Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed The Proof is in the Poison (Southern Homebrew, Bk 2) on + 742 more book reviews
Dollycas's Thoughts
The Chattanooga Choo Choo Model Train Convention is chugging right along and with The Moonshine Shack just down the street owner Hattie Hayes is capitalizing on the opportunity to promote her Southern homebrew to the members and all their visitors. She has convinced the hotel convention manager to hold a Monday Moonshine Mixer featuring her moonshine. She even worked with the bartenders to create train-themed drinks.
When a train enthusiast and leading contender to win at least one of the many contests passes out and dies by his exhibit Hattie's âshineâ takes the blame. She knows she is meticulous when she makes her flavored moonshine and no one else who drank had ill effects so now she has to prove she had nothing to do with the man's death. Just walking around the convention center she found several suspects, now she needs to get them to talk.
Will Hattie be able to bottle a murder? or has The Moonshine Shack served its last jar of shine?
Ms. Kelly has created some wonderful characters for this series. I love the relationship Hattie has with her granddaddy. She picks him up almost daily from the Singing River Retirement Home, where he waits for her on his metallic red scooter usually surrounded by two or three senior ladies looking for fun and companionship. He goes with her to the shop where he visits with customers, makes recommendations, whittles cute little critters, and takes a little nap or two. He is a big fan of model trains and is excited to go to the convention with Hattie to hand out flyers and swag to everyone. He is so proud of her for taking on the family business and taking it to new heights. She is also a darn good amateur sleuth.
I also love the relationship that is building between Hattie and the handsome Officer Marlon Landers. He is a mounted officer, and his horse Charlotte is a big, beautiful chestnut mare with a flaxen mane. The relationship is new, but he truly cares about her and wants to keep her safe. The woman takes some crazy risks that scare the bejesus out of him. Detective Candance Ace almost took Hattie's antics in stride.
Solving the mystery was based more on observations than questioning suspects which was a good thing because Hattie needs to work on her interview skills but she has gotten better than she was in the first book, The Moonshine Shack Murder. The detective knew Hattie could help her because she had spent a lot of time at the convention hall and knew things about the attendees that helped put things in perspective. I don't think she knew the lengths Hattie would go to though to catch the killer. Holy cow! I was on the edge of my seat during the entire chase and I believe I was holding my breath. Yes, I had the right suspect at the top of my list before Hattie but I really had a great time tagging along with her for every step.
I appreciated all the information about model trains and all the contests held at this convention. There was a time when our children were small that a plywood board painted green with tracks, trains, assorted buildings, and scenery sat on a table in our garage. We attended some local conventions and they were great family days that sparked our imaginations. The enthusiasts in this story took things to a high level and the author described each set-up so well I envisioned each one easily.
Heartwarming characters, an intriguing mystery, tons of model train info, interesting moonshine drinks, and a heart-pounding showdown all came together to make The Proof Is in the Poison a Perfect Escape. I am unsure why I got behind on this series but I am moving book 3, Fiddling with Fate up on my TBR stack.
The Chattanooga Choo Choo Model Train Convention is chugging right along and with The Moonshine Shack just down the street owner Hattie Hayes is capitalizing on the opportunity to promote her Southern homebrew to the members and all their visitors. She has convinced the hotel convention manager to hold a Monday Moonshine Mixer featuring her moonshine. She even worked with the bartenders to create train-themed drinks.
When a train enthusiast and leading contender to win at least one of the many contests passes out and dies by his exhibit Hattie's âshineâ takes the blame. She knows she is meticulous when she makes her flavored moonshine and no one else who drank had ill effects so now she has to prove she had nothing to do with the man's death. Just walking around the convention center she found several suspects, now she needs to get them to talk.
Will Hattie be able to bottle a murder? or has The Moonshine Shack served its last jar of shine?
Ms. Kelly has created some wonderful characters for this series. I love the relationship Hattie has with her granddaddy. She picks him up almost daily from the Singing River Retirement Home, where he waits for her on his metallic red scooter usually surrounded by two or three senior ladies looking for fun and companionship. He goes with her to the shop where he visits with customers, makes recommendations, whittles cute little critters, and takes a little nap or two. He is a big fan of model trains and is excited to go to the convention with Hattie to hand out flyers and swag to everyone. He is so proud of her for taking on the family business and taking it to new heights. She is also a darn good amateur sleuth.
I also love the relationship that is building between Hattie and the handsome Officer Marlon Landers. He is a mounted officer, and his horse Charlotte is a big, beautiful chestnut mare with a flaxen mane. The relationship is new, but he truly cares about her and wants to keep her safe. The woman takes some crazy risks that scare the bejesus out of him. Detective Candance Ace almost took Hattie's antics in stride.
Solving the mystery was based more on observations than questioning suspects which was a good thing because Hattie needs to work on her interview skills but she has gotten better than she was in the first book, The Moonshine Shack Murder. The detective knew Hattie could help her because she had spent a lot of time at the convention hall and knew things about the attendees that helped put things in perspective. I don't think she knew the lengths Hattie would go to though to catch the killer. Holy cow! I was on the edge of my seat during the entire chase and I believe I was holding my breath. Yes, I had the right suspect at the top of my list before Hattie but I really had a great time tagging along with her for every step.
I appreciated all the information about model trains and all the contests held at this convention. There was a time when our children were small that a plywood board painted green with tracks, trains, assorted buildings, and scenery sat on a table in our garage. We attended some local conventions and they were great family days that sparked our imaginations. The enthusiasts in this story took things to a high level and the author described each set-up so well I envisioned each one easily.
Heartwarming characters, an intriguing mystery, tons of model train info, interesting moonshine drinks, and a heart-pounding showdown all came together to make The Proof Is in the Poison a Perfect Escape. I am unsure why I got behind on this series but I am moving book 3, Fiddling with Fate up on my TBR stack.
