Misery Loves Maggody

Arly Hanks #11

by Joan Hess

"Delectable and continually surprising" (The New York Times Boos Review), Joan Hess's one-of-a-kind mystery series digs up murder and mayhem in the sleepy little town of Maggody, Arkansas. When beleaguered chief of police Arly Hanks hears that her mother, Ruby Bee, and best friend, Estelle Oppers, are headed for Memphis on an Elvis Pilgrimage, she thinks she may be getting a long-overdue break. But before she can say "Thank you, thank you very much," the trip is completely stalled by a variety of deadly doings. Estelle calls home to report that Ruby Bee has collapsed and is in the local hospital. And even before Arly's seen the delta dawn, one of the other clients on the tour takes a fatal plunge from the hotel balcony -- which adjoins the room of a prominent Maggody citizen, who's now doing the Jailhouse Rock in the local pen. What's more, Estelle's all shook up that the tour van is being followed by ominous thugs. For Arly, it's now or never, because if her suspicious mind doesn't figure out what to do quickly, residents of Maggody may be returned to sender -- in a hearse.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Detective, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Joan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.

Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of the Maggody series is always good for some light-hearted relief after reading a depressing book of history. This one isn't set in Maggody itself, but in Memphis when a murder occurs during a group trip to Graceland that Arly's mother and friend were suckered into taking. Fun reading that doesn't take a lot of brain power, as usual.

[Amybarker · Rating 2 out of 5]

So why did I read another Maggody book after my abysmal review of the previous one? The simple answer is: it’s the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020. I have these old books in my house that I picked up at a used book store years ago, and I wanted something easy to read.

But I’ll restate my review from the previous Maggody book here, because all the same applies.

I do not enjoy this series. I wanted a cozy mystery and Joan Hess is an author that always comes up. I’ve enjoyed her other series, so I thought I would enjoy these as well. Well I did not. Maybe because I’ve never lived in the Deep South, so I cannot relate to any of the characters. Maybe it’s because I’m a Christian and found their reverend (and really any “Christian” characters in the book) to be repugnant. Also, the mystery just wasn’t any good! I suspect these are the type of books you read because you enjoy the characters (and it seems like a lot of people do, when I read other reviews), so you keep coming back for more of the characters you’ve gotten to know. But I did not like the characters. They were mean, crass, gross, or just plain boring.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a no thinking, sit on the beach book. Some people might be offended by the stereotypical deep southern character portrayals... Ms. Hess has gotten them down to a tee, the characters remind me of Larry the Cable guy and Jeff Foxworthy stories. Estelle the trouble maker, sneaking into the men's room at the casino and grabbing the arm of a senator urinating was amusing. Jim Bob the mayor arrested for murder of his mistress. Jim Bob's holier than thou Christian wife and the small town southern preacher are amusing. The preacher watching the talk shows as he sips the wine and spends the day in is bathroom under the guise its research for a sermon is amusing. Kevin following his wife dressed as a woman in a car he stole is amusing. The story.... a trip to Graceland and areas Elvis spent time in was not the greatest or most interesting story but the characters are amusing. This series isn't for everyone, but it is decent and a quick read.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty average Southern comedic mystery. I was a little disappointed. My touchstone in comparing humor in Southern fiction is Fanny Flagg, so it's a high bar to equal.
As a mystery, murder searching, misbehavior on an Elvis tour, the ingredients are there. But the dough don't rise much. The Elvis angle never materialized, more of a ghost to the plot.
The characters were average too, about what one expects in humorous fiction. I wish the'd been more real feel to the characters. Caricatures need not be all there is to people. They should live and breathe to readers.
The end, well, it's the last thing you read in a book, so it DOES matter. In a mystery the solution and how it's revealed is vital. Yes, it was clever here and there, but the ending was flat. Maybe I set my hopes too high. Three stars, and that feels generous.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that when your see a tons of reviews on the cover saying how funny something is it sets you up, maybe unfairly. This was literally the most unfunny thing I’ve ever read that was meant to BE funny. At best, Arly Hanks, chief of Maggody, is mean spirited bordering on cruel. Granted I haven’t read much of this series so maybe it would have helped if I knew the characters better but as it was, there isn’t a jack one of them I want to know better. I found them all dim witted and misogynistic except maybe Arly herself.

Arly’s mother Ruby Bee and her friend, Estelle (not that you could tell they were friends in this, that’s how mean they were to each other), go on a cut-rate tour following Elvis’s footsteps. While they’re gone, Arly is busy with a fundamentalist Christian preacher who thinks Satanists are breaking in and using his church (and wants nothing to do with a woman who dares to have a job) and is called on to run interference between two Buchanons as the new mom seems to have postpartum depression. By the way neither of these two things have a damn thing to do with the main crime. Again maybe I would have cared if I knew the players better but as it was, it was a major distraction from the main plot.

Speaking of which, the main plot resolves around Ruby Bee and Estelle on the world’s worst Elvis tour and takes nearly 100 pages to show up. One of the people on their tour seems to suicide off a hotel balcony but the local sheriff, Sanderson, believes it was murder and he thinks it was Jim Bob, Maggody’s mayor who was at the hotel-casino to meet his mistress who was on the tour. In the mean time, Ruby Bee falls seriously ill and is hospitalized bringing Arly into the picture. As much as she doesn’t like Jim Bob, Arly doesn’t believe he could be a murderer and even when she’s attacked for something in her mother’s room, Japonica, the deputy, won’t even believe her in spite knowing Arly’s a police officer.

