The Famous DAR Murder Mystery

Harriet Bushrow Borderville Mysteries #1

by Graham Landrum

The search of the grave of a Revolutionary War soldier takes a bizarre turn when four members of the Old Orchard Fort chapter stumble on a modern-day corpse. Though the sheriff dismisses the body as a transient battered in a drunken brawl, one of the ladies, organist Helen Delaporte, has other ideas. First, there are the victim's finely manicured hands....and then there is the map dropped at the scene of the crime.Soon the members, including feisty, eighty-six-year-old Harriet Bushrow, are rebels with a cause, mounting an investigation of their own. Of course, when the press catches wind of it, they go to town. the coveted publicity for their chapter sets the ladies reveling....until Helen's windshield is showered with bullets....and it's clear that their new pet project could spell deadly ends for them all.Told in the alternating voices of chapter members and other colorful characters, Graham Landrum's stunning debut novel is the first in a delightful series narrated by members of the community of Borderville (smack on the Virginia-Tennessee line).

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is likely a 3 star to those who are not members of the DAR, but as an almost 20 year member, I found it delightful. There are so many bits of DAR related humor that there is no question that the author is a HODAR- some of these anecdotes have to be thinly fictionalized reality.

I thought the mystery was well done, with lots of twists and turns. The continual changing of the narrative point if view also ensures that the reader as well as the characters don't have a full picture until almost the end of the book.

If you are a DAR member, this is a must read. If you are not, but want a mystery filled with interesting female and male characters, I would also recommend it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any one who is a NSDAR Daughter must read this humorousness and charming book. I didn't stop chuckling at the cute little scenes of the Daughter who was in charge of making sure the news papers correctly referenced the local NSDAR chapter. The mystery portion of the story was also well written. The story line keep me turning the pages to find out who was the one that was responsible for the murder.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There just wasn't enough down home feel with these women. I wanted more dialogue. Quite a bit of the book feels too much like a man investigating; without the woman's touch in writing I think was a big problem for me. I did not finish this book and there was profanity and the murder and some of the outcome was a little less than cozy for me.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a barn-burner of a mystery for me, but the DAR works were interesting.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a charming little cozy, about senior women who are members of the DAR solving the murder of a man found in an old cemetery where they are looking for a grave of a Revolutionary veteran.
Though a lot of the information they were able to ask for and get would never be given out today, it was still a clever read, and all the characters likeable and each of the chapters told from one of their POV.

[Elizabeth Carlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely the kind of murder mystery that is best appreciated by a very specific audience, that audience being old women and members of the NSDAR. The book is written like you would expect your grandma to speak when sharing a yarn about the latest local gossip. It’s a silly, cheeky, fun read, especially if you’re a daughter in the organization who will pick up on the nuances and humor. Overall, a fun, quick read.

[Maria Denney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book as a Prospective Member to the DAR & it was a very fun read! I could have read it in one sitting I do believe! I loved the characters and the little Appalachian town of Borderville Virginia-Tennesee so much that the next book to be downloaded on my Kindle was the next book in the series: "The Rotary Club Murder Mystery."

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. There were some very humorous parts, particularly the male revue. I thought some of the details of genealogy and cooking recipes just weren't needed in this book. The mystery itself was ok.

[Lenora Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious I laughed on and off all the way through. A fast read. The writer did his research not only on DAR members but elderly ladies also:)

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a member of the DAR, I loved this book! It was so witty and sweet. I don't usually read mysteries, but I quite enjoyed this one for many reasons. Recommended!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this amusing mystery a number of years ago, probably shortly after it was originally published. Since I read it so long ago, I didn't remember any details (in fact, I had confused the plot with another book), which meant it was like reading a new book all over again. Published in 1992 there are no cell phones or internet research, but that doesn't stop the feisty DAR members who stumble upon an unidentified body in a graveyard while on society business. Chapters alternate among these ladies, as well as at least one other person, as they piece the clues together and find the solution to the mystery,

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this a silly book? You bet! Was it tons of fun to read for someone who is a DAR member? Absolutely. Honestly a fairly good little mystery too. But the characterization of the various DAR officers had me cracking up. No longer in print - but available on Kindle. Landrum has also written the Rotary Club and the Garden Club murder mysteries. I guess I will need to join more organizations! ;-)

[Paul Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent characters, but the mystery underwhelmed me a bit.

The offer does a great job making genealogical research and social networking between old women into a fun detective tale but Infelt like the identity of the villains and the clues behind the primary culprit and motive were lacking and that the family tree of the victim could have been a bit bigger or more varied for a fun mystery.

[Lisa Gemert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in the DAR, so I was interested to see what someone would do with this. It's a product of its time (Published in 1992), and that's obvious even in the typeset, but I found it a delightful read. The multiple narrators make it interesting rather than confusing, the story moves a long apace, and the characters are not flat. I enjoyed it.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A a DAR member, I loved it. As a reader, if I had no links to DAR , I would have thought it as a so-so mystery read. Near the middle of the book is an especially, hilarious visit to a local business, that I wont spoil by talking about it here. BTW, DAR no longer measures publicity by inches, but I remember when it used to be!

[Carol Mcintyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining

This is an easy quick read. It is more fun if you are familiar with the DAR, but I enjoyed reading about the location since some of my ancestors lived in that area during the American Revolution.

[Angela Breidenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet cozy mystery that has fun insight into the Daughters of the American Revolution's patriotic efforts to preserve American history. Enjoyable light reading. The characters are a little too alike, but the mystery is a nice cozy read.

[Katherine Hugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAR members will love it! Some parts were quite humorous, like being jealous of how many pins one lady had on her ribbon or how many "inches" of newspaper coverage their chapter received. It's also fun to pick out similar traits of your own chapter leaders.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, "cozy mystery" now out of print but so perfectly DAR.

[David Dickason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drily humorous - on thie surface, this book follows the development lines of an Agatha Christie novel, but the dry humor makes it fun. I particularly like the frequent mention of "inches."

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out pretty good but I got bogged down with all the genealogy and at page 86, gave it up

[Oscar Maquito · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4/5

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars!

If a book could be a “black and white” TV show, this is the book! As a DAR member I got a kick out it and enjoyed the familiar references.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a NSDAR member you will find the book delightful and humorous! If not it’s a quick read

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow Daughter, I found this book to be hilarious

[Lee Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a real kick! Great fun!

[Dorothy A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, what a fun book. As a member of the DAR, I believe I can "recognize" some of them. This was a great read and lots of fun.

[Peggy Eckhold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, especially if you are a DAR member.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and characters were fun and the genealogy research a bit much, but in general I enjoyed the book. The extreme amount o detail re the DAR group was overdone for me and took away from the story as I got frustrated with the absolute thoroughness of the details.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in search of an E. L. Larkin book at the Bookworm and didn't find one so I picked this up for a cozy mystery to read. This is the kind of book that makes me think that I could write a mystery using thinly-disguised local people as characters. Instead of casting the movie in my head with movie stars, I was picturing some of the local ladies in the roles. If the book were set here, I am absolutely positive that Dorothy Fitch Munn would have been the one to put all of the facts together and solve the murder.

In most cases I don't like books that have chapters written by different characters but, in this case, it worked and I enjoyed it.

Basically, the members of the NSDAR discover a body and realize that the death that the local sheriff has put no effort into investigating, is both a murder and solvable. Something that I liked about the book is that the author made the story fun to read without making fun of the old ladies.