Customer Reviews

Hickory, Dickory: An Ed McAvoy Mystery

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As an avid antique hunter and flea market junkie, this book by Bill Stackhouse almost steps from it's pages onto the floor of a shop cluttered with the trash and treasures of bygone days. Now I make every effort to learn the history behind my eagerly sought purchases and enjoy in imagination that they might harbor mysteries of their own. If ever you have looked through a dusty hall hoping to spot a genuine "find" you will enjoy this masterfully told story! Bill is carefully crafting a web of personalities in his Ed McAvoy series and I just can't wait for the next one. This is a book you'll want to share, and ask folks to return for your permanent collection.

Ed McAvoy moves to the small town of Peekamoose Heights, New York to get
away from the big city. A former police captain in Detroit, Ed is badly
injured on the job and forced into medical retirement. He chooses the
picturesque town of Peekamoose Heights, which is nestled in the Catskill
Mountains for the sleepy small town atmosphere and lighter workload. Little
does he know that his city police skills will be needed so frequently!

Sam Douglas has worked his way into small business ownership and now he and
his wife own a small antiques shop in Peekamoose Heights. When Sam receives
an invitation to an auction in Florida, he uses the opportunity to secure a
Queen Anne clock for his former employer, Kate Winthrop. Kate has been
seeking such an antique and is willing to trade her existing clock for the
Queen Anne. Sam will then sell the Kate's clock to another customer.

Unfortunately, the plan does not work out quite as planned and soon Sam is
accused of murder. Can Ed McAvoy help to establish his friend's innocence?

Hickory, Dickory is a fine small town mystery. While the cast of characters
was large, I enjoyed the deft characterization and individuality of the
various residents of Peekamoose Heights. Twists and turns galore and
subplots that caught my attention from page one made this book a very full
and satisfying read while the motley cast of characters has me eager to
revisit Peekamoose Heights. Hickory Dickory reminded me at times of a cozy
mystery and others of a police procedural and would appeal to readers of
either genre.
Review by Briana Lambert