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Josie Toadfern has been invited to Thanksgiving dinner at Mamaw Toadfern's house. This may not seem unusual, except that the Toadfern side of the family has totally ignored Josie since her parents May and Henry left town, leaving Josie behind. That was over 20 years ago, and only cousin Sally has acknowledged that Josie exists. So it's going to be an uncomfortable meal, even before May and Henry show up unexpectedly. Henry and his brother Fenwick immediately resume their competitiveness, May flirts with anything that might be male, and Josie tries to figure out where all the landmines are hidden. Not an easy task. Josie is also a trifle unsure about what's going on with her boyfriend Owen. He's gone out of town to see his son, who lives with the ex-wife. Josie misses him, apparently, more than he misses her. Her relationship with Owen keeps her from responding to not one, but two, attractive men who are interested in her. Silly Josie. May and Henry have come back to town to start an antiques mall; this upsets most of Josie's friends in the antiques businesses in town. Other people are upset because May and Henry have lots of history, most of which Josie doesn't know. This makes her investigation into Uncle Fenwick's murder very stressful, because Josie learns a lot more about her parents, and most of it isn't very nice. She's already dealing with all the emotions one might expect to experience when one's parents blow back into town and act pretty much like nothing's wrong -- yeah, they left you years ago but that was then and this is now. It was a pleasant surprise to see Josie grow up a little bit. Every once in a while, she remembers that the world doesn't turn around her. She takes the time to examine how she feels about her parents being back in town, and realizes that she's angry but she's also still that little girl who doesn't understand why they left without her. I wasn't quite as thrilled with the ending. Josie thinks she has it all figured out, and it's a reasonable theory that explains just about everything that has happened -- to Uncle Fenwick, between Fenwick and Henry, between May and several of her old flames, and a few other situations that have confused Josie and the police. But Josie is wrong. Almost fatally wrong. Some of the plot devices Short uses, particularly the dream sequences, seem providential and/or contrived. But they are a continuing theme in the series, so they are probably here to stay. HUNG OUT TO DIE is the fourth in the 'Stain-Busting' mystery series. Short is growing as a writer, and Josie is growing as a character. Both are rewarding for the reader. If you've enjoyed previous entries in the series, or like your mysteries fairly light with some humor and a sometimes-ditzy female sleuth . . . HUNG OUT TO DIE will meet your needs very nicely.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, April 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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