Murder of a Pink Elephant

A Scumble River Mystery #6

by Denise Swanson

The last things school psychologist Skye Denison expects to find in Scumble River are sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But when her brother, Vince, forms a band called Pink Elephant, the town goes wild and things get very weird.

First, a student is found in the locker room taking a shower ... with his clothes on. Then a groupie turns stalker, seducing the band members one by one. But when one of the Pink Elephants winds up murdered, the music stops dead. Who's to blame? Everyone seems to think it's Vince and now Skye has to clear her brother's name.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Crime

259 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 6, 2004

About the author

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.

Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.

Reviews

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder of a Pink Elephant is another highly enjoyable book in the Scumble River mystery series. I actually read this book in one sitting today and pretty much read it cover to cover. That's how invested I was in the novel! If you enjoy cozy mysteries then you should definitely pick up this series. I own all the books and am slowly making my way through them all so I can watch up to her newer series, Welcome Back to Scumble River!

[Moondance · Rating 3 out of 5]

The music struck Skye Denison with the force of an ax blow.

Murder and mayhem in Scumble River again. Vince's band has changed their name and image in hopes of attracting attention of talent scouts. The lead singer, Logan, seems to be fighting with everyone. A fire at the high school Valentine Dance reveals Logan's body in the ashes. Of course Skye jumps in to investigate.

Vince seems to stay in as much trouble as Skye. This is the second time that he is a suspect in a murder. i think he needs to hang out with a different crowd.

Skye never ceases to amaze me with her meddling and putting herself in harm's way. Wally was a pain in the butt in this book so I see why she went off looking at clues herself. Speaking of Wally, I wish she would make better choices in her male companions. I really don't care for Simon. Everyone seems to see that Wally has feelings for Skye except her.

In addition to the the fire, there are some very serious moments with drugs and drug usage. Such a sad commentary on our youth. The proposed amusement park also adds another mystery to the story.

I do enjoy my visits to Scumble River. I love reading some of the colloquialisms. I think one of my favorites this time was He's all wax and no wick.

I look forward to the next book in the series. I have fallen behind and hope to catch up and finish the twelve books I planned to read for this year.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the scumble river series. Skye's brother, Vince, and his band are performing at the high school valentine dance. Skye and her friend, Trixie, are among the chaperones. A number of things go wrong. First a student decides to take a shower in the locker rooms with his clothes on, then a fire breaks out in the gym, and another student gets locked in one of the lockers. Once the fire is put out, the body of one of the band members is discovered. Skye starts investigating. Why are the students acting so strange and how is it connected to the band members death.

I really enjoy this series. I liked Simon better in this book. His treatment of Skye was better and his relationship with his mother is improving. I thought Wally was rude to Skye most of the book. His ex wife Darleen was horrible and made me remember why I didn't like her. The mystery was well done though I did have an idea as to who the killer was. A good solid read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is great when I'm in the mood for a light page turner. Sometimes clever, sometimes corny, better than most in its genre.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something strange going on at the high school where our sleuth works as a psychologist. The kids are acting weirder than usual. Then her brothers band gets an ambitious groupie. Of course this leads to arson...and murder.

Not bad, although it is one of those books where everyone in the small town is a complete rube, except for the sleuth and a couple of her friends.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those series that I love to escape into, and I miss when I am reading something different. I just love Scumble River and the people that live there. I cannot wait to see what Skye's next adventure will be.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, here we go with my comments. Calling an adult male band the Pink Elephant? band practice in a hair salon? Does Ms. Swanson understand how much room musical equipment requires? And is she the only one to witness the fight in the gym before the dance? Dozens of other people were there then too. Skye is madeto look alert and bright but she is failing in both counts. Then to go up behind her brother and put her arms around his waist and try for a throaty drink request? What is being implied here? Skye to the rescue again when a fight ensues and having her brother being bashed in the head repeatedly with a chair and she DOESN'T call and ambulance? Skye is a flake. Ms. Swanson has failed to develope her into a character one can admire for her savvy,her intellect, etc.

So what kind of authority figure is Homer, the principal? Admitting to setting up a bogus trip to avoid an possible angry parent? I am just going to fast forward here to the fire in the school....Firefighters woouldn"t leave the stage with "glowing embers". And if Frannie is a plus-size, excuse me? Put in a locker? Come on Ms. Swanson, at least try to be plausible with your story.

The characters of this author are all wimpy and absurdly unintelligent, Probably done that way to make Skye look "good". Doesn't work.

The last 2 lines of the book are ridiculous.

[Kellene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first installment in this series that I have actually enjoyed reading. Not sure that I can say that the characters are growing on me, but Skye wasn't as annoying as usual. The story for this one was one of the best that I have read so far. I thought I had the culprit figured out pretty early, and I was right, but I second guessed myself out of my solution. Either way, the book went quickly and I was glad that I continued at least to this point in the series.

[Leah Hortin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This was really terrible. Hokey, farfetched, terrible stilted dialogue.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

#6 in the Scumble River series.

As Scumble River school psychologist, Skye sees a lot of things. But students acting totally out of character is something new. A student in the shower with their clothes on? That's just one of the odd things students are doing.

Skye's brother Vince's band has rebranded themselves both with their sound and their name, the Pink Elephants. One of the band members winds up dead, and once again Vince finds himself in the police suspect list.

A nice little read. Skye and Simon continue to grow their relationship. Simon seems to be reconciling with his mother Bunny. Wally is running for Mayor and continues to be nasty to Skye. But is it because of unrequited love? Or is he just jealous of her success in helping him pinpoint the bad guys.

I thought the involvement of Darlene, Wally's ex was a bit extreme in this book. I did figure out some of the angles and who the bad folk were, but not all of the angles, which made it interesting.

Nice to see more depth as this series progresses.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last thing Skye expects to find in Scumble River is sex, drugs, and rock & roll. But her brother Vince has formed a rock & roll band called the Pink Elephant. The town goes wild and things get weird. First a student takes a shower in the locker room with his clothes on. Then a groupie turns stalker, Seducing the band members one by one. But when one of the Pink Elephants gets murdered, The music stops. Who,s to blame?Everyone thinks Vince Skyes brother did it now its up to Skye to clear his name and find the killer.Before its to late.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder of a Pink Elephant (Scmble River Mystery, #6) Denise Swanson

Murder/Mystery. Skye Dennison, school psychologist finds herself involved in another murder mystery. This time her brother has a band, The Pink Elephant (I had a hard time relating to a band with this name). One of the band members ends up dead. A lot of suspects arise, one being her brother. Skye is determined to find out who the murderer is.

Fast paced light read. Fun. I look forward to the next (book) in the series.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it through a few chapters and gave up on it.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s visit Scumble River, Illinois for the
prepping and the high school Valentine’s
Day Dance.
Skye Dennison, school psychologist is
a chaperone for the dance. Her brother,
Vince band is to provide the music for
the dance. Vince’s band has recently
changed it’s name to the Pink Elephants.
The band has a groupie stalker who
shows up at the dance.
One of the students decides to take a
shower keeping on his clothes. Why are
the students acting strange lately?
A fire occurs in the gym while the dance
is in progress, a student is discovered
inside a locker after having her head
covered and one of the Pink Elephants
is found dead after the fire is controlled.
Meanwhile a developer has arrived in
Scumble River trying to buy up farms.
He wants to make a development called
Pig-In-A-Poke.
When a student decides to play Superman,
Skye must climb up on the school roof to
talk him down. He is taken to the hospital
where it is confirmed he was on meth.
Who is supplying meth to the students?
Was the fire, murder, meth and proposed
development connected?
While Skye investigates and is being treated
ugly by Chief Boyd and his wife, it is election
time for a mayor. Plus Simon’s mother has
her bowling alley opening.
Add an explosion and another death to the
mix for one busy read.
This is book # 6 in the Scumble River
Mysteries series. It can be read as a stand
alone.

[Nolan]

The small-town world Skye Denison inhabits is always a fascinating place, and I count it a privilege to visit there whenever I can. In this book, the school psychologist continues to date the local funeral director. But he now operates, in conjunction with his mother, the local bowling alley. As the book opens, Skye draws the assignment to chaperone the high-school Valentine's dance. The band, known as the Pink Elephants, fights among itself and may break up before the dance. Skye's brother, Vince, is a member. Before the book ends, a band member dies in a nasty fire set during the Valentine's Day dance. It's up to Skye to clear her brother's name yet again. She endangers her life in the process.

