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A Scumble River Mystery #11
Murder of a Royal Pain
When school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of pushy promfest chairperson Annette Paine during a Halloween fund-raiser, it looks like a clear-cut case of promicide. Annette was not the only prom mom desperate to see her daughter crowned queen; and her skirt-chasing hubby is no prince either.
Skye's anxious to investigate, but she keeps getting sidetracked by the overeager new social worker at school and also by her beau's emotional distance. Still, one question haunts her: Since Annette Paine was wearing a witch costume identical to Skye's, which witch was the intended victim? Will Skye realize too late that finding this killer is a matter of her own life and death?
Skye's anxious to investigate, but she keeps getting sidetracked by the overeager new social worker at school and also by her beau's emotional distance. Still, one question haunts her: Since Annette Paine was wearing a witch costume identical to Skye's, which witch was the intended victim? Will Skye realize too late that finding this killer is a matter of her own life and death?
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2009
54 people are currently reading
742 people want to read
About the author
Denise Swanson
69 books1,128 followersDenise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.
After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.
Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.
After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.
Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
July 18, 2022
It was nice to visit Skye in Scumble River, IL again. Skye has found herself helping with a haunted house while learning how to work with the new school social worker. Her boyfriend and police chief, Wally, had to leave for Texas to take care of his dad so Skye is feeling even more off-kilter. On the first night of the haunted house one of Skye’s triplet witches is found dead in Skye’s spot. Was she the intended target or was it to be Skye?
The mystery in this book kept me on the edge of my seat. The solving of the murder had me shocked. I never dreamed the why. If you have read the series in order you are in for a shock. If you haven’t read the series in order I highly suggest you do.
The mystery in this book kept me on the edge of my seat. The solving of the murder had me shocked. I never dreamed the why. If you have read the series in order you are in for a shock. If you haven’t read the series in order I highly suggest you do.
September 26, 2009
Skye does not fail to disappoint: still a spineless wonder of a heroine. The books are not hilarious. They are a poor attempt of cutesy writing that fails to appeal. And why are all the men that enter the picture "hot"? The author has needed to rethink this character from book one.
Skye, the ever so brilliant sleuth, gets "roped-into" participating in the haunted house out of what? Fear, jealousy of the new social worker? Where is her backbone? then her fear of haunted houses has her packing garlic and such to ward off......as she plays a witch? Then she lets some almost stranger drive her home and gives him her car and keys for her to retrieve the next day. Where is the intelligence in any of this? I continue to read this crap because it amuses me to see how far the publishing industry has declined in the past several years. This book is a poor excuse of published material.
It was obvious from the beginning as to who Jackie was and why not one of the characters in the book could identify her is beyond reason. It was also obvious who that the reporter was not who he said he was either. The entire story was predictable except the idea that Stacy/Jackie/Imogene/Veronica wanted to be Skye.
I am glad to be done with this book and will not ever consider buying another of Ms. Swanson's tales.
Skye, the ever so brilliant sleuth, gets "roped-into" participating in the haunted house out of what? Fear, jealousy of the new social worker? Where is her backbone? then her fear of haunted houses has her packing garlic and such to ward off......as she plays a witch? Then she lets some almost stranger drive her home and gives him her car and keys for her to retrieve the next day. Where is the intelligence in any of this? I continue to read this crap because it amuses me to see how far the publishing industry has declined in the past several years. This book is a poor excuse of published material.
It was obvious from the beginning as to who Jackie was and why not one of the characters in the book could identify her is beyond reason. It was also obvious who that the reporter was not who he said he was either. The entire story was predictable except the idea that Stacy/Jackie/Imogene/Veronica wanted to be Skye.
I am glad to be done with this book and will not ever consider buying another of Ms. Swanson's tales.
May 22, 2011
Murder of a Royal Pain (A Scumble River Mystery, #11) Denise Swanson
School psychologist Skye Denison finally gets the help she needs when the school hires a social worker. At first Skye likes this idea but things soon change. While the school prepares for a Halloween fundraiser the chair person , Annette Pain ends up dead. There are many suspects, and soon Skye wonders who the intended victim really is. Two other women were dressed in identical witch costumes at the time of murder, including Skye. Could she be next?
