New Victoria Publishers, 1997
Overview: A serial killer is at large in St. Louis who targets homeless women and stages their bodies in graveyards. When P.I. Meg Darcy's friend finds her own family caught up in the serial murders, Meg agrees to investigate the case, especially since it means she will get to work with her old army flame, police detective Sarah Lindstrom.
My Reaction: At first I thought Cemetery Murders was going to be a hard-boiled detective novel, along the lines of something by Raymond Chandler, just starring a tomboy lesbian PI. Meg Darcy is perhaps not as hard-boiled as the tone of the first chapter suggests (she only pretends to drink a rum and coke and never wakes up with a hangover), but the book was fun anyway. The mystery kept me guessing and I enjoyed Meg's enthusiastic crush on the mostly aloof Lindstrom. I also suspect someone with greater familiarity with St. Louis than I would enjoy the place specific details scattered throughout the story. I certainly plan on checking out later titles in the series.
On a side note completely unrelated to the quality of the book (but which probably had undue influence over my enjoyment of it), Cemetery Murders was written by the most adorable couple. According to the back:
"Jean Marcy is the combined pen name for Jean Hutchinson [...] and Marcy Jacobs [...]. Partners for nine years, this is the first joint writing endeavor of one who leans towards purple prose and another who sees herself as a minimalist. They live in Illinois"
And here is a picture:
D'awwww
Meg Darcy Mysteries
Cemetery Murders, 1997
Dead and Blonde, 1998
Mommy Deadest, 2000
A Cold Case of Murder, 2003
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