Customer Reviews

Murder of a Sweet Old Lady: A Scumble River Mystery

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Skye Denison was a school psychologist. This meant many parents got angry at Skye whenever their kids did something wrong at school or their child showed signs of being abused from home.

Being quizzical was necessary in Skye's job, so when she found her grandmother dead and a few curious items wrong, she made sure an autopsy was done. The rest of the family balked at the idea until foul play was found. The whole family seemed to be selfish, greedy, and full of secrets. Instead of wanting to find the killer, they all wanted Skye to stop poking her nose where it did not belong so they could hurry up and divide all the land and belongings!

The more family secrets Skye uncovered, she more she was amazed! Grandmother Leofanti had kept a lot of the family history silent. She had only recently began telling Skye some of it. There were a few problems going on at the school as well. So when some very cruel pranks are pulled on Skye, no one was sure if it was the work of the killer or a disgruntled parent.

***** This story is AWESOME! Many suspects, many clues, and many problems. This one will test the wits of the best mystery readers, no doubt! It is well written and the plot begins rolling almost immediately. The author captured my attention (as the reader) in the opening sentence. That always impresses me. Personally, I hate to go several chapters and STILL wonder what the heck the book is about or if it will ever get better! This one starts off with a bang and continues non-stop.

Even better, the story is complete, but Skye's life is left open and ready for the next mystery. (In fact, I understand "Murder Of A Sleeping Beauty" will be out around April 2002. ) This looks to be a very promising series of mystery books.

Do not start this one until you can settle down comfortably with no interruptions for at least a few hours. Have a drink nearby, because once you begin, you will not want to stop reading. Highly recommended! *****

In the 2nd book in the Scumble River mystery series, we see amateur sleuth, Skye Denison working hard at fitting into her hometown and finishing up the school year. Skye is a school psychologist, returning home to live and work after humiliating herself while delivering a valedictorian speech 12 years prior. It seems that Skye left with a chip on her shoulder about "the small minds of those in a small town" and has to return home with her tail tucked firmly between her legs after losing her last job. Since she left her last job in disgrace (although it was not her fault), the only job she can get is in the school system that she shunned when she left town. While trying to re-establish herself in her hometown, she helped to solve a previous case that cleared her brother of murder.

In this case, Skye has been spending a lot of time with her grandmother to re-establish broken ties and to learn more about family history. When her grandmother dies suddenly after being given a clean bill of health from her doctor, Skye gets suspicious. And when she learns that her grandmother's caretaker has vanished, family members start to hypothesize that she murdered the grandmother. While suspecting everyone (including her own family members) Skye determines that she will ferret out some old family secrets and in doing so will prove who killed her grandmother. Add to this that Skye is having difficulties with some students at school, and you have an interesting, engaging cozy mystery!

I enjoyed this book much more than I had the first book in this series. I felt that the first book was valuable for its character development but did not offer as much of an interesting read as this one did. I like the characters in Scumble River, and enjoyed all of the relationships between family members as described in this book. I also enjoyed the fact that Skye faced a huge ethical dilemma, and it was interesting to see how she would handle this situation. If you like cozy mysteries involving small towns, give this series a try.

The first book in the series is "Murder of a Small Town Honey". Enjoy!

Scumble River, Illinois school psychologist, Skye Denison, knew something was wrong when she went to visit her grandmother after school, that day. Several hawks were circling the farmhouse, something she'd never seen before. The front door was locked, the declawed cat, Bingo, was outside and her grandmother's live-in nurses aid, Mrs Jankowski, had disappeared. But the last thing she ever expected to find was Grandma Leofanti, dead, lying in bed with the sheet pulled up over her face. Though strong as an ox, Grandma had been slowly losing her mind and Skye had taken advantage of these daily visits to talk with her about the past and learn the family's history. Her relatives are more than willing to chalk up Grandma's unexpected death to natural causes, but Skye insists on an autopsy that concludes Grandma Leofanti was murdered. Now as a very determined Skye tries to find out who would kill a "sweet old lady" and why, uncooperative relatives are stonewalling her efforts and long held secrets start popping up in everyone's backyard..... Murder of a Sweet Old Lady is a well paced, entertaining mystery full of twists, turns and surprises that will keep you turning pages to the end. Ms Swanson's writing is crisp, her characters, engaging and her scenes, vivid and realistic. Easily read in one sitting, this is perfect light summer reading, great for the beach or long car and plane rides. For those new to Skye Denison and the Scumble River series, start at the beginning with Murder of a Small-Town Honey. For those of you who are already fans, this second mystery doesn't disappoint.

Skye Dennison is still in Scumble Creek trying to get her life back together. Her job as school psychologist is challenging, but just when she makes some progress, a parent, school board member, or administrator messes it up. Her love life is confusing. The one bright spot is her afternoons with her grandmother, who is helping her write the family history. Then, one afternoon, she finds her grandmother dead and the housekeeper missing. Foul play is suspected. Her relatives are the suspects. Then, her tires are slashed, her windows are broken, she is threatened by both her own relatives and the parents of the students she sees. Who really killed Grandmother Leofanti and why?

