An Angel to Die for [Paperback]

Mignon F. Ballard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2001

"Augusta Goodnight is sheer delight." (Tamar Myers)

The after-life's best angel-sleuth Augusta Goodnight drops in on her charge to apply her down-to-earth crime-solving skills to another puzzle.

"The humor is breezy, the tone light and the emotions realistic." (Publishers Weekly)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If it's whimsical cozies you like, then Ballard is the author for you. The beloved Augusta Goodnight--angel, cook, off-key songstress, and all-around nice lady--is back. Her charge is Prentice Hobson, a young woman who has had a run of rotten luck and who could use a guiding light. Prentice lost her dad a few years back; her sister just died in a car wreck with a guy she ran off with; her mother bolted from their Atlanta-area farmhouse; the magazine where she works folded; and her boyfriend moved to London. Alone in the farmhouse, Prentice discovers her uncle's body missing from the family graveyard. In its place, she finds the body of a woman she doesn't know. Together, Prentice and Augusta investigate the strange goings-on, and Prentice's life is transformed when they discover that her sister left behind something magnificent. The question is, Will whoever is creeping around the farmhouse let her keep it? A satisfying, smile-provoking story. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"If it's whimsical cozies you like, then Ballard is the author for you. The beloved Augusta Goodnight--angel, cook, off-key songstress, and all-around nice lady--is back." -- Booklist

"Guardian angel Augusta Goodnight knows how to comfort...the humor is breezy, the tone light and the emotions realistic." -- Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425182088
• ISBN-13: 978-0425182086
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 4.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical mystery, October 13, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Angel to Die For (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Prentice Dobson wonders how life can get any crueler for herself and her mother. She still mourns her father's death from a heart attack when her sister Maggie died in a car crash. Between the deaths Prentice loses her job when the Atlanta-based magazine she worked for folded. She has come home to bury her younger sister Maggie. However, Prentice cannot even grieve in peace. Someone knocked aside the stone of her long dead Uncle Faris and dug a hole where the coffin had been buried. Prentice wonders if her Aunt Zorah might not say something like that is just like "That Fool."

The next day, Prentice meets Augusta Goodnight making hot chocolate in her mother's kitchen. Augusta claims to be Prentice's temporary guardian angel sent from heaven to help her. Prentice is in for one more shock when the body inside of Faris' coffin is someone else. As Prentice, assisted by Augusta begins to look into her sister's death, she begins to learn about herself, her family, and her sister's family by marriage.

AN ANGEL TO DIE FOR is a captivating southern mystery with a pinch of whimsical heavenly magic. Readers who relish humor in their tales will fully delight in amusing story line. Prentice is a warm character struggling with several of life's toughest hooks and Augusta is an intriguing temp who will send readers searching for the previous novel (see ANGEL AT TROUBLESOME CREEK). Mignon F. Ballard writes a lighthearted romp that leaves the audience happily entertained.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful cozy!, February 19, 2001

By 

Mystery Maven (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: An Angel to Die For (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Cozy fans, if you haven't read these "angel" books by Mignon F. Ballard, don't wait any longer! Temporary guardian angel Augusta Goodnight returns in this second book in the series, though this time we see a gentler and kinder Augusta than the one we saw first in ANGEL AT TROUBLESOME CREEK. Augusta's assignment this time is to watch over recently bereaved Prentice Dobson until she is assigned a new guardian angel (Prentice's previous guardian angel was just promoted to the heavenly choir). From the moment Prentice discovers her Uncle Faris' vandalized grave, things start going downhill. Prentice is sure she's being watched, but why?

There are lots of delightful moments in AN ANGEL TO DIE FOR. I wish I had a guardian angel who cleaned house silently during the night and cooked like a dream! What's more, the mystery remained a mystery to me until the end of the book--a definite plus for me! Be sure to read this series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 'KILLER' OF A COZY!, January 18, 2002

By 

Donna Rizos - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Angel to Die for (Paperback)

The author, Mignon Ballard, has a wonderful imagination and a great premise for a new series of cozy mysteries. A guardian angel by the name of Augusta Goodnight appears from above to help Prentice Dobson solve a mystery. Prentice is on to something and she is not sure what that might be. Will Augusta keep her safe and solve the mystery?

I would have enjoyed learning more about Augusta Goodnight, and to see more of her. Prentice does most of the sleuthing. There is not much of Augusta in this mystery. The back cover of the book calls Augusta a "baggage-toting, wisecracking, guardian angel". This statement must have come from the previous mystery. I did not see this side of her. The mystery would have been more entertaining if there had been more character development in the guardian angel. There were also several "sub-plots" throughout the book which were enjoyable. It just needed more of Augusta Goodnight.