Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2164539 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 239 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The feel-good vibes flourish in this classically cute cozy, the first in a new series to feature feisty grandparents Kitty and Jack Bloodworth of Metropolis, Ill. (home of Superman and Cruse's Metropolis mystery series). When Kitty's cousin Will Ann Lloyd, a meddlesome and widely disliked woman who'd accused Kitty's daughter Sunny of being a tramp, winds up strangled and stuffed in the trunk of Kitty's '57 Chevy, Kitty and Jack are horrified to be among the suspects, as are Sunny and Will Ann's son, Craig. While going through Will Ann's personal effects, Kitty finds a helpful clue, but before she can track down more information, she's run off the road. Her subsequent amnesia dramatically hampers her investigation. Cruse tosses in chatty observations about family and growing older, scanting the unsettling details of death, injury and illness. Although the big reveal about the killer might come as no surprise, it's fun to go along for the ride. (Dec.)
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Customer Reviews

Great! Great! Great!
Author, Lonnie Cruse, never ceases to amaze me. I have had the privilege to read and review several of her previous published works of mystery with the beloved character Sheriff Joe Dalton, and devoured every word of them. Exceptional in all ways. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be asked to review her new work, "Fifty-Seven Heaven," excited to see what I would find in the pages of this book, and the new characters I would meet. I was not disappointed.

Introduced to Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, a middle-aged couple living in the town of Metropolis, home of superman, we are taken into a murder investigation where Kitty and Jack, and members of their family, may be prime suspects. The victim, Kitty's annoying cousin, Will Ann Lloyd. Many have felt like killing this troublesome woman, but who actually did? Questions arise and are unanswered; such as, why did Will Ann verbally attack Kitty's daughter in front of many witnesses the night of her murder? Could Kitty's own daughter be involved in this? Ah! Talk about a drawing card to capture your reading attention.

Ms. Cruse, as always, does an exceptional job of character development, taking you into the very heart of her characters and bringing them alive in the read. She also gives us well-rounded descriptions of locals as the story moves from place to place. Our author takes you down some unexpected lanes and builds upon suspicisions, adding adventure and suspense. These little side roads add depth to the read and confusion as to just who did kill Will Ann. Good job.Top all of this off with a wrap-around mystery that digs into the very depths of family emotions of suspicisions and loyalty, and you have a winner. Now, the hard part; waiting for the next adventure to begin. Highly Recommended.

A murder all in the family
This book introduces Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, members of the Metropolis Super Cruisers. Told in a conversational, first person style from Kitty's point of view, it's an engaging small-town mystery with a murder that's all in the family.

The story kicks off with discovery of Cousin Will Ann's body stuffed into the trunk of Jack's 1957 Classic Chevy Bel Air on the morning of a competition. With cops on the scene and the rest of the Cruisers watching from a safe distance, Kitty ponders the Five W's :

Where was Cousin Will Ann killed?
Who put the body in the trunk?
Why put the body in the place most likely to incriminate the Bloodworths?
When did the murderer accomplish all that?
What can the Bloodworths do to prove their innocence"

Cousin Will Ann was not a popular person. "Tall, muscular, and drop-dead gorgeous in her youth" she had become a fat, middle-aged widow with a bite every bit as bad as her bark. Nevertheless, everyone rallies around.

One of the things I love about small-town cozies is that the characters, who probably have known one another since grade school, rise to any occasion in their own peculiar way. An enduring image here is from Cousin Will Ann's funeral. Members of the Red Hat Society, decked out in purple duds and big red hats, play "Amazing Grace" on their kazoos as a fond farewell to one of their own, never mind that nobody liked her.

Kitty is a great character, getting older without letting middle age get in the way. Before the mystery is solved she survives two broken legs (same leg, twice) and a couple of almost successful attempts on her life.

Murder most foul notwithstanding, this is a fun read.

A Great Start to a New Mystery Series
I picked up Fifty-Seven Heaven at my Local Library, and I am I glad I did!! This is a fantastic start to a series that I await the sequels with a great deal of anticipation!

Meet Kitty & Jack Bloodworth, a recently retired couple enjoying their life on a farm outside of Metropolis...Yes, that Metropolis, home of Superman. They live a life of peace and quiet, devoted to their family and to their friends, not to mention "Sadie" their 57 Chevy. Alas, the peace and quiet is completely disrupted when at a Car Show, Cousin Will Ann Loyd is found strangled in the trunk of their beloved car. And with that discovery, we have the beginning of a wonderful series full of intrigue, suspense, much laughter and lots of Family Love.

Rarely do I get a book that I literally can't put down. This is one of them! Finished it in one night!! It was worth every moment of sleep lost.

Enjoy this book, which has all the entertainment you could want, and also keeps it very clean and G-Rated. Something that is getting somewhat hard to find in mystery series these days.