Staff Book Review

The Yooper Mysteries: Murder Passes the Buck, Murder Grins and Bears It, Murder Talks Turkey by Deb Baker

In mid-May, Cranesbill was very fortunate to have Deb Baker visit the store to read from and sign her novels. I had heard of them before, but in anticipation of her visit, I quickly consumed Murder Talks Turkey. By the time Baker appeared, I was already a devotee of her sleuth, Gertie Johnson, and simply loved the whole world she created in the pseudonymous town of Stonely. Since her visit I have finished the other two novels and found that they don't disappoint.

Gertie is the key to Baker's success. She is a 60-odd widow who needs to get a life, and as three murders unfold in Stonely, she dips into each case with equal parts naivete, gutsy investigation, and a certainty that her son, the Sheriff, has no real idea what each of the cases is about. Teaming up with friends Kitty and Cora Mae, she finds the clues that matter, but these stories are not only about solving a crime. They are also about starting life over, about the tilted perspective that life in a small rural community brings to its members, and about the value of persistence in the face of discouraging twists and turns of cases.

Baker told us that these will be the only Yooper Mysteries from her pen, but I hereby announce that I am writing her to beg otherwise, since Gertie is a gem, a one-of-a-kind genius, a Northern Michigan Miss Marple with bright orange hair, with an aversion to fancy clothes and makeup, and a talent for refusing to stay away from cases that should have any easy solution, but don't. There are recipes for pasties and other delicacies as well, but don't confuse these as being cute little cozies because the world of the Upper Peninsula is rendered in all its glory, from the sauna to the bars, to opening day of hunting season for deer, bear, and turkey. There's nothing too slick or superficial about her view of humans, and that knocks back the cutesy factor considerably. Her description of an abandoned hunting trailer in which Gertie is forced to hide out had me rolling on the floor. I should add that she has written another series of Dolly Mysteries, set in the cutthroat world of doll collecting, that I am saving for this fall, since I don't want to run out of Deb Baker's charming voice during the colder months.

Book Review by Janet Loveland at Cranesbill Books

Order this book online at store.cranesbillbooks.com

Do You Love Books?

Readers of all ages are invited to share a book review with the community by submitting it to Cranesbill Books. Visit our Community Book Review page to learn more.