Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death

Miss Zukas #3

by Jo Dereske

Librarian par excellence Miss Helma Zukas is a woman of many talents--and civic-minded to boot. Which is why she agrees, albeit reluctantly, to employ her long-dormant canoeing skills in the service of the Bellehaven Library relay race team in the famous Snow to Surf Race. But first she has a more pressing obligation--namely keeping her dear, somewhat flaky artist friend, Ruth Winthrop, off Death Row.

Flamboyant Ruth, it seems, has rejected the advances of a dirty old man in a local bar, who later, rather inconveniently, turns up dead just outside her studio. Helma knows Ruth is no killer, even though the police consider her the prime suspect. Now, time is running out. By asking too many questions about one unsavory dead man, Miss Zukas is paddling in dangerous waters. And the carefully buried scandals her snooping is uncovering could sink the inquisitive librarian permanently.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Novels

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

I grew up in rural Michigan, greatly influenced by my Lithuanian roots. I'm one of those tedious people who wanted to write stories as soon as I learned to read, but believed I had to leave Michigan first. In fact, I couldn't wait to shake off that Michigan dust! Curiously, everything I write seems to have a connection to Michigan or my Lithuanian heritage.
I now live in the beautiful foothills of Mount Baker, near Bellingham, Washington.
I've loved being a librarian: libraries are one of our last truly public institutions, where the whole world, in all its zits and glory, passes through.
There are twelve titles in the Miss Zukas mystery series. Miss Zukas is tough, honest, crafty, a complicated woman with a deep but futile desire to perceive the world in black and white. And yes, Helma Zukas is what used to be called, a “real” librarian. You might say she embraces the stereotype. Helma is unapologetic.
Ruby Crane is a forgery specialist, a subject that's fascinated me since I forged my first absence excuse in fourth grade. There are three books in the series.
My three young people's books were written when my children were young.
Please visit me on my website!
jo 5/26/2013

Reviews

[Asta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure pleasure :)
Miss Zukas series is excellent in small chunks.
Librarian with detective skills, in this book Helma dusts off her canoe which was custom-made by her Lithuanian uncle!
All familiar faces - Ruth, Chief Gallant, Boy Cat Zukas :)
I am already looking forward to my return to Bellehaven and Miss Zukas' world in a next installment.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Miss Zukas - she is such a well-crafted character. I cracked up over the line, "Miss Zukas went through two yellow lights on her way to Chief Gallant's office," becasue it is the perfect sign of Helma's distress (as opposed to everyday driving for me). I loved getting to see another side of her in this book as her sportsmanship skills are brought to light in the Snow-to-Surf race. Additionally, I loved the sucker punch of an ending - any book that can slide a complete surprise at me once I think I've understood everything always brings delight. A thoroughly good read.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this series is Miss Zukas, a librarian who works at the Bellehaven Library. Her best friend finds a body in her yard and becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation. Miss Zukas is a very orderly person who begins to ask questions. The ending is a bit of surprise for this genre of books. It was an easy read.

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series. Boring, logical, obsessive compulsive Miss Zukas, her colorful, impetuous, illogical friend, library friends, chief captain and of course Boy Cat really are fun. Once again I did not know who did it until the end of the book, but there was also a second surprise. Fun mysteries.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, I liked this one well enough, but not over the top. I was surprised by the ending.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series.

12/22/25: I am enjoying this the second time. I needed something light, and this series fit the bill.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, Miss Zukas reinforces the librarian stereotype...on the surface. She's persnickety, prim, obsessive about neatness and everything in its proper place, and not always forgiving of lesser mortals. And, then...she does something amazing. We find out she has an amazing hand-built wooden canoe which she can paddle with skill and accuracy. Back to reality, she would rather paddle the Library's portion of the relay race team than be locked-in with rampant children for a weekend night. But, on the side she is also trying to solve how to keep her long-time friend Ruth from being charged with the murder of the old man found behind her garage--the old man who had hit on her at the bar--the old man she had royally rejected. To succeed at this, Helma does have to meet and share clues with the Chief of Police....

[Dale Safford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really liking this series. This one had a very surprising ending.

Librarian Helma Zukas is called by her friend Ruth, who has found a dead man in the periwinkle by her garage. She soon discovers that Ruth wasn't telling her everything she knew, and Ruth becomes a suspect, especially after her garage burns down. Helma suspects the man's brother, "Radio" of being the murderer. Meanwhile, the Library staff is entering the local 7-person 85-mile race, Snow to Surf, and Helma agrees to be the canoe leg after the special canoe her uncle built for her in Michigan is shipped. Will she be able to discover who the actual murderer was?

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started to like Miss Zukas more by the third book, but I really had a hard time identifying with her. She hates cat, although warms to her stray in later books; she is way to measured and prim; the closest she can come to swearing is the utterance "Oh, Faulkner." She does have a crazy, impetous friend to give her reality checks. The mystery itself is mildly interesting, a typical "cozy." The Washington state setting and Native American influences are interesting.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read most of the books in this 12-book series, but somehow missed this one until now. So glad I found it because I enjoyed reconnecting with the endearing librarian Miss Helma Zukas and her flamboyant friend Ruth. Helma solves another murder mystery, this one while canoeing in a relay race for the Bellehaven Library.

