Customer Reviews

Leftover Dead (Trailer Park Mysteries (Berkley))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have so enjoyed this cozy series. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I always look forward to the next coming out. That being said, this one just wasn't up to par. Although more specifics will follow, this installment felt a little thrown together--not as polished as the previous stories in the series.

In book five of the Trailer Park mystery series, Wanda Nell and her new husband, Jack, look into a murder that occurred 31 years ago in Tullahoma. The victim, Jenna Rae Howell, was a very pretty young woman who lived and grew up in a city about 4 hours north of there. Her murder was never solved. As a matter of fact, there was obviously a cover up. Jack smells the makings of a book. The sleuthing begins...

Up until now, Wanda Nell Culpepper has been the perfect cozy protagonist--smart, stable, sassy, mouthy, independent, and a joy to be with. Now she is married to Jack Pemberton and, if this installment is any indication, the union isn't doing her any favors. She comes across as less independent--more in need of the man in her life to make things OK. Although I previously considered Wanda Nell Culpepper to be a terrific everyone's mom, Wanda Nell Pemberton comes across as more grandmotherly--weaker, less sure of herself.

In the previous books, the primary focus was always Wanda Nell, her kids, the Kountry Kitchen, and Mayrene. In LEFTOVER DEAD, it is Jack....and his wife. I missed the familiar backdrop of the Culpepper family unit, and unity, providing that (cozy, if you will) stabilizing force. It was that force that made me want to join in and be a part of. In this one, instead of giving us a chance to get used to Jack being one part of the larger picture, we are handed a totally different Kodak moment.

Will I read the next? Definitely. I prefer to think of this as just a bump along the road of rural cozydom. But next time, "Ms. Evans", please allow us some of our familiar turf.

The "Trailer Park " mystery books are cute and sassy.
I am always on the lookout for the next book. In this cozy, Wanda and Jack are newlyweds just enjoying their time together.
Then Jack comes home with an idea for a great book based on a thirty year old murder case that has never been solved.
Of course, Wanda and her friends can't let him have all the fun. They divide and conquer. A very unusual case to be sure.
Wanda and Jack are adorable, and keep me turning the pages of this book to the end of a fine cozy.

This entire series has a cast full of characters...you would not expect in a trailer park! The stories continue to develop characters and crimes. Sit back and enjoy the entire series. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

The book is a nice read. It picks up some time after Wanda Nell got married. The premise of the book is set up early in the first chapter. While the usual investigating is nice to follow, Wanda Nell, the main character, is now regulated to a partner to her new husband. If anyone has read the previous books, Wanda Nell surely deserves the man she married and there is nothing wrong with him. He is quite a likable character. But the book comes off more like an episode of "Hart to Hart". (80's reference) Before she would be the strong-willed risk taker to solve the mystery. Now, she shares the sleuthing and, at times, letting her husband take the lead with which direction they would go. Wanda Nell's marriage was the best and worst thing that could have happened to her. How will the next book bring back the Wanda Nell we were used to while, at the same time, not relegate her husband as a weak, secondary character? Or will she stay "Jennifer Hart"?

Things are looking up for Wanda Nell. Her recent marriage to teacher/true crime writer Jack Pemberton has made it possible for her to quit her second job; Miranda and Lavon are living with Miranda's new husband; T. J. is thriving in his relationship with lawyer "Tuck" Tucker. With extra time on her hands Wanda Nell decides to help her new husband research his latest book involving the unsolved murder of a young woman 30 years ago in Tullahoma. Wanda Nell and Jack soon find evidence of a cover-up and are determined to solve the crime and find the killer...even if it means uncovering secrets that the killer thought had been safely buried.

Here's the problem: Newlyweds, real or fictional, don't make for interesting reading. There's a lot of gazing into each other's eyes, fawning all over each other, blushing...you get the idea. Steel Magnolia Wanda Nell Culpepper has been replaced by the deferential Mrs. Pemberton and frankly she's a little boring.

As always the best parts of the story were the glimpses into everyday life in the small southern town of Tullahoma. Not much time was spent on Wanda Nell's family and friends although most made at least a cameo appearance. If you're new to the series don't judge it by the this book alone. The series is best read in order and this fifth installment just doesn't capture the "atmosphere" of the previous books.

As for me, I'm hoping that by the next book the honeymoon will be over and Wanda Nell will regain her unique "spark".

Wanda Nell has gotten married and is enjoying the good life. Her husband, Jack is a teacher at the high school and writes true crime books.
One day Jack comes back from a jog at the school track, he tells of a old unsolved murder 31 years cold.
Wanda and Jack are soon up to their eyeballs in adventures and old cover ups.
Old money and old secrets make for a dangerous combination and soon they are in deep trouble.
A grande ending in the nursing home hair salon with Mayrene, ends with a surprising twist.
This is a fun southern cozy in the Trailer Park Mystery series.

Wanda Nell and Jack got married and are living happily ever after in her trailer along with her daughter Juliet. Wanda Nell feels she is in hog heaven, not so much because of her nuptials, but to be working only one job for the first time in recent memory as a waitress at the Kountry Kitchen; Jack works at the high school and plans to start writing a novelization of a true crime story.

Jack learns about a three decade old cold case in which a naked girl was found dead on the Tullahoma County High School football field. His interest in the case stems from the way the townsfolk reacted to the homicide. Everyone wanted the Jane Doe mystery buried and forgotten. Jack consults with Wanda Nell and they conclude someone influential ended any inquiries. They investigate the murder and cover-up in spite of the danger they may face especially if that person is still alive, powerful, and observant.

The latest Trailer Park amateur sleuth (see BRING YOUR OWN POISON) is an engaging investigative tale as the newlyweds spend their honeymoon sleuthing a cold case that their inquiry turns hot (on them and the few who cooperate). Once again life in a small Mississippi town especially in a trailer park is made interesting by the eccentric support cast. Wanda Nell remains as responsible as ever, but with Jack legally at her side. Fans will appreciate this character driven regional cold case whodunit.

Harriet Klausner