Fifty-Seven Heaven (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Lonnie Cruse (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The feel-good vibes flourish in this classically cute cozy, the first in a new series to feature feisty grandparents Kitty and Jack Bloodworth of Metropolis, Ill. (home of Superman and Cruse's Metropolis mystery series). When Kitty's cousin Will Ann Lloyd, a meddlesome and widely disliked woman who'd accused Kitty's daughter Sunny of being a tramp, winds up strangled and stuffed in the trunk of Kitty's '57 Chevy, Kitty and Jack are horrified to be among the suspects, as are Sunny and Will Ann's son, Craig. While going through Will Ann's personal effects, Kitty finds a helpful clue, but before she can track down more information, she's run off the road. Her subsequent amnesia dramatically hampers her investigation. Cruse tosses in chatty observations about family and growing older, scanting the unsettling details of death, injury and illness. Although the big reveal about the killer might come as no surprise, it's fun to go along for the ride. (Dec.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (December 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594146004
• ISBN-13: 978-1594146008
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,768,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lonnie Cruse is the author of the Metropolis Murder Mystery Series, the '57 Chevy Mystery Series, and she writes non-fiction self-help books for women. Cruse lives in Metropolis, Illinois, home of the famous Superman statue. Check out her website at: www.lonniecruse.com for more information and pictures of the statue!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great! Great! Great!, October 26, 2007

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Fifty-Seven Heaven (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Author, Lonnie Cruse, never ceases to amaze me. I have had the privilege to read and review several of her previous published works of mystery with the beloved character Sheriff Joe Dalton, and devoured every word of them. Exceptional in all ways. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be asked to review her new work, "Fifty-Seven Heaven," excited to see what I would find in the pages of this book, and the new characters I would meet. I was not disappointed.

Introduced to Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, a middle-aged couple living in the town of Metropolis, home of superman, we are taken into a murder investigation where Kitty and Jack, and members of their family, may be prime suspects. The victim, Kitty's annoying cousin, Will Ann Lloyd. Many have felt like killing this troublesome woman, but who actually did? Questions arise and are unanswered; such as, why did Will Ann verbally attack Kitty's daughter in front of many witnesses the night of her murder? Could Kitty's own daughter be involved in this? Ah! Talk about a drawing card to capture your reading attention.

Ms. Cruse, as always, does an exceptional job of character development, taking you into the very heart of her characters and bringing them alive in the read. She also gives us well-rounded descriptions of locals as the story moves from place to place. Our author takes you down some unexpected lanes and builds upon suspicisions, adding adventure and suspense. These little side roads add depth to the read and confusion as to just who did kill Will Ann. Good job.Top all of this off with a wrap-around mystery that digs into the very depths of family emotions of suspicisions and loyalty, and you have a winner. Now, the hard part; waiting for the next adventure to begin. Highly Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER "HOUSEWIFE MYSTERY", March 3, 2010

By 

M. Mowbray - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fifty-Seven Heaven (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Lots of "wifey" stuff but really not about car collectors or neat old cars. Mostly about her coffee and donuts friends and a bit of mystery.

5.0 out of 5 stars A murder all in the family, April 5, 2009

By 

Pat Browning "Author of ABSINTHEOF MALICE" (Yukon, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fifty-Seven Heaven (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

This book introduces Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, members of the Metropolis Super Cruisers. Told in a conversational, first person style from Kitty's point of view, it's an engaging small-town mystery with a murder that's all in the family.

The story kicks off with discovery of Cousin Will Ann's body stuffed into the trunk of Jack's 1957 Classic Chevy Bel Air on the morning of a competition. With cops on the scene and the rest of the Cruisers watching from a safe distance, Kitty ponders the Five W's :

Where was Cousin Will Ann killed?
Who put the body in the trunk?
Why put the body in the place most likely to incriminate the Bloodworths?
When did the murderer accomplish all that?
What can the Bloodworths do to prove their innocence"

Cousin Will Ann was not a popular person. "Tall, muscular, and drop-dead gorgeous in her youth" she had become a fat, middle-aged widow with a bite every bit as bad as her bark. Nevertheless, everyone rallies around.

One of the things I love about small-town cozies is that the characters, who probably have known one another since grade school, rise to any occasion in their own peculiar way. An enduring image here is from Cousin Will Ann's funeral. Members of the Red Hat Society, decked out in purple duds and big red hats, play "Amazing Grace" on their kazoos as a fond farewell to one of their own, never mind that nobody liked her.

Kitty is a great character, getting older without letting middle age get in the way. Before the mystery is solved she survives two broken legs (same leg, twice) and a couple of almost successful attempts on her life.

Murder most foul notwithstanding, this is a fun read.