Death of a Trickster [Large Print] [Paperback]

Kate Borden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2005

Mayor and single mom Peggy Jean Turner is up to her sleuthing tricks again. This time, Halloween has brought on a slew of strange occurrences in the quaint town of Cobb's Landing. The bone-chilling goings-on start with some actual bones being found in the Alsop forest. Then the much-anticipated pumpkin float race ends with a ghastly discovery - the murdered body of the police chief's teenage son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; 1 edition (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587249588
• ISBN-13: 978-1587249587
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,757,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pumpkin pie flavored New England sleuth cozy, September 2, 2006

By 

- Kasia S. (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Death of a Trickster (Peggy Jean Turner Mysteries) (Paperback)

Death of a trickster takes place in a New England village called Cobb's Landing where the mayor is a witty woman named Peggy. It's a small town, dressed up to resemble a colonial village, at the peak of Indian summer excitedly awaiting Halloween. This is the second book in the series and they are so addictive that I hope Mrs. Borden will keep writing as long as her imagination keeps spinning. I absolutely adored the whole feel of autumn, the chilly morning, falling red leaves, wool sweaters, Peggy and Lavinia her best friend drinking caramel apple cider, her cat Pie, the pumpkins being carves, the cakes and cookies they baked and the crisp sultry breeze sweeping summer away and setting the village up for mid fall. This book made me feel very cozy and trickled dreams of pumpkins and baked goodies, warm cocoa and reading wrapped in a warm blanket. I was sad when it was actually over and the mystery revealed as it's a short book spanning two hundred pages and can be read in a day or two but I savored it and can't wait to read the third one that is all ready out, it deals with the next holiday, Thanksgiving.

The mystery begins when Nicky, Peggy's son along with Lavinia's son Charlie get in trouble at school for throwing spit balls at each other. They miss the filed trip to the Alsop woods but learn that a body has been found. As it turns out it was the school skeleton used in science classes dressed up as count Dracula. On a few more occasions pranks are following Peggy and she needs to sort out what is happening and who would do such a thing. Cobb's Landing is populated by some warm and some whacky characters. There's Papa Luigi, the owner of the woods and his son Lew, his wife Gina and their daughter Maria. The new police chief, grumpy Henry, his cold wife Carol, their bully son Roger, fellow villagers and shop and diner owners, Max an interesting character who materializes out of nowhere and no one knows what he is up to, Ian and Missy, who seem to get on Peggy's nerves as she gets close to Ian whom Peggy likes and Rob, her childhood crush who is the new police office. When a body is found at the end of the pumpkin float, no one can understand why this person is dead and why would kill them. It's up to Peggy to use her knowledge of a place she grew up in, her Mayor powers and her excellent snooping abilities.

I have really enjoyed this delicious mystery but I wish the part where the killer was revealed was longer. The ending had lots of more plots twisted together but they were all explained and man o man, was I surprised! The author does a great job describing the nature, the air, the sun, the whole small town scenery and makes me miss the characters. Lately I have found myself enjoying all the new mystery books coming out from various writers as there are books about food, coffee, tea, spas and even a cute village such as Cobb's Landing. I can't wait to follow up Borden's character in her next cozy mystery.

- Kasia S.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this cute series, February 1, 2006

By 

4fabfelines "Lesa" (Shelbyville , TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death of a Trickster (Peggy Jean Turner Mysteries) (Paperback)

this cute series is fun and believable. Small town charm, weird and facinating characters just make it that much more of a good read. A series you can enjoy and feel good when you have finished.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Light Small Town Cozy Series, July 14, 2006

By 

L Smith "acozylover" (Macomb, MI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death of a Trickster (Peggy Jean Turner Mysteries) (Paperback)

In the 2nd book in the Peggy Jean Turner Mystery series, things are definitely looking up for both Peggy Jean (P.J.) and her hometown of Cobb's Landing, New England. The town has been turned into a colonial village, and is quickly becoming a tourist attraction. The townspeople dress in period costumes, and no modern equipment is on display in town during "town hours" (including cell phones and satellite dishes). P.J. grumbles a bit over the costume she must wear while working in her hardware store, but even she cannot complain about the renewed life and money pouring into her beloved town.

It is almost Halloween, and soon pranks start occurring that raise a few eyebrows. The high school's skeleton shows up around town dressed in costume, and P.J's son is suspended for throwing spitballs. It all seems harmless until an elderly member of the town, Papa Luigi, goes missing, and is found tied up and ill in a hidden cave. More disturbing, however, is the body of the man found dead next to him in the cave. Papa Luigi cannot remember what happened, but he pleads innocence to the murder of the chief of police's son. P.J. jumps in to prove that Papa Luigi, a longtime friend of her family, is innocent, and to make sure that the Halloween festivities are enjoyed by all of the tourists that have come to save her town.

This is a fun, light cozy series and I really enjoy the characters, the mysteries, and the setting. The only thing that I didn't care for was the nicknames (P.J. for a mayor's name seemed too casual), and the name "Lovey" for her best friend was a bit silly for me. Otherwise, I loved the storyline, and was intrigued by the character of Max. If you like small town cozies, give this series a try.

The first book in the series is called "Death of a Tart". Enjoy!