Dig (Morgue Mama Mysteries (Paperback)) [Paperback]

C R Corwin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Morgue Mama Mysteries (Paperback) | Publication Date: April 15, 2008

Maddy Sprowls gets to The Hannawa Herald-Union right at nine. She makes her first mug of Darjeeling tea and settles down at her desk to read the obituaries. The obits are the best part of her day, she admits. But not today. First she reads that her old college friend Gordon Sweet is dead. Then she learns he was murderedat the abandoned landfill where the eccentric archaeology professor was conducting his latest dig. And just like that, the cranky 68-year-old newspaper librarian finds herself investigating another murder. No, two murders! Gordon's death just might be linked to the grisly bludgeoning of state wrestling champ David Delarosa fifty years earlier. And so begins a harrowing, and hilarious, trek back to Maddy's old beatnik days, when she was a member of the Meriwether Square Baked Bean Existentialist Society. There's a coffee house full of quirky suspects to consider: Poet Chick Glass, saxophonist Shaka Bop, free-thinking Effie Fredmansky, snooty Gwen Moffitt-Stumpf, and toxic waste dumper Kenneth Kingzette, just to name a few. And, oh yes, the legendary beat writer Jack Kerouac figures into this satisfying caper, too. There's a reason why reporters call Maddy "Morgue Mama" behind her back. And why cops and criminals alike get the jitters when she pulls up in her old Dodge Shadow. She is tough, tenacious, and as readers of C.R. Corwin's Morgue Mama: The Cross Kisses Back discovered, tricky as the dickens.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When an old college friend is murdered, shot in the head at a landfill, 68-year-old librarian Maddy Sprowls is willing to work overtime to help the police discover the culprit in Corwin's winning second cozy to feature the head of the Hannawa (Ohio) Herald-Union's "morgue" (after 2003's Morgue Mama: The Cross Kisses Back). Digging in the newspaper's files, Maddy uncovers a decades-old unsolved murder that took place during her student days and wonders if the two crimes could be connected. A game old bird battling loneliness and the prospect of retirement, she has a tendency to digress about local landmarks and such trivia as how to make her favorite sandwich. But once Maddy starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the plot picks up and builds to an exciting and fitting conclusion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Maddy Sprowls, otherwise known (but never within hearing distance) as Morgue Mama, gets a shock when she settles in at her desk at the Hannawa Herald-Union one Monday morning. She reads the obituary of an old friend. Gordon Sweet, an archaeology professor, was shot through the head. Determined to find out who killed her friend, Maddy, the head librarian at the Herald-Union, stumbles on evidence that Sweet's murder might be connected to another murder that happened half a century ago. The third Maddy Sprowls mystery is, like the previous two, solidly plotted. But it's not the story that keeps us going; it's Maddy herself, a charming, curmudgeonly 68-year-old who is less Miss Marple and more television's Lou Grant (adjusted for age and gender differences). If future Morgue Mama adventures are as fun as this one, the series could be in for a long run. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590585038
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585030
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really enjoyable series, December 24, 2005

By 

Dana C. Cherrier "dchristine" (Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dig (Morgue Mama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I'm a big fan of this series which started with Morgue Mama followed by Dig. For a light hearted series it's really well written and is filled with enjoyable, original characters with interesting histories. I recommend checking out the first two in the series and very much hope there will be a third.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Can Dig It, March 12, 2006

By 

J.G. Pen (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dig (Morgue Mama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Sometimes these rainy day mystery novels are so contrived, I can't handle them. But this one works, despite the fact that it follows genre formulas: an eccentric protagonist, a slew of silly suspects, a convoluted murder plot full of red herrings, a surprise ending. There is enough wit, suspense, and novelty in "Dig" to keep you turning the pages. I'm looking forward to more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CR Corwin is the best living mystery writer!, January 8, 2006

By 

Neil Dapper (Baltimore, Md United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dig (Morgue Mama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Corwin's latest, "Dig," is a riveting read, with well-developed, true-to-life characters, swift pacing and an arresting plot. My favorite character is police Detective Scotty Grant, who tries again to frighten our heroine, Maddy Sprowls, off the case. In this installment, Maddy feels compelled to look into the murder of one of her old and dear friends, making it a heartwrenching puzzle. Making this probe even more daunting is the fact that the list of possible suspects include many of her other old friends. Maddy operates in this yarn pretty much alone, making the investigation scarier in many respects. Corwin's prose is delightful, and the observations and descriptions are often scathing and hilarious. I comment "Dig" to everyone who loves a good mystery!