Maid of Murder (An India Hayes Mystery Book 1)

Maid of Murder (An India Hayes Mystery) [Amanda Flower] on leondumoulin.nl Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel India Hayes, a college librarian from $ 15 Used from $ 7 New from $ 1 Collectible from $
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They always make things worse, alienate everyone around them, and then are so smug about their superior intellect that it's impossible to see why no one murders them! Mar 22, Elaine Nickolan rated it it was ok.

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Not sure how this book won an award. I had to force myself to continue reading it. I thought if I read one more reference to India injuring one of her toes I would scream. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends. Oct 25, Tonnie Rogers rated it really liked it. Enjoyable and witty mystery with a fun and quirky main character. Different This was definitely a different type of book. The characters were odd, to say the least.

I normally connect with some of the characters I read in a story, but not this one.

Maid of Murder: An India Hayes Mystery

I went ahead and both books in the series because I enjoy Amanda Flower's books so I'm hoping 2 is much better than this one. Feb 02, JB rated it did not like it. Wanted to slap her brother and her neighbour! Not fluffy enough to be a cozy, not interesting enough for a standard mystery, not funny. Won't be looking for India's next adventure. Apr 22, Angie Boyter rated it it was ok. I like cozy mysteries, and Amanda Flowers has set up a good environment for a cozy series. India Hayes is a college librarian in a small Ohio town. Her mother is a Presbyterian minister; her father is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an accident; both her parents are extreme social activists who will organize a protest at the drop of a non-PC hat; her brother Mark is a math professor I first heard of Maid of Murder because it was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery.

India Hayes Mystery Series

As the book opens, India is preparing to be a bridesmaid for her childhood friend Olivia. Mark was in love with Olivia and has never recovered from losing her; he is devastated when he learns she is going to be married. When Olivia dies outside the college math and science building, Mark is arrested for her murder. India sets out to find the real murderer, often working at cross-purposes to the police and risking being arrested herself. The characters and setting were engaging, and the plot was reasonably enjoyable.

This was a first novel, however, and the writing was surprisingly unpolished for a book that is a nominee for a prestigious award. Even a cursory editing could have made an enormous improvement. The actual sentences were somewhat stilted, and the little details were unrealistically repetitious. For example, I have never seen so many people stumble over things or spill things when they are surprised or startled. I think Amanda Flowers has promise as a cozy-mystery writer, but she needs a good editor or a good writing group. Jan 16, Wendy Hines rated it really liked it.

India Hayes is a librarian in a small town. Single, she lives with her cat, and her elderly landlord neighbor, Ina, born again Irish believer, keeps her on her toes. Ina keeps leprechauns and pots of gold scattered on her yard, names the statues, and religiously rotates them. Back in the day when they were younger, India's friend Olivia dated her brother Mark. Mark is a math geek, but fell in love with Olivia.

Unfortunately for Mark, he was the rebound guy, and Olivia coldly cast him away. Mark India Hayes is a librarian in a small town. Mark never got over Olivia, and the sad part is that over the years, Olivia would call Mark. Talk about leading a guy on. Out of the blue, Olivia calls India to be her bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding. India agrees but doesn't share the information with her family about Olivia coming back to town, most of all, Mark. But Mark finds out and crashes a party at Olivia's parents, where the girls are trying on their horrid bridesmaid dresses.

He beseeches Olivia to reconsider and that he just wants to talk.

He urges her to see him at his office the next day. The next day, India gets a call and rushes over to the College that Mark teaches at. A woman has been found in the fountain, bleeding profusely, and Mark pulled her out.

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The woman is Olivia, and she dies. Mark is the prime suspect for her murder, but India is confident he is innocent and begins her own investigation to prove it. Along the way, India's hippie parents create quite a few ruckus's, someone is setting Mark up, or he isn't as innocent as he proclaims, and India finds the detective on the case a bit more handsome then she remembered.

A quirky, entertaining, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery that you won't want to miss. Flower has penned a magnificent debut and I can't wait to read the next in the series! The characters are delightful and charming, the mystery is solid and page-turning, and the humor sometimes dry, ironic, to the point of belly laughing. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Cozy lovers will fall in love with India Hayes -- pick this one up as soon as you can!!

Aug 09, Yan rated it liked it. India Hayes has been a bridesmaid several times already but never the bride , but this wedding may be the most exciting yet. All the trails lead up to Mark: Mai India Hayes has been a bridesmaid several times already but never the bride , but this wedding may be the most exciting yet.

India Hayes Mysteries | Awards | LibraryThing

Maid of Murder, while it may sound odd, biggest asset for me was not the murder mystery, but the cats. Two freaking awesome cats that duke it out in the bedroom with claws and biting fur flying everywhere. Or maybe it was just the dialogue that was funny? Okay, back to the novel.

The mystery aspect as very straight-forward and is a classic mystery—one that I already solved when all the characters were introduced mind you. The characters themselves were caricatures: We have Ina, the landlord for our heroine, so proud of her Irish heritage that her apartment is completely green and her lawn covered her ornaments. Picket signs, chaining themselves to trees, chants, the whole shebang. In all, Maid to Murder is a well-paced mystery novel that is humorous, but still leaves lingering desires for a sequel. Jun 08, Melissa rated it really liked it.

I always enjoy picking up a mystery book! Whether it's a complex "whodunnit" that is sure to surprise or a cozy mystery with humor and other interesting tangential side plots, I can't help wanting to try to solve the crime before the culprit is revealed. Amanda Flower's Maid of Murder certainly falls more into the cozy mystery category, with more than its share of quirky characters and amateur sleuthing by India Hayes. Sprinkled with humor and wit, this book tells the story of a tragic pre-weddin I always enjoy picking up a mystery book!

Sprinkled with humor and wit, this book tells the story of a tragic pre-wedding murder and shows you all sides of the crime and the people involved. A more varied group of suspects and supporting characters you'd be hard-pressed to find, from India's nosy Irish landlady, to the deceased bride's testosterone-filled fiance, to her liberal parents and their hunger for causes and demonstrations.

And that's only the start! The mystery itself isn't too complicated and naturally we are led to suspect several people before the murderer is revealed. The story is fast-paced, thanks to India's desire to pursue the investigating on her own--although her methods are at times more of a hindrance to her brother's case than a help.

I really enjoyed reading this book--Flower's timely use of humor and dry with make for an entertaining read. My only disappointment was in how quickly the case wrapped up once we were hot on the trail of the murderer. I would have been happy with more fleshing out of that aspect of the storyline--and I have to admit I wouldn't have minded seeing more development of the budding relationship between India and Detective Mains. Oh, in case you are wondering, I did figure out who killed Olivia before it was revealed--it wasn't a huge surprise for more than one reason If you're looking for a quick read and a cozy mystery, you might like to pick up a copy of Maid of Murder and give it a try!

Jul 21, The Book Maven rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Librarians and Cozy Mystery lovers. My instinct is to give this book three stars, but the librarian bias is coming out here. I'll give Maid of Murder four stars for the potential it almost achieves. I'll start by saying cozy mysteries are not this librarian's thing.

I'm more of the dark, violent, cussing-up-a-storm crime novel reading type. So at times the cozy aspect was annoyingly hokey. But not everyone has the sailor vocabulary that I do, and I'm all about diversity. Once I moved past the wee bit of hokeyness, I, well, moved o My instinct is to give this book three stars, but the librarian bias is coming out here.

Once I moved past the wee bit of hokeyness, I, well, moved on to the other issues. Here's what I have to say: India needs to develop more of a spine. India's parents--mother especially--need to stop being such total We'll go with jerks. I'm fairly certain that Mrs. Hayes' parishioners would be unimpressed if they realized how Mommy Dearest she was. Flowers will benefit from a better editor. But the Loeb Classical Library is a series of editions, not of works. Home Groups Talk Zeitgeist.

Also writing as USA Today Bestselling Author Isabella Alan

I Agree This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms. India Hayes Mysteries Series by cover. Death Overdue Karen Nash. Dig Morgue Mama Mysteries. Related book awards Agatha Award Nominee. How do series work?


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Thank you, thank you, thank you, readers! I could say thank you a million times and it still would never be enough to express how grateful I am to you for making Murder, Plain and Simple a USA Today Bestseller.

The Hampstead Mystery by Arthur J. REES. P.1

It was truly a dream come true! The giveaway is limited to US and Canada residents. The novels that the winners can choose from are: To enter the giveaway click HERE! This money will be used to support the mission of the pharmacy and provide medications to people living in the Columbus, Ohio area who are not able to afford them otherwise.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart! June 16, was a monumental day in my life. It was the release day of Maid of Murder , my very first mys tery novel. I can never express how grateful I am for that day and everything that came after because of it. When I was a little girl I wanted one published novel with my name on it.

Nothing more, nothing less. It has become so much more, and every day there is a new surprise, which leaves me humbly thanking God for every blessing and challenge it brings. There is no better way to celebrate my 5 th anniversary as a published author. All the money raised will go to this worthy cause. Please watch this video to learn more about the pharmacy or visit their website for more information. Follow Amanda on Social Media at: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest Instagram.