The Staggerford Murders: The Life and Death of Nancy Clancy's Nephew

About as cozy as cozy can get, THE STAGGERFORD MURDERS has the feel of "Murder, She Wrote" crossed with Jan Karon's Mitford series. Written from the viewpoint of Grover, an ancient geezer; Dusty, an even more ancient geezer; and Ollie, Dusty's nephew --- plus a couple of others --- the first of the two novellas has a distinctive down-home flavor. The three main characters live in the Ransford Hotel in Staggerford, Minnesota. Grover manages the old hotel, a somewhat decrepit place on its way out. The other two live there and sit around, jawing with Grover to pass the time. One day, a letter is published in the Weekly, the local news source, asking for any clues leading to the whereabouts of Blanche Nichols, a woman who disappeared nine years before, and is signed by her daughter. Since the little town of Staggerford doesn't see a lot of mystery, the letter's intriguing request causes quite a stir --- at least among the hotel's residents. Through ruminations and revelations, the old guys stumble upon what happened, who murdered who, and what to do about it now. Author Jon Hassler writes with an easy style, making THE STAGGERFORD MURDERS a pleasant escape. In THE LIFE AND DEATH OF NANCY CLANCY'S NEPHEW, the book's second novella, the reader is treated to a glimpse into W.D. Nestor's rather unhappy existence. The saying goes that you reap what you sow, but W.D. doesn't seem to deserve what comes his way. True, he is surrounded by family and friends, but they could be more understanding and less indifferent. His daughter and son both have a huge gap where their hearts should be. Once upon a time W.D. had a great love, the mother of his children. Their lives together numbered too few, as she was taken from him long before he was ready to wind down. The days pass with W.D. becoming more and more curmudgeonly. Finally, he finds a friend in Kevin, a young lad he meets at the local library. For eight years, W.D. and Kevin fill a need in each other's lives. Unfortunately, Kevin grows up and enters the army. By the time they see each other again, W.D. has grown older --- at an alarmingly accelerated rate --- and his days are definitely numbered. Just as W.D.'s life had few genuine thrills, his death could have gone almost unnoticed were it not for Aunt Nancy Clancy. As in THE STAGGERFORD MURDERS, the characters make the story come alive. Their personalities and quirks give them human dimension. There are no pretensions here --- just wholesome prose and a welcome diversion. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

With warmth, gentle humor, irony, and repeating characters, Hassler's novels have always recreated the friendships and loyalties, along with the gossip, resentments, and long memories, which make life in Staggerford, Minnesota, a community activity. In his latest offering, Hassler presents two novellas in very different tones. The first, The Staggerford Murders, is a farce of the first order. A letter appears in the Staggerford newspaper from Penny Jean Nichols, from Fresno, California, asking for information about her mother, Blanche Nichols, who disappeared from Staggerford nine years ago. Her father had been murdered in front of the local movie theater at that time, and her mother disappeared without a trace. The "detectives" in this case are Grover, the 81-year-old desk clerk at the run-down Ransford Hotel, and his two friends, Dusty Luuya, a resident who is limited in his abilities, and Ollie Luuya, his nephew, a former derelict, now a born again preacher. Unearthing a series of shocking allegations against Neddy Nichols and others, they, Penny Jean, and her husband are soon examining the man her mother married immediately after Neddy Nichols's murder. Bizarre natural and accidental deaths, and a murder trial for the murder of a dead body are among the absurdities Hassler features, as he piles irony upon irony and twist upon twist, revealing the dark underbelly of humanity, even in Staggerford. "The Life and Death of Nancy Clancy's Nephew" is totally different in tone. This sensitive character study focuses on W. D. Nestor, a seventy-two-year-old turkey farmer. Through vivid word pictures, the life of W.D. unfolds, detailing his marriage to his wife Lucille while she was still in high school, their contented, but uncommunicative, marriage, and W.D.'s late-in-life befriending of a young boy, the poorest player on the local Little League team. When he is eighty-two, he visits his Aunt Nancy, almost one hundred, and through this visit, shows the reader that this is the story of an old man assessing at his life just before his death. These two novellas, one hilariously funny and one sadly introspective, separately emphasize the two characteristics which make Hassler's novels so vibrant. His characters are often humorous and always believable, their dialogue pitch perfect. At the same time, Hassler details moments of touching sadness as he shows the high and low points in the lives of these ordinary men. Sensitive, full of wry moments, and realistic in the vision of small-town America, Hassler's novels are among literary America's best kept secrets. Mary Whipple

The Staggerford Murders. Almost a decade has passed since someone killed Staggerford, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce employee Neddy Nicholls and his wife Blanche vanished. Neither mystery was resolved. Now their daughter Penny Jean comes from California to uncover what happened to her mother. Her former husband George follows her home. At the Ransford Hotel, several townsfolk discuss her ad in the Staggerford Weekly asking for help into the disappearance of her mom. The upbeat frenetic pace feels like it belongs in A Mad Mad Mad Mad World as not much is taken seriously but at times the tale is difficult to follow. Still, this is a good entry in the Staggerford folklore. Nancy Clancy's Nephew. Septuagenarian W.D. Nestor grew up on a prairie farm raised by an abusive father. As an adult W.D. hid his feelings with the only persons he cared about being his spouse Lucille and his two children. As he talks to a psychiatrist giving him the third degree, he reflects back over his miserable life to the one shining star the night he and Lucille wed during a snowstorm. He actually makes friend with a young boy, but finds no peace until a decade later when he visits his century old Aunt Nancy Clancy. Though well written this is not an upbeat tale as typically provided by Jon Hassler; instead the protagonist is a grim soul with little that is positive in his life. Both tales are well written, but seem totally opposites in outlook. Ironically, the murder-disappearance mystery is cheerful while the biographical fiction piece is depressing. Although fans of Mr. Hassler will enjoy the two novellas, readers will realize neither is quite on a par with THE STAGGERFORD FLOOD. Harriet Klausner