Death Splits A Hair: A Judge Jackson Crain Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Nancy Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2005

In the second Judge Jackson Crain mystery, Joe Junior McBride, beloved barber of Post Oak, Texas, has been murdered. At first glance, the homicide appears to be the work of a prowler, but as the investigation progresses, Joe Junior's second wife, Marlene Ashburn, becomes the prime suspect. As the evidence mounts against her, Judge Crain and his teenage daughter, Patty, try to combine her social activities with some careful snooping . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Author of the popular Biggie series, Bell recently introduced another lovable Texan: Judge Jackson Crain of small-town Post Oak. Like any good country cozy protagonist, Judge Crain spends little time working and a lot of time chatting with the townsfolk in the barbershop and diner. In his second adventure, the judge investigates the murder of popular barber Joe Junior McBride. Joe's teenage daughter, Ashley, is best friends with Judge Crain's daughter, Patty, giving him even more impetus to solve the crime. For a seemingly innocuous town, Post Oak is rife with suspects, including Joe's troubled son, unhappy wife, pretty new barbershop assistant, and adoptive brother. As Judge Crain sorts through the evidence, he tries to stay one step ahead of his sharp-tongued assistant, Edna, while trying to win back his girlfriend, Mandy deAlejandro. When young Ashley is kidnapped, the search for the truth becomes even more pressing. Bell's vivid portrayal of small-town Texas life will make readers feel as though they're drinkin' coffee with Post Oak denizens in the Wagon Wheel Cafe. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Author of the popular Biggie series, Bell recently introduced another lovable Texan: Judge Jackson Crain of small-town Post Oak. [A] good country cozy . . . Bell's vivid portrayal of small-town Texas life will make readers feel as though they're drinkin' coffee with Post Oak denizens in the Wagon Wheel Cafe."
- Booklist

"Small town feel and comfortable atmosphere . . . readers can visualize themselves sitting at Joe Junior McBride's barbershop on a lazy summer afternoon. Nancy Bell makes good use of the book's setting to introduce down-home characters . . . a nice quiet and pleasant read."
- Reviewing the Evidence

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (July 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078627641X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786276417
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,942,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable atmosphere, major suspension of disbelief, June 20, 2005

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death Splits a Hair (Judge Jackson Crain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

When his friend, barber Joe Junior McBride, is murdered in his home, the Sheriff and Judge Jackson Crain quickly realize it is an inside job. Although Joe Junior was a popular man in town, obviously he had at least one enemy. Could it have been his angry son, Three? Or perhaps his step-daughter? Maybe Joe Junior's brother, who has been known to be attracted to the new widow, is the culprit. Maybe it's Joe's new assistant--a beautiful woman who appeared in Post Oak from nowhere and who quickly fell for Joe. Of course, the spouse is always high on the suspect list--although in this case, since Joe Junior left everything to his son, the problem there is motive. When Joe Junior's step-daughter vanishes from Judge Crain's home (where she was visiting Crane's daughter), Crane becomes even more involved in the case.

Although Crane wants to solve the case, he has a busy life, leaving only limited time for investigations. First, there's his former girlfriend, Mandy, whose feelings Crane hurt in an earlier case. Then there's the aging man in the house across the street who insists on wandering off and may need to be committed. When a stranger with a duplicate of Joe Junior's face comes to town and starts squiring Mandy, Crane is baffled and bewildered.

In DEATH SPLITS A HAIR, author Nancy Bell gives us more a picture of a town than that of a mystery. Small-town Texas might have its murders, but it's also a place where everyone knows everyone else, where funerals are opportunities to share favorite dishes and dish gossip, and where children can be raised far from the dangers of the city. But, as the town of Post Oak learned with its supposed millionaire who was actually broke, even a small town can hide its horrible secrets.

DEATH SPLITS A HAIR requires quite a few suspensions of disbelief. For me, the biggest was the lack of reaction when teenage girl Ashley vanishes. Rather than the entire town turning out (with massive help from the major networks seeking twenty-four hour 'missing white woman' coverage), the town seems to shrug its shoulders and get on with its life. The actual motivation for the murder also seems weak. Still, Nancy Bell's pleasant 'down-home' writing and the sense of place make this an enjoyable novel.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So so..., November 27, 2006

By 

Roger Long "longrush" (Port Clinton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Splits a Hair (Judge Jackson Crain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Perhaps if I had not read any of Nancy Bell's Biggie series, I would have liked this better, but it is inevitable that one would compare this with the charming Biggie books. Judge Crain just isn't very interesting--if I must tell the truth--and the town is not so much fun as Job's Crossing. The plot is only OK, but plot is not the most important or noticeable ingredient in a Nancy Bell book. I kept having the sense that I had seen all this before in Lilian Jackson Braun's cat books. I do hope the writer will end the Judge Crain series and return to Biggie's adventures.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining who-done-it, February 26, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Death Splits a Hair (Judge Jackson Crain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In the small town of Post Oak, Texas, barber Joe Junior McBride is revered and respected by the townsfolk for his kindness to those less fortunate than himself. He adores his wife Marlene and her daughter Ashley and spoils his son Trey who is hateful to his stepmother and stepsister. The town is shocked when it is discovered that Joe Junior was killed in his very own home.

At first the sheriff and Judge Jackson Crain assume it was a robbery gone bad but physical evidence points to the fact that it was an inside job. Marlene says she was upstairs taking a shower when her husband was killed while Trey who was supposed to be out of town was spotted by numerous people. Just when it looks like her life couldn't get any worse for Marlene, who was cut out of her husband's will, her daughter goes missing and as days go by, hopes for her safe return diminish. Joe's brother, who was in love with Marlene, is murdered and Trey avoids coming in for questioning to the sheriff who starts to believe that he might be the killer.

Nancy Bell portrays what it is like living in a small Texas town off the beaten track where everyone knows their neighbor and a stranger is immediately recognized. Judge Jackson the person everyone goes to when they have a problem because if he can't solve it professionally, he acts as a friend to those in need and leaves them feeling better about the situation. Nancy Bell has written a very entertaining who-done-it that will please her many fans.

Harriet Klausner