Rating: 
Summary: Best in the series
Review: Denise Swanson hits her stride in this, the third book of the Scumble River Mystery Series. Skye Denison is in the middle of an unfruitful counseling session with an uncooperative student when she is asked to check out a situation in the school gym. She arrives only to find that a young girl who is playing the lead in the school production of "Sleeping Beauty" is dead. Skye cannot resist the temptation to carry on her own investigation despite the objections of the local police chief who has been her off-again-on-again boyfriend. In the course of her investigation, Skye uncovers a lot of secrets in her small town, including infidelity and cheating in order to win beauty pageants. This book has interesting characters and a plot that moves along at just the right pace. Cozy fans will enjoy this series, particularly this book.
Rating:
Summary: Three Cheers for the Third Skye
Review: Denise Swanson manages, for a third time, to give us an entertaining, engaging, satisfying Scumble River mystery with the intrepid Skye Denison in the lead.
The beauty who had everything (or did she?) is found dead. Who would have wanted her that way? More and more people as the book progresses.
I have really enjoyed this series and I hope the talented Denise Swanson continues to bring us more and more. The third one is just out and already I can't wait for the fourth!
Rating:
Summary: Three Cheers for the Third Skye
Review: Denise Swanson manages, for a third time, to give us an entertaining, engaging, satisfying Scumble River mystery with the intrepid Skye Denison in the lead.
The beauty who had everything (or did she?) is found dead. Who would have wanted her that way? More and more people as the book progresses.
I have really enjoyed this series and I hope the talented Denise Swanson continues to bring us more and more. The third one is just out and already I can't wait for the fourth!
Rating:
Summary: Third in the series is a charm!
Review: I enjoyed Murder Of A Sleeping Beauty so much that I felt the need to write a review as soon as I finished the last paragraph. This is the third Scumble River novel (although I believe there is a short story, which I haven't read) which features Skye, a school psychologist who came back to her hometown of Scumble River, Illinois after a humiliating break up with her ex-fiancee. This is particularly excrutiating for Skye because she had a few choice words for Scumble River and its residents when she made her graduation speech several years ago, and the residents of Scumble River have long memories. There are a few romantic possibilities for Skye in Scumble River, but they are not without their difficulties, to say the least. The greatest thing about Skye, her family and the other Scumble River residents is that they are not perfect. This leads to humor, pain, embarrassment and a lot of interest for the reader. I live in the midwest and I can relate to the characters of Scumble River, and I can honestly say that while they are often a little over the top for the sake of humor, they aren't completely out of the ballpark.
The first book of the series (Murder of a Small-Town Honey) really caught my attention, but it carried the duty (and the pleasure) of setting up the Scumble River background and letting the readers get to know Skye, her family, and the various characters of Scumble River. The book was wonderful and I would recommend reading it first, but then I try to always read the first book in a series before any of the others. I didn't like the second book, Murder Of a Sweet Old Lady, nearly as well as the first book. As a school psychologist, Skye sometimes has to come in contact with unhappy parents, and since she has the unfortunate habit of stumbling over dead bodies, she often ends up dealing with unhappy suspects. In the second book she was occasionally threatened or physically assaulted (albeit in a mild way) by male parents or suspects, yet didn't report it to the police. I thought that was completely out of character for Skye, who is a very assertive heroine. Thankfully, the third book completely restored my faith in the series. It seemed to me that the characters and the town of Scumble River just completely came together in this book, and I felt that I knew the characters without having to work to understand why they would react in a certain way, or without having to work out who the character was and how they were related to Skye. The book deals with the timely issue of the media and the image of perfection we are faced with constantly as we watch television and read magazines, and the consequences that expectation of perfection can have on children (and adults, as well), yet it doesn't have a preachy tone at all. I look forward to many more Scumble River books. Denise Swanson's Scumble River series has now joined my short list of cozy series that I will buy without even reading a review...
Rating:
Summary: Third in the series is a charm!
Review: I enjoyed Murder Of A Sleeping Beauty so much that I felt the need to write a review as soon as I finished the last paragraph. This is the third Scumble River novel (although I believe there is a short story, which I haven't read) which features Skye, a school psychologist who came back to her hometown of Scumble River, Illinois after a humiliating break up with her ex-fiancee. This is particularly excrutiating for Skye because she had a few choice words for Scumble River and its residents when she made her graduation speech several years ago, and the residents of Scumble River have long memories. There are a few romantic possibilities for Skye in Scumble River, but they are not without their difficulties, to say the least. The greatest thing about Skye, her family and the other Scumble River residents is that they are not perfect. This leads to humor, pain, embarrassment and a lot of interest for the reader. I live in the midwest and I can relate to the characters of Scumble River, and I can honestly say that while they are often a little over the top for the sake of humor, they aren't completely out of the ballpark.
The first book of the series (Murder of a Small-Town Honey) really caught my attention, but it carried the duty (and the pleasure) of setting up the Scumble River background and letting the readers get to know Skye, her family, and the various characters of Scumble River. The book was wonderful and I would recommend reading it first, but then I try to always read the first book in a series before any of the others. I didn't like the second book, Murder Of a Sweet Old Lady, nearly as well as the first book. As a school psychologist, Skye sometimes has to come in contact with unhappy parents, and since she has the unfortunate habit of stumbling over dead bodies, she often ends up dealing with unhappy suspects. In the second book she was occasionally threatened or physically assaulted (albeit in a mild way) by male parents or suspects, yet didn't report it to the police. I thought that was completely out of character for Skye, who is a very assertive heroine. Thankfully, the third book completely restored my faith in the series. It seemed to me that the characters and the town of Scumble River just completely came together in this book, and I felt that I knew the characters without having to work to understand why they would react in a certain way, or without having to work out who the character was and how they were related to Skye. The book deals with the timely issue of the media and the image of perfection we are faced with constantly as we watch television and read magazines, and the consequences that expectation of perfection can have on children (and adults, as well), yet it doesn't have a preachy tone at all. I look forward to many more Scumble River books. Denise Swanson's Scumble River series has now joined my short list of cozy series that I will buy without even reading a review...
Rating: 
Summary: Even Prince Charming Couldn't Save This Beauty!
Review: In the 3rd book in the Scumble River mystery series, we see amateur sleuth, Skye Denison still working hard at fitting into her hometown and happily counseling students at her job. Skye is a school psychologist, returning home to live and work after humiliating herself while delivering a valedictorian speech 12 years prior. It seems that Skye left with a chip on her shoulder about "the small minds of those in a small town" and has to return home with her tail tucked firmly between her legs after losing her last job. Since she left her last job in disgrace (although not her fault), the only job she can get is in the school system that she shunned when she left town. While trying to re-establish herself in her hometown, she helped to solve two previous cases that have cleared family members of murder. In this case, Skye finds the body of Sleeping Beauty on stage at the high school, but this time no Prince Charming will come to her rescue. It seems that this former pageant competitor has been murdered, and there is a long list of suspects in her death. Skye has difficulties investigating this case as her police contact is mad at her, and she is stymied by the high school kids and their parents. Why did this seemingly popular girl have so many enemies? Who really killed this beauty? With the help of her mother and possible love interest, Simon Reid, Sky sets out to find the truth about this girl and her not-so-fairy tale life. I enjoyed this book although I found myself skipping a few paragraphs here and there while reading it. The mystery was appealing although I found that I had solved it earlier than I normally do. The characters are very interesting, and the aspect that I like the most in this series is the relationships between all of the people in this small town. If you enjoy cozy mysteries set in small town America, give this series a try. The first book in the series is "Murder of a Small Town Honey". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
Rating:
Summary: Even Prince Charming Couldn't Save This Beauty!
Review: In the 3rd book in the Scumble River mystery series, we see amateur sleuth, Skye Denison still working hard at fitting into her hometown and happily counseling students at her job. Skye is a school psychologist, returning home to live and work after humiliating herself while delivering a valedictorian speech 12 years prior. It seems that Skye left with a chip on her shoulder about "the small minds of those in a small town" and has to return home with her tail tucked firmly between her legs after losing her last job. Since she left her last job in disgrace (although not her fault), the only job she can get is in the school system that she shunned when she left town. While trying to re-establish herself in her hometown, she helped to solve two previous cases that have cleared family members of murder. In this case, Skye finds the body of Sleeping Beauty on stage at the high school, but this time no Prince Charming will come to her rescue. It seems that this former pageant competitor has been murdered, and there is a long list of suspects in her death. Skye has difficulties investigating this case as her police contact is mad at her, and she is stymied by the high school kids and their parents. Why did this seemingly popular girl have so many enemies? Who really killed this beauty? With the help of her mother and possible love interest, Simon Reid, Sky sets out to find the truth about this girl and her not-so-fairy tale life. I enjoyed this book although I found myself skipping a few paragraphs here and there while reading it. The mystery was appealing although I found that I had solved it earlier than I normally do. The characters are very interesting, and the aspect that I like the most in this series is the relationships between all of the people in this small town. If you enjoy cozy mysteries set in small town America, give this series a try. The first book in the series is "Murder of a Small Town Honey". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
Rating:
Summary: A likable heroine; a great cozy mystery series.
Review: Readers will soon be engaged by the characters in this small town. The clever heroine counsels kids and combs for clues with much aplomb. Who could be the murderer? Perfect reading for a sunny spring day or a cozy night beside a warm fire. Reminded me of the Hamish Macbeth books, too.
Rating:
Summary: From MyShelf.com
Review: Skye Denison, school psychologist at Scumble River High School, stumbles across the girl who is playing the lead role in the spring musical, Sleeping Beauty. The problem is that Sleeping Beauty won't wake up. Not even Prince Charming can save this princess. Her slumber is permanent. The question is; who gave Sleeping Beauty poison this time? Skye delves into an investigation on her own since her once romantic relationship with the chief of police, Wally Boyd, is a thing of the past. Skye learns that the dead girl, Lorelei Ingels, was entrenched in the world of beauty pageants. Could someone be jealous of her success? Or could there be another reason? Skye is stonewalled by parents and students alike as she tries to find out who Lorelei really was. She appears to have been a popular student, but sometimes popularity comes with a price. Skye must find out if the price in this case was murder. MURDER OF A SLEEPING BEAUTY is an enjoyable mystery. It moves along nicely and holds a reader's interest. It is well-plotted and well-written. I particularly like that the protagonist is "full-figured" and easy to relate to. Denise Swanson has a winning series here. Scumble River is a place I'll visit again and again!
Rating:
Summary: From MyShelf.com
Review: Skye Denison, school psychologist at Scumble River High School, stumbles across the girl who is playing the lead role in the spring musical, Sleeping Beauty. The problem is that Sleeping Beauty won't wake up. Not even Prince Charming can save this princess. Her slumber is permanent. The question is; who gave Sleeping Beauty poison this time? Skye delves into an investigation on her own since her once romantic relationship with the chief of police, Wally Boyd, is a thing of the past. Skye learns that the dead girl, Lorelei Ingels, was entrenched in the world of beauty pageants. Could someone be jealous of her success? Or could there be another reason? Skye is stonewalled by parents and students alike as she tries to find out who Lorelei really was. She appears to have been a popular student, but sometimes popularity comes with a price. Skye must find out if the price in this case was murder. MURDER OF A SLEEPING BEAUTY is an enjoyable mystery. It moves along nicely and holds a reader's interest. It is well-plotted and well-written. I particularly like that the protagonist is "full-figured" and easy to relate to. Denise Swanson has a winning series here. Scumble River is a place I'll visit again and again!
|
