Angel at Troublesome Creek

This is an enjoyable story about a woman whose life is upside down. Her fiance has left her, her aunt has died, and her substitute gaurdian angel pops in and out at will. BUT- her aunt's death is suspicious and with the help of her gaurdian angel Mary George Murphy manages to find an old friend, make new friends, and solve the murder of her aunt. Very interesting. This is a nice little book to cozy up to and enjoy when you need a little chuckle. I enjoyed it.

What a delightful book this was! A good balance of mystery, a little suspense, a little romance, red herrings - this book had it all, along with a whimsical guardian angel full of spunk. The book was somewhat of a cross between an Aunt Dimity mystery or a Donna Andrews ("Murder with Peacocks"), both the "lighter" style of mystery, with an aim to entertain. The book succeeded in doing just that. A great quick read.

This is the first Ballard book that I have read, so I cannot compare it with previous works. However, I truly enjoyed this outing. The mystery isn't that complicated and the motive behind the murder is dubious. So what makes this book so wonderful you might ask? The angel that visits the protagonist. Their relationship is the most interesting thing. I found myself hurriedly reading through some of the other scenes in order to find the scenes that include the angel. I definitely plan on reading Ms. Ballard's new angel book and I will hope that it perhaps includes more of a relationship between the lead and the angel. Information about the angel's life on earth would have been a plus. Some information about the angel's life is included but just enough to wet your appetite for more.

As usual, Ballard's take on the small-town South is right on. Her infallible eye for character and ear for language help her create engaging eccentrics, colorful colloquialisms, and mouthwatering menus. Her tastes don't stop at butter beans and biscuits, however. Her penchant is for suspense, developed with puzzles of both the criminal and romantic kind. This book features the usual rainy-day mystery cast: a forlorn but spunky heroine, innumerable snoops and suspects, and a dead body or two. But the star is Augusta Goodnight, who has a knack for baking, a flair for fashion, and a halo and wings. She's not only an unusual guardian but a refreshing departure for the genre. If you're in a curl-up-in-the-windowseat-with-a-good-book mood, read Angel at Troublesome Creek.

Fresh from the 19-40s, welcome an angel who is not above irony and a few asides. Her charge, Martha George Murphy, suspects someone pushed her loveable aunt down the attic stairs. But when the duo tries to track the villian down, evil lurks where you would least expect it. But let's not forget the fun, the good food, and a bit of romance. Here's a cozy mystery sure to lull you staying up way past your bedtime.