About the Book

Back Stabbers (The Country Club Murders)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Missouri
Henery Press (October 23, 2018)
Kindle Edition, 253 pages
ASIN: B07G5KX6Y4

Dollycas’s Thoughts

First, another great title/music tie-in, from the O’Jays. Really gets you into that 70’s feeling. No cell phones, no internet, no cable tv, but some really fine music!

One of my favorite amateur sleuths is back with her knack of finding dead bodies and her love affair with Mr. Coffee. This time she finds her stockbroker dead and in a way, she will never be able to wipe from her memory. After that bodies quickly start to pile up and Detective Anarchy Jones actually wants her help with the case. This does not make her mother happy at all.  Can Ellison catch a killer or will she be the next victim of the backstabber?

Ellison may be part of the country club set but she never comes off the way. It is her mother that cares about all the social standing. But her parents have been keeping a huge secret. Ellison’s father was in a relationship before marrying her mother. This union produced a child. Karma runs a brokerage firm in San Francisco and has never met the rest of her family. After almost 40 years she makes a trip to Kansas City and stays with Ellison as a favor to her dad. Also, Ellison and Anarchy are moving forward with their relationship to everyone’s delight except her mother. Dead bodies, secrets exposed and Ellison’s dating a detective has sent mom Francis into quite a tizzy.

These characters are so genuine and believable. The dialogues are cleverly written and will have you laughing out loud. Interactions between the characters but especially between Ellison and her mother are pure gems. This author has a unique style and she knows how to pepper the story with humor in all the right places even when taking on serious issues.

This story takes place way before the #metoo movement and clearly shines a light on sexual harassment that was commonplace back then and widespread until recently. Ms. Mulhern fictional take on the subject and involving the murders was very well done. Ellison’s quest to narrow the suspect pool was very intriguing. Who had the most credible motive? Finding out was not an easy task. I loved following along for each and every step.

I have learned that when I start reading anything by this author not to have anything else planned for the rest of the day because I know when I start reading I will not be able to stop. My family has also learned to expect giggles and full out laughter from me during that reading.

This is an excellent addition to this fantastic series. All the characters have evolved so much since the series began, even Francis has grown a little. I do recommend new readers start at the beginning of this series but you can really start anywhere in this series for classic cozy entertainment.