A Hot Spot of Murder

We're Not Dead Yet Club #5

by Constance Barker

Miss Clara's in the Clink

Someone committed a dastardly deed and Miss Clara is being framed and tossed in the hoosegow. The We're Not Dead Yet Club is down a member and the crew needs to get cracking to find the real culprit and spring their friend from lockup. And since Clara's in the clink, Miss Hazel will tell her side of the story in this hilarious tale that mixes our seniors with young whippersnappers.

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2017

About the author

Constance Barker lives in the Midwest with her husband and two Akitas where she can look out from her screened porch onto a wooded area brimming with activity. Since she was a young girl she read mysteries, often given to her by her grandmother. She loved figuring out who the culprit was and sometimes she was right and other times startled at who the author picked as the assailant. Now she enjoys writing mysteries herself. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in her favorite vacation spot, Las Vegas or shopping for bargains.

Reviews

[Helen Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The We're Not Dead Yet Club, ROCKS !!! The members, Ida May, Hazel and Clara, are also the main characters of this series. A Hot Spot of Murder is book 5 in this series. I am a huge fan of the Jessie Delacroix series by this author. But this is the first book outside of that, for me, by Constance Barker. Now the WNDY series is on my must read list and I've already downloaded from KU book 1 Fetch a Pail of Murder. Constance Barker has the ability to write action and murder in good natured wording. With humor that is belly ache funny. The storyline is about the hot spot Clara is in and how this 'later' in life club of sleuths must discover the answer short one member. It seems this cast of characters maybe adding some, younger then them, help. Once again, characters the reader can develop a growing relationship with. Though this book could be a standalone I am excited to start from the beginning and keep reading future books in this series. I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. After you read this book, and you should, Constance Barker has several more series for cozy reading enjoyment.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Clara is held by the police for murder, Ida May and Hazel are stunned and feel almost helpless. They know Clara is the one who keeps the We're Not Dead Yet Club in line and solving their cases. When they finally get a grip on themselves and decide to investigate, the ladies seem to be spinning in circles instead of gathering information.
To make matters more humorous, Hazel takes over the narration of the book complete with rambling, misconceptions, and peculiar conclusions. One has to laugh at how Hazel doesn't listen and as a result bungles even more and has to play catch-up.

This entertaining book is a little different from the other books in the series. Characters include some older teens who happened to be near the scene of murder/arson. Lucy, Ida May's granddaughter, also happens to be on the scene. It is enjoyable to watch the multi generational exchanges. I also liked the confident lawyer image presented by Percy, as he usually comes across as bumbling.

You won't want to miss the latest episode of the We're Not Dead Yet Club. It is a stand alone mystery filled with humor as well as a good mystery.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful series about a group of old ladies who (in their minds) are ace detectives and get involved in a series of murder investigations.
This book is very funny as it is narrated by Hilda, who is rather absent-minded and so frequently misses the important facts, making for a hilarious read. I also like that in order to solve this mystery, they manage to persuade a local group of youths to assist, the youths are as eccentric as the old ladies.
Constance Barker is great at producing realistic but humorous character sketches and this is one of the great pleasures of this series.
I did receive a complimentary copy of this book and used this to voluntarily write this review.

[Sherry Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The We're Not Dead Yet Club is, once again, called into action. But, this time, they are investigating one of their own. Clara is accused of arson and murder and the evidence is damning. Can they discover who the real culprit is? And, can they do it when Hazel becomes the brains of the outfit?
Another romp featuring the aging detectives. The characters are easy to love and the mystery is compelling. All in all, a fun read.

[Kathy Fair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quirky read!!

I enjoy reading this series, as the three women are definitely quirky. You never know is going to happen next...you just have to keep reading to see what deductions come up next. Fun to read and I thoroughly enjoy this series.

[Diann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful little mystery. It is full of excitement and humor.
I love these old ladies and will read anything I can about them.
Highly recommend to all. I know you will love it too.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of plot holes. Just couldn't keep up with it

[Roslyn Donohoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do enjoy this author's stories.

I love reading the many series she writes. As always so very well worth the read. You won't be disappointed.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hot Spot of Murder is the fifth book in the We're Not Dead Yet Club series. I have not read the previous books in the series, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This is a standalone with no cliffhanger, though it is open-ended for future books in the series. 

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. The author did a great job of explaining and describing the main characters and the town. I loved the idea of the three older ladies forming this group and can't help but get involved. There are clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. And they continue to keep coming until the end of the book. 

I look forward to reading more of Constance Barker's books. I received an copy of this book and chose to leave a review for other readers.