The Midwest Book Review calls The Turtle Mound Murder, A DAFFODILS* Mystery witty and hilarious.
(*Divorced And Finally Free Of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum)
Mary Clay is a pen name for Linda Tuck-Jenkins. Her first novel, Starpeople: The Sirian Redemption was voted First Runner-Up for Best Visionary Fiction of 2001.
Move over, Steel Magnolias; move over, First Wives Club. "The Daffodils" have arrived. Named for "Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum," the Daffodils are comprised of Penny Sue Park, Ruthie Nichols, and most recently, Rebecca Leigh Stratton, who is newly divorced from her assets stealing; two-timing lawyer husband Zack. The Daffodils decide to take a trip to their college retreat, off New Smyrna Beach, but Leigh discovers a body on the beach within twenty-four hours of their arrival:
"Then, my finger touched something cold and hard. I leaned forward and grabbed... a cold, stiff foot! It was like a bad dream the one where someone is chasing you, and you try to scream but can't. You open your mouth, straining, yet no sound comes out."
Women are women and men are men in this twist of gender stereotypes. The men are never around when you need them; keep turning up as corpses; and the women have to pick up the pieces, all the while muttering about their connections with the DAFFODILS.
THE TURTLE MOUND MURDER is an entertaining book with strongly defined characters who romp around New Smyrna Beach reliving their college days; tripping over dead bodies; and in general creating havoc and fun. Penned in the best Southern Belle with tongue firmly in cheek, Clay's characters are seen through straight woman Leigh's eyes. Her two pals are flirty and flaky, but she loves them and sees the trio through a string of mishaps that would bowl over a lesser person who was not going through a devastating divorce.
Witty and hilarious, The Turtle Mound Murder engages the reader from the very first page. Mary Clay writes with a sure hand, and Penny Sue, Ruthie and Leigh are all personalities most women have grown up with. The jokes are insiders that all women relate to, making this a Shelley choice for a great read.
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review
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