Everyone seems very incompetent from the villains to the police. In fact, they’re at the level of bad at their job I expect in a cozy where the amateur has to step in and take over because of the incompetence. Between the alternating points of view (Arly’s in first, everyone else in third) dealing with aspects of the story not relating to the crime, characters I don’t care about and a wisp thin plot, I only gave this a second star in deference to it’s a long running series with people who found some merit in it. I did not.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is just fun. There are all sorts of characters getting into silly situations. And, then, there is Arly Hanks, who has come back to her hometown to be the police chief, and entire department. People say that nothing really happens in Maggody, but when things do happen, Arly is going to be in the midst of it. Mostly, she's trying to maintain her sanity while surrounded by madcap adventures.

These books are light reading, with laugh out loud scenes. What surprised me is that the actual mystery is not so obvious and frequently has complex layers that Arly has to work through.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I randomly picked up this book at a used bookstore, having never read any other books in this series or by Joan Hess. All characters were well fleshed out and I even if I was missing out some backstories from the earlier 10 books, it did not distract from the main story. I found the book funny, a bit caricaturish in its homour; the author came across as having fun with her characters. Not a traditional "whodunit" in a sense that the crime came later in the plot. Fast moving summer read!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listen to these books and this is the first one with the new narrator CJ Critt. I really like CJ Critt's narrations of the Janet Evanovich books, but I had a hard time with the characters in this version. I enjoyed the voices of the original narrator. I'm sure I will get used to her narration. I love this series, but this was not my favorite book. It seemed as if there were characters that she forgot about. I will still continue to read the rest of her series.

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There just WAY too much going on in this one. Do we really have to know what every single character from past books is up to? The most annoying characters, namely Brother Verber and Mrs Jim Bob really need to go take a vacation or something so we don't have to read about them spouting off for at least one book!

[Katie Hilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arly Hanks has her hands full when her mother beccomes ill during a pilgrimage to Graceland. Then a member of the tour group is murdered. This Maggody story is a bit cluttered with characters, but it's an entertaining read.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book the least of the first 11 books in the series. It seemed to wander more than the others, and it just wasn't as funny. Also, most of the action took place away from Maggody, where all the fun is.

However, I'm still going to read/listen to the whole series.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estelle and Ruby Bee go on an Elvis pilgrimage and one winds up in the hospital while the other is in trouble higher than her beehive. Gambling, drug deals, and other issues come into play, along with Elvis. It's not PC, but I think it's accurate of the place and the era.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Maggody.

But I do not enjoy authors who put in the first couple chapters of another book hoping you’ll get interested and buy it next. I never read them but they really annoy me. Off goes a star.

[Deirdre E Siegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forever grateful to the Audible Inc Plus Catalogue when authors change their narrators turning what is usually a festival laughter, guffaws, chortles and snorts into a cringe fest as the usual characters become different people.

[Jan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listen to this and didn’t care for the reader. Maybe that influenced my thought on the book. This is my first book in the series and even though it is one down the road I doubt I will be reading anymore.

[Rita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good dialogue. Story had potential, but lacked something. Didn't keep my interest.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed this one

[Sharon Bezrutczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series. Arly is funny .

[Mylinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted plot with generally unpleasant, unlikable characters. Written and set in the late 90's and did not age well.

[Albert Thibault · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying way, way too hard to make the characters quirky or charming.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read a Maggody book in years. I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. The characters seemed less quirky and funny. They struck me as sad and too mean.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, fast read.

[Leezie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely my least favorite installment so far. The characters of Maggody do not work outside of the town. Not even Elvis and the aura could help.

[Susan Katz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this is a series that you needed to read from the beginning instead of jumping in at #11, but I just couldn't get into it. I probably gave it 50 pages, but now I'm done.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

always good fun

[Karen Cowgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny as all get out! Still a very good read and well worth it! She is a very good author and her Arly books are great!

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've never read a Maggody story, you need to read one. They are funny. I think they could also be satirical because of the people and setting is soooo over the line. People shop at Jim Bob's Supersaver Buy 4 Less, owned by the womanizing Jim Bob Buchanan, whose wife is very sanctimonious. The Sheriff sometimes carries her gun, but she only has 3 bullets, one man goes everywhere with his pig, and the Buchanan clan is numerous and colorfully named, (Diesel, Petrol, Idalupino for starters. They all live in Maggody, and 'town' of about 750 citizens and while 'nothing ever happens in Maggody, there always seems to be something going on.

[Lyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's not an attractive character in this book, not even the snarky "heroine". It is trying so hard to be funny by making fun of everyone and every thing that it made me not care about a single blessed soul. As a mystery the characters were so stupid or self-involved that no one bothers to ask the right questions. I would not have finished this book except that I was listening to it on CD on a long trip. When I lost a good radio station, I would come back to it. My annoyance kept me awake.

[Melisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terrible, but none of the characters were likable, and the mystery wasn't very interesting or hard to figure out. Being from the south, I am frequently disappointed in books about the south. This was no exception. I am from MS and I can guarantee you that most people there have ordinary names. In this book, the characters are named ridiculous things like Jim Bob, Ruby Bee, and Cherry Lucinda. There was not a single person in the whole book with an ordinary name. I spent most of the book being annoyed at the characters, since I figured out the mystery so early on.