Book Review: Murder Under Blue Skies

Reviewed By: Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM

Murder Under Blue Skies     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Willard Scott , Bill Crider
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Stanley Waters # 1
Onyx, 1999, $6.99, 357

Willard Scott's character is a thinly disguised version of himself, Stanley Walters, who retires from a national TV morning show as a weatherman to his hometown, a small Virginia community, and opens a B&B. He is drawn into his first mystery when a guest at his grand opening drops dead in the salsa. Stanley is recently widowed and starting life over in many ways.

This first in the series was poignant, as Stanley bumbles his way through rekindling a romance with a former girlfriend who is now the sheriff, with return of adolescent self doubt. The writing is gently funny and filled with love for things boomers and older readers will remember with nostalgia. A better than average first effort, its a perfect example of the cozy genre, complete with cats, light romance, and some genuinely funny moments. It feels a bit like a visit to Mayberry updated to the present.

Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM

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