Book Review/Giveaway: Basket Case by Nancy Haddock

From the publisher: There isn’t much crime in Lilyvale, Arkansas, but local authorities have their hands full with Ms. Sherry Mae Stanton Cutler and her housemates—a crafty group of retirees who’ve dubbed themselves the Silver Six. But when Sherry Mae’s niece, Nixy, arrives to keep them in line, Lilyvale also plays host to a killer.

When Leslee Stanton “Nixy” Nix gets the latest call from Lilyvale detective Eric Shoar, she knows it means trouble. There’s been another kitchen explosion at her Aunt Sherry’s farmhouse, and the dreamy-voiced detective has had enough. If Nixy doesn’t check on her aunt in person, the Silver Six could become wards of the court. But the trouble Nixy finds in Lilyvale is not at all what she expects.

The seniors are hosting a folk art festival at the farmhouse, featuring Sherry’s hand-woven baskets, when land developer Jill Elsman arrives to bully Nixy’s aunt into selling the property. When Jill is later found dead in the cemetery, Sherry is suspected of weaving a murder plot, and it’s up to Nixy and the Silver Six to untangle the truth.

This is another one of those cozy series that's a bit different for me because it's not pet-centric, but the story sounded so good and the cover was so charming that I moved it to the top of my TBR mountain.

At the beginning of Basket Case Leslee Stanton, nicknamed Nixy, receives a call from Lilyvale, Arkansas detective Eric Shoar, warning her that her Aunt Sherry and her housemates have gotten themselves in trouble once again, and if something isn't done about it they will become wards of the court. Nixy is forced to take a break from her job at a fine arts gallery and arrives in Lilyvale to find a folk art festival taking place at the Silver Six's farmhouse. She's met by an altercation between Aunt Sherry and land developer Jill Elsman, who she from then on refers to as Hellspawn. Not long after (well, 120 pages in, so actually quite late in the book for a murder to take place) Nixy finds Hellspawn dead in the family cemetery on the farmhouse property. Litter around the body appears to have come from Sherry's hand-woven baskets, leading her to become the prime suspect.

I'm always drawn to cozies with senior citizens as lead characters, so this Silver Six mystery series really is a perfect fit for me. My favorite character has to be Fix-It Fred, a walking hardware store who strings an overflowing tool belt across the front of his walker. He's grumpy and distrustful and I just loved him. I also adored their 93 year old neighbor Mrs. Gilroy, who appears to be a hermit yet has an iPhone and a flat-screen TV.

Towards the end of this book, while trying to figure out whether to return to her old life or remain with her new friends, Nixy reflects on the Silver Six and says they'd "created a family of the heart." That statement perfectly describes this special group of characters who I look forward to spending time with again very soon.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, September 11th for your chance to win a copy of Basket Case. (US entries only, please.)