Miss Zukas and the Island Murders

When I saw the title I worried that this might be some ill-advised trip to Fiji kind of book. I never liked it when Agatha Christie sent Miss Marple off to islands, always preferring her to stay right in her own cozy surroundings. So I was pleased to see that Dereske sends Helma and Ruth only as far as a nearby Pacific Northwest island for their 20 year high school reunion. Character development is huge for me, so I was interested in the womens' former classmates and nasty Cousin Ricky and how they all got along together. The crime is usually of little actual interest to me; I tend to be more thrilled by learning that Helma has a queen-sized bed and a 100% pure goose down pillow. Dereske is wise and knows her readers love the books for Helma and the returning characters, for the regional flavor, and for the (too slow-moving) relationships between Helma and her man and Helma and her cat!

When I started my first Miss Zukas book, I wasn't sure I'd like it. Now I'm hooked. Island Murders is my 3rd foray with Miss Zukas and she just keeps getting more enjoyable. I think her anal retentiveness is hysterical, and can't wait for Sherrif Gallant (no pun there!) to shake her up a bit. In Island Murders, Helma and her high school classmates are trapped on an island at a 20 year reunion from hell! People keep dropping dead! Once again, it's up to calm, cool, level headed librarian Helma to solve the mystery...with the help of her effervescent friend Ruth of course!

In this, the second book in the series (the first was MISS ZUKAS AND THE LIBRARY MURDERS), Helma the librarian is trying to organize her mostly Lithuanian classmates into having a 20th-year high school reunion, with little or no help from her best friend Ruth, the artist. Once again, Dereske gives us a fast-paced thriller that's hard to put down. She develops the characters introduced in the first book and adds a touch of romance, scandal, threats, anonymous letters, fog, and, of course, murder. MISS ZUKAS AND THE ISLAND MURDERS is a fun, old-fashioned cozy set on an island where murders and threats abound.

When Helma Zukas graduated from high school, 20 years ago, she was put in charge of the class treasury and charged with organizing a 20th. class reunion. Helma is reminded of the promise by an anonymous note which spurs her on to begin organizing the event. Since she had wisely invested the class's money, she had enough to fly her classmates out to Seattle where she had moved from Scoop River, Michigan. Furthermore, her best friend Ruth, also a classmate, offered the use of her friend's island resort as a gathering place. Many surprises awaited Helma, Ruth, and their classmates on the island, and most of them were unpleasant. Dead bodies begin to appear and Miss Zukas is again in the middle of a murder mystery. A dense fog covers the island and the threat of the murderer becomes even more imminent. Helma and Ruth go through their usual amusing efforts at crime solving and finally do uncover the murderer. This is a fun and quick read!

I have been a librarian for 10 years, and I have never actually "met" Miss Zukas, but she is a very believable character. I am a real mystery fan, and I loved this book. So does everyone else who has read it! This book, and its predecessor, Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, has been passed between about eight librarians all across the U.S. to gales of laughter and rave reviews. Ms. Dereske's books have great characters,well- thought plots, and an engaging style. Highly recommended