Fast paced, fun read. A little bit predictable. I found the plot a bit unbelievable, but still a nice fun read. I look forward to the next in the series.
School psychologist Skye Denison finally gets the help she needs when the school hires a social worker. At first Skye likes this idea but things soon change. While the school prepares for a Halloween fundraiser the chair person , Annette Pain ends up dead. There are many suspects, and soon Skye wonders who the intended victim really is. Two other women were dressed in identical witch costumes at the time of murder, including Skye. Could she be next?
Fast paced, fun read. A little bit predictable. I found the plot a bit unbelievable, but still a nice fun read. I look forward to the next in the series.
December 17, 2020
Promfest is a year long event leading up the the Prom in Scumble River. Two former prom queens vie for the chair of the event. During a haunted house fundraiser, one of the women is killed. Skye is concerned that it may be a case of mistaken identity. Add in a hunky reporter and an overly perky social worker for a wild ride.
I was a bit disappointed in Skye. Wally is away for most of the book and she is making eyes at the new reporter. I found that to be very disrespectful on her part. She also didn't put two and two together very quickly regarding a character that I felt was brazeningly obvious. I was aware of the culprit right away.
I always enjoy my visits to Scumble River and generally read the books in one sitting. This was no exception. I felt that it lacked a bit of the charm of previous books in that May and Jed were out of town, Wally was out of town and Trixie was missing as well. The secondary characters often make the story for me. Of course it ends with a bang and I can't wait to read the next book.
I was a bit disappointed in Skye. Wally is away for most of the book and she is making eyes at the new reporter. I found that to be very disrespectful on her part. She also didn't put two and two together very quickly regarding a character that I felt was brazeningly obvious. I was aware of the culprit right away.
I always enjoy my visits to Scumble River and generally read the books in one sitting. This was no exception. I felt that it lacked a bit of the charm of previous books in that May and Jed were out of town, Wally was out of town and Trixie was missing as well. The secondary characters often make the story for me. Of course it ends with a bang and I can't wait to read the next book.
June 26, 2010
I picked this up on a whim and wasn't disappointed! Skye Denison is a great amateur dectective with all the fun of Nancy Drew and all the sass of someone middle aged, but without crossing the line. Good beach read. Although one knows from almost the first page who "dunnit", almost all of the fun comes from Skye's attempts to track 'em down!
School psychologist Skye Denison can't seem to catch a break. Between dealing with problem children at three different age levels (elementary school, junior high, and high school), juggling irate principals, fending off her mother, and occaisionally trying to get some alone time with her boyfriend, Chief of Police Wally Boyd, Skye seems to be sinking under. Suddenly the school board hires a school social worker, Jackie, to aid Skye. It seems too good to be true, as Skye has been pushing for help for years, and conflict soon arrises as Jackie continually casts Skye in a selfish light. Things get even worse as Principal Homer assigns Skye to PromFest duty. There Skye is expected to volunteer for all sorts of activities to raise money for the end-of-year prom. The biggest problem of all? Some mothers will kill to get their daughter crowned queen...
School psychologist Skye Denison can't seem to catch a break. Between dealing with problem children at three different age levels (elementary school, junior high, and high school), juggling irate principals, fending off her mother, and occaisionally trying to get some alone time with her boyfriend, Chief of Police Wally Boyd, Skye seems to be sinking under. Suddenly the school board hires a school social worker, Jackie, to aid Skye. It seems too good to be true, as Skye has been pushing for help for years, and conflict soon arrises as Jackie continually casts Skye in a selfish light. Things get even worse as Principal Homer assigns Skye to PromFest duty. There Skye is expected to volunteer for all sorts of activities to raise money for the end-of-year prom. The biggest problem of all? Some mothers will kill to get their daughter crowned queen...
November 11, 2020
Overall a disappointment.
