Halfway to Half Way

Love this series of books. The Hannah Garvy Mysteries are fun and funny with a touch of romance added to the mystery... what more could you ask for except maybe more books in the series!!!! I have them all and would recommend them all.

I can't believe that when I went to the library and found a Suzann Ledbetter book that it would be a continuation on the Kinderhook County series of four books that I own and love. I've re-read the series and laughed and fell in love with the characters everytime I've re-read it. Suzann, thank you for giving us fans a new installment and I hope that this isn't the end. This is my first review and I felt compelled to put down how much I love Hannah and David. For anyone who loves romance and mystery, I envy you your first read of the series.

Hannah Marie Garvey, the resident manager of the Valhalla Senior Community, and Sheriff David Hendrickson are engaged. Hannah must find her replacement, find another job, and learn to accept leaving in the middle of nowhere. David is in the midst of a nasty primary election. Add to this a group of seniors who think they are private investigators, a 23 year cold case, and a fresh murder. That would make any bride-to-be nervous but Hannah is made of sterner stuff. Delightful Characters (yes, with a capital C) live within the pages of this book. The plot is intricate and moves at a fast clip. But it's the characters that will keep you reading. A cozy romantic mystery.

Opening up the newest Suzann Ledbetter novel set in Kinderhook County is like visiting an old friend and wondering why you haven't seen each other in so long. I read this mystery in one delicious afternoon and after the oh-so-scrumptious ending (which of course I won't divulge) I was immediately hoping for a sneak peek at the next installment. Hannah Garvey is the woman inside all of us: insecure about her future because of a childhood more nightmare than storybook, but hoping against hope that there is a forever someone out there for her. Halfway to Half Way has so much going for it, it's difficult to condense into this format, including a unique and diverse cast of characters who are as fun as they are endearing. Leading the pack is Delbert Bisbee, the instigator and lead investigator of a crew of retirees from Valhallah Springs who'd rather solve cold cases than play bingo on Tuesday nights and hit the links on Wednesday mornings. He really shines in this installment of the series, proving that sharp minds and discerning detective skills aren't merely a provenence of the young and swift. Rapid heartbeat inducing Sheriff David Hendrickson has his plate full, with an election and an engagement to Hannah competing with both a new murder investigation and a rapidly thawing cold case from twenty-three years ago. The victim of the current murder illustrates the care that Ledbetter takes with everyone of her characters. Instead of creating a cookie-cutter, insert-here victim, the woman whose life is brutally robbed from her is, again, someone to whom the reader can strongly relate. When the reader finds herself feeling the pain, loneliness and depression of the recently widowed Bev Beauford, it's easy to understand her motivations as her world slowly disintegrates after her husband's death. This complexity of humanity in each character is what sets the author apart from her peers. Somehow, she manages to combine mystery, romance, and humour with lessons about the struggles we all face day after day. She teaches us that even the most 'ordinary' of existences can make a difference in a community of other supposedly ordinary lives.That she subtly weaves these lessons into the fabric of a highly entertaining and engrossing murder mystery/romance is pure genius. Suzann Ledbetter's gift continues to expand and deepen with each new novel. I hope to see more mysterys in Kinderhook County. But wherever Ms. Ledbetter's talent leads, I'll be anxiously awaiting the next title.

In Missouri, Valhalla Springs Retirement Community resident operations manager Hannah Garvey knows she should be looking forward to her marriage to her beloved Kinderhook County Sheriff David Hendrickson. However, although she loves the law enforcement official and sneaks off the premises to sleep with him, Hannah has some doubts about quitting her job to move in with David. David is busy investigating the murder of Sanity well-regarded resident Beverly Beauford. Thus he fails to notice that his fiancée is suffering from cold feet. Meanwhile, as everyone is stunned by the murder, Delbert Bisbee and his geriatric sleuths search for a missing husband that even the wife ignores his vanishing. Life is normal at the retirement home. As always with this wonderful lighthearted romantic mystery series, the cast is over the top so that the readers obtain an amusing tale filled with twists and turns. Fans will enjoy the latest caper of the senior sleuths that drives Hannah crazy as she tries to keep Delbert and the posse out of trouble. Readers of the series will enjoy Suzann Ledbetter's peculiar bran of humor that is just on this side of sanity. Harriet Klausner