Murder in a Basket

India Hayes #2

by Amanda Flower

After basker weaver Tess Ross is found murdered, college librarian India Hayes must parter with her landlady, Ina Carroll, to find the murderer, all while caring for Tess' chocolate-colored labradoodle, which has a $2 million trust in his name. By the author of Maid of Murder.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Contemporary

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over thirty-five mystery novels. Her novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times, and she had been featured in USA Today, First for Women, and Woman’s World. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, Hallmark Publishing, Crooked Lane Books, and Sourcebooks. In addition to being a writer, she was a librarian for fifteen years. Today, Flower and her husband own a farm and recording studio, and they live in Northeast Ohio with their two adorable cats.

Reviews

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

India Hayes, college librarian, has been volunteered by her sister to paint faces at the Founder’s Day Festival. It was bad enough having to wear a ridiculous costume, but when she finds a murder victim in the stall next to hers, well, things go downhill fast. This mystery has pretty much everything a cozy reader wants: amateur detective, over-done festival, crazy but nice elderly neighbor, hippie parents, millionaire dying and leaving his fortune to his dog, cats and said dog, and a love interest in the form of the investigating detective, who just happens to be her sister’s discarded high school sweetheart. What’s not to like! You’ll love reading about these engaging characters in this entertaining tale, the second installment in this series.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd in this great cozy mystery series. enjoyed it

[Kav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky cozy mystery that ticks all the boxes. Librarian and amateur sleuth heroine, a cryptic police detective who sends mixed messages, a millionaire labradoodle with a penchant for mischief and a murder to solve. What more could an avid reader ask for? Well, the eccentric septuagenarian landlady sidekick who resembles "a leprechaun training for the British Royal Guard" (p 110) is an added bonus. As is the irony of a cat named Templeton. I grinned my way through the twists and turns of an engaging plot. Plenty of suspects to choose from -- and believe me I thought nearly everyone was guilty at some point. A fun, breezy escape read.

[Gabe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Sooooo hated the ending. It was one of those 'solution to the mystery on one page'...with an epilogue that managed to apportion the $ the crimes were about to 2 unsympathetic characters and leave out the orphan son of the first victim (who had originally been bequeathed the $ to take care of her and her son's education)entirely!!!
I was reading in bed and found myself unable to go to sleep at the superficiality of it all combined with the belief that the author must have been in such a hurry to finish the book that she totally forgot the kid was even in the picture...
Where were the editors on this one?!!!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artist and librarian India Hayes is helping out at the local art fair, which beats defying her sister Carmen, who's running the event. Returning after the fair closed to find a forgotten item, India finds the dead body of one of the craftspersons. Everyone seemed to like the deceased, so maybe the motive lies in a family conflict about a peculiar will? India's eccentric family and her feisty landlady Ina add color to this delightful second series episode.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I guess Amanda Flower's first India Hayes novel was no fluke. Murder in a Basket was great too! This is quickly becoming one of my new favorite cozy mystery authors.

All of the characters, a love interest, some quirky family relations, and a cracking good mystery. All the right ingredients.

[Lesley Shears · Rating 2 out of 5]

won't be adding this author to my list - very irritating characters, particularly Ina. Formulaic.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unable to say no to her older sister, India Hayes sets up a face painting booth at a local heritage festival. After the first day, she happens upon the freshly murdered body of the basket maker who had the booth next to hers. Not only is she a crafter, but also the caretaker of her late uncle’s dog with its two million trust fund. Could that be the reason she was killed?
Family members are revealed with surprise and motives, but India doesn’t feel any would kill their own sister and at the bequest of their nephew, sets out to find out who killed his mother and then later, his stepfather. Against the wishes of a certain local officer and with the madcap assistance of her septuagenarian landlady, she weaves her way into the circle of extended characters to narrow down suspects. Caught totally off guard, she still manages to rut out the guilty, save the dog and further her as yet relationship with said man in blue.
Would like a bit more below the surface rendering of characters, but appreciate the absence of cutesy dialogue or far fetched scenes. A fun read with good twists. Look forward to reading of Mz Hayes again.

[bekahwren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like a lot of Amanda flowers other series. I was not a big fan of this book. The family was compared to Meg Langslow‘s family, but they are obnoxious and not quirky and not funny at all. I would’ve liked to have seen that romance between the detective and India develop more, Mains was barely around. But I guess that can’t be known when the series suddenly comes to an end. I guessed who the murderer was long before, but didn’t know hoods motive. I also guessed as to the reason why the uncle had chosen his niece and the dog. I knew that he had accidentally killed his niece’s husband and felt guilty about it, so he left her the dog and all the money. I didn’t really appreciate the end where the dog was suffering, or the depictions of the murders and such. This is supposed to be a Cozy mystery. Something Amanda Flower always does is and the book kind of abruptly and then add an epilogue. Mostly this makes the books lack closure for me. I wish that she would flush out the endings more and talk more about feelings that the characters have. Also, the attraction of Derek to India was just uncomfortable. I’m writing this review more for myself to remember the details of the book.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

India Hayes is a likeable character, some of the rest of the cast are a bit over the top for my taste. Her neighbor and sidekick Ina is a bit too much of a loose cannon, as is her sister Carmen, the chair of the Founder's Fair, who ropes her into running a face-painting booth. This is where the first murder victim is found. I am a huge fan of Ms. Flowers Amish Candy Shop and Amish Matchmaker series, but am not too sure I would continue with the India Hayes Mysteries. I had the murderer pegged way too early on.

[Marcie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed a couple of Amanda Flower's recent books, but this book was rife with typos...at least in the Kindle version. My last strike was when a sentence read "Office" instead of "Officer". I quit reading after that. Each chapter had at least one obvious misspelling or repeat word. Wish the author and publisher would take more pride in the work and have it properly edited. I would love to finish the book with corrections.

[JoAnne Blackwelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Story

As one not partial to cozy mysteries, I found myself being drawn into this story of a .murder at a crafts fair. It does have its silly elements, like an 80 year old sidekick foaming at the bit to use her new mail-order lock-picker tools and a dog who is the only heir of a multimillionaire. Charming enough, as it turns out. The big plus is that Amanda Flowers knows what she's about. This is nicely plotted and moves along to a properly scary and satisfying ending.

[Jennifer M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Having not read the previous book it didn't take me long to understand everyone's dynamics in the story. I know it's been a while since this book came out, but I'm still hoping for a third book in the series.

[Tricia Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Really enjoy stories by Amander Flower. She always leaves you guessing till the end. It was only in the second to last chapter I began to suspect who the real murder was.

[Mythie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A main character without a backbone who hasn't learned to say "No" when people impose on her (and they do, to the point of where it's getting ridiculous bordering on infuriating), her relationship with the police detective a little too reminiscent of the Miss Fisher Mysteries ... and still it works. Turned out to be a fun read.

[Sheri Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better

This book was much better than the 1st book. It was more cohesive and I actually started liking the characters. I'm not sure if there is a 3rd book, but I would definitely read it.

[Carolyn A Barras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters!

I enjoy all of Amanda Flowers’s mysteries, but the India Hayes series is my new favorite! With a quirky bunch of characters and great story lines, this series is a winner!

[SrJean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful series

I love Amanda Flowers writing and storytelling. She never disappoints me. This 2nd installment in the India Hayes series is spellbinding. It has a strong and intriguing mystery and well-drawn characters.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the series. Enjoyed it much more than the first. Less of the family, but what there was made me like them or laugh at them or both. There's a dog in this one, and as a dog lover that warmed my heart. The mystery was interesting and held together well.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It is a very quick read. It was a bit hard to guess who the murderer was, though I had considered the person who did as a potential suspect, I didn't know what the motive would be.

[Susan Sarabasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in this series I have read, the second of this author’s works.
Once I got to know the characters I enjoyed the story very much. Going to reserve the next in this series at my library.

[Debbie Beeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. The mc has no backbone. None of the rest of the characters were standouts in fact most of them were not very likeable. I felt sorry for the dog because none of them took care of it very well.

I have other books by Amanda Flower that I am looking forward to.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I liked the plucky librarian and her creativity, her parents in unconventional roles and a theme about a craft festival on the college green. However, the story moved slowly after the death early on, with added complications of the large estate left to a dog.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read, figured out the perp, but not the motive right away. A Good rainy day read.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Looking forward to the third book.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun! Love the characters!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting since it takes place locally and I recognized all the landmarks. Will probably read another by her.

[Gabrielle David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only two

I enjoyed the two India Hayes books and wish there would have been a few more. The ending left me feeling another book had been planned.

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+. You can tell it's an early work, but still a very good read.

[Joann]

Book # 2 in the 2 book series.
Did not figure out the murderer at all.