So what would you do if offered an apt on the 3rd floor of a house, having the house to yourself for 3 months, and the other occupant to arrive to occupy the bottom floors?

That was the deal offered to Phillis Toner by the aunt of the absent occupant. So Phillis took the deal, and 2 weeks later the occupant, named Pat Montgomery, arrives unexpectedly and turns out to be a man, an attractive man. The fact that he is gay is not relevant; it just adds a touch of spice to the story.

Then the lady next door, Mrs. Heisler, gets shot wearing clothes similar to Phillis's. So Pat and Phillis are questioned by the police. Phillis has a boyfriend, Carl, a policeman, and he is surprised by Phillis's housing arrangement, and rather jealous. There is a butler, named Demey, an odd creature.

Pat questions the family next door, the Heisler family and learns more about them. Phillis, on her part, talks to the other neighbours to gather what gossip she can. They both call on Mrs. Flemingdon and she tells them that the daughter, Emily, had been molested by her mother. Next, Emily leaves home. Pat and Phillis find her body in the vacant house opposite the house they live in.

Who is following Phillis? Will Pat learn why his aunt rented out part of his house? Will they find the killer?

Joseph Wright is skilled in plot development and tells a good story. He has a way of leading the reader through the labyrinth that he draws with interest and verve. A good read.

Patricia E. Rowan, Reviewer
eBook Reviews Weekly

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Phillis Toner is anxious to meet her new roommate, Pat. The third-floor apartment is perfect, with a kitchen, bath and huge living room. It's all so perfect. What could go wrong? Plenty. "Pat" isn't the landlord's niece, he's Patrick Montgomary, a handsome gay man in his thirties. And Carl, a detective in homicide, engaged to Phillis, doesn't like his fiancée living with a man, gay or not. Gertrude, the next door neighbor, is found shot to death. Was Phillis the target?

There are plenty of plot-thickeners. Someone's been in the house behind them, watching their every move while the owners are away. Now someone's strangled Gertrude's daughter. As the bodies pile up, Phillis is forced to wonder if Pat is really what he seems to be. . .

"The Bodies Out Back" has no shortage of questions to drive the plot. Why did Molly Montgomary rent the apartment to Phillis? And who's following them in the car? As Phillis wrestles with the question of who to trust, family secrets drop away, one by one. (Not all of the answers worked for me, but the plot moves so quickly, I didn't spend time worrying over plot holes.)

As in any good "cozy", Joseph E. Wright's characters are charming, earnest, and in constant peril. The plot moves quickly, with plenty of revelations, including a fine surprise ending. The author intends a series from his tale, and I'm looking forward to what happens next.

Brian Kaufman
Round Table Reviews

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Sometimes ideal apartments aren't always so ideal. Just ask Phillis Toner. She found out the hard way.

After months of unproductive searching, Phillis thought she'd found the perfect apartment: the entire third floor of a house in Society Hill. Granted, there was something suspicious about the way it just happened to become available, and the landlady's persistent insistence that she take it made her hesitate. Nevertheless, Phillis couldn't deny that it was wonderful. It was close to work, the rent was ridiculously low and best of all, her new roommate was in Europe and not due back for months. It seemed just too good to be true. The place was simply to die for!

The trouble was, dying seemed to come with the house. More precisely, it seemed to come with the arrival of Pat, the downstairs tenant and her housemate. Phillis was shocked to learn that Pat was not a she but a he. In addition, he owned the house, not the sweet little lady Phillis had rented it from. It seems Pat's aunt had taken it upon herself to rent the third floor to Phillis without consulting him. Pat did not want, nor had he advertised for a roommate. Finally, he made it very clear that he wanted Phillis out of the house and the sooner, the better.

Before Phillis could begin the search for a new apartment, her world turned upside down. When she went outside to sunbathe, she discovered one of Pat's next-door neighbors dead in their back yard. As the investigation into the murder progressed, Phillis learned to her horror that she had been the intended victim. Even more terrifying was the knowledge that someone had been spying on her from the house on the other side of Pat's. But why? And who?

As Pat and Phillis worked to clear up the murder, another neighbor turns up dead. Was Phillis the target again? Or was the second murder simply a means of throwing the police off the scent of the real killer? Someone obviously wanted Phillis out of the house and would stop at nothing to make sure it happened. But who wanted her out that badly? Pat? Even though he didn't seem like a killer, Phillis had her doubts. And what about Demey, Pat's manservant? Demey made no secret of the fact that he wanted Phillis gone. Was Demey spying on her? Then there was Detective Sylvester. Was he a good guy or could he secretly be the killer? And what about Carl, Phillis's persistent boyfriend? Was it he or someone Phillis didn't even know?

As Phillis, Pat and the police work to clear her name, they find themselves getting deeply involved in the lives of their neighbors and the friends who knew them. As their investigation develops and intensifies, they find themselves encountering a network of blackmail and deceit from unexpected sources. The terrifying showdown between assassin and victim will have you on the edge of your seat.

Joe Wright has written a delightful, fast-paced mystery that doesn't bog down and keeps the reader enthralled even after the identity of the murderer is revealed. The story keeps the reader guessing as to who committed the crimes and why. Each page takes the reader on a zigzag journey of finding a killer while also revealing why it was essential that Phillis occupy her particular apartment.

Mr. Wright's greatest strength is his ability to write refreshing dialogue. The banter between Phillis and Pat is crisp and amusing and will have you chuckling – when you aren't biting your nails from apprehension! Mr. Wright also deftly strikes an excellent balance between the tension of solving all the mysteries and introducing zany characters that make up Philadelphia society.

This is a first-rate book for anyone who enjoys a satisfying murder mystery. I highly recommend The Bodies Out Back.

Annie Rivers
Writers Unlimited Reviewer
Writers Unlimited

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Phillis Toner, newly arrived in Philadelphia, is looking for a decent apartment at an affordable price when she answers an ad by Molly Montgomery.When she arrives to speak with Miss Montgomery, she is presented with an unusual proposition. Miss Montgomery states that she wishes someone to rent the third floor of her niece Pat's house which has its own kitchen, living room and bath but not a private entrance. Phillis is intrigued by the offer and agrees to rent the apartment and is looking forward to the next few weeks, having been told that Pat is in Europe and won't return until the fall. Since Phillis is an orphan who until recently was living with an aunt who died, leaving her with no place to live, this seems like a dream deal.

Imagine her shock when, a few weeks later, Pat comes home and, far from being Miss Montgomery's niece, is actually her nephew. Of course, Pat, who didn't know that his aunt had rented the third floor, is even more surprised to find her there. Phillis' fiance, homicide detective Carl who is insanely jealous, is adamant she should move immediately, even when told that she is safe because Pat is gay. And when Pat tries to confront his aunt, she is evasive, stating that she has her reasons.

When Pat's next door neighbor Gertrude is shot to death in his backyard on her way over to see Phillis, they discover that someone has been spying on Phillis from the house behind them, whose occupants are out of town. When Phillis comes down the next day dressed to go to a flea market, she is wearing an outfit similar to the one that Gertrude was wearing, and Pat begins to wonder if she was the target rather than Gertrude. But when Gertrude's daughter goes missing and is found strangled in the house next door, Carl begins to focus his attention on Pat. Phil finds herself forced to choose between her fiancé and a man she barely knows but instinctively trusts while searching for a killer before she becomes the next victim. Throw in the mysterious housekeeper, Demey and a man in a car who seems to be following Phil around, and Pat and Phil have their hands full trying to solve the crime, keep her from becoming a victim, him out of jail when it becomes clear the police think he did it, and try to figure out what Aunt Molly is up to.

Filled with fast-paced action, seemingly non-stop secrets, layered plots and a completely unexpected ending, Bodies Out Back will be one of those books you recommend to everyone you meet. This first in a trilogy starring Phil and Pat is a very welcome addition to the cozy world.

Kathy Thomason
Writers Unlimited Reviewer
Murder and Mayhem Bookclub

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Going apartment hunting soon? Willing to move in with a roommate who isn't there? If you are, you'll need nerves of steel. Espec- ially, after reading Bodies Out Back.

This is the situation in which Phillis Toner found herself when she answered an ad placed by a sweet old lady for an apartment in a lovely old house in a wealthy part of town. Though she had mis- givings, the apartment and rent were too good to ignore and she desperately need a place to live, so she moved in.

Then her roommate came home. Expecting a woman named Pat, the sweet old lady's niece, the Pat with whom she found herself liv- ing turned out to be a young man named Patrick Montgomary. And Phillis knew her jealous fiance, Carl, who was a policeman would not understand or accept the situation.

She immediately started making plans to move, in spite of the fact that she came to like Pat, when a body in the back yard put everything on hold. Then the suggestion was made that she might have been the intended victim.

This intriguing tale will keep you reading, wanting to know what is on the next page, wanting to know the why of each subplot and see how they are resolved. There is enough mystery in this imag- inative tale to satisfy even the most demanding reader. I hope this is only the first mystery by this talented and creative author. Enjoy.

Anne K. Edwards, Reviewer
eBook Reviews Weekly
http://www.ebook-reviews.net
Author: "Death On Delivery"
http://www.Mysteryfiction.net

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