Book Review: Corpse on the Cob by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Odelia Grey #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters; interesting plots

Cons: None at all, pretty much like always

The Bottom Line:

Odelia not home

Still gives us great characters

Engrossing story

The Body in the Corn Maze

Corpse on the Cob is the fifth book about Odelia Grey, a 50-year-old paralegal, and it's another compelling read.

When Odelia was 16, her mother vanished with no warning, no explanation, and no trace.  Now, 34 years later, she's learned that her mother is living in Massachusetts.  So, with much trepidation, Odelia boards a plane and flies across the country to confront her.

Since Odelia didn't call ahead, she has some trouble tracking down her mother.  She finally traces her to an autumn fair next to a corn maze.  Killing some time, Odelia decides to enter the maze.  And that's where she finds her mother kneeling over a corpse.  Is her mother a killer?  If not, who is she protecting?

The first half of this book focuses on Odelia's personal drama as much as the mystery.  Since I love Odelia, I found this as compelling as the mystery.  As the mystery kicks into higher gear in the second half, the book is just as entertaining.  Things come to a logical and compelling climax that completely satisfied me.

As much as I love Odelia, I was a little worried when I learned this book wasn't set in California like normal since I love the supporting characters, too.  I'm glad to say that author Sue Ann Jaffarian still managed to work a few of them into the book in a logical way.  I was very happy to see how much her husband Greg was involved, for example.  But I soon grew as interested in the new characters being introduced as I was those left behind.  I especially loved Odelia's newly found Littlejohn family.  Okay, so all of the Littlejohns weren't lovable, but they were very real characters who made the family drama part of the book interesting.

And I can't leave out the fun.  These books have a humorous underpinning thanks to Odelia's sense of humor.  I've got to admit I laughed a few times, and often her observations in the first person narration made me chuckle and grin.  The book is well written, making the pages fly by all too quickly.

I read three books in the series in the last four months, that's how much I love them.  If you haven't found this fun series, do so today.  You'll be enjoying Corpse on the Cob before you know it and waiting impatiently with me for the next entry.

Because of growth in the characters, you'll enjoy the series most if you read the Odelia Grey Mysteries in order.