The Maggody Militia

Arly Hanks #10

by Joan Hess

Maggody, Arkansas, is a peaceful little Ozarks town snuggled in the heartland of America--until a group of camouflage-clad patriots march in with maneuvers and murder. Suddenly, Chief of Police Arly Hanks has her hands burglars are breaking into houses; the mayor is missing; and a survivalist has just been killed. Which leaves Arly hunting for a motive, a means, and a murderer. Wisely, she reckons there isn't a secret government conspiracy behind this homicide--just the usual human evils of blind ambition, big money, and deadly obsessions! Dutton.

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

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Joan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.

Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime

Reviews

[Susie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd found a couple of Joan Hess's farcical Arkansas mysteries off and on, but more recently I came across a sack full of discarded ones at the Winona, Miss., library and have been reading them. I just finished a couple of gut grabbers. Har de har har, but that gal can really do some quirky thinking as she develops plots and characters. I highly recommend Hess's books for extreme changes of pace. I am a former Arkansan, so I can relate somewhat, though my residence was in an upstairs apartment in the Quapaw Quarter of Little Rock, not in a small village such as Maggody. I even drove through Fayetteville one time, on the way to Oklahoma City, as well as through Hot Springs, when my little doggie and I were headed for the diamond fields one rainy evening, a good while ago. Found no buried diamonds, but a tick found me...Joan Hess's writings are treasures, though -- I find she died in November 2017 in Austin, Texas.

[Reading Fury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading the Maggody series for a couple years now, mostly in order but not always. I enjoy them all, but this one was a bit better than the rest. Ruby Bee and Estelle didn't get into nearly as much trouble, but Mrs. Jim Bob finally seems really human. I do want to know what happened to the ostriches, ha, ha!

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to double check the publication date, because the militia stuff seemed like current times. Kevin and Dahlia are about to be parents, Estelle has received an unusual inheritance, and Brother Verber has gone missing. This one's convoluted stuff was easier to follow, or Maggody is affecting my thought processes.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good time.

The Maggody mysteries are always fun, and this episode is no exception. With a timely plot (well, the Malheur follies are still pretty clear in my mind) and cliched but entertaining characters, this was enjoyable.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do love Joan Hess, classic and funny. A treat. Dpl e book via dreading

[Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one really has a lot of wonderfully nutty characters and is a very fun read.

[Leezie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly Kevin and Dahlia need to be under constant adult supervision. This installment was a great take down of the militia madness of the 90s.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing much happens in tiny Maggody. It's not even on maps. A perfect place for a group of nuts to practice being a militia out int woods. During hunting season. It all leads to the death of one of the militia by a hunters bullet. Or was it really an accident? Ally is kept busy sorting everything out whilst Maggody's residents keep interfering. An interesting mystery.

[Merrilee Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Joan Hess for some time now. What brings me back to read every book she writes? Good question. The citizen of Maggody are quite sell known by now, and they persist in acting true to form. To that extent, you could say the stories are predictable. And yet--they aren’t. Because these country folks, in Arly Hanks view, never cease to amaze with the mischief they can get into.

Case in point, this current book. We have lots to notice here. A group of pseudo-militia take up residence in the hills of Maggody and decide to go on maneuvers. Moreover, they do this in deer season. Arly already sees a problem with this, and of course she’s right. It isn’t long before one of the group is killed, presumably in a hunting accident. But is it? Some other things are added. A glamorous blonde, Kayleen, has come to town, planning to start a pawn shop business. We soon find she has a poor record of success in her marriages; we know of two husbands who met untimely deaths. Inexplicably, Kayleen seems romatically interested in the unlovely Brother Verber. Then there are the burglaries. And a most weighty
impending blessed event.

There’s more, but that’s enough for the flavor of the story. Needless to say, we are led a merry chase once more by Arly and the residents of Maggody. Joan Hess does it again!

Five stars. Perhaps not great literature, but Hess is always fun to read. And in today’s world, fun is in short supply.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this mystery interesting because they describe the Southern Ozark peoples as they are. My Grandparents lived in the Ozarks and I have visited them often. Lackadaisical is a word to describe the attitude of this Southerner. The county police force consists of one woman! Her mother, Ruby Bee, owns the local bar and motel. When a militia group decides to have maneuvers at the Ridge in the outskirts of Maggody, mystery, murder, and mayhem ensue. A rash of home break-ins, a murder during the paint-ball games, and a missing Pastor have our Police
Chief, Arly, working with other sheriff's the FBI, and the strange characters of this militia group, to solve the mysteries at hand.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun, funny, and entertaining Arly Hanks mystery. I liked this one more than most of the others because it poked fun at some groups I feel need some poking. I think that Joan Hess and I would have similar political views.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

book number 10...normally I'd say that many books in a series gets boring after awhile but Maggody keeps them coming. I'll admit I was struggling in the beginning, but that's what I dig about these books; keeps you guessing and at the end, you may have known who did it, but there's always a twist.

[Kim Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get started on the Maggody series - humor set in a very small town in Arkansas - if you know about small towns and refreshingly unsophisticated people (read "Rednecks"), you will like these. You will laugh, and you will know people who are way too much like these characters.

[Brandon Kurtich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Arly Hanks mystery! I can't wait to read the next one with the addition of two more Maggodians.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entry #10 in the Arly Hanks series reveals that all that wears cammo is not gold--or even particularly bright.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

See book #1.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the characters,Ruby Bee and Estelle. The messes that they get in are amazing!

[Janet]

Madcap mayhem in Maggody.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of towners bring a sort of miltia to the area, brother Verber is missing, Dahlia goes into Labor, Hunting Kevin down

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the way this writer's mind works. Any topical news on a grand scale is fodder for a setting in Maggody on a small scale. This book came out after all the furor over militias.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arly Hanks is still single.
Dahlia is pregnant.
Ostriches are on the loose.
A very ineffective militia comes to town.
Always fun.

[Charlene Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Maggody books are hilarious! Actually laugh out loud funny. Read this in 1998.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was my first read in this series, though it's the latest one. It was easy to follow the characters (a miserable lot), and often was humorous. Think Garrison Keillor, without the warmth.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as many others in this series but characters seem like family and it's always nice to go home for a visit.

[Pat]

Arly Hanks