Murder of a Sleeping Beauty (Scumble River Mysteries, Book 3)

I enjoyed Murder Of A Sleeping Beauty so much that I felt the need to write a review as soon as I finished the last paragraph. This is the third Scumble River novel (although I believe there is a short story, which I haven't read) which features Skye, a school psychologist who came back to her hometown of Scumble River, Illinois after a humiliating break up with her ex-fiancee. This is particularly excrutiating for Skye because she had a few choice words for Scumble River and its residents when she made her graduation speech several years ago, and the residents of Scumble River have long memories. There are a few romantic possibilities for Skye in Scumble River, but they are not without their difficulties, to say the least. The greatest thing about Skye, her family and the other Scumble River residents is that they are not perfect. This leads to humor, pain, embarrassment and a lot of interest for the reader. I live in the midwest and I can relate to the characters of Scumble River, and I can honestly say that while they are often a little over the top for the sake of humor, they aren't completely out of the ballpark.The first book of the series (Murder of a Small-Town Honey) really caught my attention, but it carried the duty (and the pleasure) of setting up the Scumble River background and letting the readers get to know Skye, her family, and the various characters of Scumble River. The book was wonderful and I would recommend reading it first, but then I try to always read the first book in a series before any of the others. I didn't like the second book, Murder Of a Sweet Old Lady, nearly as well as the first book. As a school psychologist, Skye sometimes has to come in contact with unhappy parents, and since she has the unfortunate habit of stumbling over dead bodies, she often ends up dealing with unhappy suspects. In the second book she was occasionally threatened or physically assaulted (albeit in a mild way) by male parents or suspects, yet didn't report it to the police. I thought that was completely out of character for Skye, who is a very assertive heroine. Thankfully, the third book completely restored my faith in the series. It seemed to me that the characters and the town of Scumble River just completely came together in this book, and I felt that I knew the characters without having to work to understand why they would react in a certain way, or without having to work out who the character was and how they were related to Skye. The book deals with the timely issue of the media and the image of perfection we are faced with constantly as we watch television and read magazines, and the consequences that expectation of perfection can have on children (and adults, as well), yet it doesn't have a preachy tone at all. I look forward to many more Scumble River books. Denise Swanson's Scumble River series has now joined my short list of cozy series that I will buy without even reading a review...

Sleeping Beauty is found dead on the stage at the high school. Lorelei Ingels is to be Sleeping Beauty in a play, but she's dead.Skye has to deal with the morning students and help Chief of Police Walter Boyd discover the murderer. This isn't easy. Wally is upset with Skye. Skye had a crush on Wally when she was 15 and he was 23. They never dated. Recently he felt she betrayed his trust. This was made even worse because his wife, Darlene, betrayed his trust by leaving with another man.Since Wally is so upset, Skye has to get information for this case through her mom, a police dispatcher, and Simon Reid, coroner and former boyfriend -- not a great situation either.Lorelei and her sister, as well as Lorelei's best friend are in beauty pageants. The parents are so in to this that there are stories abounding that Mrs. Ingels and Lorelei pulled many pranks so that the competition would be out. Of course, none of the pranks could be proven to have been done by them. Skye takes her 2 nieces to a couple pageants to see things first hand.This book has many twists. The people are very believable and the book has a true small town flavor. I always look forward to the next book in this series. Can't wait to find out about Skye's next adventures and more about her love life, which is always in flux.

Skye Denison, school psychologist at Scumble River High School, stumbles across the girl who is playing the lead role in the spring musical, Sleeping Beauty. The problem is that Sleeping Beauty won't wake up. Not even Prince Charming can save this princess. Her slumber is permanent. The question is; who gave Sleeping Beauty poison this time? Skye delves into an investigation on her own since her once romantic relationship with the chief of police, Wally Boyd, is a thing of the past. Skye learns that the dead girl, Lorelei Ingels, was entrenched in the world of beauty pageants. Could someone be jealous of her success? Or could there be another reason?Skye is stonewalled by parents and students alike as she tries to find out who Lorelei really was. She appears to have been a popular student, but sometimes popularity comes with a price. Skye must find out if the price in this case was murder.MURDER OF A SLEEPING BEAUTY is an enjoyable mystery. It moves along nicely and holds a reader's interest. It is well-plotted and well-written. I particularly like that the protagonist is "full-figured" and easy to relate to.Denise Swanson has a winning series here. Scumble River is a place I'll visit again and again!

Denise Swanson manages, for a third time, to give us an entertaining, engaging, satisfying Scumble River mystery with the intrepid Skye Denison in the lead. The beauty who had everything (or did she?) is found dead. Who would have wanted her that way? More and more people as the book progresses. I have really enjoyed this series and I hope the talented Denise Swanson continues to bring us more and more. The third one is just out and already I can't wait for the fourth!

Readers will soon be engaged by the characters in this small town. The clever heroine counsels kids and combs for clues with much aplomb. Who could be the murderer? Perfect reading for a sunny spring day or a cozy night beside a warm fire. Reminded me of the Hamish Macbeth books, too.