Decorated for Murder

When John Groover left town to enter the Marine, it was to avoid prison for his part of an armored car robbery. Now, a year and a half later, he is returning home a hero, having been wounded three times at Guadalcanal.But not everyone has forgotten what he did in town before he left and a few people don't consider him a hero. While Kate Fallon and Beatrice Bradshaw are busy planning the festivities to honor him on his return to Robinsville, PA, trouble is brewing behind the scenes. Will the town's people forgive his past, or will he be forced to face it again.This is the third book in the Homefront Mystery series, and each entry gets better. This book offers a twist on the usual formula by presenting the story in a series of flashbacks that Scrappy MacFarland tells a young reporter. This provides some interesting insights into what happened and how that time period is looked at 60 years later.Most of the story takes place in 1943, and the author still does a good job of transporting us back to that era. Kate shares the spotlight more then ever in this book, but we still get plenty of her perspective. The story moves at a brisk pace, and I had a very hard time putting it down.There was one thing that really bothered me, however. The timeline in this book, while internally solid, contradicts the timeline of the series, placing book 1 a year before it actually took place. I realize I'm being nit-picky at this point. After all, it really is minor.If you're looking for a good historical mystery set in the US during World War II, this is the series. You'll want to start with the first (Victory Dance Murder) because this book mentions the solutions to the first two cases.

In a stylistic change from the earlier books in this delightfully old-fashioned series, M. T. Jefferson has imposed himself into the story. At the same time, he keeps the spotlight on the early 1940s in the Pennsylvania town of Robinsville. Thus we still see our old friends Kate Fallon, who is still doing her part for the war effort as a welder at the local factory while her fiance is in Africa or somewhere overseas; and Sparky MacFarland, the newspaper man who believes in the goodness of people--especially those in small towns; and Mrs. B, the British ex-pat who owns the local bookstore. As December, 1942 turns into January, 1943, Robinsville is astonished to learn that one of its own, Johnny Groover, is coming home from the war in the Pacific--as a bona fide hero! Although never a really bad kid, Johnny ventured from the straight and narrow one time, and got caught, along with several other young men, after having committed an armed robbery. Johnny, being only the lookout, was offered the opportunity to join the Marine Corps --or go to prison. He became a Marine. And after stopping more than a few bullets in a fierce battle--a hero. He is astonished to learn that he'll be presented with the Medal of Honor by no less than the President--Franklin Roosevelt, after a homecoming and celebration in Robinsville. But something goes horribly awry, and Johnny never gets his medal. Presented in flashbacks, prompted by the 60 year-old newspaper stories of the event, the young reporter, M. T. Jefferson, is sent to interview the 90-something MacFarland, the only survivor of that era, who was old enough then to know something of what happened. Kate's young brother Paul, is now the editor of the local paper, and he wants to know what MacFarland knows, but has steadfastly refused to reveal. He gives the young reporter contraband cigars with which to bribe the aging but still sharp MacFarland, and the chase is on! As in the other books, the research exhibited in this story is nothing short of awesome! The songs, the movies, the stars--all are given their due here in this story of a world we'll probably never see again--much to our detriment. However he chooses to present the next story, I'll look forward to reading it. You should, too, even if you're not old enough to remember it as it happened!