Murder Grins And Bears It (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
It’s Bear Season is Yooper Country!! That is Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the bears aren’t the only thing being hunted. A game warden is murdered right under Little Donny’s tree stand and Little Donny is no where to be found. Gertie is upset, her son, the sheriff, is wasting time trying to catch her driving without a license when he should be trying to catch a killer and find Little Donny. Does she have to do everything herself?!Dollycas’s ThoughtsThis story will leave your sides aching from laughter!!Gertie is an absolute gem!! Driving all over God’s creation without a license, tramping through the woods, questioning suspects who answer the door with sawed off shotguns, she does it all. She is quite a woman and you don’t want to mess with her. You never knows what she is going to pull out of that handbag. The woman is fearless!!!In addition to Gertie there is man-hungry Cora Mae, Carl who is willing to coat himself in chicken grease to bag a bear, Grandma Johnson who just loves to cook and good ole’ Blaze, who is just trying to his job. Add in a few more wacky friends and relatives, a dead body or two, and you are in for a wild ride courtesy of Deb Baker’s vast imagination.I have loved everything I have read by this awesome author! A master storyteller!! KUDOS DEB!!!
I'm really liking this series. Unfortunately there are only 3 books in it. I have just put a hold on another of her books from a different series. I enjoy the comedy, characters and story lines. It makes me feel like my family is wonderful and that we don't have any problems.Gertie is again driving without a license and her son the sheriff is on her about it. Of course she is trying to solve 2 murders that her grandson is wanted for. She is busy constantly and always getting in to trouble. She's been a widow for 2 years now and it looks like she might be ready for romance now. I hope we see something in the next and last book. I think anyone living around WI or MI would adore these books.
What do You think about Murder Grins And Bears It (2007)?
I really enjoyed this book. The author has captured the essence of the unique culture of Michigan's upper peninsula as the backdrop for the story. She has also given us some quirky characters who are all the more believable because of their idiosyncrasies. The mystery was fun to read and I flew through it in 2 days, using every spare minute I could find to keep reading. I'm looking forward to reading the other two "Yooper" mysteries (and hope that there will be even more in the future). Gertie may stumble onto things by accident, but her pure spunk wins the day.By the way, the author includes some traditional U.P. fare in recipes at the end of the novel. I'm hoping that "Gertie" does publish a cookbook some day - I'd love to see it.
—Karol
Gertie Johnson is a 66 year widow, mother ,grandmother and PI. When she and her friend/partner Cora Mae start working on a case it is like Lucy and Ethel aged and moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this book it is bear hunting season and more people than bears are killed. Gertie along with Cora Mae and another cohort Kitty set out to figure this out. Deb Baker writes Gertie so well I can almost hear and see her. The result is so delightful and funny that when reading in bed last night I woke my husband. He was not upset at all in fact now he wants to read this cozy.
—Paige Bennett
