This is the sixth book of Susan McBride I have read, and it is the sixth time I loved every minute of doing so!

Book blurb: "In this fun and sassy new mystery, USA Today bestselling author Susan McBride introduces us to Helen Evans, a modern-day Miss Marple who must expose a murderer in a town full of suspects!"

Milton Grone was not the easiest man in town, and not a person anyone dashed off to become friends with. He is down-right scrooged, mean-spirited and sleek. Between Shotsie, his trophy bride, and Delilah, the incubator for his two sons, which he did not care about, a lot of love and admiration for him got lost as well. Then there were his parents, who did not feature him as the highest priority in their will, which embittered him even further.

But oh dearie me, Miltie had it coming when he sold a piece of land to a developer, with many citizens up in arms. Added to this animosity, was Felicity's, his next-door neighbor's ilk about him stealing six inches of her land and harassing her daily over the fence.

So when the first bulldozers droned in to clear out the pristine natural haven for birds and plants, someone snapped in tiny River Bend, Illinois. Yes, Miltie has gone too far... or has he?

As Floyd Red Crow Westerman said: "The Clan Mothers ran everything and had the last word. I think that's the answer."

Sheriff Biddle could have uttered the same Indian wisdom, since he had a partner in solving the mystery. Helen Evans, a modern-day Miss Marple, a puzzle-lover and busybody grandmother, who knew how to handle the hornets nest where her hen-parties played cards and networked about everything from their cats' meal schedules, to the town's latest intrigue and secrets.

Satirical, fast-tracked, uncomplicated, relaxing, smart. That was my experience of To Helen Back by Susan McBride. This author is fast becoming my favorite author in this genre. It is, after all, not a genre I indulged in often. But she knows how to enchant readers me with her murder mysteries. I just love the ambiance and style of her stories.

community crime-novel detective-story ...more13 s SusanAuthor 23 books494

I originally wrote these "Helen" books 20 years ago before I was published, and I was thrilled when HarperCollins wanted me to revise and update so they could come out under the Witness Impulse imprint. Helen Evans is a lot my grandmother Helen, and I wish she'd lived to read these books. I loved setting the stories in River Bend, a (fictional) small town along the Mississippi River. I'm pretty sure you'll see my admiration for Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (and "Murder She Wrote's" Jessica Fletcher!) in all three of the River Road Mysteries. I hope readers enjoy each mystery and are taken away from their real lives and transported into River Bend, if only for a little while. 11 s Cathy Ryan1,214 77

Milton Grone is widely disd, if not actively hated, by the residents of the small town of River Bend, Illinois. His treatment of ex-wife Delilah, and new, much younger wife Shotsie leaves a lot to be desired. He wants nothing to do with his and Delilah’s two sons and refuses to pay alimony. He’s miserly and penny-pinching despite being quite well off. Grone’s next door neighbour, Felicity Timmons, bears the brunt of his boorish behaviour and harassment. He’s also coming under fire from most of the residents for selling land, which was promised to the townspeople, to developers who want to build a water park.

When Grone is found dead, from what first appears to be a heart attack but which after the autopsy is believed to be murder, the suspects are plentiful. Unfortunately for Sheriff Frank Biddle they all seem to have an alibi in the form of the town hall meeting.

Helen Evans, good friend of Felicity Timmons, decides to sift through all the clues and potential suspects when Felicity herself is questioned by the Sheriff. This proves to be anything but simple, even the Preacher is not without cause.

Really good, detailed descriptions of the eccentric and able characters, and River Bend itself, give a good visual for the story. Helen is a mature lady who s solving puzzles, although this particular puzzle is not quite what she’s used to. She’s self effacing but takes in everything around her and somehow, quietly manages to be involved in developments.

The story is woven together well, with lots of diversions and misleading clues. An easy, witty and very enjoyable cozy mystery, narrated extremely well by Joyce Bean.cozy-murder-mystery3 s Leslye?309 92

Neither a compelling plot, nor characters, nor writing. No complexity in the story at all. The final reveal felt trite and superficial.

disappointing.....cozy-mysteries3 s OpenBookSociety.com 3,933 125

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Brought to you by OBS reviewer JoAnne

Milton Grone is not well-d in River Bend; in fact, he’s pretty much hated by everyone in the town. He’s shot at his neighbor’s cat and yells at the elderly woman; he mistreats both his ex- and present wives and refuses to have anything to do with his children; he’s rich but miserly and lives a pauper, refusing to spend anything.

He has sold some land to a company that wants to build a waterpark, and the townspeople are upset because it will destroy the environment in that area, yet no one knows how to stop him. But one night while everyone else (including his wife) is at a town meeting, Milton is killed. At first both the sheriff and doctor think it might have been an accident, that Milton merely had a heart attack, fell, and hit his head on a rock; because the doctor knows that Milton had a bad heart. Yet not too soon after that, the doctor discovers something that shows Milton was murdered: he was struck on the head with something heavy, and it was staged to look an accident.

