Claire Sweeney

Murder on Sugar Hill Claire Sweeney

The piercing scream from Trixie at the sight of a dead body in the solarium throws the banquet honoring the participants of the innkeeper races into panic. The murder of Buggy, a once Olympic hopeful turned town drunk, draws the owner of the Franklin Inn, Miss Matilda and her purple-haired niece Trixie into the role of sleuths as they try to find the murderer. But can Miss Matilda and Trixie carry on a murder investigation while managing a hundred-room ski lodge and a restaurant famed for its sugar cookies? The answer is yes but only with the help of Miss Matilda's long-haired hippy check-in clerk Smiley, Bozo the savant bookkeeper, and the scarlet macaw Tara. They quickly find out that solving a murder looks easy on TV, but is difficult in real life, especially when suspects include the sheriff and the head of the Cannon Mountain Ski School. How do you tell a sheriff he's on your list of suspects in a murder? Miss Matilda deals with this obstacle and others with a sarcastic tone and snarly humor that has everyone running for cover as she taps her walking stick for emphasis. The investigative tactics of Miss Matilda and company will keep you guessing and laughing page after page. The murderer is in plain sight, if only Miss Matilda and Trixie can see past the false leads and red herrings. First Volume of the Sugar Hill Mystery Series. Approximately 51,000 words in length. It can be read prior or future volumes not required to enjoy the book, no cliffhanger.