Welcome to Murder by the Book's blog about what we've read recently. You can find our website at www.mbtb.com.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Thistle and Twigg ($6.99), by Mary Saums


I am a big fan of Mrs. Pollifax (Dorothy Gilman's wonderful creation -- an older woman who yearns for excitement and winds up working for the CIA) and have been sad that there hasn't been a Mrs. P book in a long time. To fill the void is, I hope, a new series by Mary Saums.

Mrs. Thistle is a 67-year-old widow with a surprising background which is slowly revealed to us. She retires to a little town in Alabama, where she meets Mrs. Twigg, a 65-year-old widow who is sassily southern.

A lazy author will say the protagonist is good at something, while a worthy author will show us why. Ms. Saums shows us why. Her characters surprised me more than once with their unexpected wit and wisdom.

Mix together southern sass, a cozy small-town atmosphere, two very different ladies of a certain age, ghosts, Native American spiritualism, big guns, a Molotov cocktail, and Thistle and Twigg makes a pretty entertaining and unpredictable read!

[Mighty Old Bones, the newest Thistle & Twigg mystery, is now available in hardcover ($23.95).]

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