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Boxes For Beds
In this historical mystery, set in Arkansas in 1961 when the mob still ruled Hot Springs, babies are being kidnapped, and the local sheriff has to put this case to bed before the bosses come down from Chicago. They don't need the heat, and they have the leverage with the sheriff to make him do whatever they want. It seems like a good move to arrest Leslie Richards, the new woman in town, even though there is only thin circumstantial evidence against her. Better for it to be a stranger taking those babies and not one of their own.
Leslie has left New York with her ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, hoping to escape from her past and the ruins of a relationship, only to discover that there is little peace for her in Pine Hollow, Arkansas.
Leslie has left New York with her ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, hoping to escape from her past and the ruins of a relationship, only to discover that there is little peace for her in Pine Hollow, Arkansas.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2012
50 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Maryann Miller
43 books551 followersMaryann Miller writes the critically acclaimed Seasons Mystery Series that debuted with Open Season, and continued with Stalking Season, Desperate Season, and the recently released Brutal Season.
See all of her titles at her Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Maryann-Miller...
Follow her there and on Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marya...
Miller has received the Page Edwards Short Story Award. Placed first in the screenwriting competition at the Houston Writer's Conference. Was a semi-finalist at Sundance and in the Chesterfield Screenwriting Competition.
For fifteen years she was the theatre director at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, where she directed adult and youth productions and coordinated the annual Kidzz On Stage Summer Drama Camp.
Miller also likes to be onstage and has appeared in numerous productions. Her most recent role was Big Mama in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
When not working or playing on stage, Miller enjoys reading and quilting and coloring. She lives in Texas with one dog, and four cats. The cats rule.
See all of her titles at her Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Maryann-Miller...
Follow her there and on Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marya...
Miller has received the Page Edwards Short Story Award. Placed first in the screenwriting competition at the Houston Writer's Conference. Was a semi-finalist at Sundance and in the Chesterfield Screenwriting Competition.
For fifteen years she was the theatre director at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, where she directed adult and youth productions and coordinated the annual Kidzz On Stage Summer Drama Camp.
Miller also likes to be onstage and has appeared in numerous productions. Her most recent role was Big Mama in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
When not working or playing on stage, Miller enjoys reading and quilting and coloring. She lives in Texas with one dog, and four cats. The cats rule.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 14, 2013
WALKI'S REVIEW
3.5 STARS
Spring 1961. Babies are kidnapped in Pine Hollow, a small town in Arkansas. The sheriff decides to suspect the newcomer in town, Leslie Richards, a 28-year-old unmarried mother from New York. The author tells us about Leslie's loneliness in her new surroundings and her close relationship with her 12-year-old daughter Mandy. Writing her book from several points of view, Maryann Miller also tells us about the Mob's grip on some representatives of the law, and occasionally mentions the Civil Rights Movement.
The author writes with consistency, adding new elements and new events before giving lulls any chance to develop. While mostly staying with Leslie Richards, she moves the point of view to other characters, offering the readers various angles to consider.
Boxes for Beds' is a mystery written with a gentle style that turned out to be too gentle for my taste. However, it is an agreeable read.
3.5 STARS
Spring 1961. Babies are kidnapped in Pine Hollow, a small town in Arkansas. The sheriff decides to suspect the newcomer in town, Leslie Richards, a 28-year-old unmarried mother from New York. The author tells us about Leslie's loneliness in her new surroundings and her close relationship with her 12-year-old daughter Mandy. Writing her book from several points of view, Maryann Miller also tells us about the Mob's grip on some representatives of the law, and occasionally mentions the Civil Rights Movement.
The author writes with consistency, adding new elements and new events before giving lulls any chance to develop. While mostly staying with Leslie Richards, she moves the point of view to other characters, offering the readers various angles to consider.
Boxes for Beds' is a mystery written with a gentle style that turned out to be too gentle for my taste. However, it is an agreeable read.
October 25, 2013
I finished this book on October 19, 2013 and wanted to add it to my goodreads account to highly recommend the book! Here is my review I put on Amazon:
I quickly got caught up in the emotions of the main character, and loved the suspense! Well written, and a definite page turner! Great work, Maryann Miller!
I quickly got caught up in the emotions of the main character, and loved the suspense! Well written, and a definite page turner! Great work, Maryann Miller!
August 16, 2014
Ms. Miller does an outstanding job of ratcheting up the intensity, along with one’s emotions in “Boxes for Beds”.
Read full review in the 2013 July/August double issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2013 July/August double issue of InD’tale Magazine.
February 18, 2016
I listened to the Audible version of this book.
"A Good Thriller That Kept Me Guessing Throughout"
BOXES FOR BEDS was an intriguing thriller with an easy to follow storyline. Although it was fiction, it could've just as well been non-fiction. The characters were likable and I could easily feel for Leslie in the situation that befell her. That's actually frightening. I would've liked to have heard a bit more of her background in New York and her life before moving to Arkansas but with that said, all in all, this was a great suspenseful thriller. It wasn't predictable and the ending was pretty wow. I like MARYANN MILLER'S writing and will be sure to watch for more books from her in the future.
