October 17, 2022
Iconoclastic Vermont senator Bernie Sanders turns amateur sleuth in this amusing series launch from bestseller Shaffer (the Obama Biden mysteries). Crash Robertson, a 23-year-old Vermont native interning for Sanders, scores a plum assignment to escort her boss to her hometown, Eagle Creek, where he’s been tapped as grand marshal of the Champ Days harvest festival parade. Crash welcomes the chance to see her mother, proprietor of the town’s only store and bed-and-breakfast, but takes to heart the admonition from the D.C. office not to let Bernie out of sight, lest he wander off for impromptu, schedule-disrupting discussions with constituents. As the politicos arrive, the body of widely disliked banker Ferman Fletcher is found floating in Lake Champlain, and whodunit speculations start flying. Is it financially strapped hippie maple syrup maker Doc McGilliam, or swaggering tech billionaire Jagger Wardlow, who’s buying up maple farms in the area, flouting Vermont’s mellow, modest mores? The police investigate, and after Bernie gets the detective bug, Crash must keep him out of trouble. Shaffer cheerfully ties sprawling plot threads together with clever nods to Vermont and its Socialist senator. Readers will be eager for more.
June 10, 2024
With the Senate on recess, Bernie Sanders and his newest intern, Crash Robertson, head to Crash's hometown of Eagle Creek, VT, to attend the local fall festivities. On their first night, Crash discovers the lifeless body of Ferman Fletcher, a disagreeable local banker. When a leaked autopsy report is given to Crash and Bernie, the two set out to discover who murdered the banker and bring an end to Big Maple's hold over the local syrup industry. Shaffer (Hope Never Dies) has taken the much beloved and oft-memed senator and turned him into a cozy-mystery hero. From fall leaves to flannel, and from Subarus to the infamous mittens, the stereotypes of both Vermont and Senator Sanders are all fair play here. Mia Hutchinson Shaw narrates this delightfully silly listen with humor and an understanding of the inside jokes. Shaffer's book reminds listeners that, as serious as politics can be, it is never too serious for a good laugh. VERDICT A fun cozy mystery for those who stay up on politics and aren't afraid to poke fun at serious subjects. Recommended for fans of J.J. Murphy's Murder Your Darlings and the author's "Obama Biden" mysteries.--Elyssa Everling
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