The Case of the Clobbered Cad : a Nosy Parker Mystery

GIVEAWAY

THE CASE OF THE CLOBBERED CAD : A NOSY PARKER MYSTERY

Inspired by the Girl Detective, the members of the Olentangy Heights Girls' Detective Society, affectionately known as the Nosy Parkers, spent their formative years studying criminology, codes, and capers. Unfortunately, opportunities to put their unique skills to work were thin on the ground in the post-war boom of their little corner of suburbia and they eventually grew up to pursue more sensible careers. Until...

Heather Munro's youthful devotion to The Girl Detective led to a passion for digging around in history. Now pursuing her Master's Degree in Celtic Studies, Heather must balance exploring Edinburgh with her determination to excel in her all-male classes at the University. Unfortunately on her first night working in the Archives room, she discovers the dead body of a visiting professor, the same would-be lothario she'd hoped never to see again.

As clues come to light, it's clear someone hopes to frame Heather for the murder. Besides her quirky landlady, whom can she trust? How can she clear her name? The police and the American Consul have plenty of suspects, but only two seem to have both motive and opportunity: Heather and the quiet Scottish historian she longs to trust.

My Review:

I'm gobsmacked over how utterly delicious this book is. (And also that the author used gobsmacked in a sentence in the story!) My inner girl sleuth is doing tailspins and loop-de-loos and I'm still grinning like a Cheshire Cat over how much of a campy fun read this was.

If you are looking for something Nancy Drewish for grown-ups look no further. The Nosy Parker Mystery series is definitely going to satisfy. And seriously, can you get any more retro than this title? Clobbered Cad -- snicker.

It's 1956 and Miss Heather Munro is in for the adventure of her life. After spending her youth enamored with The Girl Detective, she's put away her childish dreams of sleuthing in favour of pursuing her Masters Degree...in EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND!!!! If that doesn't set you squealing, I don't know what will. (Anyone remember The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes aka Nancy Drew?!) That's totally irrelevant but this book has me in such a giddy literary tizzy I can barely get my words out. Taking a deep breath and trying to gather my thoughts.

So we have a young ingenue foreign student in Scotland, her crackerjack landlady, Mrs. K, two potential Scottish suitors (be still my heart -- the brogue!) and the cad, of course (who gets clobbered.) And since the police seem to be getting everything wrong, Heather and friends decide to work at getting it right.

Truly superb mystery writing -- Marvin leaves a trail of clues tossed liberally with red herrings and a bevy of interesting characters, some of whom make excellent suspects. Or do they? Clever plotting, an excellent cast and the hint of romance make this a real delight of a read. I can't wait until the next book comes out...oh, wait, I don't have to. The Counterfeit Clue by Lisa Karon Richardson is out now too!

And this is where I need to explain how this series works. It's based around the girls in the Olentangy Heights Girl Detective Society (or Nosy Parkers). Each girl -- now a young woman -- will get her own book(s) and her own author. So this is a multi-authored series but each author sticks with one heroine all the way through. Am I making any sense? In other words Debra E. Marvin will always write about Heather and Lisa Karon Richardson will always write about Gemma...and I'm guessing there will be other authors and heroines in this series as well. I think it's a clever way to approach a multi-authored series and I'm really looking forward to more mysteries...especially involving Heather and her Scottish 'friend'. Sigh.

My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to The Case of the Clobbered Cad, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to your comment remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday September 3 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!