This is an engrossing mystery. Once I picked it up, I read it until I reached the last page. The characters are so real you feel that you know them. Although there are definite clues, the mystery wasn't easy to figure out. I can't wait for the sequel.

created an enjoyable mystery story with interesting characters, that is. Skye Dennison's feuding family, including her obnoxious cousins make this a great read. Like the first book in the series, Murder of a Small Town Honey, there are also some references to Skye's work as a school psychologist to round out the plot.

If you like mysteries with amateur detectives with usnusal jobs and a nice sprinkling of humor, both of these books are good picks.

i read a lot, mostly cozys (light mysteries) i cut my teeth on nancy drew and the bolton sisters even the hardy boys i graduated to the cat who books and miss marple. even morse and dalgleash were guests on my night stand. i read an average of one book every day or two. after many years i can usually tell who done it early on/ figure the plot/ hope for a surprise to keep from getting bored. i like mary higgins clarke and enjoy many others as well.
however swansons book about a small town (much like my own) with all the family "stuff" much like my own, hit a nerve.for the first time since i read"penny nichols and the plack imp" at the age of ten i was spellbound within a story. she is smart, plump, works for a living, loves her brother and parents,SHE IS REAL, and i can't wait to read more of this heroine. for several hours i and my cat were lost within your pages of adventure and i thank you for that. the story was light, i didn't have to consult my dictionary. i was pleasantly involved without having to waste time in tracking twining story lines. this book is the type to tuck in your purse and carry around that is if you can leave it long enough to carry it. ill now order the next offering from this author

Skye Denison, who like so many young people fled her small hometown, is back after a bit of bad luck. Working as a school psychologist, she is trying to live down her past and adjust to small town life again. In the second book in the series, Murder of a Sweet Old Lady, Denise Swanson has taken us back to the delightful town of Scumble River, filled with eccentric characters. Skye has developed the habit of going by her grandmother's house each day after work to hear stories of the family history. When Skye finds her grandmother dead in her bed, the family is outraged when Skye suggests it might be murder but since the housekeeper is missing, the family convinces themselves that she is the killer. So they are even more outraged when Skye starts looking at family members. And when Skye finds herself the victim of several acts of vandalism, she isn`t sure who is behind them, a family member or the angry parent of one of the children she are counseling. As Skye digs down to the disintegrating roots of her family tree, she is left wondering if destroying the family is worth the price of unmasking a killer. And while she is trying to find her grandmother's killer, she is also having to deal with some very sticky issues at work when her boss asks her to lie on a report, the same issue that got her fired from her last job. Swanson does an excellent job of dealing with some very sensitive issues, while at the same time creating a delightful, fast-paced cozy.

For years Skye Denison's goal was to leave her small Illinois town of Scumble River. When she finally achieves her objective, her life falls apart. The Chicago school psychologist requests the Children's Protective Services look into a potential child abuse case. Her boss demands she withdraw her complaint, which Skye refuses to do so she is fired. Losing her fiancee right afterward, a beaten Skye returns to her hometown.

Although Skye still wants to leave town, she needs a new nest egg plus she has her beloved grandma to visit everyday. Her grandma's mind is slowly deteriorating, but she still is able to tell Skye the family history as well as any professional storyteller. However, one day Skye arrives to find her grandma in bed with a sheet over her head and the housekeeper missing. Though it appears her granny died in her sleep, Skye insists on an autopsy only to learn someone killed her beloved relative. Needing closure while she grieves, Skye seeks out who and why anyone would murder a sweet old lady.

Skye is a quixotic mix of vulnerability and strength that leads to reader endearment. The story line is a skillfully executed amateur sleuth tale that shows that Denise Swanson, with only two published books, is on her way to the top of the genre. Though the audience will feel sad that granny was killed, they will also exult in a magnificent tale written by a wonderful author.

<p.Harriet Klausner

I just love Skye Denison, Denise Swanson's amateur sleuth. She's a school psychologist who has to battle parents who can't wrap their flaccid minds around the fact that perhaps their little Betty or Reginald isn't as perfect as paradise. With these little battles to...well, battle, the last thing poor Skye needs is someone to murder her beloved grandmother, Antonia Leofanti. But someone has. Sky finds her grandma dead as the proverbial doornail in the poor old lady's bedroom, with the covers pulled up over her head, only a cloud of wispy gray hair peeking over the top. Later on the same day, or perhaps the next day, Antonia's maid and caregiver, Mrs. Jankowski is found in an abandoned well or some such, along with a half a pan of poisoned brownies jammed in beside her. As if all this isn't enough, Skye is almost positive that the person(s) who murdered her grandma and Mrs. J is a person in her family. This is a fun, fast mystery that I had a terrible time putting down.

This was my first time reading one of Denise Swanson's books and I will definitely read the rest of the Skye Denison series. From the very first chapter, I was hooked on the small town flavor of the book. Ms. Swanson's writing style takes the reader through twists and turns that entice the mystery connoisseur. Perfect light reading for a vacation.