Bonita Faye

by Margaret Moseley

Margaret Moseley's colorful and unforgettable Edgar Award-finalist that captures Fannie Flagg's homespun charm and Janet Evanovich's laugh out loud humor.

When small town girl Bonita Faye's abusive husband, car salesman and fishing guide Billy Roy is killed, she begins an adventurous new life that takes her from Poteau, Oklahoma to Paris and back again in a story of murder and redemption...and more murder... stretching over three decades.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Southern, Ebooks, Cozy Mystery, Humor

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend suggested I read "Bonita Faye," and when I saw the cover, I knew I wanted to purchase it. Actually, the cover alone tells the reader what they are in for.

I have no idea what particular genre this book belongs to. There are a couple of murders, with a little detective work added. There are a couple of love stories, with a touch of romance. There are a couple of wars with the usual consequences. There are a couple of best friends on a couple of continents, with frequent traveling and many children. There is a touch of suspense and a dash of mystery. If I looked at this novel like a recipe, I'd stir in a heaping cup of humor and throw in handful of corn.

If you like strong, independent, decisive women with a warm and generous heart, Bonita Faye is the fictional character of your dreams. It is always "onward and upward" with whatever challenges she is faced with. It was interesting to see her grow emotionally and intellectually throughout the storyline and ironically end up where she began. I loved her!

This book had great potential, if it had received more editing. I found it to be too stereotypical for my taste; however, the characters were all likable, and the plot was good.

I feel the book is deserving of 3.5 stars. I would recommend this it to anyone who wants a fast, fun read.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Moseley before and found it underwhelming, but this one would have probably been the right start. This is her debut, inexplicably nominated for an Edgar. Inexplicably because there is nothing mysterious about this story or its eponymous heroine, an all around nice small town lady, who isn't above resorting to murder to advance her own plot. This is a story of her life, spanning decades and continents, it has a particular homespunish country fried sort of charm, but it's actually cute and engaging in its own way. Bonita Faye, the lady and the book, will surprise you now and again and for a read that short and easy, it's just about enough. Although, again, this is in no way a thriller or a mystery, and a dead body or two do not make it so, no matter what Edgars and Brash Books classify this as. It's more along the lines of a drama, albeit lightly done. Entertaining and a very quick read.

[Jennifer Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonita Faye, by Margaret Moseley, is not a character that will soon be forgotten. Tenacious, driven, and fierce, Bonita Faye is a small town country girl with the soul of a continental traveler.

Caught early in an abusive web, Bonita Faye finds fellowship in best friend Patsy and kindness in state trooper Harmon Adams after the murder of her husband Billy Roy Burnett. And once you are in Bonita Faye's small circle, she is loyal to a fault.

Using insurance money, Bonita Faye travels to Paris, the city she has always dreamed of visiting. Here she meets taxi driver Denis Denfert who helps her find her way around. She also meets student Claude Vermeillon and his sister Simone. These three, in addition to Robert Sinclair, American expat, are the nucleus of the family she finds outside of Paris. When you are family, Bonita Faye will do ANYTHING to protect you.

Bonita Faye is the fifth novel written by Margaret Moseley and published by Brash Books. It is exciting, heartwarming, and just this side of the law. You will never forget this character and may even wish to be in an inner circle like hers. She is a good soul, even when embroiled in bad deeds.

I wholeheartedly recommend Bonita Faye and hope to meet another character just like her in my reading journeys.

[Melissa J (Book Addicts Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I received this book as an ARC from the author via Brash Books. In return I will give my honest review**

3.5 stars. I did enjoy this book and did not put it down. I loved all the back story. And I loved all the characters.

Some spots got a little confusing jumping all around. And so many things left open did bother me some.

All in all a good read

[LeahBethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonita Faye was a quirky little read! I'm not sure how to categorize the book as it isn't a mystery… It has humorous moments but dark moments too. It has love but it also has some killings. The setting is rural southeastern Oklahoma and Paris. The time frame spans from the 1950s to the 1980s. Overall, I enjoyed reading about Bonita's adventures and how far she came in life from humble beginnings.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice surprise

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Bonita Faye. A little mystery, a little humor maybe. What I didn’t expect was to totally sucked in to the story. It did start a little slow and was certainly not what I expected, but a charming story of an unexpected life.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonita Faye is a country girl from Oklahoma. She has dreams of a better life and some day going to France.

Something happens to her abusive husband at the start of the story and a sympathetic Oklahoma State Trooper befriends her. Eventually, they form a romantic relationship and Bonita has faith that her life has taken a turn for the better.

As she begins to shape her new life and enjoy it, she follows her goal to become a better person.

After a number of years, she is able to travel to France even though she can't speak a word of the language.

Eventually, she meets a kind man at a restaurant who explains what things she could order to eat. They become very close friends.

The description of small town life is well done as is Bonita Faye's determination to obtain her goals. She is an example of a woman who has almost nothing and can make her life a success.

The story includes romance, suspense, humor and excellent character development. Bonita Faye is a character the reader will come to admire and remember.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised as I began this one. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I really liked it. There isn't a ton of mystery to it, but a few questions that we get some answers to. I like how the story is told from her perspective. We see how she evolves and grows throughout the novel. She's optimistic and brutally honest. I really loved her friends and Harmon. Claude wasn't my favorite, I was routing from Harmon the entire time. There is some romance, war, crime, lots of trips to France and lots of small town country moments. It wasn't super fast paced but it didn't bore me at all. There were some parts that began to lag and I found myself skimming over some parts. I was able to put it down, it wasn't edge of your seat kind of book, but I was eager to pick it up again.
Bonita Faye is a strong woman who claws her way out of undesirable circumstances and changes her life for the better. The characters were all likeable unless they were meant to be hated. I liked how everything didn't go perfectly for her, and that was alright too. It made me chuckle but I wouldn't compare this to Janet Evanovich, I didn't find myself laughing out loud throughout. This was a light and easy read that kept me entertained.

[Carla (Carla's Book Bits) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonita Faye! I didn't expect to love you so much!

This book promised me a lot, and I wasn't quite sure I knew what I was heading into. It's classified as a cozy mystery, and revolves around Bonita Faye's life after she murders her abusive husband. Of course, she's running from the authorities and we get a bit of that in the book.. A lot of female badassery here, seeing Bonita Faye not taking sh!t from anyone who tries to screw her over.

But a lot of this book is really just us watching Bonita Faye grow into herself after her husband.. She grew up so deprived and when she enters into that abusive marriage, she never really got a chance to find herself... Until she flat-out shoots that abusive jerk in the face. Yes! When she finally gets to follow her dreams and create her own family, it's satisfying to see her blossom.

I'm not quite sure where to categorize this book after reading it.. I'd say it's a Southern Jane Steele, with a likable murderer, and more slice-of-life. The end result surprised me, because we end up getting a cozy, big-hearted story where loyalty, friendship, and family win out in the end. I didn't expect to be so invested in it as to cry for these characters too!

I found this book for free on Kobo when I got it, and I know it's dead cheap on Amazon too. There is absolutely no reason for you to skip out on this. I implore you guys to go check out this unique little gem. Go go go!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do about an abusive man in your life? Well, you know – you can get a court order to keep him away from you – that doesn’t always work – or you can try to keep away from him – that doesn’t always work either – you could move – but why should you?

Besides, you want to keep him permanently out of your life?

Oklahoma’s own, Bonita Faye had an idea – just kill the sucker!

And over her intriguing life full of many friends, both back home and the place she always wanted to see, Paris, France, she has the chance to try out her idea….more than once!

Meet Bonita Faye – a woman on her own life’s course – and when life doesn’t seem to work for her – take life by the horns and does what needs to be doing!

Lots of friendly characters you’d love to sit down with an work over a piece of southern fried chicken, suspense, humor and some good seasoning of romance – who could ask for anything more?

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new an author for me. Before long I was captured by Bonita Faye's life as she matures from an ignorant child to mature woman. I found it hard to put the book down. We meet Bonita as the sheriff tells that her husband has been murdered. She has always wanted to go Paris and soon she on her way. Bonita knows no one in Paris or understands the language. Denis, cabdriver, picks her up at the airport. Bonita is slowly learning French and begins to make friends. I felt when things were good for and felt the tensions when problems happened. Throughout her life Bonita remains positive and makes plans to change the negative to affirmative. I recommend this novel highly. I am ready to read another book by her.
I received a free copy from Brash Books for a review I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions are my own.

[Kelly Zens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version on Audible. This is a great book. It reminds me of an Oprah selection because it deals with the everyday problems and culture of lower socio-economic women. It differs from an Oprah book in that there are also several excellent male characters (not all the men in the book are bad). It is compelling chick lit. with a very likable protagonist from Arkansas/Oklahoma. The book follows Bonita Faye through her life unwrapping a tale of murder and a love triangle. It is a story about a young woman finding and making peace with herself.

The story is told in an Arkansas/ Oklahoma native accent by a narrator who embodies the character. Carol Herman is Bonita Faye. She does an excellent job capturing the accent, lingo and spirit of this woman. She also does a good job with the French characters.

One of my favorite characters is Patsy, Bonita Faye's best friend. She is a loving, hardworking illiterate woman who has memorized most of the Bible by heart. She is married to the "best good for nothing man" Bonita Faye has ever met. They have 6 children. She deals with occasional domestic abuse by hitting her husband back harder. This book realistically deals with the rural way of life, capturing both its strengths and its faults. Very well written and worth your time.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Bonita Faye" is an odd read.
She is uneducated but intelligent. She can hold a grudge. She's curious. And she is amoral - whatever she is, she is a survivor.
It starts with a 'little murder' and ends with another.
"Bonita Faye. I’m afraid I’ve got to ask you some questions.”
Well, didn’t I know it. And here I thought I could get by with another murder. Like Billy Roy’s, it was just a little one and I only killed every forty years or so. I figured I’d be dead by the next time the urge hit me."
In the meantime she lives a full life, sometimes unconventional but largely as normal as you get.
It's a book that defies categorisation as it has a little bit of everything in it.
It's also not an easy book to like as Bonita, throughout her life, is somewhat enigmatic. What she does is always for the best in her mind but she is quite clinical in her approach. She falls somewhere between the definitions for a sociopath and a psychopath but, whichever applies, she is not a woman to be crossed.
I found it interesting that the one action she personally feels was beyond the pale was, in fact, just petty retribution.
I'll remember "Bonita Faye" but largely because it fell so far outside my normal reading choices.
2.5 Stars, raised to 3 Stars.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like funny, quirky murder mysteries, this book is definitely for you. Even though I thought I had it figured out early on in the book, I had no idea how the story would unfold. There are twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I was kept guessing all the way until the very end. I noticed some people in the reviews commented on the typos and misused words, but it's not that way at all - this story is told in the voice of Bonita Faye, who speaks in her Arkansas/Oklahoma vernacular - accent, 'ain'ts' and all. I really loved the bits where Bonita was in France; it was a fun story to read.

Some of my favorite passages from the book:

"It never did matter what all he said with his mouth, it was always the words in his eyes that I came to listen to."

"And the time change, good law, it was day when I left America, and it was day when I got to France and nobody ever told me what happened to the night."

"Her long blonde hair was swept up in a smooth French roll with one perfectly placed, perfectly splendid curl left loose at the end of the roll so that it could hug her long white neck."

"I saw Claude shouting and pleading, but his face seemed lopsided and his voice like an echo."

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me a couple of months to read. I enjoyed reading it, but I'm finding it hard to be able to sit down and read. Many compare this novel with writings of Fannie Flagg, another author I enjoy. I really like how the writer immersed us in Bonita Faye's. She did an excellent job of telling a story from her eyes. Normally, I wouldn't try to write a review of this, but I wanted to take a moment to write some quotations that I want to be able to refer back to.

On children in the foster care system, "It's an old story Bonita Faye. We just throw away our kids...leave them on their own until they do something we can punish them for... and we say it's all their fault."

On growing up poor, "We always knew our next meal or next day's lodging depended upon our getting out and scratching for it."

Having just finished Hillbilly Elegy, there were a couple of similar themes, but I preferred this story.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Margaret Moseley book I've listened to this week, the first impressed me and this one even more so.

What struck me most about this book is the detailed characters, they are so realistic that they could walk off the page. Next is the dialogue which was so funny and charming at times and at others so serious and somber.

When I reached the end I was stunned, the ending was not what I was expecting but also just the overall effect of the whole book left me just sitting and thinking about everything that happened.

The character voices were a particular highlight of the narration. Carol had to pull off several different accents including some purposely awful pronunciations of french words, and she did so beautifully. The overall pace and flow of the narration helped me to become absorbed in the story.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonita Faye is a small town girl who gets to Paris because of her own actions. This book had me from the first line- " it was only a little murder". Bonita is fleshed out as a girl to woman to widow to traveler to newly married, to widow and lots of inbetweens. I felt that the small town people were real and just like many folks you might meet. It was both sad and funny when Bonita traveled to Paris and found out that she could not speak the language and had no plans to see the sights. Because of the many people she met and the interactions of those people you find out that Bonita though self-taught is a clever woman who finds a new sense of right and wrong and takes actions when she thinks that life is unfair to her or those for whom she really cares.

[Lauretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had been in my Kindle library for a while, and I can't think why I didn't read it sooner! I loved Bonita Faye - such a brave, strong woman in the era when women were discouraged from being anything more than a mother and housewife. Without spoiling the plot, I will say I generally don't approve of murder, but as country music lyrics have said, "some people just need killin'." Bonita Faye's story is about love and family and the many forms both take, but it's also about overcoming the most adverse of circumstances and not giving up on one's dreams. She is an inspiration to anyone, male or female, who faces life challenges head-on and lives her life to the fullest.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb for this book said it "captured Fannie Flagg's homespun charm and Janet Evanovich's laugh out loud humor" (Amazon Books) I bought the kindle edition. ...... I read a bit and thought "Ugh, I don't like this" I didn't find the underlying kindness and acceptance of Fannie Flagg, or the self-humor of Evanovich....but kept at it. .... I really didn't start liking it until I was about half way through. ... By the end, while I wouldn't compare it to either Flagg or Evanovich, I found I liked the book. .... It made me wonder about my sense of right and wrong. ... What could Bonita Faye done differently? Did she have the right to take things into her own hands?

[Sweetpea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this! An original story, great characters and humor - what's not to love? The lovely southern drawl of Carol Herman was the icing on the cake and she gave a terrific performance. Fabulous! I enjoyed the pace and the way that everything leisurely evolved, allowing the listener to really savor the story. Bonita Faye was a great listen and I would recommend it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is my honest opinion.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much a character driven story. There's not much in the way of mystery or suspense, but the characters are fully developed, colorful and interesting. There's also a touch of humor in this story.

Carol Herman is the perfect narrator for this audiobook. Her southern drawl is just what the story calls for. She delivers an excellent performance.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Marilyn Buehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very relaxing read, yet the character, Bonita Faye, had a great way of telling her story. There were several interesting surprises in the book which were very intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am going to keep it in my kindle library for a reread in the future.
Characters were very believable, you could picture the times, the places and the people interacting with each other. I highly recommend this book.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a cozy mystery but an engrossing novel.

This novel tells about Bonita Faye's life from her perspective. It is very much like one of Fanny Flagg's novels showing many aspects of the human condition, humorous, gritty, sad, happy, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Highly recommended.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant Read

I chose to read this book, because the reviews spoke of it as a fun book, a cozy mystery with lots of laughs. If that's the case, it wasn't my type of humor and it wasn't my type of cozy. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading the book. It had well-developed characters and twists in the plot. I'm still wondering what was so funny, but I will find laughs elsewhere.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Bonita Faye's abusive husband, car salesman and fishing guide Billy Roy is killed, she begins an new life that takes her from Poteau, Oklahoma to Paris and back again in a story of murder and redemption...and more murder... stretching over three decades. A cute novel and an easy, irreverent read.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Read

A thought provoking, page turning, hang on to the last page novel. The name "novel" fits in both senses of the word. This will be one of my "read again" books because there are so many truths that lie hidden within its pages.

[Donna Aubuchon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in a long time. Very different ...couldn't put it down. I have told all of my friends it's a must read.

It reminds me of Fanny Flagg but much deeper. I will read anything this lady writes. Thank you mam for the ride!

[Tammy Buchli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid book. I don’t have to like the protagonist in order to enjoy a book, but in this case I simply loved Bonita Faye. Be warned, mystery fans, that although this is billed as a murder mystery it’s really not.

[Christie Caraher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

I enjoyed this book, as it was quite different from what I usually read. We follow Bonita Faye from a young bride to an old woman. She’s a unique character, and definitely 3 dimensional. To paraphrase Dickens “she was the best of people and the worst of people.”

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was underwhelmed by this book. Parts of the book were fun but the over all story line was not to my liking. Carol Herman does a outstanding job of narrating this book. Margaret Moseley is an excellent story teller. I will look forward to reading more by Margaret.