In This Old Souse, book 20 in the Bed-and-Breakfast mystery series, it's cousin Renie's fault that Judith Grover McGonigle Flynn gets in the thick of another whodunnit. When Serena Grover Jones was a girl, she was curious about a Spanish-style house she used to walk past. Now she has to deliver a graphic design to a client who lives nearby and wants Judith to go with her. The once-beautiful house has become rundown since those days. It may be Renie's fault our heroine is in this mess, but I had to laugh when the 911 operator asked if it were Mrs. Flynn reporting the corpse before Judith gave her name. What is going on in that place?

A big subplot is the split up between Judith's son, Mike, and his wife, Kristin. It's summer, so Hillside B&B is full. Uncle Al Grover is willing to take in Mike and his little boys, Mac and Joe-Joe. How fortunate it is for the plot that Uncle Al lives only a mile or so from the mysterious house on Moonfleet Street.

Yes, Judith's hyper-religious cleaning lady, Phyllis Rackley, is present. So is Judith's widowed mother, the sharp-tongued Gertrude Grover. Gertrude is complaining about the changes made to her life story in copy of the movie script she received. Judith's second husband, Joe Flynn, has a case that's taking him out of town. Can his loving wife keep him from finding out that she's mixed up in another murder before it's solved? (Joe has retired from being a homicide detective, but he is a private investigator) Renie's husband, psychologist Bill Jones gets to help out.

Thanks to chapter four, we know that this book takes place two years after book 18, Silver Scream. It's their first corpse for the young cops whom the 911 operator sent to the scene, but two of the firefighters and one of the medics who show up know Judith. I chuckled at what she figured the young cops were thinking after a remark one of the firefighters makes. There will be no help from Joe's former partner, Woodrow 'Woody' Price this time. He and his wife, Sondra, are vacationing in Quebec. That leaves Judith to deal with dour Glenn Morris and his partner, Jonathan Parker Trashman. We soon learn why Trash keeps getting new partners.

Notes:

chapter 5: The Barney Oldfield Gertrude mentions was a car racer from 1902 - 1918, the first man to drive at 60 miles per hour (96 km/h).

ch. 12: The Hannibal Lector Judith mentions is a fictional character, most famous for his role in The Silence of the Lambs (book and movie).

ch. 15 The newest mysteries of the Holy Rosary, created by Pope John Paul II, are the Luminous mysteries: the Baptism [of Jesus] in the Jordan, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom [of God], the Transfiguration [of Jesus on the Mountain], and the Institution of the [Holy] Eucharist. They're to be prayed on Thursdays.

ch. 17: The murder of reporter Addison Kirby's wife happened in book 17, Suture Self. That's when Judith got her artificial hip. Renie's shoulder surgery, mentioned in ch. 19, also took place in that book.

ch. 18: 'The Sound of Music' movie musical gets mentioned. So does the De Niro and Pacino movie, 'Heat'.

ch. 20 The Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling get mentioned, as well as an 1898 novel by J. [John] Meade Faulkner.

Cat lovers, the most inappropriately-named Sweetums is not only in this one, he's got an important role! (Don't miss the Cat Clinique veterinary clinic employee's advice in ch. 12. She even suggests that Sweetums might earn a Happy Cat Award if her advice is taken.) ( )

Judith's cousin Renie is very interested in an old house that sits in her old neighborhood. Judith goes with her to visit the house and the trouble begins.

No one seems to come and go from the house but it is occupied, and everyone who visits the house is very secretive.

All this sets Judith to investigating. She talk to children, spouses of children and anyone else she can find who know anything about the house and the people in it.

I mostly like this series so will keep reading but must admit there are a couple of regular characters that aren't my favorites. Still, they aren't the main characters so I can tolerate them to spend some time with Judith, Joe, and their B&B guests. ( )

Judith and her cousin Renie try to solve the mystery about an old house and its occupants which they never seem to see. Following them in their detective work felt somewhat like watching Columbo bumble along, but he seemed to have more method behind his madness when he was all done. This was a light mystery, and somewhat humorous, but there was definitely not a sense of professionalism on the part of Judith and her cousin, possibly because they are not professionals. ( )

Renie Jones has been obsessed for years with a house near her childhood home and gets her cousin, Bed and Breakfast owner Judith McMonigle Flynn, to visit the house with her. Judith has solved a few mysteries in her past and senses one now: why are the owners, Dick and Jane Bland, never seen? Why isn't Sally, Jane's sister who also lives there, ever seen? Why is there a mysterious package delivered to the house the same time every year? Judith's curiosity causes her to become a murder suspect when a body turns up in her car trunk - a body directly related to the Bland house.

"This Old Souse" is a very humorous but loosely plotted mystery. It's as if Mary Daheim had the basic idea of a story involving mysterious occupants of a house, wasn't sure how to get Judith and Renie to the house plausibly, but liked the idea so much that she decided to go ahead and have fun with it. And fun she does have, starting with the improbable names of Dick, Jane, and Sally. She delights in creating over the top characters, some of which can be fun, but some are totally unbelievable like the incompetent mailman and insensitive receptionist at the vet's office. If you've never read a book in this series, Judith and Renie can be hard to take at first. Judith claims to be interested in people, but she often comes across as just being nosy and expects people to confide in her even if they've just met for the first time. Renie can be annoying too, pushing her way around. Gertrude, Judith's ancient mother, has been abrasive in past books, but Daheim tones her down quite a bit in this book.

Despite the awkward setup, the mystery itself has some nice moments, although about two thirds of the way into the book I figured out what was in the mysterious package left on the porch. Daheim does rely a bit too much on coincidence (Judith just happens to talk with the murder victim shortly before he is killed and his body is left in her car, which conveniently has a tricky trunk latch). But there are some really nice twists in the story that will keep the reader guessing who the murderer is.

"This Old Souse" is a good book for readers who like a nice, humorous, if light mystery. ( )

Another cozy mystery, one in the bed-and-breakfast series. By incident I started with number 20 of the series, but that doesn't really matter. The story won't happen for real, I guess, but it's nice to follow Renie and Judith being curious and looking for the murderer of the victim Judith finds in the trunk of her car.

A nice read on a rainy day!

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2009/12/this-old-souse.html ( )