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Myrtle Clover Mysteries #3
A Dyeing Shame
Some beauty secrets are more dangerous than others…
When Beauty Box beautician Tammy Smith is discovered with a pair of hair shears in her back, there are suspects and secrets aplenty in her small Southern town.
Octogenarian Myrtle Clover, bored by bingo and bridge, is intrigued by the crime...and her neighbors' secrets. But discovering, and blabbing, secrets got Tammy killed and Myrtle soon learns her sleuthing isn't just dangerous...it's deadly.
When Beauty Box beautician Tammy Smith is discovered with a pair of hair shears in her back, there are suspects and secrets aplenty in her small Southern town.
Octogenarian Myrtle Clover, bored by bingo and bridge, is intrigued by the crime...and her neighbors' secrets. But discovering, and blabbing, secrets got Tammy killed and Myrtle soon learns her sleuthing isn't just dangerous...it's deadly.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
191 people are currently reading
1270 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Spann Craig
91 books473 followersAuthor also writes under Elizabeth Craig
Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. Find out more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website: http://elizabethspanncraig.com . Find her books on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. Find out more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website: http://elizabethspanncraig.com . Find her books on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
March 15, 2017
I really adore this series; Myrtle makes everything light and fun. She is great to read when I have heavy books going on because I know that I will laugh and laugh and laugh. These are pretty easy mysteries [as far as solving goes; I knew pretty early on who the killer was and was pretty sure of the why], but it doesn't detract from the story or the hilarity of Myrtle and Miles and their sleuthing [albeit, reluctantly on Miles' part]. So much fun!!!
March 13, 2012
A cosy mystery of the very best kind, and extremely funny in places.
What I love most is the fact that Myrtle Clover is a terrible pain in the butt without really knowing it herself.
What I love most is the fact that Myrtle Clover is a terrible pain in the butt without really knowing it herself.
May 1, 2018
Prescindible novela que me ha recordado demasiado a Miss Marple.
January 19, 2014
A great story spoilt by poor formatting.
I enjoyed this undemanding, easy-to-read cosy very much. Great characters and a good page-turner. So it isn't great literature and not always realistic, but it doesn't set out to be so to criticise on those grounds indicates readers didn't bother to read the blub and opening first!
What irritated me was the formatting. A line space between every paragraph I might of coped with, but, because of this, there were no obvious scene breaks. Having to go to the very end of long chapters when reading in bed and your eyelids are dropping and concentration waning really difficult! And just to be picky, there were far too many missing spaces between words and sentences. Not good for a so-called professionally copy-edited novel.
I enjoyed this undemanding, easy-to-read cosy very much. Great characters and a good page-turner. So it isn't great literature and not always realistic, but it doesn't set out to be so to criticise on those grounds indicates readers didn't bother to read the blub and opening first!
What irritated me was the formatting. A line space between every paragraph I might of coped with, but, because of this, there were no obvious scene breaks. Having to go to the very end of long chapters when reading in bed and your eyelids are dropping and concentration waning really difficult! And just to be picky, there were far too many missing spaces between words and sentences. Not good for a so-called professionally copy-edited novel.
October 14, 2013
OH MY GOD...I was so bored reading this. Unlikeable characters, awful story. The list goes on. There were a number of quotation marks not being used correctly. Sometimes they never had the ending quotation mark or they were around details, not conversations. Just not great.
February 17, 2014
Worst read ever
I forced myself to finish this book!! not able to run prints off a letter? pointless ?? her son is police chief and acts like a toddler learning a new skill
I forced myself to finish this book!! not able to run prints off a letter? pointless ?? her son is police chief and acts like a toddler learning a new skill
January 10, 2017
A fun cozy mystery--though I like her quilting series better.
March 28, 2013
I feel kind of bad rating this book the same as the last book I read, Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, since Sweet Tooth was obviously a much more well-written book. However, my policy is to rate based on the genre and purpose of any given book, so I'm not actually saying that the two are comparable.
This book is a cozy mystery and a very easy read. I enjoyed the story line (beauty salon owner in a small town is stabbed in the back). Cue the bored old woman (protagonist), Myrtle, whose son is the police chief and yet who feels compelled to investigate with her slightly younger sidekick neighbor Miles. I found Myrtle to be a tad annoying. She has a toddler grandson, for example, but doesn't really want to spend any time with him; she'd rather be off doing something more "exciting." This rubbed me the wrong way. I know the author was trying to make her a spunky old gal, but she came across as unlikable to me.
The revelation of whodunit was a bit meh. No real shocker there. And the "deductions" that Myrtle made to get there weren't too logical at all. Still, it was a fine, untaxing way to spend a couple of hours.
This book is a cozy mystery and a very easy read. I enjoyed the story line (beauty salon owner in a small town is stabbed in the back). Cue the bored old woman (protagonist), Myrtle, whose son is the police chief and yet who feels compelled to investigate with her slightly younger sidekick neighbor Miles. I found Myrtle to be a tad annoying. She has a toddler grandson, for example, but doesn't really want to spend any time with him; she'd rather be off doing something more "exciting." This rubbed me the wrong way. I know the author was trying to make her a spunky old gal, but she came across as unlikable to me.
The revelation of whodunit was a bit meh. No real shocker there. And the "deductions" that Myrtle made to get there weren't too logical at all. Still, it was a fine, untaxing way to spend a couple of hours.
January 3, 2014
Myrtle Clover knows that only trouble will come when the local beauty parlor operator starts to drink too much. Tammy should realize that she's antagonizing her customers, who've confided in her over the years, and also her employees, whom she criticizes and disparages. Sure enough, Tammy is found dead in her shop. Myrtle's son Red, the chief of police, would like to keep her out of the case, but Myrtle can always wangle her way in where she doesn't belong. Just to carp a little, I wish writers would learn the difference between discreet and discrete.
August 31, 2014
The story is OK, but the editing for the e-book version (which is what I read) is terrible. Myrtle finds a picture on her coffee table (the picture is a running joke in this book). Two pages later she notices that it is in the kitchen and seems to have forgotten that she just saw it on the coffee table....later the picture is destroyed by being 'run under the kitchen sink' (??). Really? Maybe run under the kitchen faucet....
March 6, 2013
This is the second book in the series that I have read, it most likely will be my last. I find Myrtle, a stubborn, annoying old busybody. Myrtle annoyed me the first book and continued to do so in the second one. Goodbye Myrtle
October 22, 2013
Couldn't finish this book and I rarely stop reading books until the bitter end. I really don't care who killed Tammy. Characters are one dimensional. Had I not recently read some really well written books, I might have suffered through this one.
December 27, 2012
This edition had Part I only. I don't care enough about the character to buy Part II
April 14, 2014
Myrtle Clover is a scream, this book is masterly written and cleverly plotted. I read it in one day, could not put it down. It's good to read an entertaining mystery with witty banter.
March 14, 2016
Fun and silly romp.
February 29, 2020
I loved this book. So glad I discovered this fun series, I have also recommend it to my mum, as I enjoyed it that much. I just love the characters and the fun with the painting just tickled me. I had worked out who the killer was but I had so much fun with the characters getting there that it didn't matter and I didn't want the book to end. I can easily see it being made into a tv series and with humour, mystery and plenty of suspects I think it would be a big hit with any generation. Off to start the next book, which is unusual for me because I like to break up audio book listening with different series so I don't get the stories confused but Myrtle and her friends have me hooked.
Myrtle Clover is board with life, which is why she is looking forward to her next hair appointment when she hears that there might be some juicy gossip to be found at the Beauty Box. Tammy,everybody's favourite hairdresser has started drinking and it is more than wine she is spilling and like a priest or a bartender, a hairdresser knows everybody'ssecrets. Tammy is not only spilling secrets but she has also turned mean. But mean enough for someone to stab her in the back with scissors and then push her down some stairs? With every one in the beauty parlour annoyed with her, Myrtle and her poor suffering sidekick Miles have there work cut out for them to narrow the list of suspects down. Not to mention a painting by the daughter In law to find a home for. Then another body is discovered and the heat is really turned up.
I liked the narrator and thought her voices sounded just right with a mix of elderly and the young.
Myrtle Clover is board with life, which is why she is looking forward to her next hair appointment when she hears that there might be some juicy gossip to be found at the Beauty Box. Tammy,everybody's favourite hairdresser has started drinking and it is more than wine she is spilling and like a priest or a bartender, a hairdresser knows everybody'ssecrets. Tammy is not only spilling secrets but she has also turned mean. But mean enough for someone to stab her in the back with scissors and then push her down some stairs? With every one in the beauty parlour annoyed with her, Myrtle and her poor suffering sidekick Miles have there work cut out for them to narrow the list of suspects down. Not to mention a painting by the daughter In law to find a home for. Then another body is discovered and the heat is really turned up.
