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Caroline Cousins

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Fiddle Dee Death Paperback – January 1, 2003

by Caroline Cousins (Author)

4.1 17 ratings

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Mystery among the moonlight and the magnolias . . .

OK, forget the magnolias. It's the end of December, after all, and frost silvers South Carolina's Low Country. But Pinckney Plantation is still open for visitors who want to see the pride of Indigo Island. The old house claims a long history-or so says the script the tour guides go by.

What the script leaves out are the doors that apparently unlock themselves, the flickering lights, the sound of ghostly footsteps. And the dead body.

The corpse is a new addition. Who is he? And what was he doing at Pinckney? And did he fall, or was he pushed?

These are among the questions that puzzle the self-appointed detective trio of cousins thrown together for the holidays. Revelations about ruthless developers, secretive landowners, and family scandals are interspersed with hilarious samples of Southern manners before the cousins finally piece together the puzzle.

About the Author

Caroline Cousins is a pseudonym for Meg Herndon, her sister Gail Greer, and Nancy Pate, their one-and-a-half first cousin (their mamas are sisters and their daddies are first cousins). Meg, a former elementary-school teacher, and Gail, a floral designer and former plantation tour guide, live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Nancy, book critic for the Orlando Sentinel, lives in Orlando, Florida.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Miss Augusta teetered on the vintage high heels she insisted on wearing and leaned back against the car, obviously flustered. With her dyed red hair escaping in wisps from the French twist she always wore and her blue winter coat, she looked like that poster you see everywhere, the photo of the angry bluebird, its chest and feathers all puffed out. Taller and thinner, though.

"What man?" she said, marching toward the house. "How bad's he hurt? Where is he? I need to see him. Where's Will?" She looked up at the porch, where one of the EMS techs had just come out the door. "Young man. Put out that cigarette right now. There's no smoking at Pinckney. And no, don't you dare throw that butt in the camellia bushes! Put it out in the drive and then put it in your pocket."

Frowning, Miss Augusta turned her attention back to us. "Lindsey, I didn't see you. How are you, dear?" I got a strong whiff of Chanel No. 5 as she gave me a brisk hug and kissed the air near my ear. I could feel the knobs of old bones beneath the coat. She stubbornly continued up the brick path, leaving Mam, Cissy, Jimmy, and myself to trail behind her, a ragtag militia cowed by its commander.

"Miss Augusta, I don't really think . . ."

"Margaret Ann, if some stranger has hurt himself on my property, it is my duty to see that he is taken care of. Even if it does mean my insurance rates will likely go up. Cissy, where did he slip? In the front hall? I told Marietta she put too much wax on those floors last time. And with this rain we had this afternoon. Were his shoes wet? I bet his shoes were wet. Hardwood floors and slick soles, why you're just asking for a sprained ankle. Didn't he see the doormat?"

"Miss Augusta, I think we best tell you that the man appears to be seriously injured."

That was an understatement, although I had to admire Mam's handling of the situation.

Still, Miss Augusta seemed to pick up on the strain in Mam's voice.

"Margaret Ann, what is it you're not saying? Dear Lord, tell me a tourist hasn't died at Pinckney Plantation."

Print length

208 pages
Language

English
Publisher

John F Blair Pub
Publication date

January 1, 2003
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0895872757
ISBN-13

978-0895872753
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ John F Blair Pub; 1st edition (January 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0895872757
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0895872753
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,539,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #41,205 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #209,643 in Mysteries (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 17 ratings

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4.1 out of 5

17 global ratings

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Alice H Milam

I love Caroline Cousins books.

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

She's funny and keeps you wanting more of her book. I love the characters. So far I've read all she has out. Can't wait for more.
Good mystery, but entertaining also. Can't put my Kindle down when reading her. Thanks Caroline!! Thanks Amazon for keeping me in supply of my favorites!!

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Mary Robison

a great book about the south.

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was an excellent book, so much fun to read. Books about the south and small towns are so good.

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Betty Wilson Beamguard

Fiddle Dee Silly

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2003

Fiddle Dee Death is pretty fiddle dee silly, but hey, the world needs more silly. This cozy mystery is every bit as charming as Miss Scarlett, but if you're sitting there asking, "Scarlett who?" you'd better skip this one. It would be way too Southern for you. It's a quick fun read, but strictly girl stuff.

10 people found this helpful

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A reader

A mystery with a Southern flair

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2003

I've heard that being Southern is all about having a sense of place. That said, there's no question about "Fiddle Dee Death" being well-grounded with deep Southern roots and contemporary Southern energy and flair. The things that really matter -- family and relationships -- give this little mystery its edge. If you're looking for a richly constructed and fun whodunit, "Fiddle Dee Death" is the ticket.

9 people found this helpful

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Old Blue

Not my cup of tea...

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2005

It took me three attempts to read the 1 page verbose, descriptive prologue.

Actually, I never got through it and just skipped to Chapter 1. Praise be, I saw dialogue! My elation was short-lived because the conversation turned out to be absolutely inane. "Dad-gum, he's dead. ... He's cold." "Yes, but Ms. ---- doesn't have the heat on." It was supposed to be funny, I'm sure, but fell flat as a pancake and it didn't get better.

The Southern cliches and stereotypes were way over done, and I'm from the South! I didn't/couldn't read past Chapter 3.

With back cover recommendations from Fannie Flagg and Carolyn Hart, I expected much more. Then I noticed on the last page that one author was a reviewer for the Orlando Sentinel. Hmm, that explained a lot--how so many high level authors "blurbed" this book.

Every book isn't for every person, but as an Evanovich and Anne George fan, this book was definitely not for me.

One person found this helpful

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Jakebakescakess

It was alright

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2013

There's a couple good laughs, moves a little slow, and was wanting a bigger twist at the end. I did like the descriptions of town and the southern charm.

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Amazon Customer

Ever go to a movie and left shaking your head?

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2003

Did you ever go to a movie that was acclaimed by critics only to mumble to yourself, "Why on earth did I pay to see that?". You shake your head and wonder where do critics come up with these acclaims.
That is precisely how I felt reading this murder mystery novel. It was hard enough to figure out the characters, I still don't really know who 'I said' is! There were so many characters in and out of the story I got dizzy. Needless to say the characters are less than one dimensional. The writing is a novelists nightmare. There are no emotions involved. All you get are Cissy said, Margaret Ann 'said', I said, he said, blah, blah, blah, for about fifty characters. If I see one more said, I'll scream.
I couldn't really find a plot other than a murder and I'm not certain who was murdered. I should read it again, but NO THANK YOU!
HOW DO REVIEWS AND CRITICS COME UP WITH THEIR REVIEWS? DO THEY READ THE BOOKS?

7 people found this helpful

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Bk Lover

Huh?

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2010

Let me begin by saying I am as southern as they come and enjoyed many things about the book as I could totally relate. BUT....as others have said, there are too many characters, can't keep up with anyone and nothing flows. The only thing I am sure about is that somebody died. That's about it. I finally gave up on the book when they got locked in the attic only to be rescued by an elderly aunt (I think she was an aunt...with so many characters...I could be wrong). It was just so dumb. Why is an elderly 'person/aunt' in the attic? This could have been a great book. It just wasn't.

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Fiddle Dee Death Paperback – January 1, 2003

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