What do you think?
Rate this book
Myrtle Clover Mysteries #8
A Body at Bunco
Playing Bunco may be fun...but murder proves a game-changer.
Octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover has never heard of the dice game Bunco. Regardless, she steps in as her daughter-in-law’s sub and reluctantly puts her game face on.
Bunco turns out to be child’s play. But when a body is discovered, Myrtle realizes another game is afoot. Before long, she’s playing cat and mouse with the killer.
Can she track down the murderer before the game is up? Or, with the killer playing hard to get, will it end up being “no dice?”
Octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover has never heard of the dice game Bunco. Regardless, she steps in as her daughter-in-law’s sub and reluctantly puts her game face on.
Bunco turns out to be child’s play. But when a body is discovered, Myrtle realizes another game is afoot. Before long, she’s playing cat and mouse with the killer.
Can she track down the murderer before the game is up? Or, with the killer playing hard to get, will it end up being “no dice?”
- GenresMysteryCozy MysteryCozy
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
98 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Spann Craig
91 books472 followersAuthor also writes under Elizabeth Craig
Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. Find out more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website: http://elizabethspanncraig.com . Find her books on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. Find out more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website: http://elizabethspanncraig.com . Find her books on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
October 27, 2015
I must be in a mood, because the high ratings and glowing reviews of this book disagree with my assessment. And my assessment is this book is bad.
Myrtle Clover is the worst. She's judgmental, and insufferable, and bitchy to everyone. I would never spend a half second with her. She's especially horrible to her hired help and her daughter-in-law. She seems to be less horrible to her only friend, Miles, but not by much. The best thing I can say about this book is I got it for free. So long, Myrtle. Enjoy the rest of your busybody life of meddling and judgment alone.
Myrtle Clover is the worst. She's judgmental, and insufferable, and bitchy to everyone. I would never spend a half second with her. She's especially horrible to her hired help and her daughter-in-law. She seems to be less horrible to her only friend, Miles, but not by much. The best thing I can say about this book is I got it for free. So long, Myrtle. Enjoy the rest of your busybody life of meddling and judgment alone.
April 25, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It is so much fun and sure to make you chuckle, if not laugh out loud. I love everything about it and the whole series from the mystery to the characters to the cat, even the garden gnomes. If you haven't met Myrtle Clover then you are in for a treat and can I just say why are you starting on book 8, do yourself a favour and get the rest you won't be disappointed. Myrtle is such a great character, she is feisty and sometimes (when the occasion a raises) frail old lady that runs rings (with her walking stick) around the police as well as the bad guys. The supporting cast is just as good and as it is a long running series (one that I hope continues for a long time) you get to know them so well. As well as a strong cast the mystery is also good and I think could compete with Jessica Fletcher and Cabbot Cover on tv, or at the very least compete with Myrtle's favourite show. Off to listen to the next book.
When Myrtle's son and daughter-In-law suffer a major bathroom mishap Myrtle rushes in to help by offering to host Elaine's Bunco night at her house. Sloan the newspaper owner will also be happy with Myrtle hosting the party because on of the players is the biggest gossip In town and he needs Myrtle to get close to her in order to help the struggling newspaper. Hosting twelve people in her small house might be a tight fit and get Myrtle closer to the gossip than she would like, especially as Red her son is in trouble and Myrtle's entire gnome collection has made an appearance in the garden. But losing a guest to murder wasn't exactly the plan either as the women hit over the head with the garden tool was the gossip herself. Myrtle's sidekick Miles is laid up with a stomach bug and with gremlins playing havoc with all the cars in the town Myrtle will have to get out her walking stick if she hopes to catch a killer and save her beloved newspaper. Good job Pasha her cat is on hand to lead a paw.
I wasn't sure about the narrator at first because she made Myrtle sound to old and dodery to me and not like someone who could stand up to her grandson let alone a killer but she soon won me over and I enjoyed her interpretation of the characters
When Myrtle's son and daughter-In-law suffer a major bathroom mishap Myrtle rushes in to help by offering to host Elaine's Bunco night at her house. Sloan the newspaper owner will also be happy with Myrtle hosting the party because on of the players is the biggest gossip In town and he needs Myrtle to get close to her in order to help the struggling newspaper. Hosting twelve people in her small house might be a tight fit and get Myrtle closer to the gossip than she would like, especially as Red her son is in trouble and Myrtle's entire gnome collection has made an appearance in the garden. But losing a guest to murder wasn't exactly the plan either as the women hit over the head with the garden tool was the gossip herself. Myrtle's sidekick Miles is laid up with a stomach bug and with gremlins playing havoc with all the cars in the town Myrtle will have to get out her walking stick if she hopes to catch a killer and save her beloved newspaper. Good job Pasha her cat is on hand to lead a paw.
I wasn't sure about the narrator at first because she made Myrtle sound to old and dodery to me and not like someone who could stand up to her grandson let alone a killer but she soon won me over and I enjoyed her interpretation of the characters
February 26, 2019
Blah!
Maybe it would have been better if I had started at the beginning of the series but I just didn’t enjoy this one. I felt like there was no real character development.
Maybe it would have been better if I had started at the beginning of the series but I just didn’t enjoy this one. I felt like there was no real character development.
July 15, 2023
After a monumental plumbing issue at Elaine's house, Myrtle graciously says that she'll host the month's Bunco game. With plenty of wine, the night begins with ten other women having fun before the game even starts, with Puddin and Miles subbing for two of the regular women. Things change drastically when a member of the Bunco game ends up dead in Myrtle's backyard. Myrtle discovers her dead, beaten over the head with a wrench left behind by her hapless yardman, Dusty.
What follows is another mystery that Myrtle is determined to solve before her police chief son. With her usual tact (or lack thereof), Myrtle begins the task of talking with each of the suspects. But things take a turn for the worse when Miles comes down with a vicious stomach virus and is taken out of the investigation early. And when another body turns up that appears to be linked with the first, the killer becomes even more dangerous. As Myrtle gets closer to the answer, she becomes more aware of the danger. Is this Myrtle's last case, or can she solve it before she's added to the body count?
This mystery is another fun addition to the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series. With familiar old characters as well as several new ones, this book expands what we know of the small town of Bradley, North Carolina and winds us deeper into the webs of secrets that fill the town. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, and the killer was deceptively clever. Myrtle's attitude was just as snide as ever, and yet she proves she loves her family and close friends very much, in her own way.
If you enjoyed the other Myrtle Clover books, definitely pick up this one. But once again, I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series. The mysteries are so much fun, and the characters in the small town of Bradley are fascinating. The atmosphere of the small town just gets better and better as the series goes on. And even the main cast is being expanded as we go on. I can't wait to read even more about this wonderful town and all of the wonderful characters.
What follows is another mystery that Myrtle is determined to solve before her police chief son. With her usual tact (or lack thereof), Myrtle begins the task of talking with each of the suspects. But things take a turn for the worse when Miles comes down with a vicious stomach virus and is taken out of the investigation early. And when another body turns up that appears to be linked with the first, the killer becomes even more dangerous. As Myrtle gets closer to the answer, she becomes more aware of the danger. Is this Myrtle's last case, or can she solve it before she's added to the body count?
This mystery is another fun addition to the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series. With familiar old characters as well as several new ones, this book expands what we know of the small town of Bradley, North Carolina and winds us deeper into the webs of secrets that fill the town. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, and the killer was deceptively clever. Myrtle's attitude was just as snide as ever, and yet she proves she loves her family and close friends very much, in her own way.
If you enjoyed the other Myrtle Clover books, definitely pick up this one. But once again, I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series. The mysteries are so much fun, and the characters in the small town of Bradley are fascinating. The atmosphere of the small town just gets better and better as the series goes on. And even the main cast is being expanded as we go on. I can't wait to read even more about this wonderful town and all of the wonderful characters.
June 21, 2016
while I liked myrtle and miles a lot, the mystery was kind of eh and there was a weird amount of classism so I probs won't read another in this series
April 15, 2018
Let me begin by saying the the author had a great idea: introducing a strong-willed, feisty octogenarian sleuth, whose identity is softened by the knowledge that she's a well-meaning grandmother. I like that it's set in a small town, and that the Police Chief is her son. I could like this series much more if the author wasn't lazy about her writing. Or maybe she doesn't credit her readers with much intelligence. In any event, she is halfway to ruining the series instead of elevating it to a series that I would want to own and re-read. Maybe she's now just interested in the paycheck, and not the creative process? Here are some things I feel she is doing wrong:
How to ruin a cute premise for a mystery series:
1. Be sure that the reader is expected to take the sleuth seriously, yet insert ludicrous scenarios in which the sleuth displays neither intelligence nor common sense -- so that it's impossible to take the sleuth seriously. Do this in every single book.
2. Introduce several tropes. Instead of sprinkling them throughout the series in a light-handed manner, cram these tropes down the readers' throats, so that not only are they expecting them in each book, but are dreading their utter predictability.
3. Re-introduce every character (and every place), at length, in every single book. Never assume that the reader is clever enough to use context clues to discern these for themselves; or that they have probably read at least one other book in the series.
4. Instead of being realistic about the occult, make the psychic infallible. I mean, if all psychics were 100% correct, as in this series, wouldn't they be winning every bet in racing, gambling or politics? Yes, it is stated that "you can't control the Sight", but it is tiresome to see the occult portrayed unrealistically, and see blatant foreshadowing with each use. Perhaps the author thinks her audience needs these heavy-handed techniques.
5. Use the exact same adjectives, repetitively, to describe people. In one paragraph, I started counting how many time "braying" was used for Erma. We get the idea!!!
6. Confuse the reader by altering biography facts about main characters. In the first books, Miles was 70; in the latter books, he is now 60-something. I guess an editor, who might have caught this, costs more. Speaking of an editor . . . .
7. An editor could have caught the misspellings of "discreet","discreetly" and "indiscreet" used throughout the series. The author doesn't ever get them right.
How to ruin a cute premise for a mystery series:
1. Be sure that the reader is expected to take the sleuth seriously, yet insert ludicrous scenarios in which the sleuth displays neither intelligence nor common sense -- so that it's impossible to take the sleuth seriously. Do this in every single book.
2. Introduce several tropes. Instead of sprinkling them throughout the series in a light-handed manner, cram these tropes down the readers' throats, so that not only are they expecting them in each book, but are dreading their utter predictability.
3. Re-introduce every character (and every place), at length, in every single book. Never assume that the reader is clever enough to use context clues to discern these for themselves; or that they have probably read at least one other book in the series.
4. Instead of being realistic about the occult, make the psychic infallible. I mean, if all psychics were 100% correct, as in this series, wouldn't they be winning every bet in racing, gambling or politics? Yes, it is stated that "you can't control the Sight", but it is tiresome to see the occult portrayed unrealistically, and see blatant foreshadowing with each use. Perhaps the author thinks her audience needs these heavy-handed techniques.
5. Use the exact same adjectives, repetitively, to describe people. In one paragraph, I started counting how many time "braying" was used for Erma. We get the idea!!!
6. Confuse the reader by altering biography facts about main characters. In the first books, Miles was 70; in the latter books, he is now 60-something. I guess an editor, who might have caught this, costs more. Speaking of an editor . . . .
7. An editor could have caught the misspellings of "discreet","discreetly" and "indiscreet" used throughout the series. The author doesn't ever get them right.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2018
Yet another delightful installment in the Myrtle Clover series. While an elderly sleuth is nothing new to the world of mysteries (hello Miss Marple) Myrtle is certainly in a class of her own. One of the things that I think I really like about this is that Myrtle is retired. So she's not an amateur detective/backer/book store owner, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with that but there is something interesting about reading about someone who solves myteries because she really doesn't have much else to occupy her time.
I enjoyed this installment as I have all the others, but this one seemed to really start fleshing out on the regular characters. Dusty and Puddin' weren't just there for comic relief. Red, Elaine, and Jack started to become more than background characters to Myrtle's zany adventures. While it was established early on that Myrtle and Red were mother and son, it is only in the last few books that the family relationship became readily apparent. I even enjoyed the deepening of Mile and Myrtle's relationship which as far as I know is still just a friendship.
It is hard to review mysteries since you don't want to give anything away but I was satisified with how this one ended since it ended up being something really unexpected. I look forward to reading the next one in this series and seeing what new advventure Myrtle has waiting for her.
I enjoyed this installment as I have all the others, but this one seemed to really start fleshing out on the regular characters. Dusty and Puddin' weren't just there for comic relief. Red, Elaine, and Jack started to become more than background characters to Myrtle's zany adventures. While it was established early on that Myrtle and Red were mother and son, it is only in the last few books that the family relationship became readily apparent. I even enjoyed the deepening of Mile and Myrtle's relationship which as far as I know is still just a friendship.
It is hard to review mysteries since you don't want to give anything away but I was satisified with how this one ended since it ended up being something really unexpected. I look forward to reading the next one in this series and seeing what new advventure Myrtle has waiting for her.
January 2, 2021
Missing some of the charm of the previous books. Several things happening that take up to many pages, but have nothing to do with the plot. Also, there are too many characters showing up new in each book. By book number 8 wouldn’t you think we would have previously met a couple of Elaine’s BUNCO friends? How big is this town? What was the purpose of Miles’ illness? What was the purpose of Red’s plumbing problems and his family’s constant use of Myrtle’s plumbing? In the previous books many things tied together and made sense in the end. This one was lacking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2020
Brilliant, these books are really good. Murder and mayhem. Myrtle investigates against her son's requests that she shouldn't as she's an elderly lady. She has help from her friends and when her son who is the Sheriff starts moaning at her she fills her yard with gnomes, which he dislikes a lot. These books are quite funny.
April 2, 2021
Fun Cosy Mystery
I love Myrtle Clover. She is a great female lead character.
The stories are formulaic and there are enough clues to figure everything out, Myrtle and her rag-tag group of friends, neighbors, and acquaintances are quite entertaining. This series is easy to read and good clean fun.
I love Myrtle Clover. She is a great female lead character.
The stories are formulaic and there are enough clues to figure everything out, Myrtle and her rag-tag group of friends, neighbors, and acquaintances are quite entertaining. This series is easy to read and good clean fun.
September 10, 2020
Myrtle is left to solve mysteries without her side jick
Miles is side lined with a stomach virus so myrtle is on her own to solve a murder in own backyard while hosting the bunco game for Elaine.
Miles is side lined with a stomach virus so myrtle is on her own to solve a murder in own backyard while hosting the bunco game for Elaine.
September 14, 2023
Pasha at her finest and Myrtle saves the Bugle
I enjoy these for a fast paced, humorous and enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters make me smile. The m n m friendship is one of my favorites around.
I enjoy these for a fast paced, humorous and enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters make me smile. The m n m friendship is one of my favorites around.
December 8, 2023
Favorite of the first 9 in the series! Everything made sense, events seemed balanced, investigating seemed reasonable, the personalities and nuances, what we think we know and what lies beneath unfolded apace, with fun shenanigans mixed in. Reasonable outside events affecting perception, deals made that end up win-wins, all the things that would and could happen, do. Enjoyed reading with a few short breaks, to extend the fun. Hoping the next ones are equally well crafted.
March 21, 2025
I have read a few of Myrtle Clover books in the past & forgot how much I enjoyed them. I love the lightheartedness of the story & relationships of the town. I will definitely continue with the series
July 18, 2017
I just love reading these books. I found this book a little funny, & the story was interesting & fun to read as always. Can't wait to read the next one.
December 19, 2017
3.5 stars. This series is my reading security blanket. I just adore the characters so much. There wasn’t anything terribly amazing or eventful with this one, but it was a comfortable read.
April 12, 2019
Excellent
I love this author her stories are funny and educational at the same time my vocabulary gets bigger with every myrtle clover book i read
I love this author her stories are funny and educational at the same time my vocabulary gets bigger with every myrtle clover book i read
June 6, 2019
This is not great literature, but a fun cozy. I enjoy going back to Bradley for a visit and a healthy dose of Miz Myrtle and friends.
October 1, 2020
I still love this series. This time, a body is found among the gnomes. Red's plumbing goes awry.
Read
December 6, 2020Plop
May 29, 2022
yet another amusing and entertaining light read in this series, #8. I have read the earlier ones and really enjoy them all. Myrtle is one fiesta octogenarian.
October 4, 2022
It was quite entertaining but not one of Myrtle's best - I felt something was missing
April 18, 2024
A fun romp! Think "Murder She Wrote" in book form.
February 8, 2017
No one can play Bunco like Myrtle. Only because someone is murdered
With the twist and turns in small-town Bradley, seems everyone is being questioned. How does Myrtle find the murderer in style?
With the twist and turns in small-town Bradley, seems everyone is being questioned. How does Myrtle find the murderer in style?
November 14, 2022
Elaine's plumbing has backed up so Myrtle steps in to host the monthly bunco party. As the game is ready to begin a killer, strikes leaving a dead guest in her backyard.
Myrtle is set to investigate, but what she didn't foresee was ...
1. Miles getting sick and having to take care of him. Suddenly her sidekick isn't available to help with interviews and providing rides.
2. Elaine and Red need to use her bathroom and laundry, while the plumbing is dug up and repaired. Uh, oh, Red may notice her snooping!
3. Sloan Jones, owner of the Bradley Bugle, is trying to attract new subscribers and advertisers. He turns the town newspaper in a new direction - salacious reporting. Myrtle must try to nudge
him back to the old Bradley Bugle's beloved formula "local events reporting".
Myrtle doesn't let these problems stop her investigating!
