The Jammed Judges: Doro Banyon Historical Mysteries
by D.S. Lang
About The Jammed Judges
The Jammed Judges: Doro Banyon Historical Mysteries
Historical Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Ohio
Publisher : Debra Sue Lang (April 2, 2024)
Number of Pages – Approx. 310
Digital ASIN : B0CSXQQQ81
Journey back to the Roaring Twenties in small-town America and join Doro Banyon, college librarian and armchair detective, as she confronts another mystery.
Spring in the air, and Doro is looking forward to her hometown’s May Day celebration. When her friend Aggie wins the baking contest, their celebration is short-lived because the two local lawmen—judges for the competition—fall ill after consuming extra portions of Aggie’s jam roll. Rumors run rampant, especially when the town doctor pinpoints the cause as arsenic poisoning.
With the constabulary down for the count, the two friends must unravel the mystery. As they study possibilities, Doro and Aggie find plenty of dangling threads and likely suspects. Is someone trying to make Aggie look bad or get even with her? Or do area bootleggers want the police out of their way while a big load of illegal liquor is transported through the area? Doro resolves to crack the case before more trouble hits town.
About D.S. Lang
D.S. Lang is a former teacher, tutor, mentor, and program manager. As an only child, she often created stories to entertain herself when she didn’t have her nose in a book. She is still making up stories, but now she puts them in writing.
She writes historical mysteries set in small-town America during the Roaring Twenties. Her books feature women amateur sleuths dedicated to solving crimes, along with a team of colorful characters—often including a local lawman.
GUEST POST
My Doro Banyon Cozy Historical Mystery series is set in small-town Ohio during the Roaring Twenties. The second book, The Murdered Matron, features a community Christmas party as part of the story, since Doro is on the committee. The third book, The Jammed Judges involves a May Days celebration with several old-fashioned events. Doro is enthusiastic about all of them!
Fairs and festivals are still popular in cities and town, but many vintage practices have virtually disappeared. One is the May basket.
When I was little, I read a story with May baskets in it and fell in love with the idea, so I convinced my mom that we should make several and give them to our neighbors and my grandparents. In Northwest Ohio, flowers are not plentiful at the start of May, but we assembled enough to fill pretty baskets. My efforts did not lead to a resurgence of the practice, but it was a lot of fun. The neighbors and my grandparents were pleased, and I enjoyed seeing the baskets in their homes! They seemed to be surprised, and I hope they were. Gifts, whether surprises or not, are always enjoyable, and who doesn’t want to bring a smile to someone’s face?
If you want to give a basket (or more), you will need inexpensive baskets or you can make a cone to hold the flowers. (Instructions are at the end.) Flowers are a must, but it is fun to add candy or other small gifts. Ribbon and colored tissue paper add festive touches.
A key to giving a May basket is to remain anonymous, so the giver puts the gift on the recipient’s front porch or door with no signed card or note. This can be tricky, especially if your neighbor or friend has a dog or a security camera. Another idea is to get to work early and put baskets on the desks of your co-workers, if you are employed in an office setting. For teachers, hanging a cone of flowers on your colleagues’ classroom doors is an alternative. The same idea could be used in work settings with locker rooms.
As you can probably tell, I am interested in bringing the practice back! Since I believe in practicing what I preach, I plan to make small baskets for some neighbors. I live in an apartment-style condo community, so leaving the baskets without getting caught should be easy. (I hope!) With the crazy weather in my area, I will purchase silk flowers, candy, seed packets (for the gardeners in the group), and gift bags or baskets. Then, I’ll tuck a “Happy May Day” note inside and leave the gifts late on April 30 or early on May 1, which is May Day.
You may be thinking of other celebrations on May 1. Since 1889, the day has been marked as International Workers Day (often called Labor/Labour Day outside the United States). Also, if you or someone you know is an American attorney, you probably are aware the American Bar Association has deemed May 1 as Law Day. Many other events and organizations mark the day, as well. Check the internet for plenty of them!
Instructions for making a flower cone:
Materials needed:
Sturdy paper.
Narrow ribbon.
Single hole punch.
Clear adhesive tape.
Scissors.
Gifts for inside the cone.
Colored tissue paper. (optional)
1-Begin with a square piece of paper (12” by 12” is a good size).
For a fancy look, cut scallops along the paper edges on two adjacent sides.
Plain colored paper is fine, but you can get pretty papers at craft stores.
2-Roll the straight edges together and secure with clear tape.
3-Using a small hole punch, make holes around the top edge of the cone.
4-Run ribbon through the holes and make a bow with a loop. (The loop should be long
enough to go over a doorknob.)
5-If you are using tissue paper, carefully tuck inside the cone.
6-Add flowers, candy, or other trinkets.
7-Since your recipients may not know about old-fashioned May baskets, tuck a note inside!
Remember, part of the fun is to remain anonymous, so “Happy May Day” or “A May basket
for you!” should suffice.
I’d love to know if you make the baskets and how they are received. Contact me at: DSLang@DSLangBooks.com. Or follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064024056297). I will have photos on my page on May 1, and you are welcome to share pictures of your baskets.
Happy May Day!
Author Links
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21325652.D_S_Lang
Facebook https://facebook.com/p/Author-DS-Lang-100064024056297/
Website https://dslangbooks.com
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