Murder and Moonshine

September 23, 2013
Miller’s appealing debut, the first in a series, introduces Daisy McGovern, a strong-minded 27-year-old waitress in southwest Virginia with a tendency to jump to conclusions. When an elderly customer at H & P’s Diner, reclusive farmer Fred Dickerson, drops dead at Daisy’s feet, she gets caught up in the resulting investigation. That Fred’s last word before he collapsed was “burger” (or was it “murder”?) may be significant. Quirky, well-drawn supporting characters include Rick Balsam, who operates a thriving moonshine business, and Ethan Kinney, a handsome ATF agent sent from Washington, D.C. Complicating Daisy’s life are her husband, who walked out on her four years earlier with no explanation, and her invalid mother. Bordering on stereotype are some much-distrusted “big city folks” who ask questions that make people nervous. Despite a few beginner’s mistakes (e.g., too much “smirking”), Miller has produced a story full of intriguing clues and misdirection, liberally laced with Southern charm. Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM.

October 15, 2013
Small-town shenanigans in the Appalachians pit a waitress against a furtive murderer and an even deadlier foe. As day dawns in Glade Hill, Va., Daisy Hale McGovern is nagging Hank Fitz, owner of the H & P Diner, to choose a daily breakfast special. Rick and Bobby Balsam are taking a break from drinking home brew and shooting squirrels to flirt with Daisy. Then, local recluse Fred Dickerson staggers into the diner, orders a burger, foams at the mouth and dies. When rumors start circulating that someone--possibly Hank--poisoned Dickerson, Daisy wants to help Hank, who gave her a job after she lost her father, Paul (the P in H & P). She braves the Balsam brothers' two-man trailer park, their shotguns and their dog pack and searches an old tobacco barn on her former homestead, which now belongs to Rick. Much as she resents him for buying up the property behind her back, she's even more hostile toward ATF Special Agent Ethan Kinney when he arrives to investigate Dickerson's death. A second death throws Daisy in with Kinney, and they work together to solve the mysteries of a pink canning-jar lid, a nighttime intruder, a place called Chalk Level and a threat to the enjoyably colorful citizenry of Glade Hill. Daisy is both strong and vulnerable, and you want her to be happy--but with whom? Miller's debut uses a light touch and a gift for scene painting in its skillful balance of people and puzzle.

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Starred review from December 1, 2013

Scrappy waitress Daisy McGovern's life has been on hold since her father's accidental death five years ago. But when Fred Dickerson, a local recluse, staggers into her diner and dies--from poisoning--Daisy is determined to find out who killed him. A chief suspect is the diner's cook, but when he becomes the next victim, Daisy is flummoxed. Meanwhile, good-looking ATF agent Ethan Kinney comes down to this remote corner of Virginia to investigate and finds that Fred died from poisoned moonshine. VERDICT Miller's debut amuses but also slices into the heart of a proud region that doesn't appreciate outsiders taking advantage of the locals. Easy to read, shot with romance, and full of country aphorisms, the book succeeds both at puzzling and moving readers emotionally. Try with Margaret Maron and Deborah Sharp fans.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2013
After a fire took her father, the government took her family's land. Struggling to take care of herself and her ailing mother, Daisy McGovern makes ends meet as a small-town waitress. When a local recluse drops dead in H&P's Diner, a telltale jelly-jar lid suggests that a bad batch of moonshine might be to blame. ATF agent Ethan Kinney soon arrives on the scene and picks Daisy as his tour guide through the unnamed roads of rural Virginia. Daisy also runs interference between Ethan and the shoot first Balsam brothersthanks to Rick Balsam's long-standing crush on Daisy. Down on her luck but still plenty plucky, Daisy is a sweet southern gal with a loyal heart and a long memory. Readers will enjoy watching the love triangle between Daisy, the local bad boy, and the federal agent unfold. The second book in the series, Mayhem and Moonshine, is coming next year.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)