Review + Tour Giveaway: Murder in Her Stocking by G. A. McKevett

Murder in Her Stocking
By G. A. McKevett
A Granny Reid Mystery #1
Kensington, 2018


Summary

As the Moonlight Magnolia Agency revisits old memories on Christmas Eve, Granny Reid takes the reins back thirty years to the 1980s—back when she went by Stella, everyone’s hair was bigger, and sweaters were colorful disasters. But murder never went out of style . . .

Christmas has arrived in sleepy McGill, Georgia, but holiday cheer can’t keep temperamental Stella Reid from swinging a rolling pin at anyone who crosses her bad side—and this season, there are plenty. First an anonymous grinch vandalizes a celebrated nativity display. Far worse, the scandalous Prissy Carr is found dead in an alley behind a tavern. With police puzzled over the murder, Stella decides to stir the local gossip pot for clues on the culprit’s identity . . .

Turns out Prissy held a prominent spot on the naughty list, and suspects pile up like presents on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, the more progress Stella makes, the more fears she must confront. With a neighbor in peril and the futures of her beloved grandchildren at risk, Stella must somehow set everything straight and bring a cunning criminal to justice before December 25th . . .

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My thoughts

Murder in Her Stocking is so very enjoyable, fresh but familiar at the same time … fresh because it begins G. A. McKevett’s the new Granny Reid series; familiar because it delves back into the early years of the Reid children and their beloved granny from the Savannah Reid series. It’s been a good while since I read one of the Savannah mysteries, but I remember enjoying it and being crazy about Granny Reid (Stella), so this new series is a delight. Murder in Her Stocking stands alone, but just might prompt you to looking into the Savannah Reid series also.

With its social mores and cultural sayings, this story is southern to the core. To Stella’s way of thinking, McGill, Georgia of the 1980s was “a small town filled with people who had plenty of opinions but precious little common sense about when, where, or how to state them.” Solving the murder of Prissy, a McGill resident of questionable morals, is one storyline, but the main focus is on Stella and how she came to be guardian of her seven grandchildren – all named after Georgia towns, by the way.

Granny Reid is quite the character – loveable, possessing a keen intellect, wisdom, insight into people, and with a fierce love for her grandchildren. “Granny had decided that the proper discipling of children was 99 percent love and 1 percent making sure they were terrified to cross you.” A lot of interesting foundation is laid in this first story; I’m a “Georgia girl” and suspect there’s a Granny Reid type in my lineage somewhere.

Stella Reid had never been one for standing in the bleachers

and watching life play out on the field below.

Whether through investigating Prissy’s murder, protecting and raising her grandchildren, or involving herself in the life of her abused neighbor, Florence, Stella is a commanding presence. The humor on every page is wonderful. It’s also interesting to watch the young Savannah exhibit the traits that would serve her well in her adult career.

Murder in Her Stocking is a great cozy mystery and I look forward to many more Granny Reid stories.

Recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Great Escape Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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G.A. McKevett is the author of the acclaimed Savannah Reid mystery series. Also writing under the name Sonja Massie, she has authored over 60 books ranging from cozy mysteries to historical romances, to nonfiction works on the history of Ireland.

Her earthy humor and fast-paced plots delight her fans, while critics applaud her offbeat characterizations and incisive observations on human nature. Irish by ancestry, she has lived in Toronto, Ireland, and Los Angeles, but now resides in New York.

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