Wally is away for much of the book. There's a murder, and Quint doesn't want Skye involved. But she is because it is a possibility that the murder victim was mistaken for Skye. And of course, Skye finds the body.
Why only 2 stars? I felt the author telegraphed what was going to happen, and by whom, every step of the say. No spoilers here, but it was pretty obvious, which took some of the fun out of the read.
There's also a hunky new reporter in town. Now if Skye is happy in her relationship with Wally, why would she welcome just one little kiss. It seems like Skye has some maturing still left to do. Grow up Skye.
At least Bunny is not in this book.
Wally is away for much of the book. There's a murder, and Quint doesn't want Skye involved. But she is because it is a possibility that the murder victim was mistaken for Skye. And of course, Skye finds the body.
Why only 2 stars? I felt the author telegraphed what was going to happen, and by whom, every step of the say. No spoilers here, but it was pretty obvious, which took some of the fun out of the read.
There's also a hunky new reporter in town. Now if Skye is happy in her relationship with Wally, why would she welcome just one little kiss. It seems like Skye has some maturing still left to do. Grow up Skye.
At least Bunny is not in this book.
June 28, 2016
I enjoy Scumble River and its quirky cast of characters. Once again, the Dooziers do not disappoint, Skye is up to her eyeteeth in trouble, and May is determined to see her married, just not to Wally. add to that mix, some new characters, and one not-so-new, and you get a Scumble River cozy to enjoy. I will admit to more eye rolling on my part due to the large number of meme and Facebook quotes used as dialogue, but I still enjoyed this installment and look forward to seeing what's next. What is Skye's answer? Does Kurt stick around? What will happen with Vince and Loretta? Will Homer really retire? Oh my. I just realized. This is a soap opera, and I am hooked!
August 10, 2021
Completely unbelievable that Skye didn't recognize Jackie even for a cozy.
February 14, 2015
Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson is the 11th book in a Scumble River mystery series. Agreeing to play the part of one of the three witches in a haunted house as part of a fundraiser for the prom, Skye comes across the body of the organiser, Lynette Paine, who is also playing the role of one of the witches. I enjoyed this book very much finding it a quick read as it was difficult to put down. Even though the murderer seemed obvious from the start, it did not spoil the book. It is interesting also to read of some of the difficulties a school psychologist encounters as well as the challenges in living in a small town. I highly recommend this series but it is definitely one that should be read in order.
June 29, 2012
The addition of a yet another male into this love triangle builds on my least favorite part of the series. And the constant weight discussions continue.
Why do I keep reading? And the answer is: the books are here and I like to complete things. And the supporting characters are fun. The plot was stupid and obvious but not as bad as "Botoxed Blond".
Why do I keep reading? And the answer is: the books are here and I like to complete things. And the supporting characters are fun. The plot was stupid and obvious but not as bad as "Botoxed Blond".
October 16, 2016
I really enjoyed this novel. Location of this involved around a school really interested me. I truly enjoy small town novels and being in the midwest, I can relate since I live int the midwest, and I especially enjoy mysteries. Many characters I like and can't wait to read more about them in the other novels.
May 1, 2017
Ridiculous plot interspersed with lots of Skye tucking stray chestnut curls behind ears, doing things "hurriedly" (I wish the editor would change at least half of the "hurriedly" references to "quickly") and being lusted after by Wally and Simon and now a 3rd man. Hopefully with this silly "mystery woman" subplot now wrapped up, this is as bad as this series gets.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this entry in the Scumble River series. The ending was so good and worked out just the way I wanted it to.
July 17, 2018
The continuing series with Skye Denison has her coping with the Promfest at her school as well as a new social worker that seems to be too good to be true. As the story develops Skye is roped into the fundraiser for Promfest as a witch in the haunted house fundraiser for Promfest where she stumbles across a body also dressed as a witch that looks eerily like her. As the story develops, Skye becomes increasingly convinced that the murder target was her. There were a lot of twists in the story, and for once, I was able to see the villain before being revealed. The story is still very good with a surprise at the end.
January 11, 2023
I enjoyed this more than I should. I mean, Skye was still the dumb-ass and while she now possesses a cell phone, she doesn't know how to retrieve her voice messages. Actually, I don't either since I never use that feature, preferring text messages. Wally is missing for most of the book as he's off attending to his sick father and that new social worker, Jackie, was trouble from before the book started!
Yet, despite the usual complaints I find myself going back to this series for a respite from my usual serious crime mysteries. Perhaps because it's one of the few cozy series that do not involve cooking, knitting or the other domestic talents that I don't care to know about.
Yet, despite the usual complaints I find myself going back to this series for a respite from my usual serious crime mysteries. Perhaps because it's one of the few cozy series that do not involve cooking, knitting or the other domestic talents that I don't care to know about.
November 5, 2018
School psychologist Skye Denison is horrified when she trips over the body of an obnoxious Promfest committee member at the school's haunted house, but when she comes close to becoming a victim herself several days later, she begins to wonder if she wasn't the intended victim all along. Skye is also having mixed feelings about the new social worker she now has to share her office with, and the handsome new newspaper reporter who seems to keep showing up when she least expects him to. Of course all of this is happening while Skye's chief of police boyfriend is out of town.
November 4, 2021
Skye has always been short handed and understaffed when it comes to getting the help she needs to be the school psychologist and social worker in all three of Scumble Rivers schools. When a new social worker comes in and starts making changes to the way Skye goes things her dream-come-true soon turns into a nightmare-that won’t end.
Along the way Skye has to deal with irate parents, vandals, and maybe her biggest fear of all; a haunted house.
Along the way Skye has to deal with irate parents, vandals, and maybe her biggest fear of all; a haunted house.
July 25, 2022
I’ve noticed a lot of the books in this series read almost like a short story, getting straight to the point with no fluff. That’s probably why I like the series so much, the story moves quickly and there’s always something crazy going on. There was also a lot of humor in this story. In the end there’s a pretty big bomb dropped (actually two) that tie up some long-running loose ends. Overall this was probably one of my favorite of the series so far.
September 2, 2019
My love for cozy mysteries never fade. The Murder of a Royal Pain was a true Scumble River Mystery. All of Skye's resources are out of town or have cut her off. And to top it off there is a new man in town to start more romance controversy. If you are a cozy mystery reader like myself you will enjoy this series.
August 8, 2021
There was a LOT going on in this book, in a ton of different directions. I had the solution very early on, and spent a lot of time yelling at Skye and Co. to get their head out of the sand. Not the whole solution, but a lot of it. It was a fairly good read anyway because the twists and turns were fun. Still not sold on the series as a whole, but I did kind of like this installment.
February 4, 2018
The school board finally hires a social worker, but Skye is not impressed.
In the meantime, Wally is called to Texas when his wealthy father has an alleged heart attack. Another scheme to get him home?
There is no doubt in the reader's mind who dun it, but it is a fun read.
In the meantime, Wally is called to Texas when his wealthy father has an alleged heart attack. Another scheme to get him home?
There is no doubt in the reader's mind who dun it, but it is a fun read.
July 19, 2018
I liked the timing of this mystery, but I was annoyed that the main character wasn't very fast on the the uptake. It seems like it should have been obvious much faster who was doing her wrong in this book.
October 2, 2021
I think I read one of this authors books a long time ago. I did enjoy this one and I'm looking forward to reading more. I did follow along pretty good and kind of had the guilty party figured out, but wasn't sure why. A good read.
November 2, 2025
Good book. Lots of suspense, twists and turns. Characters are well developed. Good use of bringing previous characters to life in this book. Some suspense. Ending was well done. There were just some weird stuff that kind of seemed farfetched. Recommend.
June 28, 2017
I think this is the most humorous book of all that I've read by Denise. Loved it.
July 3, 2017
I read this series to learn how certain writing errors effect a readers experience of a story's narrative. I also read this series to learn about creative similes.
July 22, 2018
Love Scumble Myteries,
October 10, 2018
Another fun read by Denise Swanson.
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June 12, 2019Another great story.
June 16, 2019
A great read with lots of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews