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Murder in a Basket (India Hayes Mystery #2)
by
Amanda Flower (Goodreads Author)
College librarian India Hayes thought the worst thing about the Stripling Founders’ Festival was her pink gingham pioneer dress until she discovered the body of a free-spirited basket weaver on the festival grounds. The basket weaver leaves behind an angry blacksmith husband, a confused adopted son, greedy siblings, a dysfunctional artists’ co-op, and a labradoodle with a...more
Hardcover, First edition, 284 pages
Published
January 2012
by Five Star
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In this charming and witty cozy mystery, India Hayes, academic reference librarian, returns to solve more murders. India’s eccentric, elderly landlady, Ina, wants to act as Watson to her Holmes. India’s family members are colorful individuals. Her parents, for instance, love to fight for causes and demonstrate. At the local Founders’ Day Festival in Stripling, Ohio, India operates a face-painting booth. The woman in the adjoining stall, Tess, ends up being murdered. The victim’s body is found by...more
What attracts me to a cozy mystery is interesting characters, and writing that doesn't read like it was written by a 2nd year English composition student. When I read a cozy, I'm looking for a fun, light read. However, I don't want to me insulted. That's what I like about this series. The heroine, India Hayes, is a college librarian and aspiring artist. Her parents are interesting: former hippies and still very much activists in their community. Her mother is a Presbyterian minister, father is r...more
This is the second book in the series and while it's an improvement overall, I still think the secondary characters need a lot of work. The main character of India seems only to fight with her 'best friend', whose presence in the mystery is token, at best; Her family treats her like the shabby step-child she isn't, constantly bossing her around and treating her badly and her elderly next-door neighbour is a caricature - she comes across childish, rude and impetuous.
The plot of the mystery is sol...more
The plot of the mystery is sol...more
I Sooooo hated the ending. It was one of those 'solution to the mystery on one page'...with an epilogue that managed to apportion the $ the crimes were about to 2 unsympathetic characters and leave out the orphan son of the first victim (who had originally been bequeathed the $ to take care of her and her son's education)entirely!!!
I was reading in bed and found myself unable to go to sleep at the superficiality of it all combined with the belief that the author must have been in such a hurry t...more
I was reading in bed and found myself unable to go to sleep at the superficiality of it all combined with the belief that the author must have been in such a hurry t...more
College librarian & amateur artist India Hayes tries to do someone a favor & gets way more than she bargained for again in her second outing. This time, India is reluctantly helping her older sister, who is in charge of their small Northeastern Ohio college town's annual Founder's Festival, by running a face-painting booth. She quickly makes friends with her neighbor, a local woman who is a basketweaver & member of an area artists' co-op. India is therefore understandably very nonplu...more
I’m not ashamed to say that this book appealed to the Murder She Wrote fan in me. I hadn’t heard of the cozy mystery genre before, which is completely absurd since it’s right down my alley (see the last sentence for the reason why). The fact that the main character is a librarian is absolute perfection. The oddball characters that populate the small Ohio town she lives in only made it better. I’ll grant you that this isn’t high literature. However, it is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afterno...more
Another good mystery by Amanda Flower. This is her 2nd book in her India Hayes series and it was another great cozy mystery. I am really loving the main character, India Hayes and her wacky family.
This story takes place after her brother Mark left town after India "cleared" him of murder. India is helping her older sister Carmen Stripling town festival when she stumbles on another murder and is asked to help solve the case. I enjoyed getting to know India's family more in this book and see a pos...more
This story takes place after her brother Mark left town after India "cleared" him of murder. India is helping her older sister Carmen Stripling town festival when she stumbles on another murder and is asked to help solve the case. I enjoyed getting to know India's family more in this book and see a pos...more
Artist and librarian India Hayes is helping out at the local art fair, which beats defying her sister Carmen, who's running the event. Returning after the fair closed to find a forgotten item, India finds the dead body of one of the craftspersons. Everyone seemed to like the deceased, so maybe the motive lies in a family conflict about a peculiar will? India's eccentric family and her feisty landlady Ina add color to this delightful second series episode.
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Hmm. I like cosy mysteries because they are usually undemanding and transport me to a place I'll probably never go in real life. However, the characters have to be engaging. These ones are superficial and not developed. Some, like Ina, are caricatures and thrown in as a token old woman with eccentric habits.
I'll probably read the next one to see if the series improves, but can only rate this one with two stars.
I'll probably read the next one to see if the series improves, but can only rate this one with two stars.
2nd novel in the India Hayes Mystery series, this lives up to the first novel. India's character is just as interesting and complex as before, and this time when murder comes calling in her town again and she just "happens" to be the one to find the body, she is more than able to connect the crime to the killer with her "librarian" trained skills - research, research, research! Again, finished in one day.
Another great installment involving India Hayes smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. She stumbles across the body and try as he might, Detective Mains cannot get her to leave it alone. She is joined by her landlady in this investigation involving arts and crafts and past and present mysteries. Great read
Very entertaining mystery -- I didn't like it quite as much as the first India mystery but it was a good read -- love the characters, just enough humor and I also liked the little bit of blossoming romance. I figured out the killer a little sooner than I wanted to, but overall very enjoyable read.
As the second book in a series, I was already familiar with many of the characters. I am very fond of the main character and the mystery in this book is just as good as in the first. I can hardly wait for another India Hayes mystery to be released!
This is the second book of Amanda's that I have read. I like her characters in this series, they are diverse and some have non-traditional roles (in books). It is a refreshing change from other books that I have read. Know of others, please share.
I love the fact that it takes place at a ficitonal college near me. She is a research librarian who also teaches classes at the college. For fun, she pains and deals with her cat, Templeton. She needs a romance. Ina, the old Irish lady is a hoot!
Great book, this is the 2nd in the series. Amanda Flower is waiting to see if she gets a green light from her editor for book 3. Lots of humor throughout books 1 and 2. Don't know who makes me laugh the most Ina or India' s parents! Hope the series will continue!
More of a two and a half because the heroine is a college librarian with way too much time to go sleuthing in the wake of murder during a craft fair on the college grounds
Another fun crime solved by India. I enjoy this series and love the intereting cast of characters with all their quirks.
A little slow to develop but overall a good mystery. Look forward to more in the series.
I liked it well enough to request the first in the series from my library.
I am enjoying this new author. Hoping she keeps writing. She's funny and witty. Type of book I am needing right now.
I liked the latest India Hayes book very much... perfect Hurricane Sandy reading. I do think the romance is progressing at a snail's pace though! More action!
E
Well, I guess Amanda Flower's first India Hayes novel was no fluke. Murder in a Basket was great too! This is quickly becoming one of my new favorite cozy mystery authors.
All of the characters, a love interest, some quirky family relations, and a cracking good mystery. All the right ingredients.
All of the characters, a love interest, some quirky family relations, and a cracking good mystery. All the right ingredients.
May 19, 2013
Kelly
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Carol
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2013
Jenn M
marked it as mystery-detective-private-inv
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Amanda Flower, an Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was an Agatha Award Nomine...more
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