Mad Cow Nightmare (Mysteries Featuring Ruth Willmarth) (Hardcover)

by Nancy Means Wright (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Vermonter Ruth Wilmarth faces her worst nightmare yet in Wright's gloomy fifth mystery (after 2002's Stolen Honey) starring the courageous and resilient amateur sleuth. Not only does the dread disease of the title threaten her small herd of cows and calves but first a few and then a small horde of Irish visitors, relatives of her lover, Colm, descend on her farm. The hate and prejudice that follow the Irish is fueled by one of their number, the abusive Ritchie, who arrives with his sick wife, Nola, to persuade his brother, Darren, to return to his uncle's farm in New York. But it's the threat of mad cow disease perhaps carried by two healthy-looking calves Ruth bought and the possibility Nola carries the human form of it that bring out the worst in everyone. A disappearance, a death and a race against time ensue. Sometimes energized, sometimes overwhelmed, Ruth swings between anger and despair at the unfairness of a potential "plague" ruining all that she holds dear. Only the support Ruth receives from friends and family relieves the tale's bleakness. Agent, Alison Picard. (Apr. 18)
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Review
"A solid farm-based series" -- LIbrary Journal, April '05

"A very good read from Thomas Dunne of St. Martin's Minotaur." -- Mysterious Women April, '05

"The characters and setting are exquisitely created." -- Round Table Reviews April 4, '05

"The masterfully evoked terror of mad cow makes Ruth's fifth her most sharply focused yet." (KIRKUS REVIEWS) -- Kirkus Reviews, March, '05

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312331339
• ISBN-13: 978-0312331337
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,799,414 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong women & changing vermont, March 12, 2005

By	Deborah Straw "author" (Burlington, Vermont United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have loved all Wright's Ruth Willmarth mysteries, and the new one is no exception. Ruth Willmarth, a dairy farmer in rural Vermont, is strong, gusty and intuitive. Each of the mystery novels takes on an issue or two of particular interest to Vermont and, probably, other rural communities. This one tackles mad cow disease and its ramifications, based on a true incident involving sheep in central Vermont. Romantic readers will be pleased to know that Ruth and her long-time man friend, Colm, move a step further to a larger commitment.
This is highly recommended. Wright does her research and her characters are fascinating. A warning, however, the ending is quite a stunner.

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing thriller, March 30, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Nola is recovering from brain surgery in a Toronto hospital when her significant other Ritchie forces her to leave and go to Ruth Wilmarth's Upstate New York dairy farm to talk to his brother. Darren. Apparently Darren has left his Uncle Tormey's Tonawanda farm to work as a hired hand for the summer at Ruth's spread.

Nola left the hospital without being released and a patient died there from Creutzfeldt Jekob disease, a form of mad cow disease that people can catch from infected food. The hospital wants Nola to return so they can test her, but she wants to get her son away from Tormey first. Darren, who is Colm's cousin and Ruth's lover, refuses to go back to his uncle's farm despite his brother's pleading. Ritchie turns violent even towards Nola, but soon is found dead. Everyone except Ruth thinks Nola killed him; Ruth, though she has problems with the USDA confiscating her herd, tries to prove Nola is innocent although her lover Colm is on the police force and convinced Nola killed Ritchie.

Torney is a first class villain who has terrorized Nola, Ritchie, and Darren using an inheritance as a lever to control the trio. When they revolt, he becomes angry and unstable and there is no telling what he will do. Ruth is furious with Tormey because he sold her claves that might have mad cow disease. There are plenty of folks with a motive to kill Torney, but fans will keep reading to learn who performed the deed.

Harriet Klausner