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by Norma Tadlock Johnson
EXCERPT: JUMP TO REVIEWS
Suddenly Jake’s eyes widened as he took in something that was happening behind me. Then his mouth opened and his jaw dropped. I realized that voices in the direction he was looking had grown louder. I turned, to see everyone staring at a white-faced Chief Donniker.
“I—I feel awful,” he said. “My hands—they tingle, they don’t want to …” His gray-green eyes bulged.
Suddenly he dropped the coffee he was holding. The cup shattered, and brown liquid splashed all over his new suit. No one moved except, I saw out of the corner of my eye, Stan Chung, the new young internist in town who had volunteered to be on our water board.
Before he could reach the chief, Billy suddenly vomited, spewing out the considerable contents of his stomach. And then he slumped to the floor, face down.
Everyone moved now. “Call 911!” Mayor Roland hollered to no one in particular as he gestured wildly. Dr. Chung knelt beside the prone Donniker, picking up a limp wrist. Lucille Donniker threw her hands over her mouth and moaned.
And I? I spun around and grabbed Jake by the arm. “Jake,” I inquired breathlessly, “what have you done?”
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Excerpt from the sequel to DONNA ROSE AND THE SLUG WAR
Publication date: January 21, 2009
Where to buy: Amazon
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Library Journal
“Outspoken, smart, witty, and caring, Donna makes a perfect sleuth. A small-town venue, deft characterization, and pleasant narration complete the cozy picture.” Library Journal.
Seattle Times
Burlington [Wash.] writer Norma Tadlock Johnson's charming Donna Rose and the Roots of Evil (Five Star/Gale, $25.95) is set in the fictional—but clearly Northwesty—town of Cedar Harbor. Neighbors Donna Galbreath and Cyrun Bates are smack in the middle of a mystery involving an incompetent chief of police who's murdered at his own awards ceremony.
The cause of death? Poison stolen from the police evidence room. An entertaining cast of small-town characters keep this cozy nicely afloat. (April 2009)
Kirkus Reviews
The murder of an inept and unpopular police cheif leaves a pair of amateur sleuths in charge.
Much to the shock and dismay of Donna Galbreath and her next-door neighbor Cyrus Bates, the town council of Cedar Harbor, Wash., has rehired Chief Donniker and is even throwing a party to honor him when the festivities are interrupted by his death by monkshood poisoning. The pair quickly agrees to search for the guilty party once the sheriff in charge of the case arrests fellow police officer Jake Santorini, a man Donna and Cyrus had expected to be named as police chief. Since Jake was heard uttering insults and acting strangely at the party, he's the most likely suspect, one with access to the police property room from which the deadly monkshood could well have come. When a homeless newcomer is attacked and almost dies and Donna and Cyrus are victims of a severed brake line, it's clear that the case has turned dangerous. But the determined sleuths ignore police warnings and continue to dig around in town secrets until they reveal the killer.
The bourgeoning romance between Johnson's delightful older sleuths (Donna Rose and the Slug War, 2005) is likely to make them even more popular with the cozy crowd. (October 2008)
Booklist Review
It has been over four years since the first enjoyable Donna Rose mystery was published (Donna Rose and the Slug War, 2004). This second one is equally entertaining; let's hope Johnson steps up her pace.
Widow Donna Rose Galbreath is an avid gardener and a forthright retired schoolteacher in Cedar Harbor, Wash. Her neighbor is crusty, retired navy lawyer Cyrus Bates. So far they alternate between feuding and fostering an uneasy friendship. This time the murder victim is the inept and universally disliked police chief, Billy Donniker. After their friend, policeman Jake Santorini, is falsely arrested for the crime, Donna and Cyrus feel compelled to investigate. Donna is good at talking to people around town, while Cyrus excels in computer skills; between them, they patch together a list of suspects—including the new owner of the local newspaper and a forlorn Iraq War veteran—and solve the puzzle. (January 2009)