Murder On The Ol' Bunions

LaTisha Barnhart Mystery #1

by S. Dionne Moore

LaTisha Barnhart's bunions tell her something's afoot as she delves deeper into the murder of her former employer Marion Peters. When LaTisha becomes a suspect, the ante is upped and she is determined to clear her name and find the real culprit.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Christian Fiction

251 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 29, 2008

About the author

S. Dionne Moore resides in South Central PA with her family. She is a weekly contributor to The Borrowed Book (http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com) where she posts tips on the writing life, recipes, and teaches on various writing-related subjects. In addition to writing the LOL adventures that are the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery trilogy, (Murder on the Ol ' Bunions, Polly Dent Loses Grip, Your Goose is Cooked--.99 on Kindle and iPad!) she writes historical romance. Her latest release in May of 2013 is A Heartbeat Away, a story of love and hope set during the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, MD.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the main character! Too funy! The dialogue was quick and witty. This was my first read from this author.....not my last I hope.

[Kathy England · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder mystery set in a small town in Colorado.

[Janith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and enjoyable! I loved the characters and the pace of the murder mystery itself.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the quirky mystery.

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

LaTisha Barnhart and her husband, Hardy, are a middle-aged black couple living in the fictional town of Maple Gap, Colorado. They’re still very much in love after almost 40 years, and the amount of sass they fling at one another to cover it up is funny.

Hardy has retired from the workforce, but as the series opens, LaTisha is fighting empty-nest syndrome by taking an online degree in police science. She quit her last job—or was she fired?—and when she finds her ex-boss murdered, she’s afraid she’ll be suspect number one.

This is the start of a fun, light-hearted mystery series. The stories build on one another, from Murder on the Ol’ Bunions to Polly Dent Loses Grip to Your Goose is Cooked. They’re 99¢ each for Kindle and at Smashwords, so why not collect all three?

I won an e-copy of Your Goose is Cooked at Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog, A Christian Writer’s World, and liked it so much I bought books 1 and 2.  The draw is over, but if you click here you can read an interview with S. Dionne Moore and an excerpt from book 1, Murder on the Ol’ Bunions.

S. Dionne Moore writes historical romance and cozy mysteries. To learn more about her and her books, visit her website.  Your Goose is Cooked is only available in electronic format, but her previous books are in print as well as ebooks.

[Book 3 provided by S. Dionne Moore and Lena Nelson Dooley, with no strings attached. Books 1 and 2 purchased from Smashwords. The choice to write a review was mine.]

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read mystery novels (though I have a few in by TBR stack, so who knows, I may develop a new taste) but I won this one in a blog contest so I read it. While classified as a Christian novel, the amount of Christianity in it was pretty perfunctory. The characters went to church but we didn't get to hear the sermon. There was a funeral, and it was mentioned that the main character, LaTisha, sang Amazing Grace. One of the characters may have uttered a prayer at some point, but if the book didn't say it was a Christian novel, I would never have so classified it.

I'd classify this as your basic old lady mystery novel. A shop owner, who recently employed LaTisha, was found dead by her. They live in a small Colorado town and the police don't really have the budget to investigate--and besides, townfolk aren't likely to talk to outsiders. LaTisha is an African-American woman whose youngest kids are in college and who is expecting to be a grandmother soon. She is studying police science in an on-line program and uses what she learned in her classes, plus her common sense and people skills to discover who killed her former employer. While there is a scene at the end that could be considered dangerous, this isn't really a suspense thriller. It is a lot like Murder She Wrote or Mrs. Polifax.

[Deb Brammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun Christian cozy mystery. I especially liked the couple who were the protagonists in this book. LaTisha and Hardy Barnhart are an older married couple (probably my age!) who struggle with normal life issues like overweight, pantyhose that won't stay up, marriage squabbles over frumpy clothing, and empty nest syndrome. LaTisha's going back to school to learn about crime-solving, and it's a good thing because, not only has her boss at the bookstore just fired her, LaTisha finds the boss murdered shortly thereafter. LaTisha and Hardy not only have to solve the case, but comfort and cook for the hurting at the same time. I like the way that the couple combine ministry with sleuthing in a way that shows the importance of godly character.

[Susan]

loved it!

[Anam Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as other Heartsong mysteries. I won't be reading more by this author.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just was NOT my type of book, did not enjoy it at all