I liked the narrator and thought her voices sounded just right with a mix of elderly and the young.
December 9, 2023
Started interesting, good to have some time with the characters before there's a body. Interesting to see some real interaction between Myrtle, Red, Elaine, and how much (early in the series) Myrtle plays roles - frail elderly, strong independent, etc. It seems the author was experimenting with who Myrtle is.
Less happy with the almost rote second dead body, and the rush job in finishing up the tale.
The sniping and bickering, the infantile competition between Myrtle and Red, bring this book down another star. He's in his 40s, shes in her 80s, and neither has found an adult way to interact with the other? And she IS exhibiting dangerously bad judgment, he's not wrong there. But that offers no real tension, because readers know the protagonist isn't going to be at any real risk.
Less happy with the almost rote second dead body, and the rush job in finishing up the tale.
The sniping and bickering, the infantile competition between Myrtle and Red, bring this book down another star. He's in his 40s, shes in her 80s, and neither has found an adult way to interact with the other? And she IS exhibiting dangerously bad judgment, he's not wrong there. But that offers no real tension, because readers know the protagonist isn't going to be at any real risk.
Read
October 29, 2020After reading three of these books in the Myrtle Clover Mystery series one of the things I've noticed is how well Ms. Craig sets up an important element of the ending that keeps Myrtle from getting taken out by the murderer she's confronting. She usually peppers this all through out the book but we write it off as a little humor just to get the story moving.
In the first it was the ringtone Red recorded for her, in the second it was Pasha the cat's 'gifts', and in this one it's.... Okay no spoilers.
I liked this one. It was fair. All the suspects were still suspects, even a couple you didn't want to be suspects, and the actual murderer had motivation and their actions all made sense once the solution was presented.
The plot set up is formula, but that's not a bad thing necessarily. The scene to where the victim sets herself up to be a victim was a bit much, but just a bit. The rest of the writing is pretty good, no real drag in the book. There's always a running gag in these (if reading three can make me any judge) and this one involves a piece of unwanted artwork being unwillingly traded between Myrtle and Miles.
I would have liked to see an epilogue of sorts to just kind of run down what happens with the other suspects, but maybe thy'll be returning characters as the author builds up her town.
Will be reading more.
In the first it was the ringtone Red recorded for her, in the second it was Pasha the cat's 'gifts', and in this one it's.... Okay no spoilers.
I liked this one. It was fair. All the suspects were still suspects, even a couple you didn't want to be suspects, and the actual murderer had motivation and their actions all made sense once the solution was presented.
The plot set up is formula, but that's not a bad thing necessarily. The scene to where the victim sets herself up to be a victim was a bit much, but just a bit. The rest of the writing is pretty good, no real drag in the book. There's always a running gag in these (if reading three can make me any judge) and this one involves a piece of unwanted artwork being unwillingly traded between Myrtle and Miles.
I would have liked to see an epilogue of sorts to just kind of run down what happens with the other suspects, but maybe thy'll be returning characters as the author builds up her town.
Will be reading more.
November 13, 2020
3.5 Tammy, owner of the beauty salon, Beauty Box, is found dead at the bottom of the stairs with a pair of shears in her back. There are soooo many suspects/people who did not like her at all and would wish her dead. Divorced, unhappy and taking to drinking, Tammy insulted most of her clients, hinted at their secrets, and worked on her clients with a cigarette in one hand and the bottle in the other. Myrtle is determined to find the killer and try not to make her son, Red, angry - he's the chief of police. Myrtle is really quite annoying, I feel sorry for her friend and fellow sleuth Miles, and I think she has far too much time on her hands. Not as annoying as Miss Julia, however. A quick read and you don't have to think too hard,
July 8, 2025
I looked all over to get the right order of these books......and thought this was the first one......come here to write this and realize it's book #3. I knew there had to be others written before this one because of all the references in the story. Whatever....
I don't know if it was because this was the third and not the first but I felt like lots of things were missing in this story. I am sure it was because of the order I read it in.
