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Rating: 
Summary: Everyone is looking for the Confederate Gold
Review: Everyone in Maggody, Arkansas, gets stirred up when they are told about a historical society-funded Civil War documentary that is going to be filmed there. It's not the documentary that has everyone stirred up, though, it's the story that a Confederate soldier hid two saddlebags of gold up in Cotter's Ridge outside of Maggody back in 1863. No one had ever heard this story before. Could the gold still be there?Most everyone begins hunting for the gold. Cotter's Ridge has never had so many people on it at one time. Outsiders have been arriving in Maggody early for the filming - actors, authors, a filmmaker, and reenactors. Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanon, the Mayor's wife, is beside herself trying to be the perfect hostess for those staying at her house. Then the genealogist of the Stump County Historical Society dies under questionable circumstances. Police Chief Arly Hanks begins investigating. It amazes her that with as many people as were on Cotter's Ridge when he fell to his death, no one saw anything. People are missing as well. None of them are totally suspicious disappearances, but yet Arly must investigate each one. Are they related? Where have they gone? When one of the Buchanon clan becomes the victim of a vicious and fatal attack, Arly must tackle a very perplexing case. Could the same person have killed them both? Why? Who? The many characters of Maggody really add to this story. I really enjoy this series. Ms. Hess has really captured the essence of the Ozarks and the people. Ruby Bee, Arly's mom, is a great character and really adds to the story. She is always getting on Arly. Arly is trying to get some time alone with Jack, the filmmaker, but the investigation keeps getting in the way. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun look at murder in a small Arkansas town
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the last one
Review: 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).
Rating: 
Summary: The South Rises Again
Review: Things were more or less peaceful in the tiny town of Maggody, Arkansas. Until a diary, written by a Civil War soldier, Private Henry Largesse, describes a battle at Cotter's Ridge in 1863. He claims that two saddlebags of Confederate gold were hidden in the local caves. Unfortunately, the man who hid them, died in the battle before he could tell anyone where they were. And then everyone else, except Private Largesse died in battles over the next two days. The Private, himself made it home, but died of his wounds before he could come back and get the gold. The local historical society, which found the diary is putting together a reenactment of the battle, and everyone's coming to Maggody. Arly Hanks, sheriff of Maggody, isn't too thrilled. She has enough problems dealing with the local idiots, without having a swarm of people refighting the Civil War show up. These include Jack Wallace, the filmmaker, who is an old friend of Arly's from Manhattan. Meanwhile, people seem to be disappearing in Maggody. Petrol Buchanan, Brother Verber, Dahlia's grandmother and Lottie Estes. On top of all that, Wendell Streek, one of the historical society people, ends up dead. Was it an accident or murder, and did it have anything to do with the death of Hospiss Buchanan, whom he had visited earlier in the day? Arly has her hands full, trying to solve the murders, find the missing people, control everyone who's searching for the gold and still have a few hours to play a couple of games of Scrabble with Jack Wallace. Highlights: Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanan, putting up the more important members of the group in her home, These include a famous writer of historical novels, her deadbeat son and his fiancee, the fabulously wealthy Sweatpea. The unfortunate Wendall and other members of the society. The fact that they get drunk every day and use a lot of four letter words, nearly unglues Mrs. Jim Bob, who cannot even seek solace with her spiritual leader Brother Verber, who is one of the missing. Ruby Bee - Arly's mother and her best friend Estelle, are always the funniest characters in these books. Raz Buchanan and his precious pedigree pig, Marjorie. Lowlights: The mystery. Why the murders were committed sounds pretty far fetched to me. Hammet Buchanan - this kid appear on and off through out this series. He's completley unlikeable, and every time he shows up in a book, I just wonder why? Why does everybody in Maggody have to be so colorful? Arly's life. I find Arly Hanks to be a very sad person. I don't understand why she came back to Maggody after her divorce. She doesn't have that great of a relationship with her mother. She has no female friends. No male friends, except for an occasional one night stand with someone passing through town. I think the Joan Hess's series, featuring Claire Malloy is much better. I find the Maggody series to be just an ok read. Some have been very good, but most are just average. Not a series where I rush out to get the next book, as soon as it's available, but good as a fill-in while waiting for other books to be published.
Rating:
Summary: Best bad writer
Review: This is pure diversion with no deep insights or uplifting message. Joan Hess does not produce great literature and has many defects as a writer. I can say that with authority because I own twelve of her books and buy each new one as it comes out. Her characters are cartoonish, her jokes corny, her plots unlikely, her setting stereotyped and her dialog flat. She pokes fun at alcoholism, obesity,religion, incest and learning disability.
The heroine of the series is Arly Hanks, divorced from a Manhattan lawyer, and exiled to her hometown of Maggody "population 755 or so depending on what you count." in deepest Arkansas. An intriguing feature of the addictive quality of these stories is that Hanks finds the place depressing and the people unattractive, and keeps coming across grisly crimes and yet they are diverting light entertainment.
This one contrives to introduce every cliché about the South by having effete Charleston aristocrats come to Maggody to take part in a re-enactment of a Civil War skirmish. There's a lot of interesting information about the cult of Civil War re-enactment. I don't know how authentic it is.
The lack of a fifth star is because she competes in the comic crime genre with such luminaries as Evanovich and Elmore Leonard. Enjoy.
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