Death By Accordion

by Cheryl Miller Thurston

A dead woman. A destroyed accordion.
A kindergarten teacher who is pretty darned mad!

Ella Polansky is as hip as a kindergarten teacher can be. No apple or alphabet sweaters for her. Ever. And when she plays a gig with her accordion, she sometimes steps to the microphone in red boots and tight jeans to add some percussive beatboxing.

But Ella loses her cool when someone pushes her beloved accordion off a balcony and kills the unpopular director of a local musical theater production. Who is the logical suspect? Ella, of course, and she’s not happy about it. Somehow she has to persuade handsome Detective Dan Sherman that she’s innocent, get her teaching job back, and rescue her kindergartners from the mean substitute teacher they all hate.

Oh, and she also needs to figure out how to help her best friend, who is accidentally pregnant by a conceited male model with bad grammar and absolutely no potential as a father.

Ella enlists the help of friends, family and the doting older men in a polka band (yes, a polka band) to discover the truth and clear her name.

344 pages, Paperback

Published February 19, 2019

About the author

Cheryl Miller Thurston is a Colorado writer, eidtor, teacher, and musician. She has published articles, books, poetry, plays, musicals, and music on a variety of subjects, but DEATH BY ACCORDION is her first novel.

An accordionist from the age of 4½, she is also the founder of Closet Accordion Players of America, a national organization that, with a sense of humor, encourages accordionists to come out of the closet and play proudly.

Reviews

[Caren Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down! The characters were believable and well developed. I found myself drawn into trying to solve the murder mystery but there were so many suspects and possibilities that there was no obvious solution. Nice surprise ending.

[Sandy Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I'm a kind, easy-going lady, my favorite books are mysteries and thrillers . . . not classics, which I love and which I taught for more than thirty years. I have several detectives who are favorites, and Ella Polansky just joined the group.

I must give her mother credit for making her a detective, though, because it is she who encourages Ella to find out who killed Judith by dropping Ella's accordion on her. Ella has plenty of time to be a detective because she has been put on paid leave from her job as a kindergarten teacher since she is a suspect in the murder.

Cheryl Thurston is great at character development, and my favorites are Ella (of course), Derek (her assigned bodyguard), Ella's mom, and Sammie (Ella's best friend). My favorite parts of the plot take place around the kitchen table, where the characters plan their next moves, and the descriptions of the players as they take part in Carnival, the musical in which Ella plays the accordion in the orchestra.

One of my favorite passages is on p. 177. The reason that it's a favorite is that it is reminiscent of my favorite poem by Cheryl, "Hide Your Ex-Lax Under the Wheaties." If you're not familiar with the poem, look it up in the book by the same name!

Since the title of Death by Accordion has the subtitle "An Ella Polansky Mystery," I hope that another Ella mystery is forthcoming! She certainly has joined Jack Reacher in my estimation!

One thing that sets Cheryl's novel apart from any other mystery/thriller is her humor. I read most of the book at night after going to bed. My husband couldn't understand why I was laughing so much! Everything that Cheryl writes smacks of her sense of humor, and I love that!

[Bob Herrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy a good mystery, and Death by Accordion is certainly a good one. It follows the form of many mysteries, with a collection of possible suspects – in fact, as the story unfolded, I began to suspect everyone, waiting for some crazy plot twist. But this is one aspect in which this book differs from many others – the detective doesn’t come up an out-of-the-blue solution. And there are other reasons I like this book. The story is written in the first-person, in the voice of Ella Polansky, owner of the lethal accordion. Ella is not an experienced investigator, but simply a woman trying to clear her name. Along the way, we meet many of Ella’s friends, co-workers, and family members, and see that while she’s consumed with identifying the killer, life goes on with its many other details. In fact, some of the people we meet are able to help Ella, by talking to someone who knows someone, to get suspects’ backstories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book – as I got into it, I found myself reading two, then three chapters at a sitting. I hope Ms. Thurston treats us to more of her stories, as hinted on the book’s cover.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book grabbed me from the beginning and I was glad that I picked it up on a whim at the library. I'm not much for murder mysteries but this was intriguing. I was hooked until about halfway through when I grew tired of Ella and her non stop chattering. It was a struggle to finish but I wanted to know who the murderer was. Even then, however I really didn't care by that point. The ending felt a little rushed and overall it was an okay story. Just seemed to drag out too long for my tastes. If Ms. Miller writes another "Ella Polansky Mystery " in the future I hope it's better than this one.

[Jamesjohn Jamesjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun romp... well, it's a mystery, so it's a fun 'trail'... or string of clues...
No, that's stilted... Awkward.
It's a weird crime, but the protagonist is clearly innocent... hapless, really, or mixed-up-in... as in involved.

I can't help but ask: Are Accordion players as much a butt of jokes as banjo players? You have to read this book and form your own opinion... or at least get an impression... or ideas and an impression...

That sounds stupid...
Well, not stupid stupid. Just... Form your own opinion... work the crime (if that's what it is), and think back to any Polish weddings you may have attended... or 'accidental' murders...

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the characterization. The main character is Ella who is a kindergarten teacher. In her free time she enjoys being part of musicals by playing her accordion. The director is mysteriously killed by Ella’s accordion and she sets out to find the murderer and free herself from suspicion. In addition I enjoyed meeting the local author and discussing her book with her.

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. From page 1, I was chuckling, and grew to love the main character's sense of humor and personality as she interacts with the characters involved in this who-done-it mystery. Already looking forward to a sequel.

[Lynne Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. It kept me guessing til the end and made me wish I could play the accordion! I think Ella Polansky could give Stephanie Plum a run for the money. I’m hoping there will be s sequel.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky mystery with likable characters. The resolution of the mystery was a bit rushed, though, and lots of "this is what I think happened" rather than actual discovery of the facts. Liked the main character and her accordion playing.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable. A book readers will finish. Characters carry the story.

[Ann Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy and fun read. I never thought of a mystery being funny!

[wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Suspense

A fun, quaint towny mystery! I really could see this as a Hallmark mystery movie, I’d that’s your sort of thing. Let’s go, Hallmark, get busy producing it!!

[Penelope Marzec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was terrific--and funny--and heartwarming. My hubby plays an accordion and the last time he and his accordion friends got together, one of them handed me this book and told me to read it. When I looked at the back and discovered the author was none other than the founder of the Closet Accordion Players of America, I started reading. Hubby is a member of CAPA. At any rate, I enjoyed this book immensely and couldn't stop reading it. I'll be waiting for the next Ella Polansky Mystery.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ella Polansky’s beloved accordion is used to killer the local community theater director, Ella vows to avenge the accordion by finding the killer. Great fun and some really quirky characters