Class Reunions Are Murder

Nan Robinson Mystery #3

by Taffy Cannon

"Nan Robertson and Taffy Cannon are welcome additions to the roster of intriguing sleuths. I wish them many more adventures."
--Gillian Roberts
Author of In the Dead of Summer
When L.A. attorney Nan Robinson flies to Spring Hill, Illinois, for her twenty-year high school reunion, the last person she expects to see is Class Tramp Brenda Blaine. But there she is, in all her glory.
The stars are out, of course: Class Clown Wally, Cutest Couple Jim and Mary Lee, solemn Edwin, clever Janis, and all the rest. But when someone murders bad girl Brenda, Nan must look at her classmates in a blinding new light. For among old rivalries and secret passions, one of them may have graduated to become a cold-blooded killer. . . .
"TAFFY CANNON IS A SUPERB WRITER."
--Carolyn G. Hart
Author of The Mint Julep Murder

Genres: Mystery

290 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 31, 1996

About the author

Eileen Emily Cannon aka Emily Toll

Taffy Cannon is the author of thirteen mysteries, including Guns and Roses (2000), which was an Agatha Award nominee and Macavity Award Best Novel nominee, and Blood Matters (2007), winner of the Best Mystery/Thriller in the San Diego Book Awards. Anyone who has ever had difficulty with a health insurance company will appreciate “Instant Karma,” her short story in the recent San Diego Noir (2011) anthology. She also runs a professional organizing business and is a multi-term president of the Friends of the Carlsbad Library, for which she manages a bookstore that earns $100,000 a year for the Library.

Reviews

[StarMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

TAGLINE: "Twenty years ago they never voted for Most Likely to be Murdered...."

Can protagonist Nan Robinson figure out who killed an old classmate at the reunion? Will her nosing around put her own life in danger? Will she hook up with the handsome detective?

Well... read and see.

I'm no expert on cozy-ish mysteries, which this seems to be. Bear this in mind. It was a random thrift shop find.

PROS: Overall it was an interesting murder mystery, with a multitude of suspects. It was fun to watch the smart protagonist try to piece together the truth about the death of the "class tramp", and also a former classmate who mysteriously disappeared 20 years ago.

NEUTRALS: I thought some of the developments implausible, and some of the character actions a bit dumb -- but I've seen far worse in similar books.

CONS: No huge ones.

BONUS POINTS FOR: Set circa 1997, and no one here uses mobile phones or the Internet. It's all face-to-face and phone calls. Old school!

VERDICT: 3 stars; or perhaps 3.5 for the cozy mystery genre.

[Anne Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read - the author clearly has a great sense of humor and I found the writing very witty. Perfect Summer whodunnit.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one's plot more than the earlier two. Nan Robinson has returned to the western suburbs of Chicago for her 20th high school reunion. Brenda, the class "bad girl" shows up and makes a bee line for Nan's table - she & Nan were chem lab partners, but not otherwise friends, nor enemies either. 2 hours later, Brenda is dead, stabbed with one of the party favors, a bronze sword, found in Nan's rental car. Fortunately Nan has a solid alibi - she was getting fresh air with her old boyfriend, now a high school principal in central Illinois. But since Brenda was found in Nan's car, Nan feels even more impelled to find out who killed Brenda. The last few months of high school have to be central to why, and there are several layers of lies.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

read on plane to class reunion. Fun