[Greyling54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the race and the stories about the canoe. Makes me even want to think about going out on water (but only think about it). The mystery was interesting, but I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Can't say more without spoiling.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lightweight fun.

[Liisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series really hits the spot for cozies. The librarian, Miss Zukas, holds true to her character. I enjoyed the occasional unexpected little humors in Jo Dereske's writing.

[Amanda]

DNFing. I didn’t get a good sense of any of the characters.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery with a librarian as main character. Fun characters and series.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another fun read. Characters from the library were in this book.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery, good characters, an exciting race, and a surprise ending. What could be better than that?

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#3 Helma Zukas mystery. Helma. a librarian in fictional small-town Washington State, is called by her friend Ruth who finds a dead body in the alley behind her house. Of course it was someone Ruth had seen in a bar earlier the same day, and was heard threatening him because he was bothering her. Ruth doesn't know who he is, and though she's under suspicion, stolidly maintains her innocence.

Helma must once again contact Chief Gallant to see if he will leak any information that will help them figure out who did kill the man--a despicable being, from everything they've been able to learn. Helma must also decide whether to join the library's team in the annual Slope to Surf race--a five-part race involving downhill and cross-country skiing, canoeing, running and kayaking. The person doing the canoe part of the race can't participate and Helma does have experience as a paddler--and a gorgeous canoe handmade by her uncle back in Michigan when she was a teenager. But she's really not keen on competition and fears the changes being part of such a group would make in her usually solitary life, which she finds mostly satisfactory.

The mystery wasn't much of a surprise, but the ending was! It will be interesting to see if this particular incident is mentioned again sometime in the future. I like Helma and the cast of interesting secondary characters and I find this quite a satisfying series given that it's mostly what you'd call a cozy--although there is a bit of an edge at times and some hidden, unexpected off-color humor too. Looking forward to the next one!

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly picked up this book off my bookshelves as I was preparing for a library job interview - after all, what better way to prepare than by reading about librarians and murder?? I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the setting in the Bellingham, Washington area, and a context of the annual Ski to Sea relay event.
I would have given this book more stars if I had liked the ending.
Helma is a "traditional librarian," though to be honest, I found her to be a bit on the stodgy side of the librarian spectrum. Her cousin Ruth calls her when she discovers a dead man in the bushes near her home.
Third in the series, but the first one I've read, it's clear that Helma already has a reputation for solving mysteries.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these for the local color of Northwest Washington State, the great fun that is Miss Zukas, prissy librarian and expert canoe paddler, stays a delight through this whole series of 12 books. Each character lives strongly, none are forgettable, there is no "what was her name" or "who was he"? The theme of opposites attract in love is great fun as well, and the moony life in the clouds of the head librarian who lives in the midst of celestial harmony of some kind, and the struggle of the off beat artist all revolve around the two main cops in town and this review is as off-the-wall as the books, but they are far more delightful!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Zukas gets to paddle her own canoe in this one.

If I'd read this one sooner than I read In Death's Shadow , I would not have been quite so surprised by Miss Zukas's artsy side in that later book in the series.

I've enjoyed all of these, even reading them "out of order", as I have noted about a couple other authors who are favorites of mine. I find myself going back to my old reviews to lay out the timeline. I had to purchase this one, as my local library was missing this one, so it will be heading out on its own soon, via www.bookcrossing.com

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helma Zukas should have enough to do at the library, with one of the staff members retiring and a team participating in a city-wide relay race. Helma has decided to do the canoe leg of the journey for the team, and is badly out of practice. But everything else fades next to the problem of finding a murderer and clearing her friend Ruth in the eyes of the police and the public.

[Alissa Koewler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead

More of the delightful same of Helma, everyone's favorite mystery-solving librarian. Frustrating that we spend so much time understanding that Helma is by the rules, by the book and super proper... only to have her NOT do what's right when the time comes. Hoping this ending is a fluke and the rest aren't like this.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Zukas is the type of person that can only exist as a character in a book. As long as you remember this, you will be inoculated against the recurring, "Hey, nobody would ever act like that, do that, say that."

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun installment in this quiet, but fulfilling series. Our faithful librarian rediscovers a passion for canoeing and grows closer to Chief Gallant while her friend Ruth is implicated in a murder.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Zukas has her old canoe shipped to Bellhaven so she can participate in the city's relay race. Meanwhile her friend Ruth finds a dead man by her house and she ends up being a prime suspect. Will Miss Zukas find the real killer?

[LecClier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another satisfying mystery featuring Washington librariam Helma Zukas. With each book I read in this series, I like the characters more and more.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Miss Zukas books. She's so impossibly perfect. I liked the canoeing bits. I liked the unexpected ending.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved seeing another side to Miss Zukas! A fun adventure in a canoe race!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this for the second time. I do enjoy a good cozy featuring a librarian!