Stroke

Imogene Duckworthy Mystery #4

by Kaye George

When Imogene Duckworthy is invited to the wedding of her mother's cousin in East Texas, and the groom is murdered just before the ceremony, does she get involved? Will swindled rancher Sydney Harbor succeed in laying the blame for the murder of the groom on Eccles Justice, the bride's father, who is Sydney's old nemesis--or will Immy shake up the complacent East Texas police force of Slap Out, find out who really killed the groom on his wedding night, and show everyone Imogene Duckworthy can be a real detective in a real case?

198 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2023

About the author

Kaye George is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer who writes cozy and traditional mysteries and a prehistory series, which are both traditionally and self-published. Her two cozy series are Fat Cat and Vintage Sweets. The two traditional series feature Cressa Carraway and Imogene Duckworthy. The People of the Wind prehistory mysteries take place within a Neanderthal tribe. She has a suspense novel coming out in early 2025 called SOMEONE IS OUT THERE, and a new cozy series starting in 2026 featuring Comfy Cat. About 50 or more short stories have also been published, mostly in anthologies and magazines. With family scattered all over the globe, she makes her home in Knoxville TN.

Homepage: http://kayegeorge.com/

Reviews

[Susan Van Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imogene Duckworthy (Immy) has always wanted to be a private detective and solve crimes. She gets her chance in Kaye George’s Stroke.
Immy, her mother, Hortense, and her daughter, Nancy Drew Duckworthy, have been invited to the wedding of the daughter of distant cousins, Justice and Ouida Eccles. They’ll have to travel to the small town of Slap Out, Texas to attend the wedding.
This is where Kaye George is really in her element: describing the crazy relatives and strange details of the big event and its surroundings.
Loryetta Justice is marrying Ned Newberry, Jr. Before the wedding even occurs, Loryetta explains to Immy that she’s not 100% sure about these nuptials. Her husband-to-be beat up two other boys in high school: one died of brain injuries and the other is in a wheelchair. Then, not two months earlier, he knifed a guy who might yet die, leading her soon-to-be husband right into a jail cell. Loryetta’s having a tough time making up her mind about whether he’s marriage material.
Neddie Jr comes by it naturally. His father was a crooked car dealer who then turned into a crooked realtor, swindling ranchers in transactions but retaining their mineral rights. The day of the wedding he announces a gusher came through on land Sydney Harbor owns. But since Ned retained the mineral rights, the oil is his. Not a bad motive for murder.
And the wedding hour comes…and goes. The groom is AWOL. Then, they find out he’s been murdered. Loryetta, having found a sympathetic ear in Immy, hires her to find the killer. The bride’s father, Eccles Justice, is quickly arrested and Immy has her work cut out for her. Coming up with a snappy name for the case is first on her mind. After that, she’s not sure what step two is. She’ll have a lot to learn about PI work before she’s able to figure out the real killer.
Stroke contains comically described Texas locales, humorous characters who have no clue, and a protagonist you simply must root for. It also contains bed bugs, a pig named Marshmallow, a town you might not want to visit, and a list of possible suspects for Immy to investigate. This mystery will have you laughing outloud.
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amber Foxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fourth Imogene Duckworthy mystery is very Texan and very funny. Immy has become a more skilled private investigator, though still amusingly unprepared at times. She's passed her course and gotten her certificate, and now she takes on her first real Case as a professional. As usual, she feels the need to give her Case a creative name, as if it were the title of a Nancy Drew book. Suitably, since she named her child Nancy Drew Duckworthy. That child, Drew, has a delightful role in the story, as always, as does Immy's word-loving mother, Hortense.
The friends and relatives of the bride and groom at the wedding they attend—or almost attend—in another small Texan town are colorful characters. The bride-to-be is a piece of work, and the events at the rehearsal dinner set up the mystery skillfully.
And as usual, the murders are creative and strange. This brings up a serious issue that comes up in this comic mystery: people being swindled out of the mineral rights that lie under the land to which they only have surface rights, a cause of great conflict in this small community. A humorous aspect of the story is the house designed in the style of the 1950s. The owners’ pets are named after characters from “I Love Lucy.” The dogs play a vital, hilarious, and unexpected role. I can't say I ever got attached to the goat.
I like the portrayal of Immy and Ralph’s relationship at this stage, when they are past the first burst of romance and now an established couple, with everyday love and everyday disagreements. When they had their couple’s fights, I often took Ralph's side. (The chair? The goat? You were right, Ralph.) But I’m fond of Immy, and I’m sorry this seems to be the finale of the series.