In steps widow Helen Evans. With a mind that operates much Christie’s Miss Marple (as the sheriff says), she is trying to keep her friend Felicity, Milton’s next door neighbor and owner of the shot-at cat, from being taken in as the murderer, so decides find the real killer herself.

I d this mystery: It was fast, detailed, and a good beginning to a series. Helen is unassuming, yet she notices things and has a way of putting herself in the middle of the action without seeming pushy. There wasn’t a lot of character development as of yet, but since this is the first book in the series, I am hoping to see more in the next.

The only thing I didn’t care for was the fact that Helen bemoans the idea that someone might injure a bird in a tree, yet sees nothing wrong with allowing her own cat to roam outdoors and kill small creatures. I would to see her opt to keep her pet indoors, where it would be safer and have a much longer lifespan (yes, I am a huge animal lover!).

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a light mystery with able characters, and look forward to the next in the series.joanne2 s Vicky425 6

Excellent! A very gripping fast paced read. Clean and precise.2 s Jennifer VidoAuthor 7 books178

Helen Evans makes it her business to stay attuned to matters of importance in the small town of River Bend, Illinois. This includes the recent death of the wretched Milton Grone, a man with too many enemies to count. His latest offense involves the pending sale of a parcel of land to a water park developer originally promised to the town. As the concerned townsfolk come together to leverage a plan, one angry citizen takes it upon himself to end Milton’s life.

While Sheriff Biddle does his best to restore order to River Bend, Helen assigns herself the task of weeding through the long list of possible suspects. As Helen soon discovers, her self-appointed position is no easy task. Milton’s two wives, the ex and his widow, both want to get their hands on the profits from the sale of his land. Also, the local environmentalists are appalled the natural preserves would be disturbed by the construction. Even the preacher has his issues with the unsavory fellow.

To Helen Back: A River Bend Mystery is the first installment of this new series by the talented bestselling author Susan McBride. The quirky cast of characters is entertaining and imaginative while the quaint small-town is filled with charm and appeal. With feisty humor and witty dialogue, the plucky protagonist is cleverly astute. A promising series with an original flair, this hilarious read is a summer hit!
1 Mary1,308 35

What a fun new series! I felt I was in the little town of Mayberry with Jessica Fletcher.

Helen Evans is a widow who lives in the small town of River Bend, Illinois. The big to-do in town right now is that Milton Grone is selling some land for a big water park development. This has the town up in arms. While the whole town is at a town meeting, Milton Grone is hit over the head at his house and killed. The list of suspects is not short. He was not what you would call a loved man. Even the town minister can't find anything nice to say about him (and for lots of reasons that we find out later).

Helen finds herself involved in the search for the killer. She doesn't want to believe it's anyone she knows, especially Felicity, Milton's next door neighbor and a good friend of Helen's. Helen is a crossword puzzle lover and as anyone who solves them knows, especially in pen, it can lead you to very good clue solving.

I love how Helen is an older woman. So many of the cozy mysteries have a much younger woman as the lead but Helen has a subtle way about her. I also loved that in introducing the town characters, there was no confusion. So many times when you read the first book in a series, they throw way too many characters at you. It was a really good thing having the town meeting in the beginning and introducing us to the main cast of characters then. I look forward to the next book in the series and many more.1 Renee1,203 24

For fans of cozy mystery series this is for you. I have read a couple of this authors books and really enjoy her style. As for the characters, well Milton was the one I wanted to smack, but he is dead in the first few chapters so that's cool. Now how did Milton die? hmm the scandal in the town, well that is hilarious at times. I love the small town feel of the characters. The descriptions of the neighbors is sometimes laughable too.

I think the part about this property and what the intentions were are at the center of the book. In short if you make a statement in River Bend, people are gonna take notice. With Milton's current wife and x wife this leads to some great reading! I say if you love mysteries without blood and gore then this is one to grab. 1 Sharon ChanceAuthor 5 books42

I love how Susan takes her readers right into the heart of River Bend, Illinois, a little town that seems to attract the most interesting crimes. Helen Evans is a lifelong resident there, so naturally it worries her when things go wrong - and she just can't seem to help getting involved, much to Sheriff Biddle's chagrin! The characters that populate Susan's stories are engaging and personable with my favorite being Helen herself, a character that Susan based in part on her beloved grandmother, Helen.

The River Road Mystery series is a fresh and fun series that are just thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable. Now that summer is nearly over and life slows down a bit, do yourself a favor and grab these books to savor with a nice cup of tea!
1 Carolyn Bragg374 6

Helen Hears a Blah

The mystery is fine. There is more swearing than necessary for any story of this type, and the characters were bland and cliche???. I kept thinking how long the book seemed, which shouldn’t be an issue once, let alone more often. And not only did I not care about the characters, I wasn’t drawn into the story. I bought the first 4 ebooks in this series, but I plan to delete all of them now, with the next three unread. Given the “blah factor,” the swearing pushes the book to below a two-star rating for me, and can’t be saved for other family members to read.1 Shirley Wetzel92

A bit of Cabot Cove, a dash of Miss Marple, and altogether unique and charming, Helen Evans is a mature amateur sleuth in the American village of River Bend.When the town's most-hated man is murdered, she puts on her thinking cap and enlists her friends in a quest to absolve one of their own of the murder rap.

Susan McBride has a way with words, both fiction and non-fiction. This is the first in a new series, and it is a treat for her fans. If you haven't read any of her books, it's time to try one. This series will make many new fans. 1 Julia188 3

3.5 stars for this mystery from the author of the Debutante Drop-Out mysteries.

I thought the setting and characters for this story were engaging, in spite of the fact that many of the characters seemed to have rather clichéd personalities (including the wild preacher's kid, the spiteful ex-wife, the bumbling sheriff, the gossipy old ladies, the over-the-top environmentalist, etc...) Still, the killer was hard to pinpoint until toward the end of the story and the writing was good. I would definitely give the next book in the series a chance.1 Hpnyknits1,400

There is a little line in the book that says that Helen fancies herself a Miss Marple. Well, it’s more the author fancies herself Agatha. Couldn’t be further from reality. Un Miss Marple, Helen can’t help herself from being a righteous, judgmental, busybody, devoid of the witty humor Miss Marple exhibits. The story is also so predictable it was not even fun.
The two stars are for the small town characters, even though they are practically cliche stereotypes.
I shan’t bother with the rest of this series. 1 Patricia183 28

The cast of characters in this fascinating whodunit is remarkable! I was enthralled from the very first page of To Helen Back by Susan McBride. It was hard to put down until I found out who the culprit turned out to be.

Ms. McBride is an artiste as well as a best selling author. I highly recommend To Helen Back and I'm hooked on the River Road Mysteries. The next release, Mad as Helen, can't come soon enough for me!

~ Patricia, Room With Books ~ © July 10, 20141 Ann5,458 70

I can't wait to get back to River Road and spend time with Helen and Sheriff Biddle. Everyone in town wanted Milton Grone dead and when he turns up dead while everyone is at the town meeting it puts a dent in the suspect list. Helen pays close attention to the gossip and the clues to figure out who did Milton in. A well written cozy that looks a winning series. 1 Meg381 1 follower

A enjoyable story with plenty of clues to help the reader solve the crime. It's the first in the series and I am looking forward to the secondary characters' development.

This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.

2014 arc1 Bobbi1,019 3

Really enjoyable new cozy mystery series (new for me anyway) Helen is reminiscent of Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Agatha Raisin, Mrs. Pollifax and I’m sure there are more that I can’t currently think of. I’ll definitely be reading more.1 Mariko Tsubaki401 4

A wonderful start to a new series. Small town homey feel where everyone knows everyone and everything.1 Glenda1,159

good cozy read1 Becky Gremore1 review

I was thrilled to have won Susan McBride's "To Helen Back." It was very enjoyable and I will be looking for more of her work to read.1 Mishka328

Finished this quick read...not deep but still a fun little diversion.1 Sonya22 1 follower

Great Summer read. I thought I knew the murderer mid way through but I was very wrong. Well done SUsan McBride.mystery1 Connie1,115 5

As mystery cozies go, this one is better than most. It kept me guessing and entertained and was a perfect book by the swimming pool.1 Lynda4 4

A real good read, enjoyed it a lot.1 Kate19

Quaint, quick and easy read (took maybe 2 hours) small town mystery. Perfect to bring along to the beach or when traveling. 1 Gill JamesAuthor 84 books41

It is indeed a cozy crime as it was sold to me.
One problem with being a writer yourself is that you can often predict how the story will run. I’m pleased to say that I was wrong about a lot of things this time.
Yes, Helen Back is an amateur sleuth. But un many others she isn’t all that good at it, and even a little reluctant, and the legitimate cops aren’t all that bad. They rub along and muddle along together.
There are some nicely drawn characters and we are given a detailed picture of small town life.
In places the writing could have been a little tighter but all in all a good read.
Margaret Swanson442 1 follower

Good mystery

I'm not one for blood and guts so I really enjoyed a mystery that uses wits and good investigation skills to solve the crime. E M44

This was a very enjoyable cosy crime. I shall have to seek out the 2nd in the series.2024 cosy-crime non-british-crime Carol Wantz Seashols19

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