Mama Does Time (Mace Bauer Mystery, #1)

by Deborah Sharp

Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics — especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction. 

One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze ‘n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. 

Before their mama lands in prison — just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song — Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit.

• ISBN10: 0738713295
• ISBN13: 9780738713298
• Publish Date: 8 October 2008
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 December 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Midnight Ink
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Update for second read:  Holds up to my first review perfectly; 7 years later and I still can't keep Maddie and Marty straight in my head.  Still a very good read.

I put off reading this book for a long time because it just had way too redneck-y a vibe for me to think I'd find it enjoyable. But then I read about the author being a native Floridian (as I am) and I thought, well, I should give this a go, she should be able to do "old Florida" justice with out turning everyone into caricatures.

So I was pleased to find myself thoroughly involved in this book by about 1/3 of the way in. I had to struggle a bit to keep Marty and Maddie straight, but each character very much has their own personality and for the most part, they're colourful and likeable. Of course I love the Old Florida setting. 

The plot was well done; a lot of red herrings and suspects, a lot of clues. Very strong ending.

I'll be ordering the next books in the series, and I'm hoping for some more scenes of the chemistry sort between Carlos and Mace. :)