Martians in Maggody

By Joan Hess

Police chief Arly Hanks tries to keep her head when the people of Maggody get UFO fever in this uproarious cozy mystery.

Life is so boring in Maggody, Arkansas, population 755, the locals have resorted to reading supermarket tabloids, gobbling up every rumor of wolf men, zombies, and creatures from outer space they can get their hands on. And as the only sane woman in town, Chief of Police Arly Hanks just smiles and nods whenever her neighbors rave about the latest conspiracy theories. But to Arly's eternal horror, it looks like Maggody is about to become ground zero for an extraterrestrial invasion. The aliens will never know what hit 'em.   It starts when strange circles appear in Raz Buchanon's cornfields, drawing reporters, newscasters, and every nut west of the Mississippi. But as supernatural fever hits Maggody, Arly is confronted with a very terrestrial murder. There may be aliens on Main Street, but in a town this strange, how could anybody tell the difference?   Life has always been nutty in Maggody, but the madness is about to go paranormal.

Master of cozies Joan Hess knows better than anyone how to push a mystery to the brink of madness – and then push it a whole lot farther.  Martians in Maggody is the 8th book in the Arly Hanks Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Nov 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781786693501

Joan Hess

Joan Hess is the author of the critically acclaimed Maggody mysteries, including Muletrain to Maggody, Maggody and the Moonbeams, Misery Loves Maggody, and [e-mail], 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.

Reviews for Martians in Maggody

[jami_leigh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Plot: 2 stars
Characters: 2 1/2 stars
Style: 3 stars
Pace: 2 stars

Interchangable bumpkins, a plot that meandered and dragged, and while I knew I was picking up in the middle of a series (as one does when the pile is a random assortment brought from a library weeding out), I had zero urge to go get any more from the series.

[kevn57-163679 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It seems downright peculiar that all the alien babies are born in South America," Estelle was grumbling as I came across the tiny dance floor of Ruby Bee's Bar & Grill.

How's that for a first line of a novel, doesn't it make you want to know just what's going on in Maggody. Arly the sheriff who came back to Maggody to escape from the madness of New York City is once again trying to remain sane, unlike all the other crazy residents of her hometown.

This isn't the strongest entry in the series but this eighth book in Arly's saga is very entertaining, and recommended to fans of the series of someone looking for a funny mystery.