Mile High Murder (A Hannah Ives Mystery) by Marcia Talley was a contemporary mystery centered around two women who take a fact-finding trip to Colorado to look at the marijuana industry, in preparation for creating legislation for Maryland. I was mildly entertained. The first person protagonist is an older woman, which was nice, but the overall tone felt, to me, a little coy and precious, possibly because the narrator abstained while those around her indulged, and maybe that made it feel weirdly judge-y despite clearly trying to be neutral or positive on the issue of using the drug. I didn’t like it enough to seek out others in the series.

Mile High Murder
A Hannah Ives Mystery #16
Marcia Talley
Severn House, April 2018
ISBN 978-0-7278-8768-9
Hardcover

From the publisher—

Hannah Ives embarks on a trip to the Mile High City on a fact-finding mission. But is she about to get ‘high’ on murder?

It’s a well-known fact that some of the Reach for Recovery cancer support group survivors Hannah Ives works with take marijuana. Recreational use of the drug may be illegal, but a few, like Maryland State Senator Claire Thompson, are prescribed it on medical grounds.

Claire has co-sponsored a Cannabis Legalisation Bill and wants Hannah to be part of a fact-finding task force that testifies before the Maryland State Senate.

Before long, Hannah is in Denver, Colorado – the Mile High City – staying at a B&B with a group of pot pilgrims and medical refugees – some of whom, like her, are on a mission for information. But when one of the group is found dead, and a closer inspection of the body reveals they may not be who they seem, Hannah is plunged into a dangerous cocktail of drugs and death.

Hannah Ives has been a comfortable fictional friend for a long time now and I’m always happy to see a new book come out. This time she gets involved in “research” to bolster State Senator Claire Thompson’s hopes to get a marijuana bill passed in Maryland, one to broaden and organize the specifics of already passed legislation that legalized the drug for medical use. To do this, they have to go to a state where recreational pot use is already lawful so they head out to Colorado, Denver to be specific. As a long-term cancer survivor, Hannah doesn’t need medical marijuana but Claire has a prescription and is inclined to use it even if she’s at risk of being caught breaking the law.

Hannah decides to go, mainly because she’ll have a chance to testify before the senate, a taste of the old days when she dealt with bureaucrats on a regular basis. This seems like a fairly simple task but Hannah did try to tell Claire that Hannah seems to attract dead bodies, a lengthy list of them, in fact. Still, they didn’t expect to find themselves so completely surrounded by hippie types and a million different ways to indulge at their “bud-and-breakfast”, Bell House…nor did they expect a fellow guest to be a victim of foul play.

I think the mystery here is a little less suspenseful than in Hannah’s previous adventures but I still had a good time learning all the ins and outs of legalized marijuana and watching Hannah do what she does so well, identify a murderer. Fans will be happy to see her again (and, Paul, her lovely Navy professor husband) but new readers might want to start with at least the first book to have a better idea of who Hannah is.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, May 2018.

Maryland State Senator and breast cancer survivor Claire Thompson has co-sponsored a Cannabis Legalisation Bill and wants Hannah Ives to be part of a fact-finding task force that testifies before the Maryland State Senate. Hannah accompanies Claire to Denver, Colorado where they are staying at a luxury B&B (bud-and-breakfast) with a group of pot pilgrims and medical refugees. Then group member Daniel Fischel is found smothered to death at the B&B. Hannah learns that Daniel had altered his appearance and faked his ID but why?

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Severn House with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I love Hannah Ives mysteries and eagerly await each one. Mile High Murder is no exception. Suspenseful, humorous, and interestingly enough informative. Can’t wait for the next installment! Thanks to author Marcia Talley and her publisher for the opportunity to read Mile High Murder!

More about marijuana than I ever thought I wanted to know, but it really was interesting. Lots of research obviously required. B&B has a whole new connotation for me now. Learned many new expressions and references to weed. Intriguing murder.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to preview this book. However, I don't feel comfortable completing a full review nor posting on social media, as, I just couldn't get through it!
Not a book for me, but, thanks again.

Sigh. This could have, should have been better. The issue of medical marijuana has been well covered in the press - and it's been around for a pretty good period of time now. I'd not read the series before so I wasn't familiar with the characters, who were, to Talley's credit, immediately relatable. The mystery wasn't that complicated so this made for a swift read but it wasn't challenging. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A clever title, which reminded me of a modern-day Miss Marple.

‘Mile High Murder’ by Marcia Talley is one of a series featuring Hannah Miles, an amateur sleuth. As Hannah is a cancer survivor she is keen to support Senator Claire Thompson who is in recovery.

Claire persuades Hannah to travel to Denver, Colorado, the Mile High city, to try and legalise marijuana for medical purposes. Hannah is to assist with this fact-finding mission. They stay at a B&B called Bell House, where the guests are entitled to smoke cannabis and ingest it in various cooked and uncooked dishes.

The plan is that Claire tries to stay as ‘high’ as possible, while Hannah checks out the consequences of its effects. Soon it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Who among the guests can be trusted when one of them is murdered? Also, a rather strange robbery takes place and is there any connection? It is probably a good idea that Hannah is the only guest who doesn’t get stoned!

I found the characters mildly interesting, and it was certainly a clever title. However, Hannah reminded me of a modern-day Miss Marple, who always outsmarts the police. Personally, I prefer something a little more gritty, but nevertheless, it was a pleasant read.

Galadriel.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Apparently this is the 11th book featuring Hannah Ives. It is in fact the first that I have read. I am sorry to say that I will not be hunting down any of the preceding books, this one is just not for me.

Hannah is persuaded to accompany Maryland State Senator Claire Thompson to Denver (the Mile High City) staying at a B&B that specialises in pot. Claire wants to legalise marijuana for medical use and Hannah is there to support her and undertake research to take to the Maryland State Senate. During their stay one of the group is found dead.

The plot is fairly simplistic though well thought out but I found Hannah irritating, whilst the rest of the group were getting high, she was abstaining. No bad thing, but it came over as a bit judgemental (in my opinion). The characters were OK but somewhat of a caricature.

If you like a more gentle kind of mystery you will enjoy this and it does smack of a more genteel era even with the subject matter of pot. Sort of an Agatha Christie, but not quite.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.