No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

Good Morning Peeps!    It is cloudy and rainy in our neck of the woods and just pretty glum, but I am up and rearin' to go on this fine day.

My mother and I got together yesterday.   We went to lunch together and came back to my house and played Skip Bo.   We always play cards at her house, so I was delighted and it must make a difference whose house we are at because she always wins at her house, but I won at mine.  Woo Hoo!

Anyway, despite a visit from the daughter and her family,later in the day, I was able to finish No One Else Can Have You   by Kathleen Hale.   I was visiting GoodReads and this was one of the books advertised.   The title kind of caught my eye and the cover was different from most...a sweater with a line of moose and one hanging.    Hmm...so I explored the

Synopsis:

Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 689688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

From My Perspective:

I always enjoy a good mystery and this was no exception.   The story was told by Kippy Bushman, seventeen year old friend of the murdered victim.   Kippy was the daughter of a school counselor and as such, his best patient, him being a single parent and all.   He wanted her to be happy and normal, whatever normal is.   But when her best friend was murdered and possibly her only real friend, Kippy finds no one willing to view the possible alternatives for the who done it.   So she begins her own investigation.   Kippy was sort of an outcast to her fellow students, she was never dressed as well, was an independent thinker, and she had a lot of love to give.   She was fearless and relentless, determined to clear Ruth's boyfriend of the charges filed against him.  Her only support came from Ruth's brother Davey and a family friend, Ralph.  To the sheriff, she became a pain in the ass, to the lawyer in town, she was a nosy bitch, and to everyone else, she was "mental".   We get to watch as Kippy, naive and reserved 17 year old, transforms herself into the town hero, don't cha know.

The storyline is well plotted and is somewhat humorous in places.   The characters are totally picturesque!  Their language is characteristic of small town Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.
I rated this read as a 4 wink read.    It is quite possibly the quirkiest murder mystery I have ever read.

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.   This was a purchased book.