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A review by dollycas
Batter Off Dead by Maddie Day
lighthearted
mysterious
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
While the fireworks fly a resident of the Jupiter Springs Assisted Living dies, and not from natural causes. There was a killer in their midst and Police Lieutenant Buck Bird’s father Roy may have heard the murder happen. Roy is blind but his other senses work just fine. In a weird twist, this person’s death is similar to an unsolved homicide from years ago. The victim then was Roy’s wife and Buck’s mother. Robbie just knows she has to help whisk up the killer and maybe even solve both homicides.
Wow, this is the 10th book in the series and these characters continue to excite me as soon as I open the book. Robbie and Abe are happily married and settling nicely into their lives together. Her team at the restaurant is kept hopping by a crush of locals and tourists eager to fill their stomachs and catch up on the latest news/gossip. Danna is a little under the weather this time but doesn’t miss much work. Robbie is lucky that she can usually find people to help when she is in a pinch. Buck arrives daily usually for breakfast and lunch depending on what case he is working on. Man, that man can put away food! It is always nice to catch up with these primary characters.
This time we meet two new fantastic characters. Buck’s dad Roy resides at Jupiter Springs Assisted Living Home. He is such a kind man that has not had an easy life. He handles his blindness with such courage. He knows his limitations, has a great outlook on life, and likes to knit too. But he was very close to the victim, Vi Perkell, and is truly grieving. We also meet Simone, Buck’s grandmother, and that woman is as sharp as a razor and keenly remembers things from the past. Robbie gets to visit with both of them and they become fast friends. They are also able to give her some great insight to help in her pursuit to find the truth.
Readers are also introduced to Edna Warner and Joan Lindell. Two sisters who have come west from Connecticut. Joan is moving into Jupiter Springs Assisted Living to be closer to family and her sister is staying in one of Robbie’s upstairs rooms for a few days to get her sister settled before she returns back east. They get a front-row seat to everything happening in South Lick. Edna even steps in to help Robbie out when she is short-staffed. These ladies were fun to get to know.
We meet other new characters as Robbie starts to dig into Vi Perkell’s death and there are quite a few but this author does an excellent job fleshing them out and making each one unique.
The mystery is very complex with plenty of moving parts. The connection between the current death and the one in the past really adds to the story, especially because it is personal to folks Robbie cares about. I really enjoyed the tenderness she had with Roy and Simone and how she could then turn tough to get answers from others. It wasn’t an easy solve either because there were so many things knit together that had to be unraveled to get the full picture.
What I enjoy most is Ms. Day’s writing style. She is very descriptive giving readers a clear sense of everything and she blends the mystery and everyday life seamlessly. While not a Hoosier, she always makes me feel right at home with the Midwest dialogues and idioms too.
Batter Off Dead