Customer Reviews

But Why Shoot the Magistrate? (MacLaren Yarbrough Mysteries)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book because the cover had a sticker that said if I did not love it, I could return it and get my money back with no questions asked. I figured what did I have to lose? Patricia Sprinkle has since become one my favorite authors. Her Maclaren Yarbrough books are easy reads. I felt like I knew her characters personally and was already missing them as I read the last few pages. If you like Perry Mason, Ben Matlock, or Jessica Fletcher, you will love Maclaren Yarbrough.

The first sentence of a good mystery can "hook me" and then hook, line and sinker I'm into delving into the read trying to figure out the mystery.
Such is the case of this read, But Why Shoot the Magistrate by Patricia Sprinkle. Here's the first sentence, "On the night of the first murder, a full moon sailed over middle Georgia."
Even though this is the second book in the Thoroughly Southern Mysteries series it is probably (in my opinion) one of the best mysteries I've read. I was surprised that I had not read any books by Patricia Sprinkle since this book was published in 1998! I was enthralled from page one.
I truly like MacLaren (yes, her first name), the southern charm and the great mystery of why would anyone want to kill a nurse and then blame the Youth Pastor. Had a hard time figuring this mystery out!
Mac is on the case! MacLaren Yarbrough is back in her hometown of Hopemore, Georgia, with another mystery to solve. There are quite a few eccentric characters who inhabit Hopemore and we also meet MacLaren's sons, Ridd and Walker.
I enjoy a good clean mystery and I love it when an author writes about the "God things" of life. Ms. Sprinkle incorporates a lot of God and Christianity into this short, fast read!
Will be looking for more books from Ms. Sprinkle!
*This book was provided for review by Zondervan*

I picked up this book on a whim and had never heard of Patricia Sprinkle or her other books. I liked the slow pace of writing and the development of the characters. I related to the family dynamics and the description of small-town life. Ms. Sprinkle does a great job of weaving hints of the mystery that keeps you wanting to know more. I would recommend this book if someone was looking for something to read but didn't want to put too much thought into it. Not a memorable book, but good for a lazy weekend!

There is something wonderfully familiar about the locale and the characters in this series. Maybe because I'm in the same age range as Maclaren Yarborough and grew up in the south,it's very easy to identify with her family and friends. I was given this book by a neighbor and since I usually stick to serious mysteries, legal thrillers and some non-fiction, I was sure this would be much too "corny" for me. But I loved it!!!! Hope this series doesn't end!

Once you meet all the Yarborough family, you will want to visit again and again. I read the first book and immediately bought the whole series, and read straight through them.

I've read a few of Patricia Sprinkles novels now and while they are entertaining, after the third one, the plots are all the same. An amatuer detective who everyone insists not get involved, but in the end rely on her to solve the murder. One character is singled out and made the patsy until the real murderer is revealed in the end.

There were two aspects of the book that irritated me to no end, though did not have a true impact on the story. The first is how it seemed no one in the county had a cell phone. Only towards the end did the good Dr. Drew produce one. There were some instances in the story that having the characters possess and actually use a phone that would have made the story more believable. Namely the scene that involved McClaren being trapped in the shed.

The second inference is a purely grammatical one and its the phrase "Co-Cola" that was used several times in the novel. If your characters are drinking Coca-Cola then say they're drinking Coca-Cola or just Coke; it is hardly trademarked anymore. Yes, I realize referring to it as "Co-Cola" is a vernacular and regional reference, but writing it makes the people sound illiterate. Hving lived in the deep South for an extended period of time I know for a fact on the whole they are well educated and pointing out a accent via phonetics is debasing to all involved.

If one is looking for some light reading, "But Why Shoot the Magistrate" will more than foot the bill. The story on a whole is tight and well written, but very predictable to those who have read any number of Ms. Sprinkle's books.

When I finish reading one of these books, I feel like I'm leaving friends. It's enjoyable reading to find basic family values, humor and not obscenity.

This is a well written mystery and it is a great read. The cast of characters really have a sense of being from the south. I cannot put it down.

This is the second in the Thoroughly Southern Mysteries series and is definitely as good, if not better, than the first. MacLaren Yarbrough is back in her hometown of Hopemore, Georgia, with another mystery to solve. This time the youth minister from her church is a suspect in the brutal murder of a young nurse.

We get to meet many of the eccentric characters who inhabit Hopemore and MacLaren's sons, Ridd and Walker. This is a thoroughly delightful mystery with a well crafted plot and people you feel you want to know in real life. I'll definitely be reading more of the Thoroughly Southern Mysteries.

Patricia Sprinkle has such an amazing ability to create characters that you can visualize and you begin to feel like you know them. You feel for MacLaren as she experiences assorted situations, as you would for a close friend. Her books get better and better. One begins to suspect that she has actually experienced the events in her books. Couldn't put it down once I started reading.