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THE FAMOUS D.A.R. MURDER MYSTERY by Graham Landrum Kirkus Star

THE FAMOUS D.A.R. MURDER MYSTERY

By

Pub Date: March 12th, 1992
Publisher: St. Martin's

A delightful first novel relating the experiences of some members of the Old Orchard Fort chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Borderville, Virginia, in solving the murder of Luis Garcia, a world-renowned harpist from California. The chapter's savvy Regent, Helen Delaporte, along with other members, discovered Garcia's beaten corpse while placing a grave marker in an out-of-the-way cemetery. Sheriff Butch Gilroy dismisses the unidentified body as that of just another drifter, but Helen--curiosity sparked--makes some astute deductions that lead to a positive identification. Now she wants to know why the victim, on the eve of a world tour, would detour to this backwoods area. Helen enlists the help of three DAR stalwarts--one of them expert in local genealogy; another the gutsy, guileful 86-year-old Harriet Bushrow (no flies on her!). The ladies take turns telling their part in the saga. The result is a story full of suspense, lively characters, and unforced homespun charm. The DAR should be grateful. Readers of this divertingly different first-class murder mystery will be too.