Good book. A great cozy series, but this is the second book and I felt like I was missing out on a bit. That is one on me 100% though. I liked the fact it was a prequel and in the 80s and thought this was a fresh concept for cozies, which can become stale quickly. I really liked this cozy and the Halloween theme as well. It was a fast and fun read.

If you love the beloved Savannah Reid series, then this will give you a sneak peek at the childhood of this wonderful character.

Granny Reid and all the kids go downtown to enjoy Halloween festivities, albeit on a limited budget. The group emerges themselves in a corn maze. The corn maze turns out to be much more spookier than they expected, so only a few of them make it to the middle. Fortunately, this is good for them, but bad for the person buried in the mud. Or what's left of them to discover. This mystery stretches back many, many years ago and is connected to another unsolved murder, Granny Reid's own mother.

Is the murderer hiding in plain sight? Or have they dug up their roots and ran. Read this spooky mystery to find out!

I love this author and books! I really wanted to adore this book. Maybe I am just too used to Savanah and Granny Reid from the other series that I just don’t get as much of a connection here. As always, the writing is superb! It is a nice glimpse into Savannah that we don’t always get to see when she is investigating.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Stella Reid is raising her 7 grandchildren and it's Halloween. This is book 2 in the Granny Reid series. It can be read as a stand alone, I did not read book 1, Murder in her Stocking. Set in 1980's Geeorgia, Stella and her granddaughter Savannah find a skull in the center of the local corn maze. This is a prequel to the Savannah Reid series which has over 20 books. If you like that series, it's a fun read to see how Savannah grew up. I didn't like Granny Reid's series as much as Savannah's. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cozy lovers have been enjoying the Savannah Reid Mystery books for years, and now bestselling author G. A. McKevett has taken us back to when Savannah was a child living with her grandmother, Stella Reid. The Granny Reid series is fairly new, and since most of us adore Savannah Reid, love to read about her childhood and what drove her to become a detective. Murder in the Corn Maze is the second installment of the Granny Reid series, and like the Savannah Reid series, it is well-written; McKevett seems to have a knack for storytelling, and the setting (the south) and the characters with their southern charm, are delightful. Granny Reid is always on a tight budget, and, since she is caring for several grandchildren (not all as cooperative and good as Savannah), she has to find creative ways to make do.

In Murder in the Corn Maze, Granny Reid has dressed up her grandchildren in makeshift costumes that are apparently innovative and adorable. There is a contest in the town, and one of her grandchildren wins. However, another child in the town thinks he is the winner and just to show how good the Reid family is, Granny talks her grandchild into giving up the prize and letting the other child win. Because of this, the children get to go through the corn maze, which is located on Judge Patterson’s (a politician, so readers can assume he’s corrupt) antebellum mansion, for free (previously unaffordable) and when they get to the center of the maze, discover an old human skull buried in the mud. This leads to two unsolved murders from the 80’s, one being Granny Reid’s mother. Granny and her best friend investigate and Savannah has such good insight into solving the murders, they let her help.

Readers of the Savannah Reid Mystery series will also enjoy this new series and learning about Granny Reid. The story is well-written, the plot is plausible, and there are several scenarios where human goodness is visible and makes for readers to be better and more empathetic towards others. This is an excellent series and definitely recommended for cozy lovers.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This was another cozy mystery that did not work for me, but I think it might for other people. Our leading lady is a grandmother to seven grandkids and has sole custody. This is a pretty chaotic situation to land into directly without prior information which might have been present in the first book (this being the second). I liked the family setup and the individual characters, but the conversations felt a little abrupt to me. 

Although the lead character was described to be as old as a few of the other people passing through in the story, the voice made me picture a lot younger person. That might be the main reason why this wasn't my cup of tea. The thing I did like was the mannerism, and the random descriptive exclamations people gave which must have been included to add the ambience of the state in question. The mystery was a cold case itself was quite intriguing and seemed quite hard to actually get to the bottom of, which our main protagonists did do eventually but a little too fast.

I would recommend this to readers of the Cozy mystery genre, especially with the vibe of small-town USA. It is ultimately a quick read and does not drag.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

The writing was good and flowed well. The story kept along at a good page and I enjoyed the actual reading.

The story was darker than most cozy mysteries I enjoy. Usually, aside from the actual death, they feel pretty cozy and warm. These characters are struggling in a very hard and realistic world. There are neglectful and absent parents, memories of abusive parents and spouses, sexual abuse and poverty.

I loved how the main character, Stella Reid, is a grandmother taking care of her grandkids. Seeing the events from more mature eyes was different than I usually read and so enjoyable. I'd love to see more grandmother characters!

Overall, while it's still a cozy, it's darker than I prefer and I won't be continuing the series.

Warnings:
References to sexual abuse, physical abuse, spouse abuse, woman abuse, murder, serial killers, and neglectful parents.

I always have loved the Savannah Feid mysteries, but now we get to step back in time and walk in Granny Stella Reid's shoes as she is now legal guardian of Savannah and her brothers and sisters. The setting is Halloween in McGill, Georgia and Savannah and her siblings, named after places in Georgia are trying to gather courage for the Haunted Corn Maze. U fortunately, there's trouble and a dead body is discovered in the maze.
I enjoy the voice in these books, because I find.myself reading silently in a southern accent. The family dynamic.makes me wistful for the times of when I had my own mother and the blessing of noise as we went through our lives. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me previewing one of my favorite authors. All thoughts are expressly my own.

This was a quick, fun, light read. It was perfect for fall/halloween which was why I requested it. It didn’t disappoint.

I really enjoy this series with Grandma Stella Reid ending up smack dab in the middle of murders in her small town. This newest installment features a cold case murder that tuns out to be a cold case and a serial killer case. This particular murder has close personal ties to Stella making her even more determined to solve the case. The story and mystery moved well and it’s a quick and easy read. There were several surprises along the way including a biggie at the end, that I did NOT see coming. All in all, a super enjoyable Halloween cozy. Can’t wait for the next story!

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

This book is exactly what people are asking for right now! It's a fun seasonal cozy mystery that has twists and turns and a few frights without entering the horror genre.

When Granny Reid takes her grandkids to the corn maze, they expect an adventure and a few scares. They didn't not expect to discover a human skull in the middle! It's up to Granny to uncover the history mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Murder in the Corn Maze (A Granny Reid Mystery #2)
Author: G. A. McKevett
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
4 Stars

Stella Reid has been granted custody of her seven grandchildren, and she is now raising them by herself. The family doesn’t have a lot of money, but they find a way to not only make things work, but enjoy life at the same time. It’s Halloween time in McGill, Georgia, and the kids decide they want to participate in the local parade. The kids make all of their own costumes and have a great time.

After the parade, there is a corn maze that the local judge has created at his sprawling mansion property. Stella would love to take her grandkids, but the cost is prohibitive. Luckily, Stella’s good friend, Elsie Dingle, comes to the rescue. She works out a deal with the judge so the kids can get in free. Most of the kids back out, however, because they are too scared to go. It ends up just being Stella and Savannah and Waycross. Somewhere along the maze, they seem to have taken a wrong turn, and end up in a part of the corn maze all by themselves. Savannah decides to scope things out to try and get them back out. Instead of finding a way out, Savannah discovers a dead body.

Stella immediately recognizes the barrette in the victim’s hair and the dress the woman is wearing. Stella is in shock, and she is not sure how she will break the news to the victim’s daughter. What haunts Stella even more though is the discovery of other clues that are identical to her own mother’s death when she was just a child. Stella and Savannah are determined to help the sheriff get to the bottom of these crimes. They are so old though, will the threesome be able to solve the case? Will Stella finally get some closure regarding her own mother’s death?

Granny Reid (Stella) is back in the second book of this cozy series. It is a prequel to the Savannah Reid mystery series. I’ve not read the Savannah Reid series yet (though they are definitely in my TBR pile), and I’ve found that they are not a prerequisite for enjoying this series. I loved the second book in this series. This book is filled with many great and lovable characters. This of course includes the seven Reid grandchildren. All of them have very unique and defining personalities. Marietta in particular is a very colorful character. Savannah, who is featured prominently, comes into her own in this book. She takes a chance and dives right into something she is interested in, detective work. I enjoyed the fact that the adults didn’t dismiss her simply because she is a youngin. Elsie Dingle, Stella’s best friend and Sheriff Manny are back as well. Both provide love and support to Stella, and she in return to them. They are beautiful relationships that are wonderfully written.

This story is not quite as humorous as the first book (though there are still many funny moments), but that is because of the very deep, personal relationships to the victims the main characters have. There are also some very serious themes intwined in the story. The plot is riveting, deep, and takes twists and turns that you don’t see coming. It was a very enjoyable book that I can highly recommend.

I hope there is a third book in this series as I’d like to see what happens to the main characters next.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #MurderInTheCornMaze

This was my first book by this author and though I wanted to love it, ultimately it wasn’t for me. I was hoping for a little bit more Halloween and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. That being said, the author did a great job with the mystery and a fantastic job making the reader feel as though they were really in the south. I don’t think this series is for me but I will give her other books a try!

Very, very good! I really enjoyed it. I couldn't stop thinking about it and who the murderer was! I loved hearing about Savannah's childhood, and about Stella's life as she is raising the grandkids. I had no idea that Stella had faced such a tragedy as a child. And it was great to see the beginnings of when Savannah started wanting to be a detective. Don't hesitate to buy this book. You won't regret it!

For fans of the Savannah Reid mystery series, this story is set when Savannah was around 12 and Granny Reid is the detective with the help of young Savannah. Of course, I loved the characters since I’ve been reading the Savannah books from the start. However, Granny’s mind works differently than Savannah’s so the flow of the story was different.

Savannah, Granny, and her brother get lost in the corn maze. While Savannah is searching for a way out, she stumbles over a dead body. Once they find their way out of the maze, they have to return to show the body to the detective. This story allows Savannah to develop some of her early detective skills as both she and Granny help the police solve the crime. This is definitely a good read.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I have enjoyed the two series that have run concurrently about the Reid family. There is grown up, sassy and very capable Savannah in present day and then there is Granny, who raised Savannah and her six siblings with minimal resources but maximum love. This one is set in Savannah;s childhood and brings back some painful memories to Granny about her own childhood and the brutal man who was her father.
In fact he was not the only brutal man in Granny’s young life. One of them is also a serial killer.
The facts start to piece together after Savannah stumbles over a long buried corpse of the mother of Elsie, Granny’s best friend. Similarities begin to build between her own mother’s murder and other deaths. As painful as the truth might be, Granny and Manny are determined to find justice for these women.
I enjoy these books with the down home charm and Granny’s good common sense and compassion. Whether she is trying to control wild seed Marietta or sharing wisdom with Savannah, she is a wonderful multi-layered creation. This story does not disappoint. It is a tough cold case to crack but Manny and Granny find the killer.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Murder in the Corn Maze
(A Granny Reid Mystery #2)
by G.A. McKevett 

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published September 24th 2019 by Kensington



Goodreads synopsis:
The roots of the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency reach back to the 1980s in the little town of McGill, Georgia—where Stella Reid and her seven grandkids enjoy some spooky Halloween fun and stumble into murder . . .

It doesn’t take cash, just some good old-fashioned creativity, to turn a pillowcase into a ghost costume or a trashcan into a suit of armor. So even if she has to stick to a budget, Stella Reid always makes holidays like Halloween memorable for twelve-year-old Savannah and the rest of her grandchildren.

After joining the other townspeople for trick-or-treating and the annual parade down Main Street, Granny Reid and the kids head to Judge Patterson’s antebellum mansion, where a corn maze awaits. Most of the youngsters are too terrified to make it all the way to the middle. It’s lucky for them, because when Savannah and Granny get there, it proves to be even scarier than they expected—half buried in the mud at the center of the maze lies a human skull.

The grisly discovery uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades—and seems to be related to the long-unsolved murder of Granny Reid’s own part-Cherokee mother. After all this time, the culprit may be long gone . . . or still hiding among them. It’ll be up to Granny to dig into this Southern town’s history and a mess of old family secrets . 


***

4.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Granny Reid Mystery series by G.A. McKevett.

Wow. I felt so sorry for Granny Reid and her grandkids. They had so little and the people who had so much were just dumb buttheads who didn’t appreciate all that they had acquired. I truly felt like this was almost a throwback to a different time when people treated their slaves so badly. I felt the same impact here with Granny and her grandkids. I try to imagine my own mother who is a grandma now trying to take care of a gaggle of kids like that. There is no way she would be able to keep up. But I guess you have to do what you have to do in these situations.

Granny couldn’t afford the one dollar entry fee into the Haunted Corn Maze. But Granny is just spunky and doesn’t take no for an answer. She will work for her and her grandkids way in. The uppity Judge looks down his nose at them all even when her kiddos win the costume contest then have to giveaway their prize to younger children who thought they had won. So grown up of them. More grown up than the judge acted during this story.

On their way through the maze, they lose their way and stumble over a dead body that Granny recognizes. The woman found was thought to have left town long ago. Now the police are finding clues similar to the death of Granny’s own mother. Could they have a serial killer on their hands.

I felt a bit depressed at the beginning just for the sake of how rude some of the people were to the Reids. I contemplated putting the book down since it made me so uncomfortable but I powered through it and I am so glad I did. The book lightened up and gave us some really fun scenes like when Granny cooked the Judge’s food wrong just to get his goat. Then another time Granny needed someone to watch the kids and she gave the town’s biggest gossip a tall tale about her and the sheriff Manny Gilford and some juicy details when she returned.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will definitely be picking up another book by this author and adding to my must read list.

Highly recommended.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Back to visit Sheriff Manny and Stella. Stella is raising her grandchildren. During an annual Halloween celebration one of.her granddaughter's finds a skeleton. Seeing the body is familiar to Stella, grabs her heart. Stella. and her. granddaughter help Sheriff Manny solve 2 old murders. I live the language of the south. Well written, makes you feel invested in all the characters

Murder I. The Corn Maze is a very entertaining murder mystery. I enjoyed the writing and the ploy. I look forward to reading more books by this author. Mystery fans will love this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This was a sweet cosy mystery with plenty of Southern charm. I liked the setting, the plot and a bunch of the characters, especially Stella, Savannah and Manny.