Murder in the Buff

by Maggie Toussaint

Reporter Molly Darter must obtain the family-placed obituary of a dead nudist to keep her job at the weekly paper. With her husband’s infidelity stamped on her mind, she doesn’t want anything to do with naked people. But the dead woman is a friend, the nice lady from the Marshview organic produce stand.

The nudists insist Barbara Jean didn’t die of natural causes. Though their murder claim rattles Molly, she has no intention of looking into a law enforcement matter. She has enough trouble on her plate dealing with her cheating husband, taking care of her precocious son, and waging war on her trampy sister.

When revealing photos of her father and other community leaders consorting with Barbara Jean at the produce stand come her way, Molly must act. To protect her father, she delves into the dead woman’s past. Barbara Jean had former ties to the community and hidden wealth.

Things heat up when her estranged husband’s undercover drug ring investigation collides with her murder probe. While the sheriff eventually labels the death a homicide, Molly’s questions place her in jeopardy.

Who killed Barbara Jean? Was it the judge, the preacher, or the banker? Or was the killer someone she knew intimately? Only one thing’s for certain. The killer is watching every move Molly makes.

Genres: Mystery

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2012

About the author

A scientist by training, a romanticist at heart, Maggie Toussaint loves to solve puzzles. Whether it’s the puzzle of a relationship or a who-dun-it, she tackles them all with equal aplomb and wonder. Maggie writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance , and science fiction for Muddle House Publishing, cozy mystery for Camel Press, Henery Press, and Muddle House.

She has five published romantic suspense novels: House of Lies (won the 2006 Readers Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense), No Second Chance (won 2 cover awards), Seeing Red (LASR book of the week), Muddy Waters ( Beacon finalist), Hot Water (EPIC finalist, cover art winner), and Rough Water.

Her mystery titles include In For A Penny, On the Nickel, Death, Island Style, Murder in the Buff, Dime If I Know, No Quarter, Gone and Done It, Bubba Done It, Doggone It, Dadgummit, Confound It, Dreamed It, All Done With It, Seas the Day, Spawning Suspicion, and Shrimply Dead. She also wrote a romantic mystery novella series, The Lindsey & Ike Mysteries.

Her next release, SNUFFED OUT, is tentatively scheduled for January 2023 under the pen name of Valona Jones.

Her works blend mystery and romance, often with a dash of humor.

She's a member of Southeast Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and Guppies. She was awarded the WRW Magic Crystal Award in 2004. She also won Silver Falchion Awards, the National Readers Choice Award and the EPIC ebook Award. She's been a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year three times.

Visit her at www.maggietoussaint.com

Reviews

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low on clues to murderer. More interested in everything else. Didn't like MC much. 2 star

[Stephanie Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toussaint entertains with "Murder in the Buff," a cozy crime-mystery. Molly Darter is having a bad day. She's busted her husband kissing her sister and now she's chasing an obituary at the nudist colony for her day job. When the naturalists suggest that their friend, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, Molly doesn't know what's worse - searching for a murderer or dealing with her dysfunctional family.

Set in the contemporary south, Molly is a reporter for the local paper. Her mother is a modern southern belle, her father is pond scum, her sister is spoiled rotten, and her soon-to-be ex, Hadley, is in the doghouse for kissing her sister. The cherry on top of her day is her assignment to visit the nudists so she can write an obituary on Barbara Jean McAllister, a member of the naturalists who has recently passed away. It's enough to give Molly a monster-sized headache.

Mama Leon, the leader of those in the buff insists Barbara Jean was murdered and asks Molly to find the killer. Molly goes home only to discover that someone has placed compromising photos of Barbara Jean with several prominent men from the community in her paperwork. With suspects galore and her pond scum father on the list, Molly knows determining if Barbara Jean has actually been murdered, then going after the killer, is going to be challenging.

Complicating matters is her family. Her husband has involved her sister in his undercover work looking for drug dealers. After a long night, Hadley is caught kissing Molly's sister. Molly is furious and everyone around her feels her wrath.

Can Molly calm down and get to the heart of the matter involving Barbara Jean's murder and her family's problems or will she shoot herself in the foot?

Toussaint's writing style is crisp and sharp. She engages the reader from the get-go. Her contemporary voice brings a rich authenticity to Molly and her predicament. Just when you think it can't get any wore for the heroine it does. Toussaint keeps the reader on their toes with all the twists and turns in the plot.
The supporting cast is a hoot. From Mama Leon and his free-spirited naturalists who sell organic fruit to Molly's uptight mother, everyone in town has a motive to kill Barbara Jean. Molly's got her hands full whittling down the suspect list and managing her family's drama.

Toussaint waves a hint of romance effortlessly into this murder mystery, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next. The love scenes are sensual in nature.

"Murder in the Buff" will keep you turning the pages and leave you wanting to know what's next for Molly, Mama Leon, and the good citizens of Marshview.

[LK Hunsaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Touissaint's Murder in the Buff is a fun romp through the woods, the Naturalist Woods, that is, full of folks who prefer to romp au naturale.

Molly is a small town Georgia reporter, in one of those small Georgia towns where everyone knows everyone and all of their dirty secrets. Or do they? What is all of that Southern hospitality covering up? As it turns out, a whole heck of a lot, to include murder.

I won a copy of this book from a blog tour and have to confess I've known Maggie for several years in my writer circuit. Murder in the Buff is as fun and multi-weaved as the author. Mystery, romance, motherhood, family connections, cultural complications, marital issues, and struggle to determine right and wrong and boundaries all feature in this charming story.

This isn't your typical genre romance with altering point of view between hero and heroine. It's first person, which I often don't care for, all from Molly's view. The funny thing is that I was several pages in before I even thought of the fact that it was first person pov, which tells me it was done well. Molly is a bouncy but serious heroine. At times she's even annoying to the reader, which is a nice ploy to tell us how she is also often annoying to those around her. She's critical and locked in her beliefs. On the other hand, she's thoughtful and willing to reevaluate given circumstances. Hadley, her husband, is a wonderfully flawed but terribly likeable hero. I would have enjoyed more interaction with him, more conversation to get farther inside his thoughts. But Touissaint does a nice job making the reader sympathetic toward this man and willing to enjoy the time they do have with him.

Here and there the story drags in between as it repeats things we've been told that were clear enough already, and I didn't always quite buy the 8 year old son's naivete for his age. Overall, though, Murder in the Buff is a fun romantic mystery, only lightly sensual, and is full of quirky characters that will raise some eyebrows and provide plenty of entertainment.

[Caroline Clemmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Darter is a charming, responsible mother whose job at the newspaper depends on her personally collecting a family-placed obituary from the Naturalist Woods nudist colony. Molly’s conservative policies collide with the colony’s testosterone laden male leader, Mama Leon. Convinced the dead woman was murdered, he insists Molly is the only person to find the killer’s identity. Molly has her own problems. She is convinced her hunky husband, Hadley Darter, has cheated with her irresponsible an trashy sister, Clarice. But Molly needs the newspaper job and that means obtaining the obituary information so she can meet her boss’ deadline.

Forced into investigating the murder, Molly opens Pandora’s box and learns more than she ever wanted to know about various leading men in Marshview, Georgia. She also learns that she knew the dead woman as the friendly saleswoman at the roadside organic vegetable stand. And Sheriff Otis Blizzard, the man who beat her husband in the last election, appears to be trailing Molly. Why is that?

MURDER IN THE BUFF is a terrific cozy mystery. Maggie Toussaint is a gifted author whose clever wit shines through to provide a fast-paced, hilarious read. The only point in which I disagreed with the plot was that Molly didn’t listen to Hadley’s explanation about Clarice. I won’t belabor that because this was such a great read with surprising twists and turns guaranteed to provide suspense, laughter, and a smile at the perfect ending. I’d give a 5 out of 5 rating to MURDER IN THE BUFF and recommend it highly!

[Sharon Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Darcy, intrepid reporter for a small town newspaper is summoned to a nudist camp near her straight laced Georgia hometown by Mama Leon, the leader of the camp. One of the members, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, and Mama enlists Molly’s help to write the dead woman’s obituary and find out who killed her. Molly is uncomfortable among the naked folks, and especially so around Mama Leon, who turns out to be a very well-endowed man. Suspects abound when Molly discovers that Barbara Jean is having sex with many men, including Molly’s own father. Molly discovers secrets that could tear her already dysfunctional family apart. Her father is a philanderer, her manipulative, and her spoiled sister Clarice set her sights on Molly’s husband, Hadley, the former sheriff, her boss at the paper may turn out to be her brother, plus her long-suffering, drama-queen mother had the perfect motive for killing Barbara Jean—jealousy.
Maggie Toussaint blends humor, witty dialog and steamy love scenes perfectly in this well plotted mystery. Can Molly save her marriage to Hadley, save her nutty family and help Hadley find the murderer? Molly is a sympathetic character who discovers what she is made of, where her love belongs, and who killed Barbara Jean.
MURDER IN THE BUFF is one laugh-out-loud, terrific read

[Suzanne Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Murder in the Buff" is a brilliantly executed Southern mystery in the vein of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." The story is full of idiosyncratic characters, from nudists to Southern matriarchs to former ladies of the night. At the outset you find the main character, Molly Darter, in a lather about seeing her husband in a potentially compromising position. Although her nerves and emotions are at a fever pitch, she must still do some investigative reporting into the death of a nudist at the local nudist retreat. As the story develops, more complications ensue involving Molly's extended family, to hilarious and sometimes painful conclusions. This is a guaranteed-to-please read by a skillful author...and that's the naked truth.

[Edith Parzefall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Buff starts like a cozy mystery and ends in high-tension suspense. Along the way, I found myself smiling and chuckling quite often. Yes, Molly is quite the conservative but in an enjoyable way, not stuffy just a little overwhelmed by...basically everything that happens this week.

While I anticipated some of the twists in this story, I could never be sure and until my suspicions were confirmed. Just as often, my expectations were thwarted, but in a well-motivated way. Great mix between, "Ha, I knew it!" and "Oh, wow!"

Murder In the Buff is a well written, vivid, engaging and intriguing story. I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of Maggie Toussaint's books.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder most foul

Trust and betrayal, old secrets, family dynamics all contribute to the plot twists twists as Molly Darter tries to sort out her life and keep her job while investigating a murder in small town Georgia.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different setting for a murder mystery, thus making it an interesting story to read.

[Leslynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant, non-challenging, easy reading, little mystery - good for a distraction.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Page of the Marshview Gazette shouldn’t have sent Molly Darter to Naturist Woods. Her aversion to nudity was only surpassed by her fear of snakes. This was a life or death assignment as her journalistic life hung in the balance. What should have been a follow-up obituary soon became both unbelievable and sinister. Mama Leon opened her eyes in more ways than one. What starts out as a quirky, humorous story soon shows another side and takes the reader on a nature walk through the Deep South with nudists as guides. Molly is rather prudish and has an obsession about personal space and loose morals. This claustrophobic obsession added to her crumbling personal world makes for interesting and colorful reading. Hovering in the background is the mysterious death of Barbara Jean McAllister and the other residents of Naturist Woods. Could her death have been murder or was there some other innocent explanation? Did her death have something with her past or was the demon of death part of her present? All of these questions with the added dash of did Molly’s husband, Hadley, really have an affair with her sister, Clarice? The crime rate in a small town is low and the crime of murder almost unheard of. The excitement is high and the reader devours each page in an attempt to ease the pressure and discover the truth. At the midway point of the story a knockdown, drag out sister fight with nails flashing, hair flying and teeth bared, this equals The Rumble in the Jungle for pure intensity This is a better book than the title would suggest which (once again) shows that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

[Marilou George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Darter is a reporter for her small town newspaper in Marshview, Georgia and her latest assignment is to pick up an obituary from a nudist camp. She is dreading going there in person as she feels totally uncomfortable with the idea of being up close and personal with a nude stranger. On top of all that her personal life is a mess. She is separated from her husband after she caught her sister and him kissing and she feels as if her world is spinning out of control. Dealing with the nudists is presenting quite a challenge for Molly and when they suggest that their friend, Barbara Jean, was a possible murder victim her life and the lives of her dysfunctional family will be forever altered.

This is a suspense story with enough twists and turns to keep you anxiously awaiting the next. The flow of the story is fast paced and engaging. The writing style is refreshing and the banter between the characters is realistic and appealing.

Molly is a great character who you will feel compassion for. She is headstrong and determined and through all the stresses she faces she learns about herself and what is really important. The supporting cast of characters successfully contributes to the drama and underlying tension of the story as well as adding humor to some tense situations.

This is a suspense story mixed with romance and the dynamics of a family. It is a story that will keep you guessing and totally entertained. This is the first book that I have read by Maggie Toussaint and definitely not the last.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book and storyline

This is my second book by this author and I look forward to reading more. Another small town runs into trouble with the death of a nudist women which seemed to be natural causes from a heart problem.
However the Lady oh the colony thinks otherwise.

Cleo works for the small Gazette paper and is sent out to pick up the obituary. When she is there they express much concern over ladies death. One thing leads to another and it turns out there could be many players, and it would involve drug trafficking as well. All this along with some very strong family issues with Cleo's family that could be related to the case.
The e ending is surprising and ,I hope your read this book. I read it in a day

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

the murder of a woman who owned a nudist farm.the many people who new her and relationships with her there was drug group involved.

[Denise Shears · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I very much enjoyed the characters in the book. It's a very good book to while away an afternoon with.