Murder Passes the Buck : A Gertie Johnson Murder Mystery [Kindle Edition]

Deb Baker (Author)

Book Description

Murder Passes the Buck is approximately 60,000 words.

When her neighbor is shot and killed, sixty-six-year-old widow Gertie Johnson seizes the opportunity to move on with her life by investigating his death. Gertie is abetted (and hindered) by her grandson Little Donny, man-hungry best friend Cora Mae, and word-of-the-day challenger, Kitty. It doesn’t help that the 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

(March 2011 new cover design by Patricia Ryan)

Editorial Reviews

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 is available now.

Product Details

• File Size: 437 KB
• Print Length: 274 pages
• Publisher: D.B. Publishing LLC (August 4, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002KHMJ6Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,468 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #23 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Humor
  • #31 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 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

Format: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!

34 of 38 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

Format: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.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

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

By Karen J. Dahood

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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

More About the Author

Bestselling, award-winning author Deb Baker writes the hilarious Gertie Johnson mystery series set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A native Yooper herself, Deb brings her blend of humor and sass to everything she writes, including the Queen Bee Mysteries, written under her pen name Hannah Reed. Get to know more about her (them?) at:

http://deb-baker.blogspot.com and http://queenbeemystery.com

Deb, along with mystery authors Julie Hyzy (aka N.C. Hyzy) and Lorraine Bartlett (aka Lorna Barret/L.L. Bartlett), have created a group called THE STORY SISTERS. Join us at our gathering place with other lovers of all things bookish. To sign up, or receive Deb's newsletter, go to her website.

http://deb-baker.blogspot.com