To Live & Die in Dixie (Callahan Garrity, No 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathy Hogan Trocheck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

From her time on the Atlanta police force, Callahan Garrity, house cleaner and private investigator extraordinaire, has excelled at mopping up messes -- of all kinds. But she has no idea what she's getting into when she agrees to work for infamous antiques dealer Elliot Littlefield.

The first day on the job she and her crew discover the bloodied body of a young woman in a bedroom -- and are soon on the trail of a priceless Civil War diary stolen by the killer. As if two crimes aren't enough, deadly serious collectors, right-wing radicals, and impulsive teenagers make the case even more difficult to tidy up ... and more dangerous.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While some mannerly mysteries call for a cup of tea and a plate of scones, Trocheck's Georgia-based tale suggests iced coffee and cornbread. The second appearance of sleuth Callahan Garrity, a 34-year-old former policewoman who runs the "House Mouse" cleaning service, offers the smooth writing and feisty characters introduced in the notable Every Crooked Nanny . While sprucing up the messy mansion of racist Civil War buff Elliott Littlefield, Callahan's cleaners find the bloody corpse of a 17-year-old girl. Although a similar homicide occurred in his home 20 years earlier, Littlefield maintains his innocence, insisting that the killer also stole the valuable diary of a Civil War madam. Hired by Littlefield to investigate the robbery, Callahan plainly itches to implicate her Rebel-loving employer in the murder. Callahan's detective pursuits merge seamlessly with details of her home-based relationships with her nosy mother and steady beau, with attention also given to Callahan's earlier bout with breast cancer and a teenage character's bulimia. Even though the roster of eccentric House Mouse employees is less involved than before, other memorable Southern personalities and on-target dialogue lift this appealing whodunit well above the norm.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Like Emma Chizzit, Atlantan J. Callahan Garrity ( Every Crooked Nanny , HarperCollins, 1992) owns a business and sleuths on the side. When she and her cleaning crew arrive at a notorious Inman Park mansion, they discover the body of a teenaged girl. Police handle the murder, but the mansion's owner--himself a suspect--hires ex-cop Callahan to locate a valuable Civil War journal stolen at the same time. With the help of Mom, crew, and the victim's sister, Callahan closes in on the culprit. A smoothly written work featuring the reappearance of an affable, independent heroine. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Avon (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061091715
• ISBN-13: 978-0061091711
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathy Hogan Trocheck has published 17 novels, 10 critically-acclaimed mysteries under her own name and seven other bestselling novels writing as Mary Kay Andrews.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Trocheck earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1976. She started her professional journalism career in Savannah, Georgia, where she covered the real-life murder trials which were the basis of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She left journalism after a ten-year stint as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Her first book, Every Crooked Nanny, featuring a clever, snoopy housecleaner named Callahan Garrity, appeared in 1992. It was followed by seven other Garrity novels including To Live and Die in Dixie (1993), Homemade Sin (1994), Happy Never After (1995), Heart Trouble (1996), Strange Brew (1997), Midnight Clear (1998), and Irish Eyes (2000). The two Truman Kicklighter novels were Lickety Split (1996) and Crash Course (1997).

The first novel to be published under the name Mary Kay Andrews was Savannah Blues (2002). It was followed by Little Bitty Lies (2003); Hissy Fit (2004); the New York Times bestseller, Savannah Breeze (2006); the New York Times bestseller, Blue Christmas (2007); Deep Dish (2008); and the New York Times bestseller, The Fixer Upper (2009).

Her mysteries have been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Macavity Awards.

As a lifelong "junker" the author claims to know the location of every promising thrift store, flea market, and junkpile in the southeastern United States, plus many parts of Ohio.

She is a frequent lecturer and writing teacher at workshops including Emory University, The University of Georgia's Harriet Austin Writer's Workshop, the Tennessee Mountain Writer's Workshop, and the Antioch Writer's Workshop. Her mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards.

Married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two grown children and a proud grandmother. After a brief hiatus in Raleigh, NC, she and her husband moved back to their old neighborhood in Atlanta, where they live in a restored 1926 Craftsman bungalow. She divides her time between Atlanta and her restored beach cottage on Tybee Island, GA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tight plotting - generally a good read, June 26, 2000

By 

Helen - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Live & Die in Dixie (Callahan Garrity, No 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Try this author. She does not have the high public profile of some other female authors but she stands up there with the Graftons and Paretskys. This author has a lovely writing style and has created warm, believable characters. The mystery is compelling but I found myself wanting and enjoying more the dialogue and interaction between the characters.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trocheck Can't BE Beat, December 19, 2006

By 

60's fan "dvd" (Cedartown, Ga. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Live & Die in Dixie (Callahan Garrity, No 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all of Kathy Hogan Trocheck's books many many times. She is the best writer of fiction that I have ever read. Callahan is one great sleuth. Also be sure to check out Mary Kay Andrews who is also Kathy Hogan Trocheck.
This book is set in Atlanta and she makes you feel if you are right there with Callahan. If you are familiar with the area, you will recognize a lot of the places that she mentions.

GREAT BOOK!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Reader Hooked !, September 7, 1999

By 

Lisa Miller - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Live and Die in Dixie (Hardcover)

This was my first read by Kathy and I will be back for more ! I really liked her style and the way your in suspense till the end .I thought Callahan was very beliveable and really liked her. I will be reading alot more of Kathys work. Lisa Miller