Customer Reviews

The Angel and the Jabberwocky Murders: An Augusta Goodnight Mystery (with Heavenly Recipes) (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a reader of Mignon Ballard's books since the beginning. I don't throw out 5 Stars to anything, easily. But in my opinion this is absolutely her best book. It's certainly right up there with my other favorites of hers, 'Raven Rock' and 'Angel at Troublesome Creek'. Those two novels (to me) absolutely captured the atmosphere of a small town caught up in mysterious events, and the characters were so well drawn that I could've been watching them in a movie. This book captures the same things, only the mystery plot is even better, a real puzzler. I was absolutely spellbound and amazed as I watched the plot unfold, and slowly the answers to the mystery became clear. I've read a LOT of mysteries in my day, and this one had one of the best plots I've ever encountered. I like the Angel in the series, and thankfully, she is not portrayed with any silliness (as would be the case in many cozies). She seems to exude a calmness and confidence that envelopes her charge, and the reader. This novel had more of an edge, and a feeling of real fear, than some of the other Ballard novels, and I liked that...it itensified the mystery. The identification of the culprit at the very end, though not a complete surprise to me, was nonetheless, an exciting and fun climax. The next Angel mystery is coming in November, and I'm looking forward to it...the title alone is enough to make you want to read it !

Even living in a small town like Stone's Throw, South Carolina, Lucy Nan Pilgrim can manage to get involved in mayhem and murder. But, luckily she has an angel on her side, Augusta Goodnight. But even Augusta might not be able to keep her from harm as she looks into the death of young woman at Sarah Bedford College.

The Angel and the Jabberwocky Murders starts out quietly. Lucy Nan is going to be teaching a hands-on history class on the skills of the pioneers. The history professor who got assigned is not happy, but Lucy Nan hopes to win her over. At her first class, Lucy Nan learns that one of the girls has disappeared but no one was too worried at the time. When she later turns up dead there are many suspects and no real leads. Lucy Nan is just worried for the girls she knows at the college and the other people she's come to know there.

This is truly a small town community. There's plenty of detail such as the longest running book club, The Thursday Morning Literary Society, called the Thursdays for short, although they actually meet on Monday afternoon now. Everyone is into everyone else's business. Lucy Nan doesn't start off to find a killer. She just wants to make sure the people she knows and cares about are safe, and to do that she checks on them and listens to their talk. A side effect of that is that she learns lots of interesting facts that finally start to come together and she does tell the police and other authority figures -- it's just that they don't seem to listen.

You'd think having an angel living with you would give you a definite advantage in the sleuthing area but while Augusta cooks meals, does crafts, and exercises daily -- she's not the type to step in and solve things for Lucy Nan. Angels are for moral support and company, not solving your problems.

There's a large cast of characters, but you don't have to have read all the other books in the series to enjoy this one. Also, there are some recipes included in the book. I actually made the Orange Cranberry Scones for Thanksgiving brunch and they were easy to make and came out light and tasty -- so if you don't care for the book you'll at least have some great recipes to try out -- there is just no down side to this book.

I live in South Carolina and like to read stories regarding the area from writers who live here. I've been reading Mignon Ballard for years and like the concept of her Augusta Goodnight mysteries. There are six books in this series. The first three heavily involve the angel (Augusta) and are so enjoyable. Her last three don't rely on the angel as much and I have been disappointed. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this series because her writing is easy and fun but I think you will agree that Augusta Goodnight IS the story and you miss her in the last of the books.

Mignon Ballard is one of my very favorite mystery writers, and I'm biased with good reason! A great admirer of the series, I snatched up THE ANGEL AND THE JABBERWOCKY MURDERS still warm to the touch from the printing press, and squirreled it away for a couple of weeks. (Sort of like hiding chocolate for when you really NEED it!) Sure enough, along came a really, really rotten day, so . . . curled up under a comforter, hot chocolate alongside, I opened Ms. Ballard's latest, and Augusta and Co. once again wove their magic! The writing is, as usual, direct but lyrical, the characters charming but realistic (OK, there IS that supernatural deal), the plot perfectly plausible. (Who am I to say itinerant guardian angels don't exist?) Like the earlier five books in the Augusta series, it's an intelligent, fun read that leaves you feeling hugged by an angel. The only problem with THE ANGEL AND THE JABBERWOCKY MURDERS is that it ends! Back to the computer, Ms. Ballard!

This is a mystery set in the fictional small college town of Stone's Throw, South Carolina. Lucy Nan Pilgrim is working as an adjunct faculty member teaching a class at the college. She lives in her old family home with her guardian angle, Augusta Goodnight, and a dog that they have taken in. A student at the college has been killed, and suspicion points to a number of people. The novel mainly involves the activities of Lucy Nan, who is joined by various other individuals including her woman friend, Ellis. Augusta sometimes intervenes in events, but plays a secondary role in the story.

Events wind forward with the mystery, interspersed with activities at the college and side issues with family and friends. There is a lot of discussion about food (there are several recipes in the back of the book), and discussion about various individuals.

While the novel is part of a series, it reads OK as a stand alone novel. I found the story interesting, although not a page turner that kept me up late. It makes good light reading.

In the small South Carolina town of Stone's Throw where the university is located, Guardian Angel Augusta Goodnight, who once worked the Strawberry Fields in Heaven, has lived with Lucy Nan Pilgrim for over a year. The quiet hamlet knows sudden fear when a student D. C .Hunter disappears. At first nobody is worried thinking she just extended her vacation but Lucy and her colleague Joy Ellen hear the screams of two of the students coming from an old shed; inside is the body of D.C. Hunter.

In her dorm room is a Jabberwocky verse from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. The letter was never mailed but put inside her mailbox. Four years ago almost to the month another girl was found in the lake, knocked unconscious by a blow to her head. She had received a Jabberwocky verse. Five years before that Carla Martinez fell from the Tree House. The authorities say it was an accident but Lucy Nan and Augusta think all three murders are linked and the campus handyman wants to talk to her. Before he gets a chance, Lucy Ann finds him hanging from the Tree House, a murder made to look like a suicide. Lucy wants to find the killer but the answers are found three decades in the past and she must be careful in the present because the culprit kills anyone who gets too close to uncovering the truth.

An Augusta Goodnight mystery is always a special treat. She adds a touch of whimsy to Mignon F. Ballard's cozies and in THE ANGEL AND THE JABBERWOCKY MURDERS a little is needed because the town is caught in the fear that the killer will strike again. Ms. Ballard proves that a book doesn't need violence to be a good who-done-it. In fact, it is the lack of explicit violent scenes that adds to the overwhelming fear that the readers feel for the characters who are old familiar and dear friends.

Harriet Klausner