Bubba Done It
by Maggie Toussaint
My turn today on this wonderful tour!
Bubba Done It (A Dreamwalker Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Georgia
Publisher: Five Star (May 20, 2015)
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1432830670
E-Book ASIN: B00XK2DURU
Amateur sleuth and dreamwalker Baxley Powell is called in on a stabbing case. She arrives in time to hear the dying man whisper, “Bubba done it.”
Four men named Bubba in Sinclair County, Georgia, have close ties to the victim, including her goofball brother-in-law, Bubba Powell.
She dreamwalks for answers, but the victim can’t talk to her, leaving Baxley to sleuth among the living. The suspects include a down-on-his-luck fisherman, a crack-head evangelist, a politically- connected investor, and her brother-in-law, the former sweetheart of the victim’s ex-wife.
The more Baxley digs, the more the Bubbas start to unravel. Worse, her brother-in-law’s definitely more than friendly with the victim’s ex-wife.
Between pet-sitting, landscaping, and dreamwalking, Baxley’s got her hands full solving this case.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
In this follow up to Gone and Done It
I really like Baxley. A strong woman dealing with life the best she can. In addition to dreamwalking and consulting with the local police she does landscaping and pet sitting to provide for herself and her daughter. He husband has been declared dead by the military but all his benefits are tied up in red tape. There are even some indicators that he may not be dead.
All of the characters, Baxley, her daughter, her parents, the Bubbas and more are very well written. Sheriff Wayne drives me a bit crazy. I picture him as a Barney Fife from Mayberry, only with more power. He bumbles around this case looking for a quick, easy solution without trying to see the big picture. Just because the dying man whispered, “Bubba done it” doesn’t mean you arrest the first Bubba you see. The South is full of Bubbas. He even pulls one of the out of the hospital having medical tests done just because his name is Bubba. He is more of an arrest first, ask questions later kind of guy. Thank God for Baxley and her butting in, I mean consulting, on the case.
Baxley and her family’s gifts of dreamwalking, crystal powering and ESP connections really flow easily throughout the story. The reader just knows this is their way and it is very natural. I do have to say it was just a little hard to read so soon after losing my son. I really wish there was a way for me to dreamwalk and talk to him to understand more about his death. I did my best to set that aside so I could enjoy this story.
This case is tied up by the last page but we still have questions. Is Baxley’s husband alive? and if he is why hasn’t he come home? Does Baxley’s daughter have dreamwalking abilities too? Just how do Baxley’s parents make ends meet? I am anxiously awaiting the next book to find out more about this great cast of characters.
About This Author
From her youthful days of tree climbing and dreams of flying to her career days of pocket-protector geekiness as a toxicologist, Southern author Maggie Toussaint remains riveted by a good story. As a book aficionado, she put into practice what she’d learned and began penning novels.
Maggie is published in mystery and romantic suspense, with six titles in each genre. The third book in her Cleopatra Jones mystery series recently won the Silver Falchion Award, while her romances have won the National Readers’ Choice Award and the EPIC eBook Award for Romantic Suspense. She also writes science fiction under the pen name of Rigel Carson. More at www.maggietoussaint.com.
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This giveaway is for one e-copy of a book from the author’s backlist. Winner’s Choice.
Here are a list of her books:
Dime If I Know
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Bubba Done It sounds like a good book with a lot of Bubba twists! Thank you for the giveaway.
Thanks for the review and the giveaway!
Lori,
I am delighted to be here and even more delighted to have been on the Great Escapes Book Blog Tour. Each stop has been fun and fascinating and different! I appreciate all your efforts for me, especially the nudge to find more ARCs! I will plan better for my next release, I promise.
Thanks for believing in my characters, especially Baxley, who’s trying to balance everything while at the same time being true to who she is. Not an easy task for anyone in this world, I assure you. She’s a challenge to write as well because I don’t want anything to happen to her, LOL. But that’s not the way the mystery world turns…
I wanted to make a note here again with another condolence about your son. Death and loss is never easy, and it was just that sort of trigger that prompted me to write about a character who could talk to loved ones on the Other Side. I’ve said it before: I’m not psychic and I can’t do what Baxley does. And I have my departed loved ones lodged firmly in my heart, but still. There’s that sense of “I want to tell my sister this,” or “I’d like to ask my mom about that.”
Those thoughts launched me into what if mode so that, in my fictional world at least, I could ease people’s burdens. I’m such a sucker for a happily ever after.
With regard to the ongoing series questions, the whereabouts of Baxley’s husband will be revealed, I promise, but the reveal comes in its own time. Book 3 of the series, DOGGONIT, is contracted for 2016, and I have the 2017 book ready to sub if I can find a free moment to go through all the materials again. My 2018 book is a hot mess right now. I’ve got the main mystery plotted out, but Baxley’s private storyline is evolving with each page I write. I know where she’s going, but she insists on taking a different route!
In any event, writing makes me happy, and it’s a blessing that readers enjoy the series. I have several more story ideas after Book 5, so I’m looking forward to a long association with Baxley Powell, who, by the way, was named for a Georgia town with a power plant. I wanted her to be powerful, you see. (Okay, bad pun. Forgive me.) One day I’ll share the true story of how Baxley got her name.
Thanks again for your kind words, Lori, and good luck to all the giveaway entrants on this tour!
Maggie
We all wish we could communicate with someone who has crossed to the spirit world. In Baxley’s case, she has to watch out for the dark entities over there too.
Good point, Nancy. One of the things I try to highlight in the series is that everyone is capable of a continuum of behaviors, all the way from good to bad. While I understand that some people seem predisposed to act one way or another, I like to think that most behavior is a conscious choice. In the case of dark entities, my thoughts run like this. Each time people (or spirits) yield to the dark energy inside them, it becomes harder to respond to the light energy. Therefore, dark entities have turned their back on the light altogether and a pretty much raising sand all the time. Since Baxley is both an annoyance to them and a possible conduit, they alternately harass her or try to trick her into letting them back into the realm of the living.
I’m so glad you stopped by. Thanks for the comment!
Sounds like a fun story! I’m looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for stopping in, Karen. Even though the afterlife may have dark overtones, I try to keep things light and humorous to balance out the yin and the yang of the story.
Maggie, congrats on your release of Bubba Done It. I really enjoy your writing and I have no doubt this is a great read. It’s in TBR pile. Where did you find the inspiration for this particular story?
Smiles
Steph
Hi Steph, So nice to see you here, and I appreciate the comment. I mentioned a little about the story concept in a comment above, but the bare bones reasons for the series are missing my late sister and mother and wanting to try something different. For the story itself, it was a case of about five men chiming in at the golf course when someone hollered “Hey, Bubba!” My husband thought that was too funny. I thought it made a great plot device. Different strokes. Take care, Maggie
I think Maggie Toussaint is an author I am going to have to start following. The Dreamwalker series looks really good! I went to Amazon to check out her other books and saw the Cleopatra Jones series. I found out I already have the first book, In For a Penny (I just haven’t had the chance to read it yet)! Apparently I thought her books looked good before! I would love to win another one of her books. Either way, Maggie Toussaint’s books are going on my TBR list.