Deb Baker Reviews

Added November 23, 2007

Murder Grins and Bears It

Author: Deb Baker
Publisher: Midnight Ink Books
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: May 2007
Genre: Mystery: Cozy/Comedy
Format: Trade paper
Price: $12.95
ISBN-10: 0738709840
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-0984-0
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Murder Grins and Bears It is laugh-out-loud funny! This second book in Deb Baker's mystery series will have readers cheerfully riding shotgun as Gertie Johnson revs up to catch another killer. (Although readers should probably offer to drive because Gertie doesn't have a valid license, but, hey, that's a minor thing to this gutsy gal!)

Gertie is one of my favorite characters. If I could, I would gladly traipse around the Michigan woods, handing her spray cans of paint, in case she needs to disguise her vehicle, or making sure her stun gun in fully charged. This lady has the smarts of Sherlock Holmes and the tenacity of a Wal-Mart customer in the clearance aisle. Watch out, Yoopers!

In this book, Gertie's grandson, Little Donny, (a nineteen-year-old who weighs in at 280 pounds) goes missing, right after a game warden is shot in the woods. Although it sure looks suspicious, Gertie's grandmotherly instincts have her donning her bright orange suspenders and tramping into the woods, which are filled with trigger-happy hunters. With a bird feather as her most promising clue, our heroine sets off on a mission of madness with her trusty partners, Cora Mae and Kitty. This threesome, better known by their company name, the Trouble Busters, is a unique blend of brains, brawn and batting eyelashes. After a few false starts, these determined detectives find the right trail as well as a few surprises.

Written in the first-person, this comical chase for a killer offers a bird's eye view of the situation. The character of Gertie steadily leads the way in this story, as she bumps over dead bodies and stays one step ahead of her sheriff son. Although there is a laugh on practically every page, there is also a genuine mystery to solve, and readers are invited to sit alongside our senior citizen sleuth to solve it. The clues and the craziness lay down a trail that leads to a very satisfying conclusion.

Go get 'em Gertie! I'll be waiting patiently for the next book.

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Added June 12, 2007

Murder Passes the Buck

Author: Deb Baker
Publisher: Midnight Ink Books
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: August 2006
Genre: Mystery: Cozy/Comedy
Format: Trade paper
Price: $12.95
ISBN-10: 0-7387-0872-0
ISBN-13: 9780738708720
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Don't pass up this book! Deb Baker brings a fresh new voice and some truly funny moments to this novel. Readers will love the character of Gertie Johnson, a smart aleck, but definitely not senile, senior citizen who has a penchant for detective work. Her offbeat thoughts and actions are hilarious, yet she manages to stay on target as she zooms in for the true identity of the murderer.

When Chester Lampi was shot in his deer blind, Gertie suspected it was murder. Unfortunately, her son, Blaze, the local sheriff, considered it a hunting accident. Undeterred, and despite Blaze's petition to become her legal guardian, Gertie stalks the killer with female savvy and a fully charged stun gun. Although the tracks from the crime scene to the conviction zigzagged a bit, Gertie gets the gunman and even earns a little respect along the way.

A murder mystery, packed with madcap madness, makes this book a delight to read. Written from Gertie's perspective, the story follows this gutsy grandma as she interviews suspects, sets a trap and even illegally searches a house. She enlists her best friends, Cora Mae, the man chaser, and Kitty, the queen of bobby pins, to help her, and together this threesome stumbles along after the killer. The action creates genuine laugh-out-loud moments, endearing these gals to readers' hearts.

Yet, despite all the chuckles, there is a real murder to solve and Gertie collects the clues with the passion of a bloodhound. The spotlight of suspicion hovers over a few likely candidates, and the conclusion is more than satisfying. Hopefully, Gertie Johnson will be back in future books. She's one special lady.

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