Morgue Mama

This book is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. The ending really took me by surprise. Dolly Madison Sprowls has been in charge of the Hannawa Herald-Union newspaper's morgue for more than 40 years. She has gained the nickname Morgue Mama, but no one uses it to her face. That is until 24-year-old Aubrey McGinty is hired. She is on the police beat replacing Dale Marabout who has been moved to the copyediting desk. He's not too happy about it, though. Normally Morgue Mama stays in the morgue all day, but her world gets turned upside down with the hiring of Aubrey. Morgue Mama and Aubrey forge a great partnership. Soon they are working together to try to prove that Sissy James did not poison TV evangelist Rev. Buddy Wing. Aubrey believes that Sissy confessed because she is covering up for someone else, or at least believes she is. Plus there was plenty of evidence pointing to her having done it. Still Aubrey does not believe she did. Plus part of Rev. Wing's congregation split off recently and started their own church under Tim Bandicoot, Rev. Wing's former associate. Spies from each congregation are keeping an eye on each other. Could one of them be the killer? Aubrey and Morgue Mama have many adventures during the investigation and sometimes end up in danger. Can they prove Sissy didn't do it? Can they find the real murderer among the many suspects? Although the paper doesn't want them looking for the real killer, that is the job of the police. I hope there will bee more Morgue Mama books. C. R. Corwin has created a terrific character. This book moves along at a quick pace and you won't want to put it down. I highly recommend this book. I think it should win awards. It is fabulous!

The veteran librarian of the Ohio "Hannawa Herald-Union's" morgue (newspaper archives), Dolly Madison Sprowls, or Maddy, known as Morgue Mama behind her back, teams up with ambitious rookie reporter Aubrey McGinty to prove the innocence of a convicted murderer in this clever debut.Hannawa, "The Hallelujah City," has a lot of churches, and one of the biggest is the Heaven Bound Cathedral, an evangelical television ministry. The murder of its leader, Buddy Wing, couldn't have been more dramatic - poisoned by a kiss on live TV. At the height of the service Pastor Wing always kissed the cross on his Bible, and on the fateful day it had been painted with poison. Poison in his water pitcher added insurance.Evidence found at the home of Sissy James, mistress of a rival evangelical leader, prompts the unhappy woman to confess. But Aubrey thinks she confessed to protect someone - maybe her family-man lover. She enlists Maddy to help her ferret out the secrets of the church turn up a generous handful of suspects. Maddy, a sharp but lonely divorcee somewhat past retirement age, welcomes Aubrey's youthful enthusiasm and guts.Corwin, an ex-reporter, knows the insular nature of small town politicos and their sometimes frictional, sometimes cozy relationship with the local newspaper. Aubrey's tussle with the police chief hierarchy rings true, though the spectacle of a couple of evangelical preachers shoving each other around an editor's office strains credulity a bit.The writing is witty and narrator Maddy is immediately engaging. The plot is a humdinger, almost guaranteed to surprise. Corwin has set up an intriguing duo and most readers will be avid with curiosity to see this pseudonymous author's second outing.

As an author, I tend to read books with a dissecting and unforgiving eye. "Morgue Mama: The Cross Kisses Back" passes with top grades in all categories: credible plot; wry humor; believable, well-rounded characters; skillful writing to the very end. My only complaint is that Corwin ought to write faster, because I'm eager to read the next book in this series.

"Morgue Mama" is riveting stuff. Corwin writes remarkable yet believable dialogue, breathes life into her fully developed characters, breezily weaves in alluring plot twists and sets her tale in a descriptive heartland. Her prose clicks right along at just the right pace. I'm a lover of mystery novels, and, based on what I've read so far, I'd rank Corwin right up there with Robert B Parker, Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. I recommend this wonderful novel to anyone who enjoys literature, regardless of whether they're mystery lovers.

Several months ago the popular and famous televangelist Buddy Wing, based Ohio, died on national TV. It was discovered that the seventy-seven year old Pentecostal preacher didn't die from natural causes but was murdered. The killer put Lily of the Valley in his drinking water and repainted the cold cross on his bible that he kissed midway during each vision show with a highly toxic heart drug. Sissy James, a former member of the congregation, confessed to the murder after evidence was found linking her to the homicide.New crime reporter Aubrey McGinty for the Herald-Union doesn't believe that Sissy killed the preacher. She goes to Dolly Madison Sprawls, affectionately known as Morgue Mama, for background information on the case. Maddy gets so caught up in Aubrey's quest to free Sissy that she becomes the reporter's willing helper, going with her to interview witnesses and looking through the morgue for possible suspects. When both women discover that Sissy had an alibi for the night Billy wing was killed, they have the makings of a Pulitzer Prize winning story on their hands.This is C.R. Corwin's debut novel and this crime thriller reads like Sara Paretsky or Barbara Parker wrote it because of its brilliantly executed plot. The author has a gift for storytelling and she sets the reader up so that the climax as a complete shock. Told in the first person narrative of the Morgue Mama, readers will find themselves entranced with character and hope she is the star in future books in this series.Harriet Klausner