Product Description

When the ghost of murdered mule driver Hiram Jellaby appears in the kitchen of widow Zilla Trott's house, Sergeant McVicar investigates the century-old crime. Reprint.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #862543 in Books
• Published on: 1994-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback

From Publishers Weekly
Silly from beginning to end, this latest in the series, following The Grub-and-Stakers Spin a Yarn, will strain the patience of readers whose sensibility doesn't match that of the pseudonymous author, who is really the prolific Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Charlotte McLeod. A lighthearted mood is created with a heavy hand as widow and heroine Mrs. Zilla Trott joins up with other members of the Grub-and-Stakers Gardening and Roving Club of Lobelia Falls, Ont., to hunt for the bones and buried gold of murdered muleskinner Hiram Jellyby. Also involved are Arethusa Monk, the author of roguish Regency romances, and Pollicott James, a specialist in dowsing. Arch and lacking in wit throughout, this tale is unlikely to engage the interest of fans of McLeod's other series starring Madoc Rhys, Peter Shandy and Sarah Kelling.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Cute light read
I have to disagree with the previous reviewer's 2-star rating. I'd give it a 3 and a half, if that were possible. It's true there is very little suspense in this story, and the 'mystery' is not all that important, but it is a cute, lightweight read - a pleasure. A favorite of mine - I've read it a few times - a nice diversion. You do have to like this particular kind of off the wall silly humor.

A last visit to Lobelia Falls, Ontario
Great for anyone who wants to go back to the charming and quirky town of Lobelia Falls and visit with Dittany and Osbert and the rest of the gang.

Widowed health-nut Zilla Trott is surprised to find the ghost of a murdered muleteer haunting her kitchen, getting into her dandelion wine and asking her help in locating the trunk full of gold coins he buried just before his untimely demise.

She calls upon her neighbors and friends in the Grub and Stakers Gardening and Archery Club, and soon all sorts of long-buried things are being dug up--a trunk full of stolen cash, a missing set of bridal china, and the mule-skinner's long-lost bones. Along the way, other mysteries pop up and are serendipitously solved: A bank heist, an abduction, and the case of the killer cow.

The goofy goings-on also dredge up references to the town's past exploits in this, the final novel in the series. All's well that ends well, of course, and this story ends with the town's elderly residents getting a new senior center, and Zilla getting another visit from Hiram the ghost. She's grown accustomed to his ectoplasm, and the ending of the book promises the beginning of a beautiful (if unusual) friendship.