Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am happy to share my thoughts today about Hippie Wagon Homicide (Twister Sisters Mysteries)
by Mildred Abbott!
About Hippie Wagon Homicide
Hippie Wagon Homicide (Twister Sisters Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Small farming/tourist town in the Missouri Ozarks
Wings of Ink Publications, LLC (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover : 474 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8408091980
Paperback : 626 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8795278049
Digital Print length : 476 pages
ASIN : B09K4ZPZ93
Cordelia Davis lives with no regrets, despite her life-changing drastically a half-century ago when a tornado altered the destiny of the little Ozark town of Willow Lane. The town grew back stronger and more beautiful, and Cordelia, her sister, Pamela, and her best friend, Wanda, built a life to treasure.
As Willow Lane honors the memory of those lost and celebrates all that has been achieved, tragedy refuses to remain in the past. News of murder rocks the pastoral countryside when Cordelia discovers a body on her farm, beneath her beloved willow tree. And while the police make an immediate arrest, Cordelia finds herself untangling a web of lies and long-ago secrets.
With suspects in every nook of her cozy town—and an old flame knocking on her door—it will take all Cordelia’s tenacity to face the past and to weather the mysteries of Willow Lane.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Willow Lane has handled a lot of drama in its past. A tornado 50 years ago not only changed the town but its residents as well. They rebuilt the town and tried to leave the past in the past but now the mayor wants to celebrate and memorialize the event that took 22 lives. Cordelia Davis allows her wonderful farm to be the site to kick off the event.
The party seemed to have gone off without a hitch but the next morning Cordelia finds a dead body against her very special willow tree. The police quickly wrap up their case with an arrest but Cordelia feels they have made a huge mistake. She decides to investigate the murder herself and she opens up a huge can of worms that opens up new wounds and old before everything is revealed.
I was a little leary about reading a cozy mystery that was almost 500 pages long but I have wanted to read books by this author for quite a while and this new series was my opportunity. After I started reading I quickly understood the length of the story. The author introduces a huge cast of characters, including 2 dogs and a goat named Breakfast. Every chapter brings a new face or two and the greatest thing is that each chapter starts with a picture of the character featured in the chapter. No imagination is necessary the characters are there in living color or black and white depending on which device or format you are reading.
Cordelia Davis is the main character and together with her sister Pamela and their friend Wanda, they are the TWISTER SISTERS. They cater events and deliver meals to the elderly and shut-ins of Willow Lane in their tricked-out Hippie Wagons. Each old Volkswagen van is personalized especially for its owner. Cordelia’s has flowers, Pamela’s has hearts, and Wanda’s has stars. Each woman is as unique as their van.
I think we meet almost every other resident of Willow Lane. Keeping all their connections and their histories straight was a little tough at first but I broke out my little notebook until I made my way further into the story. It is a diverse cast that comes alive within these pages. They are each unique, realistic, and well-developed for the first book in the series, hence the extra pages.
The mystery flowed at a slower pace than I am used to but that pace soon felt very comfortable amidst everything else taking place within these pages. There was the perfect balance between mystery and everyday life. The story is very well-plotted with some terrific twists. I loved the tie-in to the Wizard of Oz. I was also happy to see that the town really learned from its past when rebuilding. I wonder if more towns are doing the same thing.
Hippie Wagon Homicide
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About Mildred Abbott
Preoccupied with everything found in cozy mysteries: Puppies, Books, Cozy Mountain Towns, and Baked Goods. Although not obsessed with murder, however. At least not in real life (No contract killing here). But since childhood, starting with Nancy Drew, trying to figure out who-dun-it has played a formative role in everyday life. Author of the Cozy Corgi series
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Purchase Links – Amazon
Coming May 15, 2022
Coming July 15, 2022
Also by Mildred Abbott
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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.”
Dollycas, Thank you sooooo much for both reading the book and taking the time to write such a novel review! AND, maybe most importantly, to me, giving a chance to a cozy mystery that’s a little… different than expected. I’m thrilled you enjoyed and connected with the characters!
What an intriguing mystery! Willow Lane sounds like a very interesting town with a great cast of characters.
I really like cozy mysteries–they always seem to include some really interesting characters.