Dance of the Winnebagos (A Jackrabbit Junction Mystery #1)

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Dance of the Winnebagos (A Jackrabbit Junction Mystery #1)

by Ann Charles (Goodreads Author)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 488 ratings · 84 reviews

If Claire Morgan had known she’d be chaperoning a senior citizen sock hop, she wouldn’t have given up smoking. Yet here she was stuck in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona, with an ornery old man, his smartass dog, and a parade of blue-haired babes.

When Claire’s grandfather and his army buddies converge in the Arizona desert, it’s her thankless job to keep them out of trouble wi...more

Paperback, 394 pages

Published October 2011 by Corvallis Press

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May 12, 2013 Douglas Cook rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-humorous, romance

I enjoy Ann Charles "Deadwood" series so I read this first book of another of her series. This is very similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I enjoyed this enough to track down the second in the series.

First paragraphs
Chapter One Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona Friday, April 9th If Claire Morgan had known she’d be chaperoning a senior citizen sock hop, she wouldn’t have given up smoking. Yet here she was, stuck in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona, with an ornery old man, his smartass dog,...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Dotti Elrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a new series by Ann Charles, who also writes The Deadwood series. If you have not read that series I would highly recommend it as well.
Like the other series, this one is well written with great characters that you can't help but fall in love with.
Claire is on a trek to Jackrabbit Junction, a place that holds some special memories for her and her Gramps, Harley. Gramps and a few of his old Army buddies are gathering to do some serious romancing of lovey ladies they have met on the Intern...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Mimi Barbour rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is an absolute hoot! From page one I began to laugh and pretty well kept it up till the end. With such lines as: Jess shared secrets in tabloid style & her body budded, blossomed and dangled fruit…who wouldn't get a huge kick out of the humour. So refreshing! This author's voice is different and you can just feel that she had fun writing her words. In fact, many times they made me wish I'd come up with the line.
A little about the story – Grace came to work for Ruby who owned the R...more

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Jan 22, 2012 D.M. Kenyon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: entertainment-fiction

Imagine if Nancy Drew had grown up in South Dakota, hid out in college for eight years without earning a degree and then accompanied her grandfather and two of his lecherous friends to an RV park in Arizona so that they could hook up with senior citizen internet floozies. Oh yeah, and imagine further that Nancy Drew looks smoking hot in a pair of Daisy Dukes and knows how to weld. You would be just scratching the surface of the highly entertaining world of Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles,...more Imagine if Nancy Drew had grown up in South Dakota, hid out in college for eight years without earning a degree and then accompanied her grandfather and two of his lecherous friends to an RV park in Arizona so that they could hook up with senior citizen internet floozies. Oh yeah, and imagine further that Nancy Drew looks smoking hot in a pair of Daisy Dukes and knows how to weld. You would be just scratching the surface of the highly entertaining world of Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles, Corvallis Press, 2011, Amazon ASIN: B005VKQIUK.

Dance of the Winnebagos, is first and foremost a very fun read. Once you get twenty pages in, you are going to want to read it straight through. I read it over two days and was quite disappointed when it came to an end (but encouraged to learn that there will be a sequel). The narrative voice and the dialogue are loaded with witty banter, the characters are colorful and it is a mystery story in earnest that really is the adult version of a Nancy-Drew-on-steroids mystery set in an RV park.

Ann Charles shows us many signs that she is an accomplished story teller. First, she introduces us to characters like Manny and Chester who are oversexed retirees whose adolescent commentary on women and sex would make a teenage boy blush. Their vulgarity and political incorrectness makes you cringe every time either one of them contributes to dialogue. At first, it seems almost unbelievable that any self-respecting young woman like the main character, Claire, the thirty-three year old granddaughter of Harley, would even tolerate this kind of sexual commentary, much of which is directed at her, from her grandfather's friends. Her grandfather is not much better having dormitory-style rules regulating when Claire may or may not come into the Winnebago in the evenings while he is entertaining a lady friend. But over the course of the story, you find yourself not only getting used to these guys with the same good humor that Claire does, but they become kind of likable. Of course, this requires the reader to descend into the consciousness of the RV park and truly become part of the culture of Jackrabbit Junction.

Another way in which Charles shows off her story-telling prowess is by giving the reader an unlikely, but highly engaging heroine. She feeds us details of the inner workings of Claire's mind by the series of cartoon characters that appear on her heroine's tee shirts as the story unfolds and her amazing relationship to junk food. We are told that Claire has quit smoking and yet we are taunted by Claire's repeated temptation to smoke throughout the book to the point that even if you have never smoked in your life, you are left feeling like you really need a cigarette.

Of course, the author uses sexual tension between Claire and Mac, the geologist nephew of Ruby, the owner of the RV park, to propel both character development and the suspense of the story line. Their relationship develops into a raging passion that gives Dance of the Winnebagos a romance novel component that will not disappoint fans of that genre. Charles flirts with, but ultimately avoids stereotypes to give us characters that are real and lovable. We are introduced to the villain of the story early on, but come to at least appreciate her character with some empathy despite her heinous deeds. This story is not so much a "who-dunnit" as a "why'd-she-do-it" that does not compromise on suspense or action.

In some ways, Charles is reprising a less exotic version of Indiana Jones. Claire tells us that Mac even looks a bit like the young "Han Solo". The mystery unfolds as the characters explore mines that Mac's aunt Ruby is about to lose to the bank unless Claire and Mac can find a way to save them. The real mystery centers on the question of why there is a treasure in the first place, a detail that would have been overlooked if Claire had not been a fan of the television program The Antiques Roadshow. It is the presence of Louis XIV armoires in Jackrabbit Junction that gives the story its uniqueness and its many plot twists.

Ann Charles has given us some quality reading entertainment with Dance of the Winnebagos. Her portrayal of springtime in Arizona, especially the details that she provides about the birds of the area, provides as good a backdrop as any for a mystery. Regardless of your cultural orientation, you will be lured into the RV park at Jackrabbit Junction and you will want to stay for a while.(less)

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Nov 11, 2011 Maxwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most fun books I've read in a long time. The rich cast of characters, and their antics, had me flipping pages - at times embroiled in the deliciously romantic cozy mystery, at others to find out what hilarious stunt would happen next.

Claire is a thirty-something who still hasn't found herself. She's tagging along with her grandfather and his buddies to keep an eye on them. They have their Winnebagos parked in an RV resort where they have invited every retired floozy on the internet to...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense-mystery, review-on-blog, humor

Dance of the Winnebagos is a fun, entertaining, mystery novel. Claire is on a month long trip with her grandfather and his buddies in small town Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona. Harvey, Claire’s grandfather is meeting up with his army buddies for some card games and women-chasing. Claire keeps busy working at the small general store doing odd jobs, and trying to help the owner, Ruby figure out a way to keep the RV trailer park the mines left to her by her deceased husband. Mac is Ruby’s nephew and...more Dance of the Winnebagos is a fun, entertaining, mystery novel. Claire is on a month long trip with her grandfather and his buddies in small town Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona. Harvey, Claire’s grandfather is meeting up with his army buddies for some card games and women-chasing. Claire keeps busy working at the small general store doing odd jobs, and trying to help the owner, Ruby figure out a way to keep the RV trailer park the mines left to her by her deceased husband. Mac is Ruby’s nephew and he is trying to help Ruby figure out how much the mines are worth to help her come to a settlement with the bank and a mining company who would like to buy the mines. When Claire’s dog is dog-napped from the mines one night, Claire and Mac discover that there might be more in the mines than copper.

I really enjoyed Dance of the Winnebagos. This book is full of colorful characters and a mystery that is not easily uncovered. Claire’s grandfather and his buddies are always making crass jokes and inappropriate comments. They are a group of funny, dirty, but likable old men. At first, I wan’t Mac’s biggest fan, he was not the most friendly person and he just wanted to finish his job and go on vacation. However, as he got to know Claire, he warmed up and I got to like him more. Mac and Claire spark a bit of romance, and that fit very nicely into the story as well.

What I really like about Ann Charles’ work is her opening lines. She has a way of writing opening lines that grab you, make you curious about the story and you want to keep reading. The opening line of Dance of the Winnebagos is:

“If Claire Morgan had known she’d be chaperoning a senior citizen sock hop, she wouldn’t have given up smoking.”

From page one, line one, I was hooked on the story, and I was not disappointed. The villain in the story is obvious, she has her own point of view throughout the story. However, the mystery is not easy to unravel. There are many different pieces to the puzzle, and unraveling the mystery with the characters is very fun. The setting is different, a trailer park in the desert with old mines. Digging around the old mines is a great place for the curious heroine and reluctant hero to get lost and run into trouble.

With unexpected events, humor, and mystery Dance of the Winnebagos is a highly entertaining, charming read. Readers who enjoy mysteries and books with humor will love this book, I know that I will be watching out for book two in the series.

I received this book for review**(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, mystery

This is the first book in the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series by Ann Charles. In reading the beginning of this book, the author Ann Charles tells us about she came up with the title first, while playing hangman with a coworker. When her coworker asked her what it meant, Ms. Charles said she didn't know, but that it would make a great title for a book. And she is right, it does, I was intrigued enough to start with this series instead of her other. Additionally, Ms. Charles states that the cha...more This is the first book in the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series by Ann Charles. In reading the beginning of this book, the author Ann Charles tells us about she came up with the title first, while playing hangman with a coworker. When her coworker asked her what it meant, Ms. Charles said she didn't know, but that it would make a great title for a book. And she is right, it does, I was intrigued enough to start with this series instead of her other. Additionally, Ms. Charles states that the characters in this book are related to her Deadwood Mystery characters. Though I haven't read that series yet, I didn't feel that I missed anything by starting with this series.

We are introduced to Claire Morgan, the main female character in this book as she is fighting with her grandfather, Harley Ford's dog, Henry over a bone. Claire is basically chaperoning her grandfather, while he is RVing with his old Army buddies at the Dancing Winnebagos RV Park in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona to meet women that they chatted with online. Claire's mother, Harley's daughter, has basically guilted Claire into keeping an eye on her grandfather. The RV Park is one where Claire's grandmother and grandfather came every year to visit. Her grandmother's ashes are even scattered underneath a cottonwood near the RV Park.

Claire gets a job working as a handywoman around the RV Park and finds out that Ruby, the woman who owns the park is going to have to sell her old copper mines to pay off some Bank Loans. The mining company will then strip mine the land and disturb her grandmother's resting place. Claire embarks on a way to figure out how to help Rosy find the money without resorting to selling to the mining company.

Ruby has asked her nephew Mac, who is a geotechnician, to appraise the mines to make sure that they give her the right price. Immediately Claire and Mac end up on opposite sides of this issue. Watching them fight and circle around one another was great fun.

The secondary characters in this book were all very vivid and distinctive, from Harley and his 2 Army buddies, Manny and Chester, to Ruby and her teenage daughter Jessica. The dialogue of the old men was a hoot to read. Almost like another supporting character, was the music that was playing in the background. In nearly ever scene, there is a song playing on a radio or jukebox. Adding these songs in, really helped set the scene and make it come alive for me.

This book is told from several different POVs. There is Claire, Mac and Sophy. We find out right away that Sophy is the bad guy of this book. What kept it interesting is that we never knew exactly what she was going to do next. I was often surprised about plot points. Let's just say that the foreshadowing was very well done. *g* Overall, I liked this book. I will read the second book and go on to read the Deadwood Mystery books as well. (less)

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Nov 10, 2011 *Babs* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, mysteries, adventure

When Claire's grandfather and his army buddies converge in the Arizona desert to find new wives, it's her thankless job to keep them out of trouble with the opposite sex. But when she finds a human leg bone and partners with a reluctant geotechnician to dig up secrets from the past, trouble finds her. If she doesn't stop digging, she could end up dead.

I found myself laughing out loud with this book. This is the first book I have read by Ann and now I am a fan. Claire and her adventure with Henry...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Miranda Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed this book. Having read Ms. Charles' Deadwood Violet series I was eager to jump into the next thing I could get my hands on and it was Claire's tale of Arizona escapade with her grandpa Harley, his mischievous dog Henry and a hot geotechnician she didn't expect to find in the RV park her grandpa has set up shop at. You will be taken on a wild ride as Claire digs up a mess load of treasure, murder, and just maybe the love of her life. If that's not enough her grandpa Harley and his...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first in a new series by Ann Charles! 'Dance of The Winnebagos' is a great start to a promising series. Ann is known for humor mixed with a great mystery and this was exactly that.

This cast of characters was a hoot!
Claire Morgan is a great character. She's loyal, fun, witty and frankly, too curious for her own good. No worries though, that curiosity is what makes this novel so interesting.
Harley Ford is a man on a mission. Well, if you think. 'When the trailers a rockin`, don't come...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, comedy-romance, ebook-kindle

I love Ann Charles and this is a first in a new series. Claire is a rather aimless young woman who is on a trip with her grandfather Harley in his Winnebago. He has been coming to the same campground in Arizona for many years. He and his Army buddies now use it as the dating club for older women. There she meets the woman who runs the campground along with her daughter and nephew Mac. Slowly she gets involved in a mystery that involves an old mine,and a human bone she has found. The dialogue is...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Les marked it as did-not-finish

I found it sophmoric. Lots of junior high school level sexual inuendo. The plot was slow and not really interesting.

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May 13, 2012 Maureen Vincent-Northam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dance of the Winnebagos is as much a romantic comedy as it is a mystery story. The book is peopled with some wonderfully witty characters. Main protagonist, Claire is a likeable thirty-something who’s staying with her grandfather in a RV park in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona. The grandfather, along with his aging but randy buddies, provide plenty of opportunities for sexist gags (both of the humorous and the finger-down-the-throat kind).

Claire becomes entangled with a mystery when her grandfathe...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Whitney Oaks rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book cracked me up! Just the thought of all those old men getting together with the online ladies, is enough to make me giggle out loud.
I loved all of the characters I was supposed to like and I hated Sophy.
I think that was pretty much the author's intent anyway.
I laughed out loud a lot and found myself talking to Claire, trying to get her to be a little more open to the idea of Mac. I really liked his character and if she hadn't chosen him, I would've! LOL.
I can't wait to see what hap...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, thriller-mystery, romance, humor

Not for the serious of heart! If you don't have a sense of humor, you will not like this book.

Claire is sent with her grandfather on his annual trip to Arizona where he and his dog, Henry, stay at an RV park. Claire gets a job working for Ruby, the owner of the RV park to get away from her Grandfather and his filth-minded cronies who meet him there - where they play cards and chase women. (Claire gets her fill, much to her chagrin, of 65+ year old women in bikini tops and thongs!)

Ruby is in dang...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

There is a lot I liked about this book. But there is also one thing I don't like. When reading mysteries, I don't like scenes from the "bad guy's" perspective, because it eliminates the mystery of it. I read them like puzzles--trying to spot the clues and put it together faster than the protagonist. That possibility is eliminated when you see scenes from the perspective of the perpetrator. I really think this book would have been better if written without those scenes.

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Oct 26, 2012 Cathi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because I loved the Deadwood series so much. This was nothing like the Deadwood series. This one had no mystery, the culprit was obvious from the first page. This one also had no humor. I never laughed once but I counted pages til the end. I couldn't wait for the end. The only happy moment for me was the end. Probably if you haven't read the Deadwood series this would be a fairly good book. That's why I gave it 2 stars instead of none.