I am not sure I will read the rest.....maybe if I can REALLY find the first one.......it was a fast read and just to keep things honest, I didn't guess right at all......HAHAHAHA
I don't know if it was because this was the third and not the first but I felt like lots of things were missing in this story. I am sure it was because of the order I read it in.
I am not sure I will read the rest.....maybe if I can REALLY find the first one.......it was a fast read and just to keep things honest, I didn't guess right at all......HAHAHAHA
June 17, 2017
Myrtle is clever, cunning, wise and sometimes cantankerous
I was searching for a new series to enjoy when I read a sample of the first Myrtle Clover mystery.
I have become a devoted fan. Myrtle is a senior citizen with a sharp mind, a delightful sense of humor and a desire to solve murders. Her son Red, the local sheriff, often dismisses Myrtle's theories much to his own chagrin.
I was searching for a new series to enjoy when I read a sample of the first Myrtle Clover mystery.
I have become a devoted fan. Myrtle is a senior citizen with a sharp mind, a delightful sense of humor and a desire to solve murders. Her son Red, the local sheriff, often dismisses Myrtle's theories much to his own chagrin.
December 21, 2017
This is the first reading this author and third in the series. The main character is Myrtle, the mother of Red, the chief of police. The local hairdresser has taken to drinking is claims she has the goods on everyone and maybe it's time to tell on them. That night she is murdered and Myrtle the 70 some years young Miss Marple sets out to crack the case. I loved Myrtle. I am looking forward to reading more of her adventures.
May 27, 2021
This is a great story. The protagonist, Myrtle, was a little old lady that never stopped living life on her own terms. And I liked that. Even though the police force, which included Myrtle's son, became exasperated sometimes, they listened to her and in the end discovered she was right. The setting had the familiar touches of any small town. The plot was a real puzzle which I couldn't figure out until the end when the murderer was revealed. I will read the next book in this series.
January 1, 2018
Myrtle Clover just cracks me up
I do love these books. Myrtle is about my age, but there is no way I could do what she does, that is why I love all these books this author writes. I have a real hard time putting these books down when I start to read them. I get a really good laugh reading these books. Take it from me, they are really worth reading
I do love these books. Myrtle is about my age, but there is no way I could do what she does, that is why I love all these books this author writes. I have a real hard time putting these books down when I start to read them. I get a really good laugh reading these books. Take it from me, they are really worth reading
August 3, 2020
Enjoyable cozy with good narration, sets the plot in a small town with a retired English tescher. She loves gardening and decorating with the gnomes. When a body is found murder by shears of the beautician, she is more than ready to solve. . The narration was good, clear voice and added to this story. Good series. Given audio for my voluntary review
August 31, 2020
Mrs. Myrtle Solves Another One!
Had no choice but to give this rating! Good characters and great story lines. This was a very entertaining and enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book with myrtle and Miles adventures.
Had no choice but to give this rating! Good characters and great story lines. This was a very entertaining and enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book with myrtle and Miles adventures.
December 29, 2020
Fun, but Formulaic
This series has a distinct formula, but Myrtle is so much fun. I think she should know better, but I can see people I know in her. I love that she is so strong willed and sharp at her age. The literary references are fun to find too.
I look forward to continuing this series to see what Myrtle gets into next.
This series has a distinct formula, but Myrtle is so much fun. I think she should know better, but I can see people I know in her. I love that she is so strong willed and sharp at her age. The literary references are fun to find too.
I look forward to continuing this series to see what Myrtle gets into next.
January 30, 2022
enjoyed this cute book
I call it cute even tho it was a murder mystery because of the way it was written. The author surely has a cute sense of humor mixing the whole story up so no one would guess. Truly good writing. Hope you all enjoy like I did
I call it cute even tho it was a murder mystery because of the way it was written. The author surely has a cute sense of humor mixing the whole story up so no one would guess. Truly good writing. Hope you all enjoy like I did
June 26, 2022
Sprightly octogenarian, Myrtle Clover, is engaged in finding a murderer. Even though her son Red, the Police Chief won't share details of the crime, Myrtle forges ahead with her investigation. A cozy mystery to enjoy!
January 26, 2024
a fun mystery
This is my first meeting with Myrtle and her family, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. A big THANKS to the author and Amazon Stuff Your Kindle Day as I’ve found a great new series to read.
This is my first meeting with Myrtle and her family, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. A big THANKS to the author and Amazon Stuff Your Kindle Day as I’ve found a great new series to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews