“The Moonshine Murders” by Joy York

They claim that teenagers are wild. After reading this book most of those who say that will change their minds. Lily takes the definition of ‘wild’ to a whole new level.

“The Moonshine Murders” by Joy York is the second book in the Jailer’s Daughter Mysteries, but it can be read as a standalone. Sufficient background is provided as to the relationships between the main characters, their families and friends. But the mysteries in book one and book two aren’t connected.

Lily’s father is shot. Of course, Lily is worried about him, but it’s not that it comes as a complete shock. He is a county jailer and a deputy sheriff after all. His job is dangerous, and Lily knows that anything can happen to him. Besides, her family lives even not next door but ‘next wall’ from the jail, and the only thing that separates them from prisoners is a metal door. Yet, even Lily’s mother who cooks for convicts calls them ‘boys’, so Lily’s somewhat light-hearted attitude towards the whole situation is understandable.

It seems that Lily is more affected by the chance to start a new investigation than by her father lying in hospital with his life hanging on a thread. But maybe it is a sort of coping mechanism, and the teenage girl needs to keep her mind occupied not to dwell on her family tragedy.

As the book title implies, the mystery revolves around the illegal operations with moonshine. Distilling spirits has always been a good source of income for opportunistic people who aren’t afraid to break the law. Deputies of a rural county in Mississippi get ambushed while on the call about the illegal moonshine operations on a local farmer’s property. Lily’s father gets shot but the farmer who called the authorities gets killed. Teenager Lily believes that she is better equipped to find the culprits and solve the mystery than the police and the FBI.

Lily’s behaviour is absolutely outrageous. Sometimes it seems that she doesn’t have a danger compass and doesn’t understand that the situations she drags herself and her friends into could end tragically. To be honest, I wouldn’t have liked to have such a friend when I was her age.

Still, Lily’s recklessness makes the plot race at a head-spinning speed. I kept turning the pages and read the book in a few sittings before bedtime. I liked that along with the main mystery a personal secret unravelled, which came as a complete surprise for me. Also, reading about moonshine makers, I remembered a brief ‘dry law’ period in the 80s, and how even in my family we had a contraption for making ‘apple wine,’ which we then stored in huge glass bottles in our summer house.

I appreciated the ending of the book for drawing the readers’ attention to the implications of Lily’s thoughtless behaviour.

Both books in the Jailer’s Daughter Mysteries are action-packed and full of big and small mysteries. There are moments when my heart leapt with fear for Lily, Christi, and their friends. But I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of traipsing across country lanes, and small towns and even trudging through the wilderness in the American state of Mississippi with reckless teenagers who kept getting themselves in life-threatening situations. I hope the author plans to write more books in this setting, which I will devour with great pleasure.