Murder Passes the Buck: A Gertie Johnson Backwoods Adventure (Yooper Mysteries) [Paperback]

Deb Baker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Yooper Mysteries | Publication Date: August 23, 2009

(first published in 2006) When her neighbor Chester Lampi is shot and killed in his hunting blind, sixty-six-year-old widow Gertie Johnson seizes the opportunity to become a detective. Gertie is abetted (and hindered) in her investigation by her grandson Little Donny, man-hungry best friend Cora Mae, and volunteer bodyguard Kitty. It doesn't help that Chester's death has been ruled an accident by the sheriff of this backwoods community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Or that Sheriff Blaze Johnson happens to be Gertie's son. Whether it's interrogating neighbors, spying, or impersonating the FBI-not to mention staying one step ahead of Blaze-Gertie will do whatever it takes to solve the case, even when the killer takes aim at her. Praise for the series: "Laugh-out-loud funny" Crimespree Magazine "Fans of Janet Evanovich, imagine Grandma Mazur with a shotgun." Green Bay Press Gazette "One of the most memorable heroines in recent crime fiction." Lansing State Journal

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deb Baker grew up in the Michigan Upper Peninsula with the Finns and Swedes portrayed in Murder Passes the Buck. She makes her home in Wisconsin now but visits her family "camp" as often as possible. Other stories in the series include Murder Grins and Bears It and Murder Talks Turkey. Visit Deb at http://www.debbakerbooks.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (August 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1448635403
• ISBN-13: 978-1448635405
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,464,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deb Baker was born in the Michigan Upper Peninsula (yes, she is a Yooper!), which is the setting for her humorous award-winning Gertie Johnson mystery series. She also is the author of the Dolls to Die for series. Deb is currently at work on the Queen Bee mystery series under her pen name, Hannah Reed. Buzz Off & Mind Your Own Beeswax are available now. Look for Plan Bee next year.

For more information about Deb and her books, visit http://deb-baker.blogspot.com or http://queenbeemystery.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AARP ALERT! Gertie's on the Case!, August 5, 2009

By 

Anne Segard (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder Passes the Buck : A Gertie Johnson Murder Mystery (Kindle Edition)

This is a fun book. I really enjoyed it. Right from the start you know the heroine, Gertie, 60 something, is no run of the mill granny. She has bright orange hair, a dye job gone wrong, and she just can't seem to stay out of trouble. From the minute she suspects that her neighbor, Chester Lampi's death was no accident until the conclusion, she's in it. And we, and her friend Cora Mae, also 60 something in her come hither outfits and an eye for the guys, and self appointed body guard, Kitty, are along for the ride. And this ride includes Gertie teaching herself to drive mid-investigation! She's seen others do it. How hard can it be? Whoops! She soon becomes intimately acquainted with a lot of Upper Michigan ditches. This all horrifies and worries her son Blaze, the local sheriff, who's ruled the death accidental. His mother is causing so much attention with her investigation that she's in danger and he fears for her life and even her sanity! (She named her three children after horses: Heather, Star and Blaze.)
What's especially attractive about this book is the age of the heroines - mid 60s. It's a refreshing change to have a book with mature heroines who can have adventures, get the job done and not even have to stop and take a nap!
And as for the word fun at the start of each chapter, I was very relieved to discover that I knew each one!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Evanovich Fans Will Love This Book!, May 13, 2010

By 

Sue Ann Jaffarian "Mystery Author" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder Passes the Buck : A Gertie Johnson Murder Mystery (Kindle Edition)

Picture Grandma Mazur of the Stephanie Plum series sporting hunting orange, living in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, and trying to operate her own PI business, and you have the laugh-a-minute fun of Murder Passes the Buck. The mystery itself takes a backseat to the wacky characters, but if you love slapstick fun, you won't mind. I found myself laughing out loud every few pages.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping Up With Gertie, September 30, 2010

By 

Karen J. Dahood "moxie cosmos" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murder Passes the Buck: A Gertie Johnson Backwoods Adventure (Yooper Mysteries) (Paperback)

Gertie has been on my radar since I began searching out other elder-sleuths. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm writing mysteries with an elder-sleuth, too.) There aren't many in our niche, but I was attracted to Deb Baker's Gertie series especially because I lived in the UP for seven years when I was a child, 1946-52. It is reassuring to know there are still lots of trees standing tall, and that snow up there is high quality. Gertie, too, is high-quality, if a little more colorful that the people I recall. However, she is believable because there were people just as eccentric when I lived there. I am not so sure they were as well-connected as Gertie, which was the tough part for me to overcome: would a real sheriff's mom dare to do the things she does? Maybe in a small town. Or maybe because the UP is still a little wild it's to be expected. I will read some more Gertie adventures just for fun (especially in the summer when it is over 100 degrees here in Arizona). I wish I could take a toboggan ride with her -- and we could share a sauna and talk about how we got our wrinkles.
Karen Dahood