Shadow of an Angel: An Augusta Goodnight Mystery (Beeler Large Print Mystery Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Mignon Franklin Ballard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002 | Series: Beeler Large Print Mystery Series

After the sudden death of her husband, Minda Hobbs returns to Angel Heights, S.C., the home of her forebears, to seek peace and purpose in her life. Instead, she finds her n'er-do-well cousin Otto as cold and stiff as yesterday's grits in the ladies' room at the historic Minerva Academy.

Shocked by her cousin's murder and still grieving over the loss of her husband, Minda has mixed emotions when she's greeted by her guardian angel, Augusta Goodnight. Shimmering with church window radiance, and smelling of strawberry jam, Augusta is a temp who's come on a double mission-to help Minda solve Otto's murder and to take care of unfinished business from an assignment in 1916.

Even though Otto could be unbearable at times, an annoying laugh is hardly cause for murder. Minda's only lead is a tiny gold pin, found wedged in a Minerva Academy bathroom stall, and its connection to a club called the Mystic Six. Together, Minda and Augusta trace the descendents of this secret society, piecing together clues that lead to a special quilt and the mystery behind Cousin Otto's unfortunate demise.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Do you believe in magic, miracles and guardian angels? If so, you'll enjoy Ballard's third cozy (Angel at Troublesome Creek; An Angel to Die For) to feature ethereal Augusta Goodnight. Angel Augusta fills in as a temp guardian for young widow Arminda Hobbs, who finds her cousin Otto dead in a ladies' room stall at the local museum, once the home of the Minerva Academy girls' school. Childish mysticism, an overly complex plot and a cast of characters so large it requires a list at the front may put off some readers, but those willing to suspend disbelief will be engrossed by Minda's efforts to track down Otto's killer now that she's returned to her sleepy hometown of Angel Heights, S.C... By the end Augusta Goodnight fans are sure to have built up an appetite for the next book in the series, just as Minda develops a taste for her angel's homemade muffins.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Minda Hobbs goes home; her husband, Jarvis, is dead, and she seeks the comfort of her family and the family homeplace, fondly called the Nut House in Angel Heights, South Carolina. The terrific first sentence clues us in to the tone: "Things got off to a rotten start when I found Cousin Otto dead in the ladies' room." Humor, gentility, and understatement are the order of the day, even regarding the angel, Augusta Goodnight, who assists Minda not only in solving the mystery but also in returning to life and its comforts after Jarvis' death. The tenuous memories of old women, among them Vesta, Minda's grandmother, tie together a sewing circle of young women before World War I, a secret society with the symbol of a star enclosed in a flower, and a mysterious quilt that seems to have disappeared. How this all relates to the current day--and Cousin Otto's death--involves family secrets and lots of herb tea and angel-made muffins. Lighter than Augusta's nondescripts. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Thomas T Beeler (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574904337
• ISBN-13: 978-1574904338
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,539,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a delightful cozy mystery, September 7, 2002

By 

mamareadssomuch "mamareadssomuch" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow of an Angel (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

These Augusta Goodnight mysteries are wonderful with a cup of tea. This third installment of this clever and unique series, introduces the reader to Arminda who is recently widowed and visiting with her grandmother. Her cousin, Otto, is murdered and she finds the body! The story weaves around an antique quilt and family members from the past and present interlock to solve this mystery.

I'm looking forward to Mignon's next Augusta Goodnight read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful and whimsical cozy, May 12, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow of an Angel (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This may be the worst moment in Minda Hobb's life because she is mourning for her young husband she loved very much who died in a freak lightening accident while they were on a picnic. She moves back to her hometown of Angel Heights, South Carolina where she has another traumatic incident. In the woman's bathroom of Holley Hall, in the stall next to the one Minda was using, she comes upon the body of Cousin Otto.

At first everyone believed he died a natural death but the coroner rules it a murder. Feeling alone and frightened, Minda moves into the family home where she meets her temporary guardian angel, the heavenly Augusta Goodnight. Working together with some help from Minda's family, it is discovered that Otto's death and an attempt on Minda's life has its origin in a secret society two generations back who made a quilt that contained a deadly message somebody today doesn't want made public.

SHADOW OF AN ANGEL is a delightful and whimsical cozy costarring a protagonist that fans will like and sympathize with and her charming guardian angel. Augusta discreetly nudges Minda in the direction she wants her to go. The mystery itself is a cerebral teaser that will confound most readers but the joy in this novel is not the answer but the quest to find it.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This series gets better and better, July 16, 2002

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Shadow of an Angel (Augusta Goodnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Arminda Hobbs has returned to her hometown of Angel Heights after the sudden death of her husband. She needs the comfort of her family. Unfortunately, she finds the body of her cousin Otto in the Ladies Room of Holley House, formerly the Minerva Academy. She also finds a curious pin. The design is reflected in an Alma Mater sampler done by her great grandmother, and a mysterious quilt passed along from member to member of a group of friends. How does this all tie into Otto's murder? Fortunately, she has her family and a guardian angel to help her.

The Augusta Goodnight series is fast becoming one of my favorites. The temporary guardian(her real job is tending heavenly strawberry fields) once again steps in to solve another mystery, in this case, she is tying up loose ends from a previous job. I found it very hard to put this one down and can't wait until the next one.