Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Arson and Old Lace by Patricia Harwin ISBN: 0-7434-8224-7 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent!
Comment: I loved this book - it was both well written and well plotted. If only all mysteries were this good!
Rating: 5
Summary: Harwin is well on her way to being a favorite author of mine
Comment: That's high prize given that she's only published this one book, but this book was excellent. After 50 pages or so, I couldn't put it down.
I suspect that the author was writing with her tongue firmly in cheek -- having fun with all the conventions of the English Cozy Mystery (including the rustic gardener whose English is almost incomprehensible because of a heavy rural accent and the manor house), and yet she has a vicar who confounds all the conventions of the "cozy" -- he's young, abrasive, and doesn't fit in. He wants to tear down the old church and build a modern worship center!
The plot involves an older American woman, Catherine Penny, who has moved to a picturesque cottage in the Cotswolds following her divorce. She has a daughter and grandchild in England, and after her husband's betrayal, feels the need to start over somewhere new. The picturesque cottage is marred only by a decrepit cottage across the road, inhabited by the hermit-like and cantankerous George Crocker -- who Catherine insists upon trying to help. Meanwhile, she gets to know all the stock characters of the English cozy, including the people who live in the manor house and the woman who runs the village shop.
She has hardly begun to settle in before there is a murder -- she has difficulty convincing anyone that murder has taken place because murders aren't supposed to happen in this little village. She sets out (driven by a sense of justice?) to discover who the killer is. Meanwhile, she's trying to care for her daughter's toddler, and butting heads with her daughter in the process -- so Catherine's personal life is intertwined with her detective work. I also was surprised by the ending -- totally -- something that doesn't happen very often -- and yet it all made sense (no holes in this plot!)
This book quickly developed into a real page turner, because it is well written and carefully plotted -- and because you care for and like Catherine. I can hardly wait until the next book to come out, but will have to wait for over a year!
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful English cozy!
Comment: I enjoyed this book very much. It has all the best aspects of an English cozy: a good mystery that keeps you guessing, very enjoyable characters living in a quaint village setting, and of course wonderful descriptions of the beautiful English countryside. I felt like I was taking a trip to the Cotswolds everytime I picked it up. I also enjoyed how the author wrapped everything up nicely in the end. I look forward to reading many more books in this series. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next one!
 |
Title: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly ISBN: 0425194612 Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group Pub. Date: 03 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: High Rhymes and Misdemeanors: A Poetic Death Mystery by Diana Killian ISBN: 0743466780 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: Murder on Monday by Ann Purser ISBN: 0425192970 Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: Dealing in Murder by Elaine Flinn ISBN: 0060545798 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
 |
Title: On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle ISBN: 042519213X Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
