Review: The Ayes Have It – Janet Majerus

Jessie’s stuck in the middle again.

Since Jessie Schroeder moved back to Riverport, a small town overlooking the Mississippi River, it seems every time she turns around she trips over a body or uncovers some act of malfeasance. Sheriff Gil Keller said it best, “Jessie attracts trouble like a magnet attracts iron filings.”

In The Ayes Have It, history repeats itself. All Jessie is trying to do is her civic duty as a member of the Library Board and co-chairperson of the library bond issue campaign. Then a representative of an organization calling itself GOCLAP (Guarding Our Children from the Lewd and Pornographic) turns up to picket the library. He claims that Jessie’s prizing-winning children’s book, The Sunburnt Ghost, should be banned.

After a fellow member of the Library Board decides to oppose the bond issue, Jessie discovers he has a checkered past and a long-time relationship with the picketer. The affair rapidly gets complicated when the picketer turns up murdered and Jessie becomes a suspect.

Series:
Release Date: July 29th 2013
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Source: Provided by Author/Publisher via Manic Readers
Reviewer: Marie
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.  I liked where the story takes you – especially when the main character of the book becomes suspect number one in a murder investigation.  I found myself wishing that the book was a little longer, as I have no doubt it would have helped you get to know the characters on a deeper level.  The great thing about it, though, is that it dug right in to the mystery – a quality that a lot of mysteries today struggle with.  It never was bogged down with too much detail which made the flow of the story a very nice relief.

The character of Jessie is a hoot!  True to a “cozy mystery” type of character, wherever she goes, trouble and mayhem follow.  But her tenacity out shines her bad luck and makes her a good, strong character.  Her relationship with the sheriff, Gil, was one of my favorite parts of the book.  They make a good team, even when they disagree.

As a fan of mystery, I was surprised when this one sucked me in.  It kept me engaged from start to finish, and when it was over, I wished it wasn’t.  Fans of the genre will find a real treat here.