesome death discovered, a family relocation from the city to a very small town, and former love interests thrown in to boot. This book has something for everyone. The characters are great, they feel like people I would want to know in the real world. Madison herself struggles with trying to make ends meet while also making sure her kids are happy. When she is thrown into the middle of a murder investigation, she feels like she has to help. But she doesn’t realize the danger she is putting herself into.
A cozy mystery with a compelling, unique story and very lovable characters, this is a book I highly recommend.
Chicken Scratch is the first book in Becki Willis’ mystery suspense series The Sisters, Texas! The writer makes you sit up straight and take notice from Chapter One when the heroine of the story finds a body in a chicken house! Just try NOT to picture and smell it in your head! It was my first read by the writer and I can promise you that you will want to go back to The Sisters again and again after finishing this mystery story about a dead chicken farmer!
The story takes place in Texas so the writer could have given us loads of stereotypes but instead she gives us a bunch of delightful characters that you will want to go back to and spend more time with! Madison, her spunky grandmother Bert, best friend Genesis, her former crush aka chief of police Brash, her two kids and let’s not forget about the fireman Cutter! I can just imagine what the writer might come up with; she has given herself a bottomless cast of characters and we’d be lucky to read any of their story!
Becki Willis is a new author to me and her book Chicken Scratch the first book in The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series looked interesting. Becki Willis has a great plotline and complex complicated characters for me makes the best stories. This story is about Madison Reynolds. She has had a lot of misfortune come into her life before 40. She is a widowed and does not have a penny to her name. So she did what anyone who do is to pack up her twins (teenage girls) and moves back to The Sisters Texas and moved in with her grandma. She is not looking forward to small town living especially moving from Dallas. She finds herself in a pickle. She is not an investigator but needs to become one to help someone out. Madison needs to figure things out and quickly. I highly recommend this story to see what Madison is capable of and how her life in The Sisters pan out.
3.5 stars
When I saw that this was a cozy mystery, I was expecting something similar to “Murder She Wrote” or something as sweet. Within the first 10 pages we learned the gruesome way someone died. BLECH I have never been in, nor will I now ever go into a chicken house. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I want to ever eat chicken after reading the workings of a chicken (slaughter) house. Has anyone ever survived on chocolate alone? I digress…
CHICKEN SCRATCH is the first book in “The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series” and it is a full set up on who Madison is and how she has found herself in the precarious position she is in. Madison ends up back in Juliet, Texas “the most boring town in the state of Texas” to live with her grandmother after a few life events left Madison and her children to fend for themselves in life.
The book has a mystery, some humor, great friends and familiar relationships. Madison and her best friend Genny definitely have a “Laverne and Shirley” vibe to them. “I always envisioned (personal shopping) as being a bit glitzier. I thought when you were a personal shopping, you got to buy things like fur coats and plush furnishings… So far, you’ve been stuck buying hearing aids supplies and bladder control pads.”
There is a lot that goes on in the story and the protagonist certainly finds herself in some interesting, death defying situations. I didn’t “bond” with her for some reason but it could be the space I am in.
Not everything is wrapped in a bow at the end, so I’m sure there is more high-jinx to come in the next book.
Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1)
By: Becki Willis
5 out of 5 stars
The story Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 1) by Becki Willis is a wonderful mystery book. It pulls you in from the beginning and does let you go until the end. I found that the story has a good pace and will have you searching for answers with Madison. I so enjoyed reading about Madison. She is intelligent and resourceful. She finds herself living with her grandmother and trying to build a business called “In a Pinch Temporary Services. Her life soon becomes complicated as she finds the dead body of a client, hired to clear a suspect’s name, and dealing with her teenage twins. Oh, and there is that handsome and attractive police chief who she had a crush on in high school. Is the death of her first client an accident or something more? Read this book to find out. I loved that this book had a small-town setting. I come from a smaller farm community and have found that when I come home my actions have already been reported. There is small-town gossip that made me smile as I was reading. There are many additional characters that are introduced and have their own part to play in the story. Some of them are more helpful than others and then you have the ones that their only concern is themselves. Don’t miss out on a book that is well-written, detailed, and has some wonderful characters. I highly recommend it.
A surprisingly good read and convoluted cozy. I really couldn’t figure out the culprit. Good characters and also heartwarming at the same time
You know a book is going to be good when it starts off:
“Finding a dead body was never good. Finding the dead body of your newest client – particularly on the first day of the job – was decidedly worse.”
Welcome to The Sisters, Texas. Where rumors run rampant, small town bias is still alive, but where you will find some of the nicest people…well most of them anyway unless they are a killer! Madison’s daughter, Bethanie, sums it up quite nicely:
“This is Juliet, the most boring town in the state of Texas. Of course, there were more rumors. It is, after all, the favorite pastime of rednecks near and far.”
This story has so much going for it – small Texas town, dysfunctional/quirky characters, a killer on the loose, old loves, close friends, and family. I quickly grew to like Madison and her best friend Genesis. They have the kind of relationship that everyone should have, a best friend that will go to the ends of the earth for you…and maybe even jail should you get caught doing something a little crazy! Considering everything Madison has gone through, that friendship is one of the things that holds her together as she puts her life back together with her children. Madison has flaws but I see great potential for growth in her character over the rest of the series.
The mystery was well written and I was quite surprised when the killer was revealed because I don’t think there were any (or very few) clues to point us in this character’s direction. I have to say I will never look at a chicken quite the same way and learned things about raising chickens that I never knew. Considering Madison’s job is running a sort of temp agency, I think she realizes that perhaps this isn’t the sort of career she wants to pursue full time.
There is the beginning of a potential relationship between Maddy and her crush from high school, Brash. There are some assumptions on Maddy’s part regarding Brash which throw her for a loop until correct information is provided to her.
I also appreciated the history regarding the two towns and how they came to be in existence. There was enough history to visualize and understand, but not so much that it detracted from the basic plot line.
There are a few things that I am predicting for the next book and eagerly await finding out if I am right or wrong. We give this book 4 paws up and if you are looking for a cozy series, definitely check this one out.
A received a free electronic copy of this excellent novel from the author Becki Willis. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Chicken Scratch of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
Newly widowed Madison Reynolds is attempting to come back home to the Sisters, a couple of little Texas towns in the Brazos valley established in the early 1900s and named for the daughters of cotton plantation owner Bertrum Randolph, Naomi, and Juliet. Becki Willis has written several novels involved in The Sisters communities, and this one is a doozie.
Jobs are hard to come by all over, and Madison is attempting to fit into the local economic layout with a temporary services business. She has mild success – these communities together are only sheltering about 2,000 souls – but Madison will only be able to make a living with temporary, fill-in jobs if she is willing to work for the many commercial chicken broiler farms, now the main source of income for the residents of The Sisters. Very smelly, very nasty business, but she is willing to give it a try. And as she walks the chicken houses the first day of Ronnie Gleason’s anticipated absence, she finds her chicken farmer dead in the chicken house. Not an easy way to die…
She loves being back with her Granny, who raised her, and her best friend Genesis is another draw to making ago of it in The Sisters though her teen-aged children want desperately to return to life in Dallas. Unfortunately, her deceased husband blew their money gambling and was so deeply in debt that she had to sell everything – home and cars and jewelry – just to break even. Making a living for the three of them in Dallas would be nearly impossible. At least here they have a roof over their heads. And of course, Madison already knows nearly everyone in town.
This story reeled me in with the first line. Great characters, Maddy, Genesis, Granny Bert, lovely Sister towns, intriguing mystery. Absolutely enjoyed reading this book. Cannot wait to read more of this series by this author
After losing both her husband and her job, Madison Reynolds finds she has little choice but to move back to The Sisters, Texas. To save money, Madison and her two children are living with her Grandmother, Granny Bert.
In an effort to earn some money, Madison opens “In a Pinch Temporary Services” and her first customer is Ronny Gleason. Mr. Gleason owns a chicken farm and wants Madison to tend to the chickens while he is on a fishing trip. Unfortunately, on her first day with the chickens, Madison finds Mr. Gleason in one of the chicken houses…Dead! A neighbor, Don Ngyen, who recently had an argument with Mr. Gleason was arrested for his murder. Then Don’s mother hires Madison to prove his innocence.
How did Mr. Gleason die? Who had wanted him dead? Why was he in the chicken house when he was supposed to be fishing? Can Madison figure out what actually happened?
Becki Willis has a great start to this series! The characters are very realistic and you feel as if they have become your friends. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing clear to the end.
This was ok. I didn’t dislike the story, the setting or the characters but nothing made me want to hurry and get the rest of the series. I’m not sure if I will read this series.
My first Becki Willis book and it will not be my last. ‘Her engaging writing style developed characters that were a perfect fit for going back home to live, love Maddy! For page turning reading, Mrs. Willis created a most unusual murder mystery and titled it ‘Chicken Scratch’. It’s a mystery to solve with very entertaining characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for murder mystery or looking to be entertained readers. I’ll be reading book 2 in this Texas Mystery Series.
Could almoost smell the chicken droppings! Surprise ending! Loved the town. Wonderful descriptions.