The book looks at meth addictions in a small town and the impact that has on the community. It also looks at the allure of businesses that promise to bring new jobs to a community but have their own set of inherent problems.

I'll head back to Scumble River in a week or two. this is a strong series from a greatly talented author who never fails to entertain me and keep me guessing as to the solution to her mysteries.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was sadly realistic in some ways, depicting a small town being torn apart by drugs. Fortunately in the fiction world these things are far easier to deal with than in the real world. One very unrealistic thing was Trixie’s financial woes. If her mother-in-law died without enough money in her estate to cover her medical bills then the bills don’t get paid. Trixie and her husband are not legally or morally responsible for paying so it was frustrating to see her torn apart by this fake problem.

All of our favorite characters are back along with a slew of new characters, each a little fishy. Just when you think you've figured out who was involved something new pops up to cast suspicion on someone else. Vince is a suspect once again, and whatever's going on has also had a big impact on the students at her schools, so the stakes are particularly high for Skye.

I do think it would help to be read this series in order because there are some relationships and situations that develop from one book to the next, but I think someone who picked up this book out of order would still enjoy it. This series has quickly become one of my favorites, I really like Skye and I've peeked ahead at the descriptions of future books and I like where the story is going.

[ElaineY · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rather enjoying this cozy mystery series even though I keep asking what the police are doing all this while when our amateur sleuth is sticking her nose in the murder investigation.

I normally do not care for books that involve teens but since Skye is a school psychologist there's no avoiding them. Thankfully, they haven't played much of a part in the earlier books and their involvement in this one was tolerable.

I'd like to know more about Wally. While Skye had a crush on him back in her school days, and she clearly feels more for him than meets the eye, I'm not certain Wally feels the same about her. So when the epilogue said Skye's relationship status (with Simon) is part of Wally feeling down, I was surprised. Hopefully, there will be more about this in the next installment. Simon is really nice. Treats Skye well but...

[Hildayoung8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book i have read in this series. It is fun, silly and over the top. The author has a fun sense of humour. The series takes place in a small town and hits all the current cultural issues with sex drugs and rock and roll!
Scumble River could be a down and out small town anywhere in the US. The story is written in a fast pace as the heroine seems to spend all her free time trying to solve murders. as per usual with this type of book she almost gets killed at the end but is saved by her boyfriend the funeral director and the local cop...

[Allison Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good entry to the series. Wally has reverted to being a jerk, but since Skye isn't dating him and Simon remains a decent human being, I'm okay with that. The mystery was a pretty good one, not too out there and everything is wrapped up neatly by the end. The number of murderers living in Skye's small town would be cause for concern if this wasn't a book. :D

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of her better books. The characters were fun. The plot and storyline was very interesting. There were some twists and turns. I do like the subtle humor. It makes me laugh. Land development is always an interesting topic and I was glad to see that they hung on to their land. Highly recommend.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. Seeing the characters face deep challenges that you may not necessarily see in cozy mysteries. Such as dealing with drugs in small town America, changes in careers, relationship changes, and all without losing the "cozy" in cozy mysteries.

[Liz Trombley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh no! Vince is suspected again! I began reading this book thinking this poor guy cant catch a break. If course Skye is not going to let that happen. There is also some turmoil with Wally running for Mayor and the return of his ex-wife. Also, he kinds of starts treating Skye very poorly. I was extremely sad that Swanson was going to turn Wally into that character. Luckily, that is not the case and in addition, his ex-wife is exposed for the jerk that she is.

[Whi · Rating 3 out of 5]

So brother is under suspicion a 2nd time??

It's the PE guy (naturally) and main character has settled on the undertaker.
Their relationship is more mature and realistic (now that wasn't so hard was it?)

[Fairlee Corkran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valetine day and love is in the air for Skye and Simon but nothing is ever sim];e in Scumble River. Drugs have hit the middle and Sr high schools, Wally is going thur a mid-life cricis and Vince is suspect in another murder. What a girl do to?

[Tammy M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read other books by this author and have enjoyed them. This one was not one for me. It was not interesting or exciting. I lost interest because it was just boring. I forced myself to finish it.

[anonymae anonymae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this series to learn how certain writing errors effect a readers experience of a story's narrative. I also read this series to learn about creative similes.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look forward to all my visits to Scumble River. Enjoy tne books and love Skye Denisonand her family and friends.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denise Swanson always includes interesting characters.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute