Customer Reviews

Misery Loves Maggody: An Arly Hanks Mystery (Maggody)

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

 

 

The Joan Hess Maggody books, set in and around the fictional town of Maggody, Arkansas, are all delightful if you are looking for light, entertaining fiction. In this book, the murder takes place away from Maggody while some of the most enjoyable Maggadonians are on an Elvis tour. Maggody Chief of Police Arly Hanks winds up at the crime scene and finds herself up to her wry smile in mystery. If you can't laugh at the weird way Americans view our world, avoid this book. If you have a good sense of humor and don't mind that some of the humor is directed at your own values, read it and enjoy it. If you have not read any of the Maggody books, you might find the books more enjoyable if you started with the first book in the series and worked your way forward.

Despite the fact that this book had some "formula" style plot lines (very similiar plot to Maggody in Manhatten") I loved the Elvis references (and "sightings!") and the strange, strange, world of the Buchannons. It was a good quick read and I enjoyed it, although it was probably not the strongest book in the series.

In this installment of the Maggody series Ruby Bee and Estelle head off on a bus tour to Memphis for some Elvis worshipping. There's plenty of strange characters along for the ride and the natives are restless in Maggody. The misery in the title comes from all the things that go awray during the tour but we're kept laughing the whole time. Joan Hess writes her characters so believable that you feel like they're your next-door-neighbors. What more can you ask for than Elvis siteings-casinos-gambeling and possibly satinists? A good time was had by all!

As an adoring devotee of the Maggody series, I was truly disappointed in the latest saga of the delightful folks of Maggody. Ms. Hess has entertained me with names of the Buchanon tribe, antics of Ruby Bee and Estelle, etc. so much that I have read each book three times. Her character development is so precise that I would recognize any citizen of Maggody if I met him/her on the streets of Moscow. There were too many dangling plot threads in "misery" (perhaps to be developed in future books?). My friends and I agree that although this book didn't made the grade, Ms. Hess's track record is still unsurpassed by anyone. Surely in the crown jewels of England there is one tiny rhinestone!

The combination of a mystery along with Joan Hess's humorous descriptions of Maggody Arkansas, make for delightful reading.

Joan Hess again provides a good story with a bit of history of the midsouth, and the foibiles of the human condition that are not limited to the mid south. Now we have a bit of Elvis thrown in with a cast of the regulars, and some additions as well. It is another great story by an engaging author. I truly enjoyed it.

Arly Hanks returns to Maggody, a town of 755 people, to recover from the trauma of marrying and divorcing a Yankee. She accepts the job of police chief, thinking that nothing major ever occurs in a small burgh like Maggody. However, she quickly reassess her opinion when her town is invaded by Hollywood, militia crazies, a militia unit ,and a belief that a UFO invasion occurred.

Arly's mother Ruby Dee and her friend Estelle go on an Elvis vacation where they see the Maggody Mayor in a motel with a woman, who is not his wife. Arly is soon shocked when her mother ends up in the hospital after collapsing for no apparent reason. The police chief is further stunned when the Mayor is arrested for allegedly throwing an exotic dancer off a balcony to her death. Instead of helping her mother, Arly is up to her armpits in police cases.

The eleventh Maggody mystery is the funniest and probably the best written novel in this very good series. The primary and secondary characters are a hoot and a half as they exaggerate small town living. The various subplots coherently weave together into a fantastic tale that should not be missed. Joan Hess is a writer whose novels keep getting better and better.

A very enjoyable book well written, excellent story development. I am glad I bought and read it! However - more crude than usual - I will not be so quick to pass it on to my daughter or recommend it to friends. Hess gives us a paragraph or two on her personal feelings on some social issues as well. Not too strong, just noticable and not there in earlier works. I do hope Hess goes back to the light humor with out the soap box that made her stories so enjoyable!

A friend found an autographed copy of this book and gave it to me for a housewarming gift. I waited until I was moved in and dug into the first page. I live 15 miles south of Memphis, and I just knew this book would "knock my socks off." Like several others, I was disappointed in this latest Arly mystery. Perhaps the Maggody books are best when set in Maggody with its familiar, quirky residents. I still had some laughs and was interested in the plot and new characters, but this would not rate as the best in the series. Joan Hess, however, on her worst day tops many of the rest. I love the Maggody residents better than I love my own kin, and the townspeople of Maggody are much more entertaining!

I have been absolutely hooked on Ms. Hess' series since I first discovered Maggody a year ago. As a fellow Arkansas, I can appreciate the references to our neighbor in Memphis who still who has quite a loyal following in our state. I love the eccentric(yet totally believable) characters who populate Maggody and the big city of Farberville--vintage rural southern towns!! I read this on a flight home several weeks ago, and I giggled the whole way home!!