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Morgue Mama
The Morgue Mama Mysteries (Book 1)
- Author
- C. R. Corwin
- Narrator
- Lorna Raver
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 19 June 2012
- Run Time
- 8 hours 43 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Most people think of the morgue as that cold and sterile facility where medical examiners do their necessary, albeit dreadful, work. Less familiar is the other type of morgue, the dry and dusty version, the newspaper morgue, usually housed in the basements and backrooms of newspaper buildings, where old news clippings are filed away. Dolly Madison Sprowls has been in charge of the Hannawa Herald-Union’s morgue for more than forty years. She is gruff and salty, well past the age of retirement, and the unchallenged queen of her ink-stained domain. Reporters call her Morgue Mama but only behind her back.
Maddy Sprowls’ well-ordered world gets turned upside down when the paper hires twenty-four-year-old Aubrey McGinty for its police beat. Aubrey loses no time in questioning the conviction of Sissy James for the murder of televangelist Buddy Wing. It’s true that Sissy had quickly confessed—live on television—to poisoning the famous preacher, and the evidence does seem overwhelming. But the ambitious young reporter doesn’t believe Sissy is guilty. Aubrey enlists the help of Morgue Mama to dig into the morgue’s files. Their search for the truth soon becomes harrowing—and dangerous—as they uncover enough suspects to fill a church with those who do the devil’s work
Critics Review
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“A bell ringer of a crime novel. Everything about the setting rings absolutely true, and the plot is great.”
Dana Stabenow, Edgar Award–winning and New York Times bestselling mystery novelist
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“In Corwin’s witty and engaging caper…newspaper archivist Dolly Madison Sprowls, called Morgue Mama ‘behind her back,’ and a determined cub reporter, Aubrey McGinty, team up to investigate the poisoning of TV evangelist Buddy Wing…Her matchup with Aubrey brings her and the reader genuine excitement right through the stunning conclusion to this lively adventure.”
Publishers Weekly
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“Retirement-aged but still formidable newspaper librarian Dolly Madison Sprowls teams up with youthful police reporter Aubrey McGinty to investigate a recent murder case…Serviceable prose, knotty characters, and major unexpected plot twists should endear this first novel to most readers.”
Library Journal
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“While many mysteries feature crusty newspaper librarians who hinder as much as help detectives, C.R. Corwin’s debut novel places its archivist in the limelight. The resulting story is a refreshing and welcome entry to this genre.”
January Magazine
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“An ambitious, young Ohio crime reporter teams up with the wise, old curmudgeon heading up the newspaper’s morgue. Dolly Madison Sprowls, sixty-seven, thinks she’ll be teaching newcomer Aubrey McGinty, twenty-four, a thing or two about proper Hannawa Herald-Union procedure when she comes looking for file clips on the Buddy Wing murder. But Aubrey immediately convinces the acerbic Morgue Mama to help her prove the televangelist wasn’t poisoned by Sissy James, even though she confessed…Wry handling of the irrepressible Dolly and her takes on aging, youth in heat, and diner specials are very appealing indeed.”
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Details
- Author
- C. R. Corwin
- Narrator
- Lorna Raver
- Duration
- 8 hours 43 minutes
- Release Date
- 19 June 2012
- ISBN
- 9781624609022
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Crime and mystery fiction
Synopsis
Most people think of the morgue as that cold and sterile facility where medical examiners do their necessary, albeit dreadful, work. Less familiar is the other type of morgue, the dry and dusty version, the newspaper morgue, usually housed in the basements and backrooms of newspaper buildings, where old news clippings are filed away. Dolly Madison Sprowls has been in charge of the Hannawa Herald-Union’s morgue for more than forty years. She is gruff and salty, well past the age of retirement, and the unchallenged queen of her ink-stained domain. Reporters call her Morgue Mama but only behind her back.Maddy Sprowls’ well-ordered world gets turned upside down when the paper hires twenty-four-year-old Aubrey McGinty for its police beat. Aubrey loses no time in questioning the conviction of Sissy James for the murder of televangelist Buddy Wing. It’s true that Sissy had quickly confessed—live on television—to poisoning the famous preacher, and the evidence does seem overwhelming. But the ambitious young reporter doesn’t believe Sissy is guilty. Aubrey enlists the help of Morgue Mama to dig into the morgue’s files. Their search for the truth soon becomes harrowing—and dangerous—as they uncover enough suspects to fill a church with those who do the devil’s work
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