The Dead Husband    by R. J. Brown Order:  USA  Can Big River Press, 2009 (2009) Paperback    Reviewed by Pat Elliott The author returns to her own childhood to create character Sally Collier. Sally proclaims herself a char (the British term for cleaning lady). Sally returns to her childhood language frequently, but fortunately there's a glossary of terms in the front of the book. Sally doesn't get too excited when she finds a body buried in the garden. She sits and smokes a cigarette and contemplates her relationship with her client/friend, Mel Birnbaum. She finally calls her current squeeze, Jefferson County Chief of Detectives George Tullock. Later in a flashback, we are informed of Sally's tour through Mel's house and the things she found that she usually didn't find there. There are several flashbacks in the book. The author is setting up a series character and we learn all about her background, her friends and their backgrounds, her children and her travels across North American to Port Townsend, Washington. Sally and George find the killer and Sally is rewarded for her friendship to Birnbaum. She inherits Mel's dog Borscht who now answers to a new name, Porsche. Of course, Borscht (uh Porsche) comes with maintenance money. Sally will never have to clean a house again, but we suspect she will choose to do so in the next Sally Sees cozy mystery. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews