Gertrude, Gumshoe Cozy Mystery Series Box Set: Books 1, 2, and 3

by Robin Merrill

[kimbacaffeinate]

n Introducing Gertrude, Gumshoe we meet Gertrude (Gert to her friends) a disabled cat lady whose a bit of a curmudgeon. After taking a count of her cats she discovers one has escaped her trailer and sets out with her walker to find Tornado (the missing cat). A woman and her two young children have recently moved into one of the trailers and it is here she discovers Tornado. Only the kids aren’t at school and their mother is missing. What began as a quest to find their mom soon leads to a murder mystery. The cops dismiss, Gertrude’s investigative skills and encourage her to go home, but she has evidence and sets out to save others and catch a killer! Oh lord, Gert is an absolute hoot. Rude, surly, and apt to say whatever pops out of her mouth, I couldn’t help but laugh at her over the top antics. I wouldn’t call her lovable but she is entertaining. She gains help from the disability van service, a friend and even enlists her reluctant neighbor Old Man Crow. Humor, a little suspense and Gertrude’s over the top mannerisms, conversations, and actions made this a quick fun read.

Gertrude is back in Gertrude, Gumshoe: Murder at Goodwill. Needing to get her Christmas shopping done, she calls the van and gets a ride to the local Goodwill. It’s Saturday and quite crowded. After rummaging through the children’s section she heads off to the perfume section where she makes a ghastly discovery. She discovers the body of a dead woman and the ugliest green lamp she has ever seen. She lets out a scream and is soon discovered by employees. She turns to tell them she simply found the body and that quick the lamp disappears. Hale the local handsome detective is shocked to find Gert at another murder scene and angers Gert when he isn’t upset about the missing lamp. Once again Gert beings investigating, even going to so far as to secure a job at Goodwill. A burglary, boobytraps, and trouble insue as Gert and her reluctant neighbor investigate. For me, this was a stronger story and I enjoyed seeing familiar characters. This was a quick, funny, and clever case that I quite enjoyed.

Again we see a tie-in from a former character in Gertrude, Gumshoe and the VardSale Villain. In the first story, we met Andy a janitor who works at Private Eyes (a dance club) His girlfriend is missing and Gertrude has her first paying customer. Thanks to a calendar she learns Samantha Cooper was met by a seller from a wildly popular site called Vardsale. She enlists the help of Calvin (Old Man Crow) since she needs A. his computer and B. a ride. Gertrude’s investigations have her meeting sellers, gathers clues and getting herself in trouble. Hilarious, and daring Merrill delivered another interesting case.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer