Chalk One Up to Murder

by Bailey M. Hines

A fun-filled murder romp featuring a new detective, Valerie Pickle. Ms. Pickle is your average fifth grade teacher until one of her former students gets arrested for murder. This light-hearted cozy mystery has romance, action, and is loads of fun to read.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chalk One Up to Murder by Bailey M. Hines is a cozy mystery-hopefully, the first in a series. Fifth grade teacher Valerie Pickle is a lover of mystery novels and a devoted teacher: once a student of hers, a child belongs to her forever. This principle is tested when former student Miguel is arrested for murder. After some initial wavering, Valerie Pickle jumps in to investigate and, hopefully, clear her former student.

Downside: falls into the usual predictability and straining-belief situations of many cozy mysteries.

Upside: the writing is well above average, often clever, the character of Valerie is more than usually interesting, the setting (Denver, Colorado) interesting; and most of all (at least for this teacher/reader) the details and passions of a teacher are accurately portrayed and convincingly integrated into the text.

I give this work a B+/A-.

I will hope there will soon be a second installment in the adventures of Ms. Pickle. I'll be waiting to grab it.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 5th grade school teacher, Ms. Pickles finds herself shocked upon seeing a former student's photograph on the front page of the paper saying he is involved with a murder. Ms. Pickles always tells her students that they will always be her children, and she means it.

Ms. Pickles herself lives a lonely, but fulfilled life. She loves reading romances and mysteries. She appears to overlap her two states of reality at times.

This amateur sleuth works like a police procedural but, is peppered with vivid adult scene, that made me feel this was not a cozy. I did finish the tale to try and be fair to the author. It just isn't my type of reading enjoyment.

[Mascanlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms. Pickle is the 5th grade teacher we all wish we had. This is a good 99 cents cozy but it does stretch the imagination that the only someone would ask for when they are arrested for murder, is their 5th grade teacher...especially when they haven't been in touch. On top of that everyone involved in the plot has Ms. Pickle for 5th grade (well just about everyone) But the plot is breezy and the writing OK so it was a fun evening read.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, for the moment this is a placeholder until I finish my review. In my last review, of Miranda Warning, I was so angry about new characters and plot points introduced in the last 5 percent of the book. Well darn it to wherever. Same darn thing occurred in this book. I'm pretty annoyed. But I need to relax a bit before I write the review. I guess you get what you pay for ($0.99). Ugh! I'll be back later!

[M-J · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written, fast read, good story, fun!

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was nothing exceptional. Very derivative. It seemed unfair to introduce important characters at nearly the end of the book. There is no way the reader could solve the murder.

[Cherie Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok fun read for .99c I wouldn't say it was the most enthrawling read ever but at that price I don't really care.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book with friendly characters. The surprise at the end was ...well.. A surprise. But overall I enjoyed the book.

[Cindy Listermann hurckes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick and light read , however didn't care for it and thought parts were too over the top.

[Sherry]

Fun. A little corny at times, but fun. I will read another in the series.

[Nancy]

Ms. Pickle, 5th grade teacher, helps prove the accused murderer, her former student, is innocent.