Miracles in Maggody [Library Binding]

Joan Hess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

The ninth hilarious mystery starring Chief of Police Arly Hanks pits her against an evangelist-cum-charlatan whose ambitions coincide with the mysterious deaths of several citizens of the small town of Maggody, Arkansas. Reprint. K. PW. AB.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sharyn McCrumb says "Joan Hess is the patron saint of comic mystery," and that endorsement by a fine writer of mostly non-comic mysteries should be good enough for anyone who likes a chuckle with their chills. For the uninitiated, Maggody is the small Arkansas town where Arly Hanks rules as police chief and where trouble usually begins with an M--as in the previous adventures as Madness in Maggody, Malice in Maggody, Martians in Maggody, Mischief in Maggody, and Much Ado in Maggody. (Well, it does make the books easy to identify.) In this latest, just out in paperback, Hess brings greedy televangelist Malachi Hope to town, and all hell breaks loose. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

You'd think by now, with the ninth appearance of sharp-witted, sharp-tongued Police Chief Arly Hanks, the shysters and quacks of this world would know to steer clear of Maggody, Ark., pop. 755. But handsome, slick televangelist Malachi Hope has his eyes set on developing a Christian theme park on the outskirts of town; and his silken promises of miracle cures, prosperity and fame for the region draw crowds of contributing believers to his nightly laser-lit revival meetings. While most of the locals see their own dreams depicted in the Reverend's vision of Maggody's future, skeptical Arly, who spent some time in Manhattan, doesn't trust Hope, nor his entourage, including his glamourous wife and her sullen teenage sister. The girls' basketball coach is found dead in the high-school gym, a murder quickly followed by another. To track the killer, Arly goes behind the scenes of Hope's organization and into the equally daunting world of local teendom. From Brother Verber, scoping out the threat to his congregation in disguise, to the massive and newly pregnant Dahlia Buchanon, who resumes her junk-food diet after Hope says Jesus has cured her diabetes, the citizens of Maggody continue to deliver guaranteed laugh-out-loud entertainment.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Econo-Clad Books (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613123484
• ISBN-13: 978-0613123488
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,485,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for giggles and getting away from it all., September 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Miracles in Maggody: 9 (Arly Hanks Mystery) (Hardcover)

Serendipity is one of my favorite states of mind and finding Joan Hess and her sheriff/heroine Arly Hanks was a serendipitous treat a few years ago. In the latest edition that I picked up in paperback, Miracles in Maggody, Arly is once again the oasis of sanity in the odd little town of Maggody, Arkansas, as she takes on evangelist Malachi Hope and his entourage which includes his wife Seraphina and "adopted" daughter Chastity. The plot won't be much of a surprise to mystery lovers--or even television or movie watchers (I thought of the Steve Martin movie Leap of Faith while reading). But if you are unacquainted with the genre of comic mysteries, the Arly Hanks series is about as good as you'll get for a starting point. Like many authors who write a series centered on a main character, Ms. Hess allows the reader to pick up any single edition and feel comfortable with the charaters, their background, and the setting. The Maggody series is so place-specific, though, that I highly recommend reading them in order. This town is full of the rarest of characters, many of them in-bred, and each book seems to build on their collective quirks and foibles and unexpected delights--to say nothing of belly laughs--so reading them in order is more like moving to Maggody and getting to know the town characters over a period of time. Don't expect sex (well, not much and not really x-rated) or rough language or even convoluted plot lines. But the mystery hangs together well enough to keep you intrigued, as well as the subsidiary plot lines. And even though I guessed the "bad guy" long before the denouement, it didn't spoil the fun of getting away to the backwoods of Arkansas for a few hours.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mirth in Maggody, August 11, 2000

By 

Gray (midwest) - See all my reviews

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

Miracles in Maggody is one of a series of mysteries set in the mythical town of Maggody, Arkansas. Joan Hess has created a town full of interesting (and very funny) people. Living in Maggody might be hell; reading about Maggody is heaven. If you were turned off by the Claire Malloy series by Hess (and who isn't irritated by heroines who can only unmask a killer by doing something incredibly stupid), don't worry. The Maggody series is blessed with humor, wit and charm and a likable heroine. Miracles in Maggody unfairly stereotypes fundamentalist Christians. But Hess unfairly stereotypes most other ethnic and religious groups -- and does it with so much light hearted style -- that even a dyed in the wool fundamentalist like me enjoyed the book.