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Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow [Mass Market Paperback]

Jo Dereske (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


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Book Description

December 8, 1999
Booked for Trouble

With an audit going on at Bellehaven's Public Library, it couldn't be a worse time for librarian Helma Zukas to be serving a sentence of fifty hours of community service. But Miss Zukas stubbornly refused to pay what she thought to be an unjust traffic fine and now she's doing time at the Promise Mission for Homeless Men--ladling soup and clearing tables for a motley group of ungrateful down-and-outers. When Helma discovers there's a rash of thefts going on at the mission, she's appalled. Add to that, the unannounced visit of a high school flame who intends to win her hand, and Helma's ready to run to the auditors for relief.

But none of that can compare to the shock when, during the first night of her service, a body is found just outside the mission's back door. Suddenly in the wake of a heartless homicide, Helma becomes one of the suspects, and her fifty hours of service are looming like a life sentance. Fortunately for the otherwise law-abiding librarian, her gaudy, bawdy good friend Ruth is close at hand to help her solve the case...before she ends up doing hard time in a much worse place than the mission house. Booked for Trouble

With an audit going on at Bellehaven's Public Library, it couldn't be a worse time for librarian Helma Zukas to be serving a sentence of fifty hours of community service. But Miss Zukas stubbornly refused to pay what she thought to be an unjust traffic fine and now she's doing time at the Promise Mission for Homeless Men--ladling soup and clearing tables for a motley group of ungrateful down-and-outers. When Helma discovers there's a rash of thefts going on at the mission, she's appalled. Add to that, the unannounced visit of ahigh school flame who intends to win her hand, and Helma's ready to run to the auditors for relief.

But none of that can compare to the shock when, during the first night of her service, a body is found just outside the mission's back door. Suddenly in the wake of a heartless homicide, Helma becomes one of the suspects, and her fifty hours of service are looming like a life sentance. Fortunately for the otherwise law-abiding librarian, her gaudy, bawdy good friend Ruth is close at hand to help her solve the case...before she ends up doing hard time in a much worse place than the mission house.



Editorial Reviews

Review

"An enchanting series...I love Miss Zukas mysteries!" -- Carolyn Hart

"Dereske makes you want to read more about these people and look forward to the next installment in this series." -- Ludington, MI News

"You will want to try this nifty series." -- Mystery Lovers Bookshop

About the Author

Jo Dereske grew up in western Michigan and is a former librarian who now lives with her husband in the northwest corner of Washington state. She is currently at work on the sixth book in the Miss Zukas series.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (December 8, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380804727
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380804726
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jo Dereske grew up in western Michigan and now lives in the foothills of Mount Baker near Bellingham, Washington. She draws on her Michigan background and Lithuanian heritage for her books, especially in the Miss Zukas and Ruby Crane mysteries. She's a former librarian who believes that libraries are one of our last truly public institutions, where the entire world can mix and mingle amid the written word - what could be better! Jo's website: www.jodereske.com

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great episode in the Miss Zukas chronicles, June 5, 2000
This review is from: Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)
Wilhelmina Zukas, reference librarian for the Bellehaven (Wash.) Public Library, finds herself doing community service at a mission for homeless men. When a library board member is murdered outside the mission, Miss Zukas is quick (once again) to help police in their investigation ... while a prior public disagreement with the victim places her in criminal suspicion as well. If you've read any of the other titles in this series, you'll enjoy following the continuing sagas of: the weather in Bellehaven; the bizarre antics of Ruth, Helma's artist friend; and the glowing embers of the quasi-platonic relationship with Wayne Gallant, the city police chief. And those of us in the library profession can easily identify with many of the quirks of the library staff and patrons. "Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow" is a quick and delightful read, and you might not figure out who the murderer is until just before Miss Zukas does!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Miss Zukas is back, same as ever!, January 10, 2000
This review is from: Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)
Not much has changed for good ole' Helma! I enjoyed the plot and, as usual, the characters, but it doesn't seem like there was much different from Ms. Dereske's other novels with Ms. Zukas. Gotta love Ruth!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Helma works at a mission, April 29, 2002
By 
Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)
Helma Zukas is given a ticket for running a red light, but she refuses to pay the fine, feeling that the ticket is unjustified. In lieu of paying the fine, Helma works at a mission for homeless men, dishing up food and doing other chores. During one of her volunteer nights, an influential businessman is found dead near the mission on his way in to a meeting to consider a grant proposal. He is also on the library board and has disagreed with Helma on policy in the past, thus placing her on a list of suspects. Helma discovers that there are lots of people with an ax to grind against the victim and she begins to sort through the clues and suspects in order to find the murderer. As always, her artistic friend Ruth serves as a comic foil for the straight-laced Miss Zukas and the road to a solution is an entertaining one.
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