Murder of a Smart Cookie: A Scumble River Mystery

This was a great book and I was glad to return to Scumble River, but what's up with starting to break up Simon and Skye! I really liked Simon, so I hope they work things out...what a way to leave us hanging on for the next book!

This series just keeping getting better! Skye has found herself in the middle of yet another murder in the small town of Scumble River. The story takes place during the towns largest sale, where people searching for antiques would do anything to get what they want. The victim was found in the Denisons pie stand, so Skye must find out who the murderer is, to clear the family name. Besides the main plot line, there is alot of other interesting things going on - between Skye's mom and dad...and Simon's mom, as well as between Skye herself and the police chief... If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series then you will enjoy this book as well. If it is new to you, although you could understand what is going on by reading this book alone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning. You get a great picture of who Skye is and an understanding of the supporting cast that would make this book all the more enjoyable. Happy Reading!

After being dumped by her boyfriend and losing her job and apartment, Skye Denison returns home to Scumble River, Illinois where she becomes district school psychologist. She needs a job when school is out especially so because she wants to buy her cottage. She becomes a salesclerk in Cookie's Collectibles but when she sees Cookie trying to cheat eighty-nine year old Alma Griggs out of a vase worth thousands of dollars, Skye tells Alma not to sell it. Cookie fires Sky who gets a job with the Mayor her Uncle Dante pulling together the First Annual Route 66 yard sale. She rents her home to Faith Easton, the star of TV show Faith Finds, who is coming to televise the miles long flea market. Everything is going well for Skye who has no trouble coordinating the event until her mother and grandmother find Cookie's murdered body in the liquor cabinet they are using to store stuff for the yard sale. Shortly thereafter, Sky and her mother find Alma's body in the trellis on her home, a sword in her body. The sheriff thinks Skye and her mother are viable suspects so once again she has to find out who the killer is. This is a hilarious amateur sleuth mystery as the heroine goes from one crisis to another trying to pull the Route 66 yard sale together. Denise Swanson never lets her characters get stale as they constantly grow. IN MURDER OF A SMART COOKIE, the author has a lot of surprises in store for the reader as the characters undergo certain changes in their lives ever the secondary support cast. This is one mystery series that just keeps getting better and better. Harriet Klausner

Skye Denison is a school psychologist in Scumble River. She very briefly worked in an antique shop for the owner, Cookie Caldwell, but was fired when she ruined Cookie's scheme to cheat a local elderly widow. Yet before the day is over Skye has anew, better paying job. Skye is the sole organizer of the First Annual Route 66 Yard Sale which covers over 100 miles. With all the recent rezoning laws, she is having a horrible time making sure all is legal and ready for the major event. Once it begins, Skye learns that yard sales bring out the worst in people. Even her own mother splats a TV celebrity, Faith Easton, in the face with a pie when the lady claims the pie not to be flaky enough. When not dealing with the huge yard sale, Skye is in the middle of a battle of the sexes among her parents, best friends, and even students. Trouble really begins when Cookie is found dead, stabbed to death by a piece of jewelry, and Faith's TV crew is filming it all live. Thanks to the rezoning, Wally, the intelligent and handsome police chief, can do nothing. Jurisdiction now falls to Sheriff Buck Peterson of Stanley County, almost an hour drive away. The sheriff is not exactly the sharpest tack in the box either, because he is trying to pin it all on Skye. ***** This is the seventh book in the series. Each book stands alone as a mystery, but the highly amusing cast of characters are consistent. Author Denise Swanson blends together mystery and humor, with a few cups of murder and dashes of intrigue, to give fans one of the best mystery meat surprises of the Summer. You will not find a dull moment within the entire novel. I see awards in the future for this author. Highly recommended! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.