Muletrain to Maggody

by Joan Hess

Book Overview

Under the benign watch of Police Chief Arly Hanks, things are pretty quiet in the sleepy Arkansas town of Maggody these days. Not even the prospect of a historical society-funded Civil War documentary... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743226380
• ISBN13: 9780743226387
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

wonderful summer read

Perfect! These characters are so rich with detail and quirks you feel you can go Maggody visit your friends and family. The story is so funny I read almost half the book at one sitting. I am looking forward to continuing with this series

Better than the last one

Muletrain's plot is basic and the mystery wasn't that difficult to solve (Even I figured it out), but then that's not why I read these books. Ms. Hess Humor is spot on once again. You can't miss with any of her Maggody titles (as long as they stay in the city limits of Maggody).

Fun look at murder in a small Arkansas town

Maggody Police chief Arly Hanks's job gets complicated when historians discover that a minor civil war skirmish took place near Maggody--and that the confederate soldiers had hidden their payroll gold somewhere. All of a sudden, missing people reports start to show up as half of Maggody heads for the nearby caves in hopes of discovering treasure and becoming rich. Rumors of treasure and the filming of a documentary about the skirmish (based on a confederate soldier's recently discovered journal) bring out-of-town visitors as well--actors, underemployed professors, and socialites looking for a chance to be seen. But when one of them turns up dead, Arly has to wonder whether it could really be the accident it appears to be--or could it be murder. Author Joan Hess turns the town of Maggody into her story's main character. From the venial mayor Jim Bob to his wife Mrs. Jim Bob with her fixation on the local minister to the moonshiners and the good-ole-boys of the small Arkansas town, Maggody feels real. Arly has a bit of a love-hate relationship with the town she serves as police chief but she uses the threat of Jim Bob not being able to buy a beer in her mother's bar to make sure she keeps her job long enough to decide where she wants to go next. The escapees from the retirement community, the pig-loving moonshiner, and her mother's friends with their mad plan to break into this historical society all add charm to this nice mystery. The plot line to MULETRAIN TO MAGGODY slowed down from time to time, but Hess's strong writing kept me involved in the characters even when the story wasn't doing much. Hess's insights into the civil war recreation mentality creates some additional humor to this fine light novel.

Perkins' Eldest Would Give It Three Thumbs Up

The latest hijinks in Maggody, Arkansas, centers around a Civil War reenactment and a pot of gold (not, however, at trailer park of same name).Joan Hess leads her readers down a dusty path, where Charleston socialites meet Conferedate martyrs...followed closely behind by the regular gang of Buchanons and others. While the Civil War theme served its purpose, it was not what made me flip the pages hurriedly: the best part of this storyline was, as usual, the number of Maggodians who managed to get swept away (literally) in their quest for the gold. Add to it, Hammet's return...and a little love for our hero Arly, and you've got another great tale of mystery and tomfoolery in our favorite Ozark town.Will Dahlia ever see her granny again (and will Kevin Buchanon be sleeping on the sofa forever)? Will Hammet convince Arly to take him home for good? Will Harve ever get to watch his poetry in skin-tight clothing? Will Mrs. Jim Bob drink wine...in her own house? To solve these mysteries...and maybe a few murders...you'll have to get on the Muletrain to Maggody.

extra fine rural police procedural

Three days before the Battle of Farbersville in Arkansas during the Civil War, there was a skirmish in the small town of Maggody. The Stump County Historical Society has obtained funding to do a documentary on the battle thanks to the donation of the diary of one of the men who fought in that encounter. The diary goes on to say that the confederate troops were carrying gold to pay the soldiers, but when they concluded that they were going to lose, the soldiers hid it in a nearby cove.The townsfolk go crazy looking for the gold and Chief of Police Arly Hanks has her hands full keeping track of everybody. The treasurer of the historical society Wendell thinks he has a clue where the gold was hidden but he is more interested in his genealogical studies than a treasure hunt. Matters turn very serious when someone kills Wendell. Arly investigates the homicide with plethora of suspects available. A second killing occurs. Once Arly realizes the two homicides are linked, it is only a matter of time before she tracks down the killer.An Arly Hanks mystery is always a hoot and a holler and MULETRAIN TO MAGGODY is no different. Despite the seriousness of the murders, the storyline focuses on the gold hunt. The characters are funny as they try to outdo each other in searching for the gold while Arly has her hands full keeping everyone in line Joan Hess is in fine form as she produces another extra fine rural police procedural.Harriet Klausner