Murder of a Small-Town Honey (Scumble River Mysteries, Book 1)

When Skye Denison announced during her valedictory address that she "can't wait to get away from this town of small minded people with small ideas" she had no idea that 12 years later she would have to eat her words and move back to Scumble Creek. Although her family and friends love Skye they also have long memories and Skye has to start working for forgiveness. When her brother is arrested for murdering his old girlfriend, she feels compelled to investigate and as she closes in on the killer she becomes a target. You can tell that the author has a great deal of experience with living in a small town and that she also has great affection for her characters. This is a humorous look at small town life and includes an interesting mystery to solve.

This is one of the best amateur sleuth mysteries I read all summer. School psychologist, Skye Denison is portrayed extremely realistically and I wasn't at all surprised to see in her bio that the author herself is a practicing school psychologist. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at schools in general and special education in particular. I hope Ms. Swanson includes even more of that element in her next book.Skye's return home to Scumble River after what she herself terms a 12 year escape is fun to watch. On one hand Skye wants to slip into town, do her job, save some money, and move out ASAP. But her family and the townspeople have other ideas. The author really nails the whole Midwest casserole culture to a T, but she does it with a light touch and with affection, not in a mean way. Another element I especially liked was the spin she puts on stereotypes. At first glance it is just very funny, but it also makes the reader reflect on her/his own prejudices.Although I read mostly for the characters, this book had a good solid mystery at its core. The story moves right along and if the first chapter of the next book (which is included at the end of this boook) is any way to judge, the pacing just gets better.The humor in this book is more of the giggle and smile to yourself type, than the laugh out loud kind, but there were a couple of places people looked at me funny as I let out a rather loud laugh or snort.I hope this new writer gets the large readership she deserves so we can enjoy many, more Scumble River Mysteries.

I was blown away by this debut novel. It is hard to believe that this is the first book this author has written. It has obviously been well polished and well edited. The wry humor and empathetic portrayal of both the town and the characters won me over. The various descriptions of the characters are unique and well rounded, not the same old tall/short, brown/blond type of narrative you see in lots of books.Skye is one of the most likeable sleuths I have met in ages. She's a real person, with troubles to which a lot of people can relate. Her reasonable explaination for her decision to quit dieting and accept the extra pounds is nicely slipped into the dialogue. Skye's dry sense of humor and obvious dedication to the children she serves gives her a personality that makes the reader want her as a friend. The mystery of her being jilted and fired has me anxiously awaiting the next book.Another interesting aspect of this novel is the inside look at what a school psychologist does. I love the scenes when Skye is doing her job.Although I don't want to give away the ending, let me just say it is a triumph for feminism and one of the more clever escape scenes that I've read. This is an author to watch. I feel sure her future includes an award for best first mystery. Murder of a Small-Town Honey would make a great TV movie.

School psychologist, Skye Denison, is an amateur sleuth who had to leave her last school and has come back to her hometown of Scumble River, Illinois, where she swore she'd never return. Many people in town remember her high school graduation speech in which she did not talk nice about the town. I enjoyed this cozy and cannot wait to read more. The sleuth is likeable and the story moves quickly but she doesn't omit important items. There aren't so many characters that you lose track of who people are. She gets into a few sticky places (don't all amateur sleuths). It is a fun, quick read and I highly recommend it.

Have you ever started a book and by the end of the first chapter just know that you are going to like it? That's what happened to me when I started reading MURDER OF A SMALL TOWN HONEY. This mystery contains everything I like in a cozy, a likable protagonist, a unique mystery, plenty of twists and false leads, and, most of all, a humorous outlook at life.When Skye left her small hometown full of small-minded people twelve years ago, little did she imagine she would be back, eating humble pie and looking for a job. She finds employment as a school psychologist with the Scumble River School District. In her job, she realizes many have grown stagnant in their jobs, and dislike being dissed in Valedictorian speeches. Oh well, this doesn't stop our protagonist; she plows right in, shows her concern for the students and does her job (These actions alone had me cheering!). Skye tackles the mystery weaved throughout this terrific cozy debut with the same unwavering courage, and it's a good thing she is a strong woman because not only does Skye find the body of the murdered TV personality, she sets her mind to solving the murder and risking her life to free the person they've arrested and if that isn't enough she accepts a...blind date. Is there no mercy? MURDER OF A SMALL TOWN HONEY is super debut; you can't get any better than this the first time out!