Hocus Croakus : A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery

by Mary Daheim (Hardcover - July 2003)

Leaving their beloved Seattle B&B, which is being renovated, Judith McMonigle Flynn and husband Joe take their two squabbling mothers and Judith's cousin Renie to Lake Stillasnowamish Resort Casino in this winning addition to Daheim's long-running cozy series (after 2002's Silver Scream).

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.11 x 8.62 x 5.76
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (July 29, 2003)
• ISBN: 0380978687
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: 2,492

Book Description

A fire that gutted Hillside Manor has left Judith McMonigle Flynn depressed, frustrated, and in need of a place to stay while the workers complete their extensive renovation. Luckily, cousin Renie has the solution: the Stillasnowamish Casino on Native American land, where Judith can forget her woes amidst the slots and dazzle, spend some quality vacation time with ex-cop husband Joe -- as well as with the battling moms, Gertrude and Aunt Deb -- and distract Renie herself from the deathly dull conference she's expected to attend. But all their gamboling and gambling come to an abrupt halt when the Reaper gets into the act.

The magic dies abruptly for The Great Mandolini when one of his attractive aides is discovered skewered on one of the master illusionist's props. Judith's Joe, who is recruited into the investigation by Tribal Police Detective Jack Jackrabbit, wants his snooping spouse and her cantankerous coz to steer clear for their own safety. But all bets are off when corpse number two materializes from among Mandolini's adoring entourage of oddball relatives, relatives' relatives, friends, lovers, and business associates.

Someone is causing murderous confusion that is no illusion, and it's going to take some serious sleight of hand by Judith and Renie to unravel this tangled rope trick -- or, if the cousins aren't careful, they could end up being the encore.

About the Author

Mary Richardson Daheim is a Seattle native who started telling stories with pictures because she didn't know how to write. After acquiring the rudiments in grade school, Daheim penned her first mystery novel at age eleven. She admits it was terrible, but "showed promise."  Thus encouraged, she went on to graduate from the University of Washington's School of Communications, having acquired the knowledge and skills to support herself until she wrote a better book.

In 1983, Daheim published her first historical romance, Love's Pirate, for Avon Books.  She followed this award-winning novel with Destiny's Pawn, Pride's Captive and Passion's Triumph, all for Avon, as well as several historicals for Harlequin. An avid mystery reader, Daheim decided to try her hand at murder and mayhem with the creation of the Bed-and-Breakfast series from Avon, beginning with Just Desserts, and followed by Fowl Prey, Holy Terrors, Dune to Death, Bantam of the Opera, A Fit of Tempera and Major Vices.

Daheim is married to David Daheim, an instructor of cinema, literature, and English at Shoreline Community College. The Daheims have three daughters: Barbara, Katherine, and Magdalen. Daheim is member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.