A Killer Maize by Paige Shelton

A Killer Maize by Paige Shelton ISBN-13: 9780425251744 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 4, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Becca Robbins is selling her farm-made jams and preserves at a county fair where business is not the only thing that’s dead…

The last person Becca expects to run into at the Swayton County Fall Festival is her ex-husband, Scott Triplett, who’s operating a shooting gallery. Their unexpected reunion is made more complicated when the Ferris wheel operator, Virgil Morrison, is found hanging from his rickety ride, dead from a gunshot.

Rumors of a gypsy curse and the mysteriousness of the locals about the owners of the fair make finding the truth difficult. Becca must search through a labyrinth of lies, secrets, and superstition to find a kernel of truth.


My Review:
A Killer Maize is a cozy mystery. This book is the fourth book of the series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

The characters were engaging, interesting, and acted realistically. There was a low level of suspense mainly caused by wondering what would happen next and from the creepy feel to the fair and town. The mystery did involve gathering clues, but it wasn't really a "sort through the clues and piece together the puzzle" mystery. Becca got most of her information by watching people and talking with them, so the clues weren't always obvious. I liked that Becca was nice, worked well with those in charge of the investigation, and didn't do really stupid things.

While the corn maze ending was exciting, I still don't understand the logic of everyone looking around and hoping to run into whodunit rather than simply protecting the expected next victim (or victims). Until then, people had good reasons for what they were doing. But, hey, it worked. lol

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable cozy mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.