Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Gertrude, Gumshoe: Murder At Goodwill by Robin Merrill is a humorous sleuth murder mystery. It is getting close to Christmas and Gertrude has a few gifts to buy. Although Goodwill is a little expensive for Gertrude's taste, they are having a sale that fits into her budget. She hops the CAP bus and hitches a ride to the overly busy store. Wading through the obnoxious children and crowded aisles, Gertrude finds something unexpected and unprecedented in a Goodwill store. She turns into the perfume aisle and discovers a dead woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood with the murder weapon lying next to her. When other shoppers invade the crime scene, the murder weapon mysteriously disappears. Deputy Hale of the County Sheriff's Department, who has a long-standing animosity for Gertrude, ignores her insistence that there is a murder weapon in the vicinity and that she can describe it. Appalled and offended by the neglect, Gertrude decides to recover the missing murder weapon and investigate the woman's death herself. With no cooperation from the employees of Goodwill or the Sheriff's Department, Gertrude is unable to investigate in a normal fashion. In her single-minded pursuit to uncover a killer, and with no one taking her seriously except perhaps the murderer, Gertrude resorts to a few dubious methods. Will Gertrude be the next victim or end up behind bars?

Gertrude, Gumshoe: Murder At Goodwill by Robin Merrill is an amusing, madcap murder mystery. Although Gertrude gets around on a walker, she is a strong and engaging character. Despite her best intentions, she is exasperating to those with whom she comes in contact. Her stubborn lack of propriety is annoying to her crotchety old neighbor, Calvin, and by meddling in his cases and solving the crimes before he can, Gertrude is a nuisance and a painful annoyance to Deputy Hale of the County Sheriff's Department. With her audacious attitude and insufficient social skills, Gertrude will do what it takes to get to the bottom of any conundrum. Although she is out of the norm, I get an immense kick out of Gertrude's hilariously unique and slightly peculiar exploits. This wonderfully entertaining cozy mystery is part of a series, but can be delightfully read as a stand alone. Join Gertrude on more fun-filled escapades that include Calvin and Gertrude going on a midnight heist, and have a clean, wholesome, but zany adventure!