The
Daffodils Mystery Series
Mary Clay
Reviewed by Sarra Borne
The Turtle Mound Murder
Becky Leigh Martin is faced with starting over at
forty-six. Ever since finding out that
the woodworking project her lawyer husband claimed he was working on,
in the
garage late at night, actually involved a voluptuous stripper he'd been
dating
for over a year. She has been fighting
with the old boy's network to get her rightful half of their estate. Finally the papers are signed and Becky is
looking forward to rebirthing herself as Leigh, because she's tired of
being
"sweet, cute Becky... blind Becky".
Fortunately, Leigh is not without a support system, consisting
of two of
her sorority sisters, who call themselves the DAFFODILS (Divorced and
Finally
Free of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum). They
whisk her away to New Smyrna
Beach
for a trip down memory lane, New
Smyrna Beach
being their old college
spring break hangout.
They barely arrive before DAFFODIL sister Penny Sue steps into
the middle of an altercation between a member of the Turtle Patrol and
a
turtle-hating civilian. The Turtle
Patrol protects the endangered sea turtles that nest on Smyrna
Beach. They
move nests that are too close to human
habitation, and enforce the lights out after dark restriction during
breeding
season. Neither of the two men seem
particularly pleased with Penny Sue's interference, heated words are
exchanged,
and a pistol is brandished. The police
cool the situation down and warn the ladies not to leave town.
Later when Leigh and Ruthie discover white powder in a chest
of drawers they assume it is some kind of insecticide left behind by
the
exterminator, and move it to the hall closet.
Everything seems fine until Leigh takes an early morning beach
stroll
and discovers a body. Hilarity insues as
the ladies decide that they are well suited to becoming detectives. With a little help from a psychic, some
American Indian purification rituals and a pre-production model TASER
they arm
themselves to solve the case.
This is the kind of book I'd like to write, funny and
heartwarming with characters that engage the reader from page one.
Strong
female role models who don't fall to pieces at the first sign of
trouble, it's
the Ya Ya Sisters meet Nancy Drew.
Author Mary Clay writes in a fast paced style that is
reminiscent of
Janet Evanovich. The jokes are witty, and include the type of humor all
women
can relate to themselves. Also included
are popular culture references to Daytona Bike Week, and The Rocky
Horror
Picture Show, which are sure to delight the informed reader. This is the first in a series the second two
are already available at the bookstore and are sure to be popular beach
reads.
Bike Week Blue
At the start of the second book in the Daffodils
series,
Leigh Stratton is living in New Smyrna Beach while recovering from her
recent
divorce and the sale of the family home.
It has been about four months since the action in the previous
book The Turtle Mound Murders. Leigh’s
been busy settling into a new
routine, with a part-time job at the Marine Conservation Center, a
couple of
new friends including a paint ball playing Klingon and she is learning
to enjoy
her solitude.
That is until the other two members of the Daffodils -
Daffodils stands for Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful,
Insensitive,
Licentious Scum - Ruthie and Penny Sue arrive to visit and partake of
the
festivities of Bike Week. That's Daytona
Bike Week where half a million people from around the world get
together to
celebrate their love of motorcycles, denim, leather and tattoos. "A
Daytona Beach tradition dating back to 1937, it started out small with
just a
handful of bikers racing a three-mile route, half of which was on the
beach. Since then, Bike Week festivities
have spread out to the surrounding communities and evolved into a ten
day
festival of bikes, beer and scantily clad babes."
Penny Sue, desperate to impress her new man who just might
be her soulmate, has bought out the Harley Davidson store.
Clad in the wedding ensemble, bright white
riding leathers, perched on a brand new silver Harley Fat Boy she's
going to
try to land Rich as husband number four.
The ladies are really getting into the swing of things, when
Rich
abruptly dumps Penny Sue. She's
distraught, but not entirely convinced that it doesn't have something
to do
with the mysterious "old friends" on his patio that he refused to
introduce. When one of those men turns
up dead, and the other turns out to be a well-known criminal, Penny Sue
is
certain that Rich is in deep trouble.
It's time for the Daffodils to ride to the rescue!
Mary Clay has really pulled out all the stops on this one,
like its predecessor this book is laugh out loud funny.
As silly as the plot line gets it is still
within the realm of possibility, which makes it that much more
endearing. Who would have thought that the
trials and
tribulations of three middle-aged divorcees could be so amusing? This reviewer is really looking forward to
reading the next book in the series Murder
is the Pits and sincerely hopes that the author is busy working on
future
titles.
Murder is the
Pits
Leigh, Ruthie and Penny Sue reunited in New
Smyrna Beach
for the third time; are preparing to give depositions in the trial of
the drug
smugglers they routed in the first Daffodils (Divorced and Finally Free
of
Deceitful Licentious Scum) mystery - The Turtle Mound Murders.
Aging hippie and neighbor Guthrie (Fred) Fribble
shows up on
their doorstep, brimming with local gossip and news.
It seems that another, rather elderly
neighbor, known as Nana, is in the hospital after a home invasion
robbery
scared her into a heart attack. He
also
notifies them that there’s a Category 3 hurricane potentially heading
towards
Florida. The ladies quickly make
preparations to weather proof the condo.
Later Guthrie returns sporting a frozen chicken atop the Ace
bandage on
his knee to beg for shelter and company during the storm.
"Publix ran out of ice" he says to
explain the poultry. He injured his knee
when he heard a strange noise outside his condo and fell while
attempting to
investigate. Further investigation links
the strange noises with other odd events, including Nana’s heart attack
and
several deaths. Coincidence?
Or is someone out to silence the Daffodils?
To perk up their spirits, the Daffodils and friend
Chris
agree to participate in a charity racing event, that will raise money
for less
fortunate hurricane victims. This event
has to be postponed when the second storm in as many days is announced
to be
bearing down on Florida. The ladies
evacuate
to a luxury hotel on higher ground. But
there are strange men lurking around the hotel, so they have to plot a
quick
escape. Eventually they make it safely
to race day only to find out that the other teams aren't all interested
in just
the racing...
The best so far of the Daffodils books. The
author has really fleshed out her
characters, and by the third book they are as familiar as old friends. Leigh's levelheadedness, Penny Sue's
flirtatious nature and Ruthie's New Age slightly flaky spirituality
make them
the ideal team. The character
interactions, the gentle teasing and feminine in-jokes add to their
appeal and
invite the reader to imagine themselves as part of the sisterhood. It will be interesting to see what
predicament Mary Clay is going to put the Daffodils in next.