Virgil Pepper has stirred up the MeToo movement in Goose Pimple Junction. He cheats on all his girlfriends. He can’t keep his hands to himself. He knows just what to say to charm a woman, but never keeps his promises. He also has political aspirations for the Junction. Or does he? No one trusts him. And at the beginning of Liars & Lunatics in Goose Pimple Junction by Amy Metz, Pepper has been found dead.
The story then goes back six months before his demise. We meet various residents of Goose Pimple Junction whose lives intertwine with Virgil Pepper’s: Caledonia Culpepper, owner of a dress shop who can’t resist Pepper’s charms; Daisy Baxter, returning citizen to town and tries to open a cupcake bakery; Hank Beanblossom, handsome police officer who doesn’t like how Pepper treats everyone, especially Daisy. Leading up to Pepper’s death are a series of murders caused by the illegal Goose Juice. Are they all related or just coincidences?
Amy Metz combines mystery, southern charm and humor in Liars and Lunatics. Was Virgil Pepper murdered? If so, who killed him? And Why? Do his political aspirations have anything to do with it? Metz uses small town charm as the setting of these events. Everybody knows your name at Goose Pimple Junction and the gossip is flying, especially thanks to Junebug, a waitress at the local diner. Everyone has a very southern name and says very southern phrases that cracked me up. For anyone who’s lived in a small town, Goose Pimple Junction just might trigger some nostalgia.
This is the first Goose Pimple Junction mystery I’ve read, and I definitely plan to read the whole series. The story is complete in itself; there’s no need to have to read the first four books in the series to enjoy Liars & Lunatics. With the holidays coming up, this mystery is the perfect book to read in between the busyness of the end of the year.
Andrew M. Friday 