Despite finding the first book slightly lackluster, I wanted to give the series a continued chance. To my delight I enjoyed this one much better than the original, bumping it up a star, as Skye encounters a richer plot and more tension in her personal life. Despite the mystery and plot of the first, I didn't think there was enough basic tension to play off; here it's more impressive as Simon surprised me with some colors I never expected to see, Wally wooed me, and Skye's family was shown in a grimmer light.Mystery wise, it was pretty damn good. I wouldn't have figured out the culprit from clues alone, even if I didn't leave surprised. I enjoyed the multitude of red herrings used to throw me off track, all without any clear motives. The plot 'twist' was a decent one, again not guessed early on by yours truly. The story begins well with Skye encountering yet another difficult set of parents - this is a major theme for the book - and I especially loved the ending wrap-up with her and her mother. Too cute. The middle was fast-paced and attention-grabbing, making the book go fast in a hurry.Skye's a great character who fights her way through the bogus school system as a student psychologist, yet she's not unrealistic in the realities she must face and settle. I especially felt horrible for a certain boy who felt the brunt of the politically incorrect system, and couldn't imagine being in the position Skye was, where she had to be the bearer of bad news. If school shrinks really go through what she did in this book (a little less dramatic I'd hope), then it's not a glamorous job. She's also unusually displayed as a plus-sized individual, proud of the fact she's big boned, having thrown out the dieting fad a year ago, yet still exercising and just being happy with the way she is. What a refreshing change that can be to read about.Swanson decided to bring up relationship issues not touched upon much before, which I hold mixed feelings about. I can understand Skye's reluctance but it almost seems a bit too forced in this day and age and with her personality to last so long. Either way, we see a true side of another character, and I suppose that person's role is permanently changed. I did hold qualms with how she dealt with some of the family and town during the investigation, though. I mean, she's determined to solve her grandmothers death - obviously - but this seemed to overcome her need to be sensitive at certain moments. I thought she was a bit too ruthless at times, so that did irk me a little.As before, this "cozy" mystery stayed warm and soothing, with violence implied and bloodshed nearly nonexistent. Characters worked well together, mixing up an interesting ensemble that propelled the story forward into a satisfying finale, even if her personal life was left an open book, obviously "to be continued."
In the second book in this series, school psychologist Skye Denison is shocked when her sweet grandmother is found dead. She was in excellent health and Skye doesn't think she died a natural death, so she encourages the police to investigate her death. It turns out that she was poisoned and Skye starts pointing the finger at family members, uncovering secrets and trying to solve the murder.I really, really liked the first book in this series (Murder of a Small Town Honey) and given how big this series is (the 16th book will be published in September) I know I'm going to enjoy this long-running series set in Scumble River. The second book didn't disappoint at all. I liked how Denise Swanson has built on the characters in the first book, and they are all back for more adventure in this instalment. Skye's brother, Vince, is back and he looks to be starting a new relationship with a mystery woman. Skye is trying to discover if she can trust her current love interest, after the disastrous near marriage she previously suffered, and Skye's mother, May, is driving her crazy trying to make Skye behave and settle down.I found the mystery component super intriguing. Not just because the mystery was hard to solve, but because the victim is usually someone disliked. Well not so in this case, as Skye's grandmother was well liked and it looked like it was a family member that killed her. With so many family members against her investigation, Skye (and me as the reader) has a hard time trying to find the killer.The Scumble River mysteries are fast becoming a favorite of mine. The characters are charming, the mysteries are interesting, and I'm looking forward to taking another adventure with the gang in Scumble River in book 3, Murder of a Sleeping Beauty.
Do You like book Murder Of A Sweet Old Lady (2001)?
AUTHOR: Swanson, DeniseTITLE: Murder of a Sweet Old LadyDATE READ: 02./26/11RATING: 4/BGENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Mystery/2001/Signet/251 pgsSERIES/STAND ALONE: #2 Scumble RiverTIME/PLACE: Late 1990's/Scumble River, ILCHARACTERS: Skye Denison/school psychologistFIRST LINES: Skye Denison warily studied the hostile faces of Gus Yoder's parents.COMMENTS: Another nice visit to Scumble River. Skye discover's her maternal grandmother dead in her bed. Altho' she was getting on in years & did have a live-in housekeeper/caregiver, Skye noticed some discrepancies and didn't believe this was death by natural causes...
—Pam
This was passable, but I think Swanson's mysteries are just not quite up to par. I gave her another try because I like my fluff reading to be series; I get to become familiar with the characters and coming back to them time and again feels like watching a favorite tv show. It's a guilty but comfortable pleasure, like an old faded pair of sweatpants.But from now on I'll stick to old friends like Stephanie Plum and Kinsey Millhone. Evanovich and Grafton's series' are just plain better written than these.
—Rachel
I liked this book better than the first one, I really liked how the characters continued to grow in this book.....and in the first book, it's never explained how Skye got fired from her first job. It wasn't answered here, but it was alluded to and more information came out.....information that wasn't vital to the plot of the first book wasn't shared, bits of it were in the second book, to help develop the characters and aid the plot. I really like how a little more is shared each book, so you can really get to know the characters better, but still follow the plot. Definitely recommend this series and I'm kinda bummed that I have to wait to read the next books.
—Michele