This series is getting funnier and more addicting. I can't wait to read more.
Myrtle is set to investigate, but what she didn't foresee was ...
1. Miles getting sick and having to take care of him. Suddenly her sidekick isn't available to help with interviews and providing rides.
2. Elaine and Red need to use her bathroom and laundry, while the plumbing is dug up and repaired. Uh, oh, Red may notice her snooping!
3. Sloan Jones, owner of the Bradley Bugle, is trying to attract new subscribers and advertisers. He turns the town newspaper in a new direction - salacious reporting. Myrtle must try to nudge
him back to the old Bradley Bugle's beloved formula "local events reporting".
Myrtle doesn't let these problems stop her investigating!
This series is getting funnier and more addicting. I can't wait to read more.
June 1, 2016
Myrtle Clover is back and investigating yet another murder despite admonitions from her son, Red, who happens to be her neighbor and also the police chief. Myrtle's DIL asks her to host bunco at the last minute, and she obliges, not knowing exactly what bunco entails. Ordinarily, as far as I know, bunco does not involve murder, but in this case, one of the guests ends up dead in Myrtle's backyard. Red's house has plumbing issues, so he and his wife & son troop on over to Myrtle's house several times a day to do laundry, use the bathroom, etc. Miles gets laid up with a stomach bug or something, so Myrtle is on her own for a bit here. She's a bit snoopy, a mite cantankerous, and quite a dab and at being stubborn.
Puddin' is still the housekeeper, though I can't imagine why!
This book is part of a series, but IMHO it can be read on its own.
Puddin' is still the housekeeper, though I can't imagine why!
This book is part of a series, but IMHO it can be read on its own.
October 17, 2016
It has been awhile since I had a chance to spend some time with Myrtle Clover. I have always enjoyed my visits. Myrtle is her same bossy, but lovable senior who is fighting the problems that occur with aging. Her gromes are her way of letting her son, Red know he has crossed the line. There are funny scenes as Myrtle attempt to cook, a long standing joke. The scenes when she takes over the on-line Facebook and Twitter are comical. Myrtle is substituting as a host for Elaine's Bonco club. The body of a guest found lying on the gromes. Myrtle is anxious to find the killer before Red does.
She proceeds to get herself in trouble without the help of Miles who is sick.
I recommend this series.
My thanks to my library for my copy.
She proceeds to get herself in trouble without the help of Miles who is sick.
I recommend this series.
My thanks to my library for my copy.
October 11, 2015
This is number 8 in a series, but as far as I can tell it stands alone well. The main characteris Myrtle Clover, a somewhat cantankerous older woman who enjoys trying to beat her police chief son to the solution of local murders. In this case she has a bit of an advantage because the murder happens in her own backyard as she is hosting bunco for her daughter-in-law since the plumbing is out at their house. The characters are entertaining and there is a side plot of Myrtle trying to save the local paper from being turned into a tabloid by its editor. The solution to the mystery flows well from the clues. As cozies go, this one is pretty good.
November 13, 2015
A Body at Bunco is a cozy mystery , centered around the main character an 80+ year old woman, Myrtle Clover. Myrtle’s son Red is a detective on the police force, but Myrtle likes to be the one to solve the murder mysteries in this small town. Myrtle seems like a sharp old lady for the most part, but her inability to correctly call the game “Bunco” was inconsistent with her good memory and attention to details. I found the book to be cute, but not worth my time to read more in this series. I didn’t care for Myrtle and her nosy, busy-body, opinionated style of detective work. Good writing, but not my type of mystery.
February 25, 2016
Another great Myrtle mystery!
Every Myrtle Clover cozy mystery book I read just gets better and better. Myrtle is in her 80's and is quite feisty. I love reading about her and Miles and their sleuthing abilities. There was more character development about Puddin' and Dusty in this book. I really enjoyed reading this latest book because again there was more than one suspect, and I didn't find out until the end who it was. I love the fact that Myrtle is getting very computer savvy, too. I do think, however, she desperately needs to take cooking lessons even at her age. ; )
Every Myrtle Clover cozy mystery book I read just gets better and better. Myrtle is in her 80's and is quite feisty. I love reading about her and Miles and their sleuthing abilities. There was more character development about Puddin' and Dusty in this book. I really enjoyed reading this latest book because again there was more than one suspect, and I didn't find out until the end who it was. I love the fact that Myrtle is getting very computer savvy, too. I do think, however, she desperately needs to take cooking lessons even at her age. ; )
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews