paperback

I think there are 9 books in this series.

This is not my favorite series by this author, but it's a quick light read. I think my major complaint is that although it's set up for Elizabeth to be the amateur detective, she doesn't really do much investigating, but figures the murderer out almost by accident. On the other hand, the characters are fun and the setting on an archeological dig works for me.

very good

A combination of CSI and the Andy Griffith show starring Barney Fife.

Having read one of the ballad series, "Bimbos" and the first Elizabeth MacPherson book, I looked forward to this one.

It seems she had a difficult time getting this book going... I found the first two or three chapters to be tedious and stilted as she introduced the characters and tried to get the plot off the ground.

But.... once over that hurdle, the fun began, and the book became as enjoyable a read as the others.

I enjoy this author's sense of humour, and have the impression she must have a lot of fun with her writing.

Looking forward to reading my way through all her books!

If it has skeletal remains chances are good, I liked it.

Elizabeth McPherson is a sociology student as the book opens. She is fascinated with herbal healing methods, and when a close friend of hers offers to find a place for her on an archaeological dig that will place her near an aging woman who has studied herbal cures all her life, Elizabeth is eager to go.

The purpose of the dig is to help a small group of North Carolinians prove to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that they are indeed a legitimate tribe and deserve the protections afforded to the much larger and more prominent Cherokee nation. Indeed, if the group cannot prove its native American heritage, the land it holds will inevitably be sold to a strip-mining venture.

But the dig is jinxed from the get-go. Its director has a super-brief affair with his graduate student, whom he subsequently dispatches to a nearby library to do menial research as part of the dig.

Things get increasingly ugly when the director is murdered, a small-town deputy refuses to investigate seriously because he favors the strip mine project, and his replacement isn’t particularly competent. It’s up to Elizabeth to track down the killer. I enjoy this series. Elizabeth is highly likable, and McCrumb’s writing style is easy to read.

This second book of the Elizabeth MacPherson series is a clincher from the word go. The story stats with the finding of a skull with a bullet hole in it. Solving that mystery is easy. Who killed the well-known Anthropologist (his wife or the student he is sleeping with)and a voluntary digger on a crusade to protect Native American land to prevent strip mining of the land is a little trickier. Finished it in one day. The murderer is a surprise at the end. Funny and smart

I love the humor. As far as plots go, its okay, but the characters are hilarious. Well worth the subtle phrasing and innuendoes.

This is probably 2 1/2. I am doing a reread of the series, and I don't think I ever read this particular book before. The first book was so wonderful; this one falls short for me. I don't like Elizabeth's relationship with Milo; I miss Geoff (he can't be in all the books, but that is too too bad); I miss Bill. I didn't care that much about the murders, and the suspects weren't that interesting, and Elizabeth was really really stupid at the end of the book. Hmmm. I will keep reading though

Very nice series mystery almost entirely about plot with a little sideline romance and some gender issues commentary. Ah, the mystery series of my youth!

Aunque tiene toques/situaciones bastante machistas (qué se le puede pedir a un libro escrito en 1985), a medida que lo iba leyendo me ha ido enganchando más y me ha sorprendido el desenlace, cosa que cuesta que me pase.

La versión que tengo yo está traducida un poco regulín, y hay alguna falta tipográfica... además un tal Tony Hillerman dice "Sólo Sharyn McCrumb es capaz de hacer que una calavera resulte desternillante"... este hombre debe ser de risa fácil como para calificarlo de desternillante.

En fin, que me ha gustado y me han enganchado hasta el punto de ir leyendo por la calle corriendo el riesgo de ser atropellada.