Perfect for Framing

I don't usually read mysteries but this one caught my attention because I build log houses. The troubles with the Property Owners Association are realistic and the character Jemma knows something about building houses. I read the book in one sitting -- it was that good.

reviewed by Elizabeth Langfahl, Our State magazine Boone author Maggie Bishop brings back carpenter, photographer, and unabashed "SCI" wannabe Jemma Chase in the second of her Appalachian Adventure Mystery series. In "Perfect for Framing," Jemma finds herself entangled in a web of neighborhood intrigue after she accepts a custom cabinet-making job in an up-and-coming mountain development, Hickory Hills. At the same time, energetic Jemma is in pursuit of a job with the sheriff's department, where the man she is "keeping company" with, Detective Tucker, is employed. While installing cabinetry in the home of a local resident, Jemma learns that power-hungry, rich, and attractive Property Owners Association President Petula Windsor has made many enemies in Hickory Hills and beyond. Petula hires Jemma to build cabinetry for her guesthouse. Neighborhood intrigue escalates when Jemma discovers Petula's body in the burning guesthouse. Although Detective Tucker is understandably reluctant to include Jemma in the murder investigation, Jemma's natural instincts and knowledge of Petula's foes and friends prove to be invaluable, even as Tucker finds his own life threatened. Together, Tucker and Jemma begin to discern the true nature of Petula's many relationships and discover the identity of her killer. In a surprising twist, Jemma also discovers what is really worth pursuing in her own life. "Perfect for Framing" is a fun, fast-paced read with lots of local flavor. Although the mystery surrounding Petula's demise will keep you quickly turning pages, what's ultimately most satisfying is keeping company with the characters of Jemma and Tucker in this mountain adventure.

Maggie Bishop might just make a mystery reader of me. Though it is admittedly not my favorite genre, I curled up with Perfect for Framing one weekend and found it easy to follow her characters around familiar terrain in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Traipsing in and out of the hollers with Jemma Chase and Detective Tucker was like going on a snipe hunt in our local woods. Perfect for Framing is a fun read, made so by Maggie Bishop's ability to create characters who are quirky but believable.

"Perfect for Framing" was a like a trip home to the mountains. Maggie Bishop has created a dude ranch near Boone, North Carolina, and now I wish there really was one there! The illustrations in the book add a surprisingly nice dimension to the story and an authentic look at the locale. [As a little insider tidbit: the cover photo is a house Maggie knows well -- she and her husband lovingly built it, piece by piece. That's what she does when she's not hiking the mountains or writing murder mysteries.] Maggie knows whereof she writes, and it shows. Who wouldn't love a book that has folks who go to UFO meetings, vicious battles between property owners, romance, and even Elvis [who is, incidentally, a real person ... but you need to either live in Boone or read the book to know him]? Oh, and don't forget murder. It has all the good stuff!

Jemma Chase and Detective Tucker return for another suspense-filled escapade in Perfect for Framing, the latest addition to Maggie Bishop's acclaimed Appalachian Adventure series. With the advent of winter, Jemma turns from helping run Chase's Dude Ranch to utilizing her skills as photographer and wood worker. Jemma is hired by Petula Windsor, president of a local property owners' association, to build cabinets in her guest house, but before Jemma can collect her pay, Petula burns to death in the same house. Jemma, a CSI wannabe, would like nothing more than to be in on the investigation, and Tucker has a hard time trying to keep her interest at bay. But when Petula's husband is found dead and Tucker's life is jeopardized, Jemma won't be stopped until she finds the murderer. Once more, Maggie Bishop delivers a thrilling whodunit, peppered with lovable characters and set against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains of North Carolina. Packed with breath-taking action and nail-biting suspense, with a twisting plot that guarantees constant speculation, this is one book that will have readers quickly turning pages, eager to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.