CHLOE ADELE was simply amazing. I love the way she paced the story. She made it sound real. She has a soft voice which I liked and she was the perfect narrator for this book. She made this a very worthwhile and satisfying listen.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
October 29, 2013
Am I the only one that couldn't get into this book?
I read it all, but I just had more questions than answers. I get it -- the mob bosses want there to be no heat, but it doesn't seem like their operation has anything to do with missing children .... maybe I just don't understand Chicago gangsters, but it just seemed strange, especially considering this happened 25 years ago, and no one cared then either.
The main character drove me crazy, and did this story really need to be a period piece? Maybe for the whole 'shame' thing to work, I guess, but it just seemed liek things were randomly thrown in there. Freedom Riders was neat, but it was like a throwaway mention.
I finished it, hoping it would get better, but I should've trusted my gut and stopped after the first chapter.
I read it all, but I just had more questions than answers. I get it -- the mob bosses want there to be no heat, but it doesn't seem like their operation has anything to do with missing children .... maybe I just don't understand Chicago gangsters, but it just seemed strange, especially considering this happened 25 years ago, and no one cared then either.
The main character drove me crazy, and did this story really need to be a period piece? Maybe for the whole 'shame' thing to work, I guess, but it just seemed liek things were randomly thrown in there. Freedom Riders was neat, but it was like a throwaway mention.
I finished it, hoping it would get better, but I should've trusted my gut and stopped after the first chapter.
October 21, 2013
This one kept me guessing. I loved it. Babies going missing 25 years ago case never solved. Then our hero moves to the small town with her young daughter from New York and more babies start to go missing. Amazingly the crooked sheriff pins it on her. It was written during the time of the Freedom Fighters so there is an element of that in the story. I won't give away any secrets but it is a book definitely worth reading. Great job Ms Miller!
September 7, 2013
When Maryann Miller read a small newspaper item a number of years ago about a mystery in Arkansas about a woman who died. When authorities went into her home, they found skeletons of babies in boxes in her attic. Boxes for Beds is the excellent product of an author asking "What if?" The characters are emotionally well-drawn, the suspense is gripping, and the book had me hooked from beginning to end.
October 31, 2013
This is a book written about the South in the early sixties, at the beginning of the integration era. Mandy moves to a small town to start a new life with her daughter. When a baby is kidnapped out of a car, a "witness" said she had seen a green car like Mandy's drive away from the scene. Being an outsider, she was an easy suspect and so the mystery begins. Descriptions about the small town and their way of thinking, etc., is how I picture it might have been. An easy read, I liked it.
February 27, 2014
Leslie leaves New York with her daughter Mandy to mend a broken heart and put distance between her and Ronald, never for once thinking she would soon been the target of kidnappings in a small town. Based solely on her being the new person in town, she never gives up the fight to prove herself innocent while struggling in her personal life. Great story! Well written and suspenseful. I thought I had figured out who the culprit was but the story twisted to keep me hooked and I loved it!
February 9, 2017
The well-depicted, honest mother-daughter relationship between Leslie and ten year old Mandy in this mystery by Maryann Miller is what kept me reading. The author made a good choice in setting the story in the sixties when an unwed mother faced many unfair societal pressures. It also made sense in finding the reason for the missing babies, which, in a way, circles back to mother-daughter relationships. An enjoyable, quick read. 3.5 stars.
June 19, 2013
I enjoyed the storyline of this book, but did not like the theme of baby stealing. I found it hard to relate to many of the characters ... and there were gaps. I did not guess who was the bad guy, which was clever.
October 17, 2013
Historical mystery set in Arkansas in 1961, easy read, was free on BookBub so for the price, it was good.
August 5, 2016
This one had me guessing for most of the story. I had it figured out several times! A good read indeed.
July 9, 2014
Short and easy read. The topic is not an easy one to read because of stealing babies. The mystery with all the characters is well done. Just don't read any review that would hint at the ending.
November 16, 2013
Good story, quick, easy read.
December 5, 2013
Some of the characters didn't have a lot of depth, but the tension at end was good.
February 24, 2014
Delicious story, chock filled with detail that carries you right back to 1962.
October 13, 2018
Wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. A woman and her 10 year old daughter moved to another town after her boyfriend up and left them. The town she moved to wasn't very friendly to newcomers. Babies started getting kidnapped and after awhile they started to blame her for it but they didn't have any proof . The chief insisted they arrest her so they did. Her old boyfriend came back and wanted to start all over again. She was hesitant. He helped get her out of jail. One day her daughter Mandy turned up missing. Who or why that person only kidnapped babies. Would they have taken Mandy.
August 30, 2024
What a twist!
Missing babies! This was such an intriguing twist to this mystery in the end. Our author, Maryann Miller has a wonderful talent of leading the reader in one direction and then when least expected pulling the rug out beneath us. I surely didn't expect the villain to be who it was. Nice work, Maryann. And if you dear reader ever have an opportunity to visit a Hot Springs Bath House, treat yourself. They are magnificent.
Missing babies! This was such an intriguing twist to this mystery in the end. Our author, Maryann Miller has a wonderful talent of leading the reader in one direction and then when least expected pulling the rug out beneath us. I surely didn't expect the villain to be who it was. Nice work, Maryann. And if you dear reader ever have an opportunity to visit a Hot Springs Bath House, treat yourself. They are magnificent.
November 10, 2021
From the very beginning I was totally absorbed in emotions! This historical mystery will reveal the hard life and the struggle a single mom will have to face. Also if you enjoy mystery and suspense, this is the book that you have to read!
November 10, 2021
This historical mystery will keep you awake till late at night! I was intrigued by the storyline, the mystery and the tension in the book. However, this is a short and easy story to read, which will quickly gets the reader involved too! Recommend it!
December 28, 2017
Started off ok. The follow through was a bit disappointing. Even the railroading of the main character was a bit, eh.
November 28, 2017
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
February 21, 2018
Good story with happy ending.
A good who done it with a little romance. A good book to read quickly and lose yourself in. A fe good twists.
A good who done it with a little romance. A good book to read quickly and lose yourself in. A fe good twists.
Read
October 2, 2016Awesome book in the suspense/psychological genre! The story has all the elements of suspense, mystery and crime perfectly blended in together.
Leslie Richards the protagonist of the story decides to leave the humdrum of the busy New York City and start a new life in a little town of Pine Hollow to spend more time on her next story. With a city of less than two thousand population it is easier to find a new comer in the city.
The author has done an extensive research on the timeline where the events in the story take place. She has put the ideology of the people of that time in the story and how their thoughts affected the society. It is evident from an incident from the story where the author emphasizes on a fact in those times that “a widow with a ten year old is more acceptable than a divorcee with a young child.”
The story is set in Arkansas in 1961 when the Civil Rights movements were gaining momentum and how a little city like Pine Hollow is also affected.
Read more about the book on my blog http://levyingkishan.blogspot.in/2016...
Leslie Richards the protagonist of the story decides to leave the humdrum of the busy New York City and start a new life in a little town of Pine Hollow to spend more time on her next story. With a city of less than two thousand population it is easier to find a new comer in the city.
The author has done an extensive research on the timeline where the events in the story take place. She has put the ideology of the people of that time in the story and how their thoughts affected the society. It is evident from an incident from the story where the author emphasizes on a fact in those times that “a widow with a ten year old is more acceptable than a divorcee with a young child.”
The story is set in Arkansas in 1961 when the Civil Rights movements were gaining momentum and how a little city like Pine Hollow is also affected.
Read more about the book on my blog http://levyingkishan.blogspot.in/2016...
January 29, 2016
A story set in the Deep South of 1961 keeps you turning pages and up at night!
Leslie, a single mother, and her daughter Mandy, move from NYC to a small town not far from Hot Springs Arkansas to get away from emotional pain. It is well written with only a few typos. Leslie soon becomes the prime suspect in a series of baby kidnappings, not because she is guilty, but because a corrupt sheriff needs to close the case. As the story progresses it keeps you guessing as to who really kidnapped the babies. My only negative comment is that because I am an empath I have a hard time with books in which a likable protagonist becomes the prime suspect.
Leslie, a single mother, and her daughter Mandy, move from NYC to a small town not far from Hot Springs Arkansas to get away from emotional pain. It is well written with only a few typos. Leslie soon becomes the prime suspect in a series of baby kidnappings, not because she is guilty, but because a corrupt sheriff needs to close the case. As the story progresses it keeps you guessing as to who really kidnapped the babies. My only negative comment is that because I am an empath I have a hard time with books in which a likable protagonist becomes the prime suspect.
February 6, 2016
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
I really liked the plot of this book. The mystery of the baby stealing kept me guessing. The struggles of integration in the 1960's South wove
throughout the story line was interesting. The ending was a bit different,
The narration was quite enjoyable.
I really liked the plot of this book. The mystery of the baby stealing kept me guessing. The struggles of integration in the 1960's South wove
throughout the story line was interesting. The ending was a bit different,
The narration was quite enjoyable.
September 7, 2016
The plot was very interesting and the ending was good. I would have liked a little more background or information on the motive. The motive was presented, but the full story wasn't really presented.
The narrator was perfect for this book. She had nice accents, and she had a voice that seemed was great for a mom in the 70s.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
The narrator was perfect for this book. She had nice accents, and she had a voice that seemed was great for a mom in the 70s.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
October 21, 2013
I have no idea what the title has to do with the story.
Moral or the story is--never trust the creepy old bitty in a creepy old house with creepy stuff in the attic.
Moral or the story is--never trust the creepy old bitty in a creepy old house with creepy stuff in the attic.
January 1, 2015
This is a good book to relax with on a chilly day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews