Death By Trombone

Pismawallops PTA #2

by Rebecca M. Douglass

JJ MacGregor's very bad day has just gotten a lot worse.

JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there's a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2016

About the author

Rebecca M. Douglass has lived in Idaho, Arizona, California, and Washington, and now lives and writes in the Seattle area. Her imagination resides where it pleases, in and out of this world. Her passions include backpacking, hiking, books, and moderately adventurous travel, especially when shared with good friends and family. Douglass is the author of the delightful Ninja Librarian books for children, and the Pismawallops PTA cozy mysteries for adults, and the new Seffi Wardwell Mystery series. After more than seventeen years working at the her local library and volunteering her time in the schools, she has retired to concentrate on reading, writing and travel.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should probably add a disclaimer to the beginning of this review, since the author is my sister. Having said that, however, (and acknowledging that the genre really isn't my thing) this is a very solid second book in the series. While the mystery wasn't as mysterious as it might have been (I figured it out pretty much on the second encounter with the villain) the details and motives developed well and it was a convoluted enough plot to hold my attention to the end.

One thing that I really appreciated is that the writing is very good. It simply reads well and I don't recall any strange sentences or wrong word usages. That seems to have become a rarity in a lot of modern books, so it's nice to not have the distraction.

The characters remain believable and interesting, as they were in the first book. Having grown up with the author I recognize people by name and frequently by character, making me a bit worried about who I may have inspired.

Overall I gave D.B.T. a five star rating based on the fact that the plot hung together without any gaps that I noticed, that the characters were well-written and engaging, and that the overall quality of the writing was such that I read to the end without ever wanting to stop.

[Curryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story interesting characters

Good story. interesting characters, I enjoyed the book. You should try this book it is worth your time. Two words

[Jemima Pett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new book by Rebecca Douglass is the second in her cosy mystery series featuring JJ McGregor and her friends and family on Pismawallops Island, a fictional place in Puget Sound.

JJ and her friend Kitty run the PTA for the High School, which is why they are busy setting up stuff for an event in the school gym when JJ goes outside for some air, and stumbles across a dead body. Given her troubles with an acrimonious divorce, concerns about just everything to do with her teenage son, and her own hormones running rampant over the local Chief of Police, dead bodies could be way down the line. But she has her PTA duty to perform, and she sorts it out, insisting that she will not get involved in the investigation. Will Not. Of course, events overtake her, and she enters into a whirlwind of often painful situations, which eventually, with much gossip, red-herring introduction (often by the other locals), and high drama, come to a satisfactory conclusion. Well, except for the Chief of Police, who needs more work to be concluded. Not that he isn’t willing, but life’s complicated, you know?

And that is the real strength of Rebecca Douglass’s writing. Life is complicated. Mysteries do not solve themselves and clues do not conveniently pop up in front of her. But they are discovered, through painful investigation, sifting of the facts, watching people’s body language, help from her loved ones, and putting two and two together correctly. There is no misdirection other than what gossip and lack of evidence can feed into an overactive brain. And the people are very real, or so it seems to me. It’s a good mystery, witty and laugh out loud funny at times, an enjoyable romp and a thrilling action story.

I'm looking forward to the next one!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this second book in Rebecca Douglass's PTA cozy mystery set. I gave the first book 5 stars and I second that rating here.

If you like intelligent cozy mysteries with subtle humor as well as laugh-aloud moments, I recommend you begin with the first book, just because it sets the tone for your further enjoyment: .

The setting for both books is an island off the coast of Washington State, accessible by a ferry ride. Nevertheless, life can seem rather isolated there, and the PTA officers are in short supply for the small school on the island [Pismawallops, if I am spelling it correctly].

The crimes are not a continuation, so this second volume can certainly be read on its own; I then predict you'll run out to buy, or one-click, the first book! Now I have to wait and see whether this story has a sequel, since I've gotten involved in the characters' lives. The two ladies who have to run the band rehearsal, graduation practice and deal with more than enough teens (in addition to their own) are best friends. The local lawman is interested and interesting. There are an assortment of people on the island who come to our attention, mostly for quirky reasons, but others for investigation.

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy; I hold the title of runner-up in the contest to name the first book (her mother was the winner, now, wasn't she?). I've gotten over it by now. :-)

[Paula Ratcliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor J.J. MacGregor is having a really bad day first the coffee maker made coffee with out the pot under it then her divorce attorney informs her that her soon to be ex-husband is seeking sole custody of her son Brian, while dealing with all that she finds a duffle bag and not long after that a body whose very dead. Was he murdered or did he just drop dead from being outside all night?

This book has things I've come to love about the series a soon to be single mother who is rising up against a crappy husband whose divorcing her but in the meantime she is trucking through her days parenting her son Brian and running the PTA and helping set up the dance for the end of the year and trying to have a good day.

I can't wait to see what Ms. Douglass comes up with next for JJ, Brian, Kitty and her family along with Ron Karlson whom JJ can't stop thinking and dreaming about!!

[Barb]

I won a copy of this book from the author through a blog contest. I loved it! J.J.MacGregor has a series of very bad days while trying to figure out how a famous jazz trombonist ended up dead outside the high school gym on her small Washington island. The book is excellently plotted and paced. J.J.'s troubles are so out there that they are almost hilarious. It's a great location with well developed characters. As a matter of fact, my only problem was that this was the 2nd in the series, and it was full of spoilers for the first one.

[LL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won on GFR and glad I did

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 As a musician, mystery buff and lover the San Juan Islands, I love the elements of this series. I suppose the “cozy” genre must have a believable character that we can relate to and sympathize with. The Cozy protagonist is not cut out for, nor do they desire to solve mysteries full time, but always seem to stumble across them. And stumble she does. JJ stumbles over a duffle bag behind the gym when she steps out to get some fresh air. Then she finds a dead body. Then when she calls Ron, the police chief and object of her affection, she stumbles over a violin case. It must be a clue! Later, she runs with her son Brian and stumbles over something: an uneven sidewalk, or tree branch and breaks her arm. The broken arm becomes an important and recurring theme throughout the book. I can sympathize with JJ. She is a single mom going through a contentious divorce, struggling to raise a teenager, who seems to be a great kid, even with a girlfriend. Even with a broken arm, JJ is indispensable to the PTA, substitute teaching, and planning graduation. She and her friend Kitty seem to have a lot of access to the school facilities, and the ear of the administrators. They are always organizing volunteers for something. The book has a lot of side characters that play a role in the development of the mystery, but many of the details seem far fetched and under developed. Maybe that is why cozy mysteries are that; you have the normal, ordinary and mundane shattered by the absurd, unlikely and messy. I like Brian and Ron. I like the friendship between JJ and Kitty. Rebecca Douglass is a good writer. She writes with humor and has a good balance between showing and telling. I just thought it was a bit weak in plot development. Still, I recommend this for the cozy mystery fans.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

JJ really gets into trouble this time: by falling over her own feet. Not only does she discover a corpse this way, but also gets herself hospitalised later on.

Her ex is a pain, but she has a brilliant lawyer.

Her feelings for Ron keeps her up at night and makes her even more moody than normal – at least Kitty and her son seem to be okay with it.

Who knew being involved with the PTA would be so dangerous? Suspected felons show up at her house to tell her to butt out of their business – sneaking alcohol and who-knows-what to teenagers partying in the woods behind the school gym. And merely asking someone to join up as treasurer for the PTA opens a whole new can of worms.

Lots of LOL moments, mystery, and JJ learning to trust Ron and her own feelings. Not to mention all the insane stuff she has to deal with as a mum and inquisitive concerned citizen.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have several friends who enjoy cozy mysteries, as I do. We've talked about what makes a cozy particularly enjoyable for us. Three cozy traits that I always particularly enjoy are a picturesque small town, a school setting, and a mystery with a bit of romance as well.

Death By Trombone has all these cozy ingredients. The book is set in the small town of Pismawallops, in the Puget Sound area. It is a charming small town, and an enjoyable place to visit via this mystery.

J.J., the book's protagonist and amateur sleuth, is involved in the school's PTA. I enjoyed the school setting, and the work that J.J. and her friend Kitty put into the PTA (and the mystery!).

I also liked J.J.'s budding romance with police chief Ron Karlson. It was well written, with a realistic pace given J.J.'s acrimonimous divorce.

The mystery in Death By Trombone is well told, and it kept me guessing! The pacing was quick, with sharp dialogue that moved the story along.

Death by Trombone is an enjoyable weekend read, sure to please fans of small town cozy mysteries. I recommend it!

[Dixie Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

When JJ's bad day just keeps getting worse, and she just keeps agreeing to try to help everyone else although she only wants to crawl back in bed, of course it is the moment when the bag she trips on leads to a dead body. Only if the ban of the book is "Death by Trombone," why is there a violin next to the body?

I really love JJ and her relationship with her son feels real. Her heart being torn between worry over her impending divorce and a newly budding possible relationship makes her more human. Her friendship with a big hearted woman who never stops volunteering her own and JJ's help makes me smile. The first book of these cozy mystery stories, set on a small Island, and involving the Pismawallops PE, made me hope there would be more, but also worry that the second couldn't maintain the humor and charisma and fun of "Death by Ice Cream," but I honestly like this one as much, and am now hoping to hear that another is on its way.