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Peaches Dann #1
Who Killed What's-Her-Name?
Introducing the forgetful, yet totally unforgettable, amateur sleuth Peaches Dann. Details have never been Peaches' strong suit, but she has no problem seeing the big picture--especially when it comes to murder. Now Peaches is tracking the killer of her Aunt Nancy. Original.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
282 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
9 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Daniels Squire
30 books6 followersElizabeth Daniels Squire, more commonly known as Liz, has been an aptitude tester, a reporter, a nationally syndicated columnist, and wrote mysteries about a sleuth who uses memory tricks to solve murders. One of her stories won an Agatha. Tragically, Liz died February 25, 2001, but her work will live on forever.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 31, 2024
**MINOR SPOILERS **
This is the first book in the Peaches Dann series. It can be read as a standalone.
Peaches is visiting with her father, who has dementia, and he insists that there is a body in the pond in his backyard. To placate him, Peaches goes to check and discovers that there really is a body and that it is her aunt (her father’s sister). Her father is confined to a wheelchair so I wondered how he knew there was a body in the pond. It is a minor unexplained point in the story. Though her father has dementia, it generally did not seem to be too far advanced. In contrast, the author references Peaches’ memory issues with too much frequency.
Peaches has memory issues too, but it is not dementia. She uses mnemonic devices and other tools to help her remember things. She is writing a book about how to cope with a poor memory which she has had her entire life. The excerpts of her book were interesting. In one police interview, she overhears her cousin referring to her as ‘spacey’. It was a little hard to determine exactly how bad her memory issues were as there were times when she remembers things clearly and other times she does not. It seemed quite serious though, so she is an interesting choice as an amateur detective.
I read this book over 25 years after it was published so it was interesting to see how much technology has changed since the book was written. Ted, Peaches’ boyfriend, refers to a newspaper database where you can find out all manner of things. It was an amazing resource at the time but nothing in comparison to the internet now. There were also references to phones with cords and phone books.
The book had a fair number of possible killers and different red herrings throughout the book. The character development was good. The dialogue was realistic. The pace of the book was a little slow. The entire book was written from Peaches’ Point of View (POV).
It is the first book I have read by the author. I dinged it two stars for the slightly slow pace and the frequency that memory issues were mentioned. It is a likeable book, but I do not plan to continue the series.
This is the first book in the Peaches Dann series. It can be read as a standalone.
Peaches is visiting with her father, who has dementia, and he insists that there is a body in the pond in his backyard. To placate him, Peaches goes to check and discovers that there really is a body and that it is her aunt (her father’s sister). Her father is confined to a wheelchair so I wondered how he knew there was a body in the pond. It is a minor unexplained point in the story. Though her father has dementia, it generally did not seem to be too far advanced. In contrast, the author references Peaches’ memory issues with too much frequency.
Peaches has memory issues too, but it is not dementia. She uses mnemonic devices and other tools to help her remember things. She is writing a book about how to cope with a poor memory which she has had her entire life. The excerpts of her book were interesting. In one police interview, she overhears her cousin referring to her as ‘spacey’. It was a little hard to determine exactly how bad her memory issues were as there were times when she remembers things clearly and other times she does not. It seemed quite serious though, so she is an interesting choice as an amateur detective.
I read this book over 25 years after it was published so it was interesting to see how much technology has changed since the book was written. Ted, Peaches’ boyfriend, refers to a newspaper database where you can find out all manner of things. It was an amazing resource at the time but nothing in comparison to the internet now. There were also references to phones with cords and phone books.
The book had a fair number of possible killers and different red herrings throughout the book. The character development was good. The dialogue was realistic. The pace of the book was a little slow. The entire book was written from Peaches’ Point of View (POV).
It is the first book I have read by the author. I dinged it two stars for the slightly slow pace and the frequency that memory issues were mentioned. It is a likeable book, but I do not plan to continue the series.
July 31, 2024
When Peaches Dann finds her aunt Nancy's dead body, she can't believe anyone would kill the confident retired businesswoman. Peaches' father's only sister helped take care of the elderly man, who may not be playing with all his marbles. Of course, Peaches is busy trying to write her book on how to deal with terminal absent-mindedness, using the hints she's developed herself. Former newspaperman Ted is wooing Peaches and helps with her investigation, which becomes more acute when they realizes that someone is trying to kill Peaches, too.
June 30, 2020
I loved this book. I can't wait to read more by this author.
January 26, 2021
This was so boring I could not finish the first chapter.
November 4, 2021
C. fiction, mystery
August 5, 2011
I love mysteries and thought this sounded like an interesting premise--a detective who can't remember anything. But I found this book a trifle boring and hard to finish reading, the killer obvious from almost the beginning, and was disturbed to find that if Peaches' memory problem is considered chronic, I have a chronic memory problem too! And so do most people I know. I say, if you like a good mystery, skip this and read something else...like the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters.
March 21, 2010
I was expecting a bit more from this book. Perhaps it will appeal to some, but I thought it rather simplistic, and at times a bit ridiculous. I could not really warm up to the characters and was actually glad when I read the last page. I am going to give it to my mother (who is 90). I will be interested to see what she thinks.
January 22, 2015
Memory minder mystery
I loved this book and am looking forward to reading all of the books in this series. The author has introduced me to so many interesting people and I am looking forward to seeing how they develop. The mystery line is very good. I recommend this book to all readers, not just those of us who have "senior moments".
I loved this book and am looking forward to reading all of the books in this series. The author has introduced me to so many interesting people and I am looking forward to seeing how they develop. The mystery line is very good. I recommend this book to all readers, not just those of us who have "senior moments".
did-not-finish
May 13, 2016DNF at 1%. There are two things that will not change in this book. 1) The fact the character is old enough to have memory loss from old age. The no memory quirk loses its effect because of that. 2) The writing style is always telling and not showing. While annoying in other genres, it makes mysteries impossible to enjoy.
June 4, 2013
An easy and lightweight read as memory challenged Peaches Dann ties to figure out who is killing off family members.
August 22, 2012
A completely emjoyable mystery. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews