Stella Crown has been running her family’s dairy farm, Royalcrest Farm in rural Pennsylvania, since her widowed mother died when Stella was just 16. Life has been hard, and Stella has just been keeping it together wth the help of Howie Archer, a longtime farmhand to the Crown family, when she suddenly gets hit with a rash of accidents within days of her 29th birthday — so many that she soon realizes they aren’t accidents. For years, the oily real-estate developer Hubert Purcell has been hounding Stella to sell out. Has he — or someone else — decided to take things a step further? Judy Clemens paints a dismal picture of the unrelenting drudgery and financial difficulties besetting family farms in the 21st century. But Stella is so hardened, so judgmental and so dismissive of anyone who isn’t pretty much exactly like her that readers — particularly urban or urbane ones — will find her extremely unlikable. Stella saves all of her compassion for her cows — and her father figure, Howie. You’d expect Stella to be tough and independent to the point of taciturnity after more than a decade of the responsibility and endless toil of farm life; however, Stella’s so prickly that it’s no wonder that her childhood friend, Abie Granger, turns to a city girl named Missy for love. Who wants to romance a cactus? You know something’s wrong when you find yourself rooting for Missy over Stella!Clemens saves Till the Cows Come Home from its unlikeable protagonist by providing a compelling mystery. The novel also serves as a pretty good primer on the hardships and insecurity of modern farm life. But, overall, the title’s much better than the novel, despite its being nominated for the Agatha Award for best new novel. Still, I’m intrigued enough to be willing to download the next novel in the series, Three Can Keep a Secret, from the library for another try.
TILL THE COWS COME HOME (Amateur Sleuth-Pennsylvania-Cont) – GClemens, Judy – 1st bookPoisoned Pen Press, 2004-HardcoverStella Crown, with her farmhand Howie, has been running the family dairy farm since her parents died. At the best of times, it's very hard work. But it just became harder with a rash of accidents, or are they, happening on the farm. At the same time, children in the town are becoming very sick, and two have died, but no one knows why. Are the two things coincidences?*** Clemens has created a fully dimensional, very believable character in Stella and surrounded her with an excellent supporting cast. She paints a realistic picture of farm life and has structured a solid mystery around it. My only hesitation is that, to me, it seems a bit too structured and a bit predictable. But the overall result is a good, solid, enjoyable first book.
What do You think about Till The Cows Come Home (2005)?
Stella Crown runs a dairy farm, but finds that times are tough and getting tougher. Developers want to buy her out, but she won't sell. Then someone seems to be sabotaging her farm, killing her cows, vandalizing her property, making life miserable in general.In addition to that, there seems to be some kind of virulent flu outbreak in the small county. Children are sick and dying. Then bad goes to worse when murder happens.I really love the writing and the characters. The only reason I didn't giv
—Grey853
Those were the longest three days of my life with Stella down on the farm. It can almost quell any romantic notion I have of farming, well at least dairy farming. This was a fast paced book that had me right there. Stella is a new feisty, never say die heroine. She has just enough attitude to keep most people from messing with her.Stella's 29th birthday should be a piece of cake, but instead things start going wrong one right after another on and around her farm. A bull calf is born with the help of the vet, Carla. Stella gives it to the eager youngster that helps her trusted hand, Howie. The manure lagoon sprouts a few leaks, a cow dies out in the field, power outages, flooding, and even more sinister deeds befall Stella all in a matter of days. She forges ahead under the bleakest of circumstances despite the amount of muck and mire she has to wade through. When a handsome barn painter comes calling, Stella can't resist the small reward of a little eye candy around the farm and hires him even though her common sense, Howie and her finances tell her it's not a good idea. This was an excellent novel that never missed a beat. Non-stop action and an ending to leave a lump in your throat. That Stella is one tough cookie...but no milk please! I'm looking forward to going to get Clements next.
—jimtown
