Biggie and the Meddlesome Mailman

Biggie Weatherford #4

by Nancy Bell

In a town as small as Job's Crossing,, a nosy mailman who opens the mail, reads it all, and broadcasts the contents to the rest of the people on his route --more or less, the whole town --puts himself seriously at risk, and it isn't long before Luther Abernathy suffers the consequences. When young J.R. stumbles upon the mailman's body, and an incipient militia group begins to make trouble, J.R.'s grandmother, the irrepressible Biggie, decides that Police Chief Paul and Silas needs help in finding the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 22, 1999

Reviews

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about Biggie books is the food. The description of the food is simply too much. I want to go have Willie Mae fix me a meal. This is definitely a book for the older teen and adult, Parts of the story line may be too much for a twelve year old. I enjoy the read as it makes me think of the small town where my grandparents lived. Everybody knew everybody. A good read all in all.

[Elly Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* Great fun. I'm enjoying this light, entertaining series. In this case, the narrators contribute a great deal and I'm enjoying the voices as much as the story.
Good one!

[Tiffany Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is told through 13 year old J.R.'s eyes and his observation skills are keen and usually right on. Light, frothy and silly; homespun and harried.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved! I am enjoying the Biggie series!

[luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Marfita · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reviews the audiobook.
Will continue with Bell's other series, but not this. It annoyed me the same way the Flavia de Luce audiobook annoyed me. I can't stand to hear an adult voicing a child - except in some circumstances, such as in a children's book. How to Eat Fried Worms is absolutely hilarious and the performance nails what fifth grade boys sound like.
The narrator in this series is JR, who has been adopted by his grandmother, called Biggie - and not just by him (who was unable to pronounce "Big Mama"), but by the whole town. Me, I wouldn't put up with that.
The town's postman apparently opens and reads all the mail and announces the news as he hands it over, so the recipient doesn't need to read it. He also shares it with others. In my town, his ass would be fired, and I think jail time would be included. Instead, he's murdered and it's up to Biggie and JR to figure out who dunnit.
Bell evokes gentle days of pre-Civil Rights Era charm, but updated to contemporary times. If you miss the days when servants were respectful and "members of the family," you'll probably enjoy these. Me, I grew up without servants, so I find it hard to relate. Food is liberally described. Stereotypes abound - even evil, white, racist, Texan secessionistas. Joan Hess in her Magoddy stories abuses stereotypes for comic effect. All I can say about the characters in this book is that - they aren't funny enough. Oh! I have a shelf for that now!
Again, the narration may have colored my view (gay character with a lisp?), but I've got a Judge Crain audiobook lined up for a listen and we'll see how that goes.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 4 of the Biggie Weatherford series is another episode in the small east Texas town of Job's Crossing, as told from the viewpoint of the 12-year-old J. R. Weatherford. Author Nancy Bell continues to present the town's characters that had been introduced in the earlier books with a sense that time and lives move ever onward. As in many cozies, the story is character driven, with a touch of mystery to be unravelled. Day-to-day life, heavily laden with lots of eating, is a strong feature in this series. I was thinking that one might go through these books to collect a list of menu ideas, but personally I would modify them to reduce sugar and other carbs as well as fat content! I wonder if Ms Bell will ever get the idea of incorporating more healthy eating into the Weatherford household. Perhaps that will be the case in Book 6, Biggie and the Devil Diet, which I have not yet read.

I am giving this book a little lower rating because it seemed like the threads of issues (the mystery and some personal relationships) were not exactly tidied up. When I finished the book, I felt almost like there had been some chapters left out or that the author forgot something. Still, it is a quick and easy read that I would recommend if you are into this series.

[Priscilla Herrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is part of a series of cozy mysteries, set in Job's Crossing, a small town in Texas. The narrator is J.R., a young boy whose grandmother - known to all as "Biggie"(on account of when J.R. was little he couldn't say Big Mama so he called her Biggie and it took) - is related to nearly everyone in town and is one of those personages who more or less run their communities by nudging those ostensibly in charge to do their duties. Biggie has solved a murder before, with J.R.'s help, and she does so again - but there's a lot of action and real danger before the solution is found.

This is the first I've read of this series, and my guess is that these books are enhanced by good narration, such as Jeff Woodman's performance.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do enjoy this series. Set in a small town in Texas, so there's Southern charm and backhanded compliments and digs galore along with the mystery.
The narrator is J.R., almost 13 years old, enjoying the summer and getting used to finding dead bodies with his grandmother, Biggie. The two together gather clues along the way and help what passes as law enforcement in the town.
This time around it's political intrigue and militia and a nosey mailman.
Super good fun and highly recommendable.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the usual antics in Job's Crossing. This time Biggie, J.R. and the crew try to solve the murder of the mailman. More bodies stack up in the process. There are a few surprises along the way. I just wasn't as interested in all of the militia stuff that was mixed into the story, although it did provide some action. I would give the book a 3.5

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am listening to the audiobooks in this series. They are short zany cozies but with a child narrator.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, sweet, bought to pass on to sister

[Rkb 2015 · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to listen to while keeping busy.