Book Review - Murder in the Corn Maze

Murder in the Corn Maze (A Granny Reid Mystery #2)

Author:  G. A. McKevett

Publisher:   Kensington Books

Publication Date:  September 24, 2019

4 Stars

Stella Reid has been granted custody of her seven grandchildren, and she is now raising them by herself.  The family doesn’t have a lot of money, but they find a way to not only make things work, but enjoy life at the same time.  It’s Halloween time in McGill, Georgia, and the kids decide they want to participate in the local parade.  The kids make all of their own costumes and have a great time.  

After the parade, there is a corn maze that the local judge has created at his sprawling mansion property.  Stella would love to take her grandkids, but the cost is prohibitive.  Luckily, Stella’s good friend, Elsie Dingle, comes to the rescue.  She works out a deal with the judge so the kids can get in free.  Most of the kids back out, however, because they are too scared to go.  It ends up just being Stella and Savannah and Waycross.  Somewhere along the maze, they seem to have taken a wrong turn, and end up in a part of the corn maze all by themselves.  Savannah decides to scope things out to try and get them back out.  Instead of finding a way out, Savannah discovers a dead body.

Stella immediately recognizes the barrette in the victim’s hair and the dress the woman is wearing.  Stella is in shock, and she is not sure how she will break the news to the victim’s daughter.  What haunts Stella even more though is the discovery of other clues that are identical to her own mother’s death when she was just a child.  Stella and Savannah are determined to help the sheriff get to the bottom of these crimes.  They are so old though, will the threesome be able to solve the case?  Will Stella finally get some closure regarding her own mother’s death?

Granny Reid (Stella) is back in the second book of this cozy series.  It is a prequel to the Savannah Reid mystery series.  I’ve not read the Savannah Reid series yet (though they are definitely in my TBR pile), and I’ve found that they are not a prerequisite for enjoying this series.  I loved the second book in this series.  This book is filled with many great and lovable characters.  This of course includes the seven Reid grandchildren.  All of them have very unique and defining personalities.  Marietta in particular is a very colorful character.  Savannah, who is featured prominently, comes into her own in this book.  She takes a chance and dives right into something she is interested in, detective work.  I enjoyed the fact that the adults didn’t dismiss her simply because she is a youngin.  Elsie Dingle, Stella’s best friend and Sheriff Manny are back as well.  Both provide love and support to Stella, and she in return to them.  They are beautiful relationships that are wonderfully written.

This story is not quite as humorous as the first book (though there are still many funny moments), but that is because of the very deep, personal relationships to the victims the main characters have.  There are also some very serious themes intwined in the story.  The plot is riveting, deep, and takes twists and turns that you don’t see coming.  It was a very enjoyable book that I can highly recommend.

I hope there is a third book in this series as I’d like to see what happens to the main characters next.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book.  #NetGalley #MurderInTheCornMaze