Customer Reviews

Hog Wild (Avery Andrews Mysteries)

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Cathy Pickens packed her Hog Wild book so full of fun I zipped through it like a wild hog with hounds on its heels. Where else do you find a rottweiller's smallest appendage described as a "tater tot tail" and learn that some woman offered to swap "nookie for nitro"? And I hadn't heard "durn your hide" since my granddaddy died. No rural Southerner could read this one without relating. These characters and their thinking and language might sound far fetched to some, but Miss Cathy got it right. I know these people, right down to the little old lady with the big black rotary-dial telephone.

Hog Wild is the third book in this series by Cathy Pickens, a civil litigator who also teaches law and ethics at the McColl School of Business, Queens University, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Not much is going on in Dacus, South Carolina, so when a pig goes missing, it's big news. Avery Andrews has returned to her hometown to practice law. She's setting up her office and tells Melvin Bertram that she'll keep an eye out for the missing animal. But life gets in the way, as it often does.

Before Avery can open her law office, Maggy Avinger seeks out her help. Maggy's husband, who apparently died from lung cancer, has requested a monument with an epitaph that says Maggy murdered him. Maggy definitely doesn't want either the epitaph or the monument. Avery tells Maggy she'll look into the situation.

Later, Avery attends (at Maggy's invitation) a plant rescue on some land sold to a land developer. Avery is checking to see if the land sale can be cancelled. A body is found in an abandoned mine shaft (death by bullet) and other deaths quickly follow. All the victims received anonymous letters that accuse them of personal shortcomings. Suddenly the small town of Dacus is a hotbed of crime and Avery is on the trail to stop a killer.

I love cozy mysteries and all things Southern. In the North, we call people 'crazy.' In the south they are 'eccentric.' Eccentric people make for better stories. Cathy Pickens' Hog Wild is delightful. It's a fast read filled with quirky characters, a strong independent heroine, and a fun plot.

Armchair Interviews says: Check out the other two novels in this series. If they're as much fun as Hog Wild, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

really enjoyed the book. all of cathy pickens books are really good. she holds your interest right to the end. you never know who did it . i could never figure it out. good reading

With some trepidation Avery Andrews has moved back to her hometown of Dacus, South Carolina and opened her own law office. She's finding that while there is never a shortage of friends and family in need of some legal advice, "paying" clients are few and far between. Practicing small-town law may not be lucrative, but it does prove to be diverse. From shady land development deals to murder, Avery is introduced to the dark side of her charming little town.

This series just keeps getting better! I enjoy the way the author manages to create a vivid Southern small- town atmosphere without resorting to clichés or caricatures. Avery is an appealing protagonist and introducing sub plots surrounding her various family members balances out the storyline.

While the mystery plot did keep me guessing, I felt it ultimately played out in an overly dramatic fashion.

Did I sense a little romance brewing between thirty-something Avery and successful (but considerably older) businessman Melvin Betram? Hmm, it will be interesting to see how that storyline develops in future installments.

This is the third entry in the series and works just fine as a stand-alone novel. Recommended for anyone who likes their "cozy" mysteries on the grittier, more realistic side with a strong Southern flavor.

No swearing or sexual content.

Looking for new authors to read, I found Cathy Pickens on the shelf at the bookstore (and promptly ordered the rest from Amazon, of course)... A North Carolina writer that has created a character, Avery, who you want to know more about and soon come to love. This is the third book in the series and in my opinion the best one so far...(however, I have just started the newest one so we will see...) Avery is a lawyer who has come back to her small town and found that your roots have a way of growing deep and bring you home to stay. Lots of good and eclectic supporting characters--Rudy (her police buddy), her mom (who wants to save everyone and everything), Melvin (from book 1 and she now has set up office space in his building), her aunts (enough said), the ghouly boys... Pickens has created a small North Carolina town that you just want to drop into and with characters you want to meet or wonder if these type of people do really exist in a small town somewhere in North Carolina. Start with book 1 and work your way through (you don't have to read them in order...me being a little OC maybe) and you won't be disappointed!

Instant classic! Hog Wild is a must read for any mystery novel enthusiast! In addition to being suspenseful and thrilling, the book was funny and delightful. I can't wait to read the next installment as Avery continues her career!

Wow! What a book! Hog Wild was extremely captivating, and kept me guessing right up until the last page. Mrs. Picken's really captures the "flavor" of the south with her superb writing style and dialect. A wonderful read, I would recommend it to anyone!!

After practicing law at Columbia and Charleston, attorney Avery Andrews returns to her small hometown of Dacus where she is about to open up her solo law practice. Even before she officially opens up, Maggy Avinger comes to her for help. It seems her husband, who died form lung cancer, ordered a contentious monument as his gravestone and on it conscribed an epitaph that says she killed him. Maggie doesn't want the monument but Avery is more worried about the accusation.

Later that week she goes to a "plant rescue" on mountain land that Dot Downing sold to land developer Lionel Shoal. When she returns for another rescue, he is digging in the wetlands that he promised to turn into an environment conservation area. Avery wants to see if there is a way she legally cancel Dot's land sale due to Shoal's misuse of the land. A worker finds the body of a man in an abandoned mine shaft, a bullet in his chest. Later on Lionel is found dead in the same manner as Susie Knight. Both were poisoned and before they died they got a warning letter just like the man who was shot on Lionel's property. Creeping Avery out is she gets the same letter as does a friend of hers.

Cathy Pickens has written a charming and delightful southern cozy that gives readers a look at small town living in the heart of South Carolina. The protagonist is a realistic, independent woman who says what is on her mind and tries to do what she thinks is best for her clients even if they have very little money to pay her. Avery is a good role model for youngsters and the audience will definitely admire her attitude.

Harriet Klausner