The Serpents Trail (Maxie and Stretch Series #1) by Sue Henry

From the Publisher

At sixty-three, Maxie McNabb is cruising down the Alaska Highway in her brand-new Winnebago. With her mini-dachshund at her side and the open road ahead, she's never been happier. But before her exploration of the Lower Forty-eight gets underway, Maxie needs to figure out who burgled her friend's Colorado home-and why. And the closer Maxie gets to solving the puzzle, the more it becomes chillingly clear that her friend's life isn't the only one on the line.

Publishers Weekly

Devotees of Henry's Alaska mysteries will be delighted to see 63-year-old Maxine "Maxie" McNabb, the Winnebago-driving, free-spirited widow introduced in Dead North (2001), starring in this gentle whodunit, the first of a new series. Summoned from Alaska to Grand Junction, Colo., to the bedside of her ailing old friend Sarah Nunamaker, Maxie and her adorable mini-dachshund Stretch wheel in just in the nick of time or do they? Sarah's final words to Maxie seem urgent, but leave her little to go on in order to investigate the wrongs to which Sarah mysteriously alludes. Much to the dismay of Alan, Sarah's adopted son, Maxie discovers she's been appointed Sarah's executor. She must also contend with a break-in at Sarah's home and her late friend's penchant for secret hiding places and secrets in general. Then Ed Norris, a college mate of Maxie and Sarah, drops a real bombshell when he reveals the identities of Alan's biological parents. A box of photos, an address on a card and a surprising stranger later lead or mislead Maxie and Stretch to Salt Lake City, where Maxie faces even greater dangers. Cozy crime fans of a certain age will love to live vicariously through Maxie and Stretch in what promises to be a long and popular run of adventures. (Apr. 6) FYI: Henry's first Jessie Arnold mystery, Murder on the Iditarod Trail (1991), won both Anthony and Macavity awards. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Maxie McNabb, a 63-year-old Winnebago owner from Alaska, arrives in Grand Junction, CO, just in time to chase a ransacking intruder from her friend Sarah's home. After imparting a few enigmatic words, Sarah dies unexpectedly; Maxie then remembers her friend's penchant for concealing things and uses the clues she discovers to good advantage. The appearance of mutual friend Ed provides another surprise: apparently, 40-odd years ago he and Sarah had an illegitimate son Maxie later adopted. The son makes himself scarce, but someone tries to kill Maxie and Ed. This first entry in a new series from the Anthony and Macavity Award-winning author of the Jessie Arnold series (Murder on the Iditarod Trail) features an involving tale of old secrets, new revelations, and an endearingly mature protagonist. For most collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Unlike her musher friend Jesse Arnold (Death Trap, p. 645, etc.), senior citizen Maxie McNabb drives an RV, owns a mini-dachshund instead of a husky-and is rarely tormented by serial killers. Nonetheless, her plan to spend time with an ailing friend is disrupted by violence. Firing up her RV, Maxie heads south from her Alaska home to her old friend Sarah Nunamaker in Grand Junction, Colorado. Sarah, who has only a few months to live, wants Maxie's company. More urgently, she needs Maxie's help with some problem that she refuses to explain. Maxie arrives to find Sarah's house ransacked and Sarah in the hospital. By the next morning Sarah is dead, not from natural causes, and Maxie, her executrix, must settle Sarah's estate, which she has left to her adopted son and any natural children of her own, the existence of whom no one has ever suspected until Ed Norris, Sarah's college boyfriend, claims that Sarah's adopted son, Alan, is actually his. Emphatically denying this birthright, Alan makes it clear that he resents Maxie's and Ed's presence. Puzzled and stung, Maxie searches Sarah's home for the secret hiding places her friend loved to devise, in between dodging car collisions at the Colorado State Monument and research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Luckily, Maxie is no Miss Marple, and those who like Henry's chatty style will like this departure, too.

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