A cozy murder mystery but the characters are not especially memorable. ( )

The cast of characters in this fascinating whodunit is remarkable! I was enthralled from the very first page of To Helen Back by Susan McBride. It was hard to put down until I found out who the culprit turned out to be.

Ms. McBride is an artiste as well as a best selling author. I highly recommend To Helen Back and I'm hooked on the River Road Mysteries. The next release, Mad as Helen, can't come soon enough for me!

~ Patricia, Room With Books ~ © July 10, 2014 ( )

This is the sixth book of Susan McBride I have read, and it is the sixth time I loved every minute of doing so!

Book blurb: "In this fun and sassy new mystery, USA Today bestselling author Susan McBride introduces us to Helen Evans, a modern-day Miss Marple who must expose a murderer in a town full of suspects!"

Milton Grone was not the easiest man in town, and not a person anyone dashed off to become friends with. He is down-right scrooged, mean-spirited and sleek. Between Shotsie, his trophy bride, and Delilah, the incubator for his two sons, which he did not care about, a lot of love and admiration for him got lost as well. Then there were his parents, who did not feature him as the highest priority in their will, which embittered him even further.

But oh dearie me, Miltie had it coming when he sold a piece of land to a developer, with many citizens up in arms. Added to this animosity, was Felicity's, his next-door neighbor's ilk about him stealing six inches of her land and harassing her daily over the fence.

So when the first bulldozers droned in to clear out the pristine natural haven for birds and plants, someone snapped in tiny River Bend, Illinois. Yes, Miltie has gone too far... or has he?

As Floyd Red Crow Westerman said: "The Clan Mothers ran everything and had the last word. I think that's the answer."

Sheriff Biddle could have uttered the same Indian wisdom, since he had a partner in solving the mystery. Helen Evans, a modern-day Miss Marple, a puzzle-lover and busybody grandmother, who knew how to handle the hornets nest where her hen-parties played cards and networked about everything from their cats' meal schedules, to the town's latest intrigue and secrets.

Satirical, fast-tracked, uncomplicated, relaxing, smart. That was my experience of To Helen Back by Susan McBride. This author is fast becoming my favorite author in this genre. It is, after all, not a genre I indulged in often. But she knows how to enchant readers like me with her murder mysteries. I just love the ambiance and style of her stories. ( )