Basket Case
A Silver Six Crafting Mystery, Book #1
By Nancy Haddock
ISBN: 9780425275726
Author website: http://www.nancyhaddock.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis:
First in a crafty new cozy mystery series from national bestselling author Nancy Haddock
There isn’t much crime in Lilyvale, Arkansas, but local authorities have their hands full with Ms. Sherry Mae Stanton Cutler and her housemates—a crafty group of retirees who’ve dubbed themselves the Silver Six. But when Sherry Mae’s niece, Nixy, arrives to keep them in line, Lilyvale also plays host to a killer.
When Leslee Stanton “Nixy” Nix gets the latest call from Lilyvale detective Eric Shoar, she knows it means trouble. There’s been another kitchen explosion at her Aunt Sherry’s farmhouse, and the dreamy-voiced detective has had enough. If Nixy doesn’t check on her aunt in person, the Silver Six could become wards of the court. But the trouble Nixy finds in Lilyvale is not at all what she expects.
The seniors are hosting a folk art festival at the farmhouse, featuring Sherry’s hand-woven baskets, when land developer Jill Elsman arrives to bully Nixy’s aunt into selling the property. When Jill is later found dead in the cemetery, Sherry is suspected of weaving a murder plot, and it’s up to Nixy and the Silver Six to untangle the truth.
Recipes and crafting tip included!
Review:
Basket Case is the first in a new series by author Nancy Haddock and it is a winner. The series is called “A Silver Six Crafting Mystery” and the characters are a hoot. It is set in Lilyvale, Arkansas. Ms Haddock gives the reader a wonderful setup period, time to enjoy the characters and their personalities, time to get to know the lay of the land and to spend some quality time in this serene setting. Well serene maybe not so much. Leslee Stanton Nix (Nixy) has not been a very dutiful niece since she last saw her aunt Sherry Mae Stanton. Sherry Mae helped Nixy when her mother passed. Now Nixy gets a call informing her she needs to get to Lilyvale immediately to help control her out of control aunt and housemates. She has to go or else they may end up in a nursing home.
This new cozy series is wonderful. The main characters along with Nixy include her aunt and 5 other senior housemates that are entertaining and diversified. The “Silver Six” as they call themselves have been causing some complaints from the neighbors and too many visits from the police and emergency services due to “explosions”. When Nixy gets the call from Lilyvale detective Eric Shoar, she road trips it to her aunt. When she gets there the Silver Six are having a craft fair and the fireworks are flying on the front porch. “Hellspawn” Jill Elsman, land developer, has been terrorizing the town and she is in the process of threatening Aunt Sherry Mae when Nixy pulls up.
As I said, this cozy gives the reader time to feel at home in it before things get really hairy. We meet the wonderful members of the Silver Six and they are all so different and such a great assortment of characters. Basket Case really drew me in and I think it will most if not all readers. There are several side mysteries including why does Elsman want all their houses, what was making the explosions, and a few more. That keeps the book moving and entertaining even before the murder occurs. The author’s writing style is enjoyable and descriptive without going overboard. The mysteries are well plotted and intriguing. Reading this book, I felt like I had come home to a series, not that I was reading the first in one.
I would recommend Basket Case to any fans of the cozy genre’ and any crafters as well. This series will be a hit with just about any age group since the characters run the gamut of generations. Even though I am not a senior, I have to say I loved reading about them, their antics, and their friendships, all of it. I kept thinking to myself “how will Nixy end up staying in Lilyvale” and I was happy with that outcome. I truly enjoyed this first in what I hope will be a long lived series. I can see a romance building between Nixy and Detective Shoar, yet it was not rushed which I liked. I loved the little southern intricacies and the way the author gave glimpses of southern life, but never pushed it over the top. As a southerner I really appreciate the soft touch. I enjoyed the recipes and craft tips (not crafty but liked them all the same). I think this is a super first in what promises to be a fun new series.
