Strike Out 4 Murder
When a member of the local pinochle club rallies everyone in the community to cheer on the softball team he’s joined, Sophie “Phee” Kimball can’t imagine a worse way to spend a free afternoon. But before anyone can take them out to the ball game, her mother’s friend Shirley spots a dead body, only to have it vanish before anyone else sees it. Soon Shirley and her friends can’t decide whether she’s losing her marbles or being stalked by the living dead until an attempt is made on her life.
Wondering if the body Shirley saw belongs to a missing ballplayer who may have been murdered, Phee begins to suspect that Shirley’s in danger from a menacing killer. Following the clues at the ballpark and eyeing the crowd for a likely perpetrator, she devises a clever scheme to sniff out the culprit, but she’ll have to act fast before she strikes out for the last time!
The Details
Series: A Sophie Kimball Mystery – Book #11
Author: J. C. Eaton
Genre/Category: Cozy – PI/Woman Sleuth
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
ISBN: 196051105X
Page Count: 201
Rating: 
The Review
Shirley has a problem, bodies keep vanishing, and no one believes her story. With the local softball players rallying everyone to cheer them on at games, people have a good excuse to pretend that Shirley is just trying to get attention. But when an attempt on her life leaves her unconscious and in the hospital, people sit up and take notice.
The real question in this latest book in the “Sophie Kimball Mystery” series, Strike Out 4 Murder, comes down to whose body is it that Shirley found, and where did it go? It could be a missing softball player or a stranger; no one knows because Shirley is the only one who has seen the body. It’s hard to figure out what happened when no one knows who is dead or how they died. But there are plenty of clues about the man’s identity, and the suspects aren’t too hard to figure out even without a body. Evidence is rare, but there is enough for Phee to investigate and develop a solution.
Once the body is found, and they realize that Shirley isn’t crazy after all, Phee and company set a trap for the killer. Giving up her free time, Phee, her mother, and the pinochle club spread out at the softball game, keeping their eyes and ears open for clues. However, it takes the police and everyone else to bring down this killer. Once caught, Shirley breathes a sigh of relief. There is plenty of humor and dog antics to keep everyone happy. Readers will cheer on Phee, Shirley, and the ball players as the investigation comes down to the wire in this fast-paced mystery that will have you chuckling with delight.
The Author
J. C. Eaton is the pen name of the husband-and-wife writing team Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be coauthoring cozy mysteries with his wife. You can learn more about Ann and Jim on social media or their website.
Other books in the “Sophie Kimball Mystery” series readers will enjoy include, Broadcast 4 Murder and Railroaded 4 Murder.
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