Pretty Maids All in a Row

by Michelle Buckman, A.H. Jackson

Partners Tori Roche and J.B. Kale set out on a madcap adventure to a medieval inn where they are invited to solve the famous nursery rhyme murder mystery surrounding the 1785 massacre of twelve women--"pretty maids all in a row." As they begin gathering evidence to write a best-selling novel to save their publishing house, Tori finds her family lineage has more to do with the present than she anticipated. When more dead bodies keep falling in their path, it becomes obvious that the ancient murders are tied to a treasure that people are still dying to possess--and it's not the heirloom diamond that the guests of the inn are searching for. What happened on these old sacred grounds? Will Tori and Kale escape the secret passages alive? And why is the notorious Mary-Mary still quite contrary?

215 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2006

About the author

My writing journey began in my youth. Although born in New York, most of my childhood was spent in Ontario, Canada, and many long winter nights were spent reading an abundence of novels and penning tales. My family moved to North Carolina while I was a teenybopper, which was a great relief for me. I’d had enough cold to last me a lifetime. In my new home, I discovered the peace of spending afternoons walking the endless Carolina beaches. With over half my life lived in the south, I have discovered the advantage of writing like a southerner from an outsider's point of view.

Although I never lost my zest for writing stories and poetry, I studied computer programming in college because it seemed more practical than a degree in English, but when my son was six weeks old, I quit my day job and turned computer programming into what I loved best—writing, beginning with computer software manuals that I could write at home. Eventually I expanded my writing into freelance writing for trade magazines, then, in my free time between non-fiction assignments, birthing four daughters, potty training, and soccer games, I returned to my truelove—fiction.

Reviews

[Art Tirrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

NANCY DREW MEETS ANDY HARDY

"Pretty Maids all in a Row" is the kind of mystery novel I read as a kid back in the fifties. For those who've never had the pleasure, these novels typically featured a straight-arrow hero, wholesome, ultra-virginal heroine, and slimy bad guys who have lots of evil intentions but never actually do much harm. In this version, the old stereotypes are all there - on the deeper level too; the men do all the thinking and the heroine is there to look gorgeous and supply the rash acts that only complicate things for the hero.

While a sophisticated adult reader might find this one too light to carry interest, I feel this book would make a good Christmas or Birthday gift for a budding reader - say age 11-14 give or take. For the most part, the lead characters exhibit traits we'd like to see today's kids imitate. There are a few lascivious thoughts on the part of the hero - but they lend just enough of an adult edge to make the read more likely to make young readers feel "all grown up".

Art Tirrell is the author of "The Secret Ever Keeps," a nautical adventure set on Lake Ontario one reviewer said contained, "...simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601...