Leftover Dead: a Trailer Park Mystery

by: Jimmie Ruth Evans

Published by: Berkley Prime Crime

Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann

Number 5 in the Trailer Park Mystery series, Wanda Nell Culpepper is back, newly married to writer and Tullahoma (Mississippi) High School teacher Jack Pemberton, still living in her trailer with her sweet husband and daughter Juliet.

Jack hears of an old unsolved murder, and decides to investigate and maybe find a topic for his next book. The body of a young woman was found on the high school football field 31 years before, and her murder was never solved. Wanda Nell and Jack go to Police Chief Elmer Lee, who digs out the case and finds only two sheets of paper in the file.

The case has obviously been covered up as the girl’s name is not even in the file! Jack and Wanda Nell are upset that this young woman has never been identified and her family never told of her death. They do have the name of a possible suspect, a young man who was questioned and who disappeared. With the help of their wonderful friends and family, they eventually uncover most of the mystery, traveling to Hattiesburg and Memphis to uncover the truth.

Wanda Nell also eventually has to go back to work at the Kountry Kitchen and manages to work on the case during breaks in her waitress shifts. The sweet characters are almost as sweet as the iced tea, and the warmth of Southern hospitality rivals the sticky hot summer days. More people die as the investigation progresses, and even though Poice Chief Elmer Lee had warned Wanda Nell of the danger, she still rushes in along with her best friend Mayrene. Someone is desperate to halt their research into the past.

You will treasure this cozy (dare I say KOZY?) Kountry Kitchen mystery, complete with recipes and Wanda Nell’s wonderful outlook on life.

Armchair Interview says: According to the Berkley Prime Crime site, Jimmie Ruth Evans is a MAN! His female characters are a treat.