Mischief in Maggody (Arly Hanks Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joan Hess (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arly Hanks Mystery | Publication Date: June 4, 1991

Police Chief Arly Hanks finds her small town, Maggody, has some new inhabitants when she returns from vacation. Soon, Robin Buchanon, local prostitute and moonshiner, disappears, and Arly finds her bloody body at the edge of a marijuana field.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Maggody, a little Ozark town where nothing ever happens, has problems. Its first female police chief, Arly Hanks (Malice in Maggody), comes back from vacation to find the community in an uproar: practically everyone is under the influence of psychic Madame Celeste, four hippies have taken over a local store and local prostitute and moonshiner Robin Buchanon has disappeared, leaving behind five hungry children. The mayor's wife, busybody Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanon (the town has a "plethora of Buchanons") wants Arly to do something about the children, a wild and uncivilized lot, but Arly manages to foist them onto Mrs. Jim Bob while she goes hunting for the mother, whom she finds with her head blown off in the middle of a marijuana patch. As she sets out to discover who planted the weed and then booby-trapped it, the children proceed to bring Mrs. Jim Bob low while Madame Celeste has premonitions of disaster. Aided by a possible new love interest, David Allen Wainright, guidance counselor at the local high school, Arly tries to help the children, particularly the foulmouthed but oddly charming Hammet. Another death and the public humiliation of two of the town's most righteous citizens take place before peace comes to Maggody once again. Hess writes an engaging tale, although the raunchy characters impart a certain vulgarity to the text.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: An Onyx Book (June 4, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451402537
• ISBN-13: 978-0451402530
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #973,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Long on humor, short on surprises, August 31, 2001

By 

DFE (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mischief in Maggody: An Ozarks Murder Mystery (Hardcover)

This is not your typical murder mystery. Although the victim, a moonshine making, ginseng picking, illegitimate baby producing mountain woman dies around chapter three, no one will realize that she is dead until about halfway through the book. The first half is taking up with the humorous goings on of the wacky inhabitants of Magoody who seem to include at least one example of every unflattering hillbilly stereotype in existence. When the mountain women goes a missing, her five wild children are dragged into town for their own good. The mystery is as much about who their fathers might be as who is responsible for the booby-trapped dope field that took their ma's life. In the end, or rather long before the end most readers will have figured out the answers to both of these questions. Fortunately, the mystery plays back seat to her large cast of crazed characters. If the authors raunchy sense of humor hits your funny bone you will be turning the pages faster and faster trying to find out what nutty thing will happen next.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maggody books are thoroughly enjoyable!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mischief in Maggody (Arly Hanks Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I found the Maggody mysteries in a wonderful case of serendipity and now I can't get enough. They have me turning pages as fast as I can to find out what hilarious development is next. One of the few writers that make me laugh out loud, and frequently. Joan Hess has created characters that you would never admit to knowing, but secretly wish you had met. They are at the same time outrageous and very real.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud!, May 29, 2011

By 

Laura M. Lemay "Mystery Lover" (Sterling Heights MI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mischief in Maggody (Arly Hanks Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you're a fan of the Maggody series, or looking for a great summer read then this is the book for you! Joan Hess brings her characters to life in this book! You'll find yourself laughing out loud at the antics of Hammet, Ruby Bee, etc.
This book is the best in the series (all though I love them all!), I've read each of the books in this series several times over & this one is my favorite by far!