Dead in the Scrub

Shirley McClintock #1

by B.J. Oliphant

Intrepid rancher Shirley McClintock hasn’t seriously lost her temper for two or three weeks, but when, struggling to put a wounded deer out of its misery, she stumbles over a human skeleton half-buried in autumn leaves, she does. A second murder, accomplished with the same arrow that had pierced the body of the deer, sends her on the warpath. Impatient with the ineffectual bumbling of the sheriff, she launches her own investigation.
The crimes are mysterious and apparently unrelated, but in both she catches a whiff of bigotry and sin, a sense of something rotten in the town’s religious and banking communities. Only proof is lacking, but that, when she finds it, cannot be used. Not without putting the person nearest her heart into mortal danger.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy

231 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 1990

About the author

This is a pseudonym for author Sheri S. Tepper.

Reviews

[Cissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for some light reading, and it was just excellent! Darkly funny, nice twisty plot, and- of all things- a protagonist who is NOT a "nice," average woman written so everyone can, supposedly, identify with her (and who thus ends up in the thick of things because of acting like a doormat). The only protagonist I've encountered lately in a series that delighted me as much is Marla Mason in T.A. Pratt's excellent urban fantasy series, and that's high praise. I have just ordered the rest of the books in the series, or so I hope.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Shirley McClintock, rancher
SETTING: Colorado
SERIES: #1 of 7
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Shirley McClintock lives on the ranch she inherited from her family together with her friend DQ. She takes some tenderfoot locals on a hunt; when Charles Maxwell wounds a deer, she tracks it down so she can kill it mercifully. Maxwell is eventually killed and she gets involved in solving the crime since the local sheriff doesn't seem all that interested. She also gets involved with his family, ultimately serving as a kind of foster mother to his daughter, Alison, when her mother is put in jail. Soon, Shirley finds that there is a group of murders that hadn't previously been connected. There's some sermonizing, but Shirley is a great character. She's in her fifties and very direct, which often gets her in trouble. Note: Oliphant is a pseudonym for Sherri Tepper.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Sheri Tepper got on her high horse and began to write "issue" books, she wrote two terrific mystery series (and some amazing horror). I am sorry she stopped writing those types of books I quit reading her when Beauty came out. I miss her - she was blazingly original in her early work.

[Lindig · Rating 3 out of 5]

pseud. of Sheri Tepper. Shirley is a ret. CIA analyst, rancher, mid-60s, interesting household.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent, get more!

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure I would like the main character (Shirley McClintock) but she grew on me, as did JQ and the other characters. a good mystery with a little edge to it. will definitely read more.

[Sara Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising good book! Excellent plot, well written, intriguing. Better than most recent Cornwall books!! I'm hooked, will find more from this author.

[Denise Burchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy her rant about the anti-abortion protestors, which is not dated at all, still very current. Liked the book a lot.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your usual amateur detective - Shirley is a 50ish twice-widowed rancher in Colorado, who takes in an 11 year old girl after her parents are murdered. She also discovers a body hidden in the shrubs in the mountains. She tells the sheriff that she will investigate and will keep him updated on her findings, and he welcomes her. After interviewing everyone in town who knew the victims she uncovers a prostitution ring headed by the wife of a prominent minister, blackmail, past sexual crimes, and many unsavory goings-on in town.

Better than average in that Shirley does not fit the mold of other cozy mystery sleuths and the plot does not follow the formula of this genre: young single female in retail, a cop who does not welcome her intrusions into police matters, rival males who seek her attention with romantic subplots. Shirley is a take charge, take-no-prisoners personality.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting a series I read 30 years ago. The main character is a strong, competent, middle-aged woman, which I liked. The setting is Colorado, and the author is clearly familiar with the land, the culture, and the people who live there. The mystery was perhaps overly complicated but interesting. The relationship between Shirley, her partner J.Q., and the 11-year-old daughter of two murder victims was the best part.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery published in the nineties stands up well despite the dramatic advances in technology since then. Colorado's high desert figures prominently in the story and drives some of the characters' decisions. Oliphant makes it a character just as vivid and well drawn as the human characters. The plot is more intricate than I expected for such a short book and, with its many threads, was completely engaging. I'm ready for the second book, which is waiting on my TBR shelf.

[Michelle Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather found another series..

[Emily Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorado rancher Shirley McClintock discovers a body in the scrub which leads to an investigation into her town's banking and religious communities. This is the first book in the Shirley McClintock cozy mystery series (1990) and I am re-reading the series because I really enjoyed it and don't remember any of it! Shirley can be gruff but tender and she is very likable and the mystery kept me engaged. I would recommend it.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is was during my mystery kick which I read the entire series. Of course, since it is Ms. Tepper, I had to read them because I enjoy her writing style. This one with Shirley McClintock reminds me of Jessica Fletcher in Murder, she wrote.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: rancher Shirley McClintock stumbles over a human skeleton and then a second. She has an idea on the matter but proof is lacking.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the setting and the "mystery" a lot. I also liked the tough old lady Ms. McClintock, the main character. The only thing I didn't like about the main character that I am suppose to come to love so that I can continue the series is her personal belief system. She is PRO abortion and she is hateful towards Christians. I considered not continuing the series, but will try again in book 2 and hopefully she can keep her hateful comments to herself and we can get to the story line as opposed to the author using her characters to teach the public what you should and shouldn't believe in.