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A TISKET, A TASKET, A FANCY STOLEN
CASKET
A Callie Parrish Mystery
Fran Rizer
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN 9780425218006
October 2007
Cozy Mystery
After a divorce and a short career as a kindergarten
teacher, Callie aka Calamine Parrish has returned to the
small town of St. Mary, South Carolina where she grew
up. The youngest child and only daughter, Callie was
raised by her lovable farmer father and five brothers
who sometimes have trouble viewing her as a grown woman.
Callie's current occupation is that of a cosmetologist
for Middleton's Mortuary. Her clients don't talk back or
gossip and during slow periods Callie passes the time
reading mystery novels. With the death of local car
salesman Bobby Saxon, Callie finds herself in the role
of amateur sleuth when a broken hypodermic needle turns
up during Callie's ministrations. A blow to the head
sends Callie to the hospital, while a thief makes off
with Bobby's casket, presumably in an attempt to steal
the body. Two Saxon widows, an outrageous rival car
salesman, threatening phone calls, illegal drugs, a good
chunk of insurance money, plus the murder of a local
nightclub owner, make for interesting times in St. Mary.
Will Callie discover the truth before she winds up as
one of the victims?
A TISKET, A TASKET, A FANCY STOLEN CASKET is the first
of what promises to be a delightful cozy mystery series.
Ms. Rizer has created a likable heroine, Callie, and
surrounded her with a colorful cast of characters
including her family, her employers (brothers Otis and
Odell), and her best-friend Jane, an independent blind
woman who demonstrates an unusual moral code as she
works adult chat lines by night and scams businesses out
of merchandise by day. The mystery is top-notch and I
was hooked from chapter one! The plot twists and turns
with red herrings, humor and suspense. Even the touch of
romance is not as straightforward as one may expect. In
all, A TISKET, A TASKET, A FANCY STOLEN CASKET is a
must-read for fans of cozy mysteries, and I for one
cannot wait to read more tales of Calamine Lotion
Parrish. Callie's adventures continue with HEY DIDDLE
DIDDLE, THE CORPSE AND THE FIDDLE (March 2008).
Recommended!
Reviewed by Melissa Fowler
Rating 4 1/2 |
