Malpractice in Maggody: An Arly Hanks Mystery - Softcover

Hess, Joan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 074344390X ISBN 13: 9780743443906

Publisher: Pocket Books, 2006

Synopsis

A part from small-town feuds and church scandal, things have been so quiet in the little Arkansas town of Maggody that even police chief Arly Hanks has found time for a vacation. But she returns to find trouble brewing and tongues wagging at fever pitch. The local old-folks' home has been sold to a mysterious outsider, and overnight the place has been transformed into the Stonebridge Foundation, an exclusive rehabilitation center complete with a stone-faced guard who doesn't speak a word of English and an even nastier dog. Soon there are rumors flying of mental patients roaming the countryside at night, and every character in town is keeping a gun close at hand, just in case. Everyone is dying to know what goes on behind those inhospitable gates, with the exception of Arly, who has enough rural business to keep her satisfied.

When the beautiful young receptionist found drowned in the garden pool is identified as a local girl from nearby Farberville, it's clear the case may not only involve the suspicious characters who've recently moved to town, but also some of the citizens of Maggody, who may have a secret or two to hide themselves. There's the doctor who can't resist a dose of his own medicine and a roster of patients that reads like a who's who of tabloid headlines, as well as the local pastor who gets his spiritual inspiration with a little help from the sacramental wine, and the mayor's wife who makes it her business to know everything about everyone. Soon Arly finds herself on the trail of a killer and discovers she may be the "only" innocent person left in town.

About this title

About the Author

Joan Hess is the author of the critically acclaimed Maggody mysteries, including the Pocket Books paperbacks Muletrain to Maggody, Maggody and the Moonbeams, Misery Loves Maggody, and murder@maggody.com, nominated for the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award. She has received numerous awards, including the American Mystery Award, the Agatha Award, the Drood Review Readers' Award, and the
Macavity Award. A former president of the American Crime Writers League, she is currently president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance, as well as a member of Sisters in Crime. Joan Hess lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

From Booklist

The prolific Hess, author of 15 Claire Malloy mysteries, now delivers the fifteenth in her Arly Hanks series. Although both series are set in small-town Arkansas, the protagonists are very different women--Claire is a lovable bumbler whereas Arly delights readers with her brains and smart mouth. In this adventure, Arly returns from a camping trip to find the tiny town of Maggody (population 755) abuzz. The local home for the elderly has been sold to an unknown buyer, who kicks out the residents and transforms the space into the mysterious Stonebridge Foundation. When the Stonebridge receptionist is found drowned, the activities surrounding the place take on a sinister air. Throughout it all, Arly struggles to keep her aplomb, especially when some Maggody citizens start to look a little suspicious. Her mother, Ruby Bee, and Ruby's best friend, Estelle, add a generous dash of humor to the proceedings, as do other zany characters of the tiny town. Good, clean fun that will please fans of Hess' madcap mix of comedy and mystery. Jenny McLarin
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About this edition

• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 074344390X
• ISBN 13: 9780743443906
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384