Who Left That Body in the Rain?

Thoroughly Southern #4

by Patricia Sprinkle

Sixty-something Southerner MacLaren Yarbrough keeps busy as a county magistrate, a co-owner of Yarbrough’s Feed, Seed and Nursery, and a loving wife and mother.  But her penchant for snooping around in other people’s business often lands her up to her neck in murder… 

In Hopemore, Georgia, good ol’ boy Skye MacDonald lives life large––as a dedicated family man, back-slapping civic leader, and flamboyantly successful owner of a local automobile empire.  Very little happens in this cozy town without Skye’s full knowledge and participation.  So the whole community is shocked when his body is found in a muddy road, run over by his own car.

 

Judge MacLaren Yarbrough and her husband, Joe Riddley, have known the MacDonalds for years.  So they can’t help but get involved in this baffling murder investigation, especially when it produces more questions than answers: Why has Skye’s son skipped town?  How many secrets was Skye keeping?  And…

 

Who Left That Body in the Rain?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cozy

291 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 3, 2002

About the author

Aka Patricia Houck Sprinkle.

When I met and married Bob, he looked over our budget and demanded, "Why don’t you write a mystery to pay for all the ones you buy?" I immediately knew I wanted to put a body in a building where I’d once worked. However, being over-endowed with the Protestant ethic, I wrote "important" things first and only wrote the mystery in my spare time, so my first mystery, Murder at Markham (reissued by Silver Dagger in 2001), took thirteen years to complete. It took even longer for me to learn that any writing which gives me pleasure is important, whether fiction or non-fiction.

Since 1988 I have written twenty mysteries, four novels, and five non-fiction books. I am grateful to my readers and editors for letting me do what I enjoy most in the world. Bob has concluded that writing is not a profession, it's an obsession--my favorite vacation is to go to a place where somebody else fixes my meals and where I can write more than I do at home, without interruptions. Thanks, if you are one of the readers who keeps my fingers on the keys. I enjoy spending time with you at conferences, book clubs, and signing events.

Reviews

[Cheryl]

The title of the book and the name of the author (Sprinkle and rain) caught my eye some time ago when I saw someone else reading it and I added it to my wishlist. Happened upon a copy and broke my "no new books rule" (more a pipe dream than a rule) and picked it up.

Throughout the book I was frequently tempted to abandon it and I was convinced I did not like most of the characters. I was slightly offended at how easy Mac made being a magistrate look, particularly when she has no legal training. I was also puzzled as to why people were so blind to the truths about each other and why they communicated so poorly, even for a small town where you have to let a lot of things slide for the sake of your sanity. The mystery was well done, though. And there was something about the whole thing that kept me engaged and led me to stay up an extra hour or so to finish it off. Thus the 4 stars. Not sure if I would read another in this series or not. The Southern thing was a bit overdone, I thought, even though it is probably realistic -- but then, what with Trump and COVID-19 and Lindsey Graham and the uproar over voting and critical race theory, I am WAY over the South and its alleged charms.

[Nd]

This is one of the best Georgia-based books by southern author Patricia Sprinkle. She does a good job of setting small town, southern central Georgia via a mixture of life that's quite traditional with contemporary early 21st century culture. Protagonist MacLaren Yarbrough is one of Hopemore, GA's magistrates, a part-time job that takes up a lot of her time, along with running a feed, seed, and nursery business with her husband Joe Riddley. They know virtually everyone in the town and have watched many grow to maturity along with their own, now grown, children. Skye and Gwen Ellen MacDonald are a couple of McLaren and Joe Riddley's best friends. Daughter Laura and son Skell work for Skye in MacDonald Motors, Laura expertly and enthusiastically and Skell rather unwillingly. As events point to things not necessarily being what they seem there, much to the dismay of Joe Riddley, the Yarbrough children, and inept Police Chief Charlie Muggins, MacLaren's amateur sleuthing puts her full-scale into the affair.

[Yalonda]

I read a previous book by Sprinkle (Sins of the Fathers) and loved it but this one ... meh. Maybe it hits too close to home as a Southern of a not-so-wealthy family. I find the tedium of the required social etiquette too real for my comfort. (I was not expecting to get stressed about attending a social function from a book!) Plus, if I am to be honest, I maybe reading a bit too much entitled wealth into the characters. Maybe it is just so different from my normal crime/murder/mystery fare, and I was expecting something more like "An Elderly Lady..." Whatever the reason, I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped. It was well-written, had an interesting arc, & I do plan to give the series another try.

[Sandra Strange]

This series of thoroughly Southern mysteries presents a set of characters from varied socio-economic groups of Southern society in "cozy" mysteries that present satisfying puzzles, with a charming and fallible protagonist/sleuth. The author brings in Christian touches and shows affectionate family members and relationships that make the novel, though focused on murder, essentially positive. It helps that the novel is clean of sensuality and offensive language.

[Christine Lucia Asha]

She is always introducing characters we should like....and then we never hear from them again.

Ben and Laura! but what about Selena and Maynard.....

And still too much God stuff half way through........................................

[Johnna]

Great Southern mystery writer and series

[Carole Hardinge]

Again Sprinkle weaves a good story, dropping clues along the way. The mystery is gradually solved throughout this book, which results in sustained interest for the reader.

[Janet]

Ahh. Patricia Sprinkle does it again.

[Margaret]

A very nice peek into the joys and frustrations of a brain damaged spouse who is slowly recovering. Also a lively and enjoyable mystery.

[Meredith Curtis]

Every one of Patricia's Sprinkles books is a treat! :) :)

[Gerry]

Good cozy mystery series.

[Dharia Scarab]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Marjorie]

I really like this series. I get such a kick out of the "Southernisms". Old fashioned Southern manners are much like old fashioned English manners. You keep up a facade of politeness if it kills you!!!! Like most "cozies" set in imaginary small towns, there are an awful lot of murders!!! And the characters are always shocked at this happening in a place where they usually say that people who live there rarely even lock their doors!!

[Zhang Wu]

This book creates a scene unlike any other i have ever seen. majority of the characters involved in the death of Skye are very deceitful and tricky.they have ways of hiding their intentions and wants the reader to know what he or she wants you to know so therefore you never suspect them. its these types of writing that keeps me reading. only novels like this allows me to read non-stop.

[Amy]

I'd read the first in this series last year, and sort of enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this one is not appealing to my sense of "I need a cozy mystery to read." Too convoluted in explaining who each character is at the start. I'll give the author another try another time.

[Ellen]

In Hopemore, GA, the community is shocked when good ol' boy Skye MacDonald is found dead on a muddy road. MacLaren Yarbrough can't help meddling in the police investigation, even though she's required not to because she's a county magistrate. This cozy is a little too cozy for my taste.

[Deb_bluerose]

Lighthearted Mystery Series about a sweet-ol', little southern Lady...

[Babs]

This is the 4th book and a close family friend dies and Maclaren ends up finding out more then she wanted to about the past.

[Erin Richards]

This was a quick read and had a bit of southern charm but, the author always had to point it out which got annoying at times. The story for the most part comes together. It's a good cozy mystery.

[Felicia]

I had to abandon it half-way through - the "we're so charming and Southern" bit got a little too annoying.

[Margaret]

This series of books is very entertaining. I love this Author.

[Cindy]

This title is several books into the Thoroughly Southern Mysteries series, but my first one. I liked the characters. Maybe I'll check for the first books at the library.

[Carla Y]

A fun Southern mystery.

a fun easy mystery to read. I have enjoyed Patricia Sprinkle's mysteries. I heard her speak at my local library and became interested in reading her books.

[Susie Cody]

I had a hard time getting into this book because it had too many characters with crazy names and relationships. I did end up enjoying it by the conclusion of the story.

[Saifa]

Four and a half stars

[Sunny]

Murder mysteries set in small towns are some of my favorite reads and this series is one of the really good ones.

[bumblethunderbeast]

another fun cozy