Maggody in Manhattan: An Arly Hanks Mystery [Paperback]

Joan Hess (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arly Hanks Mystery | Publication Date: October 1, 1993

In Manhattan to investigate her friend Ruby Bee's involvement in a murder, Chief of Police Arly Hanks goes behind the scenes at the KoKo-Nut Cooking Contest in order to find a killer. Reprint. NYT. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Some of the hardier citizens of Maggody, Ark., take on Manhattan and triumph. Ruby Bee Hanks visits New York for the finals of the Krazy KoKo-Nut cook-off, but ends up in jail for shooting a naked man in her bed. Daughter Arly (last seen in Mortal Remains in Maggody ) grudgingly comes to the rescue, even though doing so means returning to the scene of her failed marriage. Arly finds the food fest to be considerably less exciting than the promotional literature promised; held in the seedy and almost empty Chadwick Hotel, it proves a chaotic disappointment to both the contestants and the young people organizing it at the orders of their superiors, now conveniently out of the country. A teenage nymphomaniac, murder, drugs, a disappearing body, two love affairs and some unsporting shenanigans among the contestants make for confusion that only Arly can untangle, somewhat to the dissatisfaction of the local cops. Hess's risky decision to take her characters out of the Arkansas setting that has worked so well in five previous mysteries pays off with rousing success in one of the best "country hicks vs. city slickers" stories in a long time.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Arly Hanks, Police Chief of Maggody, Arkansas, is forced out of her sleepy everyday routine after Ruby Bee, her diner-owner mom, wins a trip to New York as a finalist in the Krazy Koko-Nut cooking contest. Ruby's frantic call from jail brings Arly to New York's Chadwick hotel, ostensibly in the process of renovation, where the finalists are staying. Turns out that Durmond Pilverman, another contestant, was found naked and slightly injured in Ruby's bed, and Ruby was arrested and briefly held in the ensuing commotion. But that's just a start to the jumble of goings-on at the Chadwick--as a body turns up in the dumpster outside; another is found in the raunchy club where contestant Gaylene dances; teen-aged contestant Catherine seems to be a drunken nymphomaniac; cartons of Krazy Koko-Nut are laced with cocaine; and the mob is running the hotel. Woven through all this is Arly's hot affair with Durmond--plus scandalous news from home. The fine line between farce and shambles is thoroughly breached in this new chapter (Malice in Maggody, etc. etc.), which starts promisingly but winds up massively overdosed on absurdity and silly plot complications. Die-hard fans will probably love it. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451403762
• ISBN-13: 978-0451403766
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous transplantation of Maggody, AR folks to Manhattan., May 22, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Maggody in Manhattan: An Arly Hanks Mystery (Paperback)

Joan Hess is a delightful writer. She has defined the small southern town of Maggody and it's eccentric residents in a series of books about Arly Hanks, the sheriff, and Clara,her mother. In this, Clara has won a baking contest and travels to New York with her best friend to accept her prize. Needless to say, things are not what they should be. Dead bodies appear and Arly has to leave Maggody to save the day. The assorted Buchanons in the book are hilarious and make this novel well worth reading.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i felt confused of some of the contestants, January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maggody in Manhattan: An Arly Hanks Mystery (Paperback)

I FELT CONFUSED OF SOME OF THE CONTESTANT AND WHY THEY CALL IT CO-CO NUT

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Arly Hanks leaves Maggody, April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maggody in Manhattan: An Arly Hanks Mystery (Paperback)

You can take the girl out of Maggody but you can't put quality into the writing. Unfortunately, this is just another example of the poor character development that Ms. Hess is known for. She has come up with such wonderful characters and does absolutely nothing with them, leaving you with a boring book and a waste of several reading hours. There are alot of "cozy" writers out there. I would give this one a pass.