Did You Declare the Corpse? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 8) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Patricia Houck Sprinkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Georgia magistrate MacLaren Yarbrough is bound for Scotland to explore her genealogical roots along with her friend Laura, not to mention a tour group full of unusual travel mates. But when two empty coffins mysteriously appear in the church in the small town where the group is staying-though none of the locals have died-things take a turn for the macabre. And when the bodies of two Americans are discovered occupying the coffins, MacLaren finds herself back on the job. Can she tie it all together, before she winds up in a coffin of her own?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patricia Sprinkle grew up in North Carolina and northern Florida, graduated from Vassar College, and spent a winter writing in the Scottish Highlands before settling in Atlanta. Although as an adult she has also lived in Chicago and Miami, her mysteries and novels reflect her love for and the strength of her Southern roots. Sprinkle is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Contact her at [e-mail].

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786285346
• ISBN-13: 978-0786285341
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,762,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific mystery, February 8, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Did You Declare the Corpse? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

Georgia Magistrate MacLaren Yarbrough is visiting the Scottish Highlands for two weeks but her companion is not her beloved husband Joe Riddley but her friend Laura MacDonald. Joe thinks it is safe to take a fishing vacation with his son and two grandsons because Mac won't have any mysteries to solve or trip over dead bodies. Little does he knows that his worst fears will be realized when a heartless killer tries to murder Mac.

The mystery begins when Mac overhears a person on their tour arguing with the brother-in-law of the laird of Auchnager about a business deal. Before that incident that argumentative individual acted like he was another tourist on a holiday jaunt. While visiting a local church one of the tourists is found lying in a coffin inside the holy facility, the victim of murder.. Mac immediately assumes the laird's brother-in-law did the deed until that poor soul winds up in a second coffin. Without meaning to, Mac observes her fellow tourists and asks questions to try to bring the culprits to justice though she ends up feeling sorry for them even though they killed somebody.

Patricia Sprinkle's latest Thoroughly Southern mystery, although placed in the Scottish Highlands, is still a down home, at times hilarious cozy. This is a mystery Agatha Christie would be proud to claim as her own. The intricate plotting and the eccentric cast of characters are just two of the reasons that DID YOU DELIVER THE CORPSE? is a one sitting reading experience. The heroine is eminently likeable and her homespun wisdom instantly endears her to the audience who will want this grandmotherly person to adopt them.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Did You Declare the Corpse?, October 5, 2007

By 

E. Ferraro "Mystery Lady" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Did You Declare the Corpse? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is not the author's best work. It plods on and on, this way and that way. The characters seem to overlap and get confused. Two couples especially get confused with each other at times. Then, as it races to conclude, some characters change identity.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ok, but story and characters are not that interesting, February 3, 2007

By 

T. Burket "tburket" (Potomac, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Did You Declare the Corpse? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

I hate to disagree with Amazon's #1 reviewer and her five stars, but I must. The mystery simply fell short of the mark for me. After a promising opening that reveals an unnamed person has been found unexpectedly in a coffin at a Scottish church, the story returns to the characters gathering for their trip to Scotland. The plot then unfolds as the group makes its way on tour, until they return to the time and place where the deed was done.

The murder occurs past the half-way point, with time spent in various Scottish locales developing the characters and sprinkling clues for the eventual events and motives. Unfortunately, the tourists are largely annoying or uninteresting, with some exceptions. Whiners and jerks don't do much for me, and I recall little humor along the way. You may not be disappointed no matter who was killed, because of course it won't be our heroine.

The pace picks up after the murder, as our narrator MacLaren takes advantage of being one of the first people to know of the murder, and overhearing some timely arguments earlier, to begin her casual snooping. Someone actually calls her out as a Jessica Fletcher type and clumsily warns her not to get involved. Hmm, why not?

The truth of the first murder is mostly revealed not through any real insightful detective work, but through a witness who speaks up and cannot be denied. The resolution of both murders occurs quickly, and the justification is a bit blah. An unexpected criminal subplot pops up late and then just disappears near the end. Several people will turn out not to be what or whom they seem to be, and the reader will sense that as the key lurking element of surprise as the tour moves on and reaches the fateful town, where additional relationships develop.

You can decide whether the colloquial Scottish ("Fit ye deein'?", et al) is effective or insulting. Oh, and don't forget the Canadian's occasional "eh?". I kind of expected some y'alls in return, given that these were Georgians on tour, after all.

This was my first mystery by Patricia Sprinkle, so I cannot place it relative to her other works.