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Fiddling with Fate by Diane Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finally finished another book: Fiddling with Fate by Diane Kelly. It's the third book in her "Southern Homebrew" mystery series. Main character is moonshiner Hattie Hayes.

Hattie is pleased to be expanding her moonshine business via savvy marketing ideas. She's collaborated with a local bluegrass band, the Bootlegging Brothers, to compose and record a jingle for her shop, and she's also teamed up with a local winery to host a Wine and 'Shine event. The Bootlegging Brothers provide the musical entertainment for the evening. When one of the brothers disappears afterward, everyone is shocked. Hattie is even more shocked when he's found dead--murdered by being bashed over the head with one of her moonshine jugs. Hattie knows she should leave the investigation to the police, but she's desperate to restore her brand's good name. She launches her own investigation, cozying up to the suspects and putting clues together in an effort to find a killer.

The story was interesting, although not engrossing. I thought Hattie was a little foolhardy in her amateur investigation. I was also mildly annoyed that the underlying theme was that, once again, her moonshine business was implicated in a murder. That's been the case now with all three books I've read in the series, and it's becoming passé.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Brody's a bluegrasshole."
♦ A woman's got to make her priorities, after all, and housework was pretty far down on my list. I can relate.
♦ "All's fair in love, war, and murder investigations."
♦ If not for some miracle, I would be squashed to death. So this is how I go. I might not be able to have an open casket, but at least my death would be memorable.

This deserves 3.5 stars. I'll be kind and round it up to 4.

The Moonshine Shack Murder by Diane Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Just now finished reading The Moonshine Shack Murder by Diane Kelly. This is the first part of the author's "Southern Homebrew" mystery series. The main character is Hattie Hayes, who is determined to revive her great-granddaddy's moonshine business.

Hattie's great-granddaddy used to run moonshine during Prohibition, but Hattie is looking to turn the family business into a legal and profitable venture. She opens The Moonshine Shack in Chattanooga, where she sells some of her own brand of flavored moonshine, along with her family's original corn liquor. Her constant companion is her cat, Smoky. Not only is Hattie's grand opening a success, but she also meets mounted police officer Marlon Landers, and she begins to make connections with other local business owners. Things are going great until someone is found murdered outside the Moonshine Shack--the bar owner who reneged on an agreement with Hattie and whom she had an argument with. As a beat cop, Marlon isn't investigating the crime; instead, Hattie is confronted with homicide detective Candace "Ace" Pearce, who has turned her sights on Hattie. After all, Cormac O'Keefe was killed with a broken bottle of Hattie's moonshine. Determined to clear her name, Hattie begins asking questions and using her own computer and business skills to find out who really may have had it in for O'Keefe. Will she be able to help the police nab a killer before the killer nabs her?

It was a fun story, peopled with colorful characters. I especially liked Hattie's feisty granddad and her kooky friend, Kiki. The setting/premise of a shop that sells moonshine was unique, and the budding romance between Hattie and Marlon was what fluff is made of.

Favorite lines:
♦ ...I could only hope the food in jail was better than it had been in summer camp. The only good thing had been the s'mores, and I doubted the Tennessee state penitentiaries allowed bonfires and pointy sticks.
♦ "Who needs handcuffs or a gun when you've got Mod Podge?"
♦ "Are we going to tickle the killer to death with the bristles?"
♦ "...I'm going to say 'I told you so.' In fact, I'll make it the theme of your eulogy." // "Understood. But, you'd still take Smoky for me? Raise him right?" // "I'll take him in, but I'm going to let him run with the wrong crowd and I won't help him with his algebra homework. He'll become a feline delinquent."

Awarding this one four stars. I'm still putting it to the "Cozy Mystery Trope Test", however.

( Trope Test )