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Feb 01, 2013 Lisa Cox rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It wasn't "laugh out loud" funny all throughout, but there were quite a few places where I was asked what I was chortling about as I was reading. The mystery was good -- deep enough, didn't telegraph the solution, and complicated enough to keep my interest. The pacing of the book was great. I'm really glad to have discovered this author.

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Jul 24, 2012 Jo Dunn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Start with a hilarious cast of Viagra-poppin' Lotharios on the prowl, a rip-snor(t)ing beagle and a rebellious teen . . toss in a hunky geotech, headstrong women and a dastardly villian . . top it off with a rock-solid, page-turning mystery and you've got Ann Charles' Dance of the Winnebagos! I really enjoyed this book, it held my attention, it kept me laughing ( a lot!) and it's definitely a book to add to your to-read list! Highly recommended!

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Jan 09, 2013 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 13

Can a wise-cracking 30 something woman amateur detective drag a wise-cracking hunk of a man into murder, a dognapping, a treasure hunt and romance. You bet. I loved the repartee between Claire and Mac and I liked that (for the most part) they told each other what they had discovered about "the case". Naturally the "god guys" catch the "Bad guys" in the end and love reigns supreme.

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Dec 28, 2011 Kriss Morton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another colorful character from the world of Anne Charles! Having lived in Arizona I found this to be rich with memory invoking images. The mystery surrounding the minds and the RV Parks deceased husband lead Claire and a hot Geo-engineer on an adventure that boggles the mind and kept this girl turning pages as fast as I could!

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May 27, 2012 Linda Baker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-lending-library

Dance of the Winnebagos is another quick, fun read from Ann Charles. I really enjoy the locations of her books and her quirky characters. I found the old men very funny, but the humor got a little tedious by the end. However, I do look forward to the next book in the series.

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Mar 24, 2013 Marissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really like Charles' other series, the Deadwood Mysteries. The main character in that one, Violet Parker, is a likeable realtor with an equally likeable beau.I didn't find the main character in this one or the guy at all likeable, so I really didn't care about the story. Think I'll just stick with Violet and Deadwood from now on.

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Nov 04, 2011 Tiki rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid 4.25 and a fun read! Ann Charles writes as though it's effortless and as usual, draws you in, makes you laugh out loud (a lot!) and creates a nice mystery and romance that is the perfect escape. I will absolutely snag the next in this series as soon as it's out! If you haven't read her Deadwood Series, please don't miss it!....Two books out so far, that rate more than 5 stars, with bk3 due out early 2012!

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Feb 29, 2012 Sandra Gilbert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dang I love the way Ann Charles writes. Her stories are so full of humor and passion. And I am not talking just about sexual passion (although there is plenty of that too), I am talking about a real depth of feeling and character that makes you cheer and cry for her characters.

Excellent story.

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Jan 11, 2012 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a treat to discover Ann Charles! Her books are witty, sexy and so entertaining. It's not often I laugh out loud while reading a book but Ann had me doing that many times over. I look forward to buying many more books from her!

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Jan 16, 2012 Beth Dounane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Funnier than I expected. The characters are funny, but not all that believable. The main character, Claire, gets herself into trouble, but is smarter than smart. This is a romantic comedy with a mystery spin. It's a fast read and enjoyable.

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Feb 11, 2012 Marilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-four-star-more, hardback-paperback

I just loved this book. I loved the characters, the story and all the mischief that they seemed to have happen around them. These are the most true to life characters I have read about in a while. I think its my family you have written about.

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Oct 25, 2011 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy, mystery, series

While I didn't like this as much as her Deadwood series, it was still a lot of fun with likeable characters. I will be reading anything Ann Charles writes. She has become one of my favorite authors in only 3 books.

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Aug 12, 2012 Karen added it

A silly story of a camp ground with older folks having as much fun as their counterparts two generations below. Mystery was nicely twisted but not too hard to not figure out.

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