Average customer rating:
- Garden Party Murder
- Welcome to a southern mystery night!
- Mystery Game-board, Black Checkers `n Chin (No Gin). Reader/Author Double Win.
- Got me almost to the end
- A Touch of the South
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Design for Murder (A Bantam Crime Line Book)
Carolyn G. Hart
Manufacturer: Crimeline
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Something Wicked (A Bantam Crime Line Book)
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Honeymoon With Murder
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Death on Demand
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A Little Class on Murder
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Deadly Valentine
ASIN: 0553265628
Release Date: 1988-01-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Garden Party Murder.......2007-09-16
The suspense picks up for the second Death on Demand,"Design for Murder." Annie Laurence is dithering about a wedding to Max Darling, she wants small--he wants big into the fray comes Chastain socialite Corinne Prichard Webster with an offer no budding mystery bookstore owner can refuse. Corinne wants Annie to design a murder to be staged during their annual garden/home show, the parts to be played by local citizens with prizes and clues to rake in funds for the Historical Society.
Before Annie's carefully planned production begins someone is out to sabotage Corinne's plans with a poison-pen letter exposing all the sins of the actors. Then Corinne ends up floating in her own garden pond.
The pace is fast as Annie and Max race to save her program and discover a killer. Lots of southern tradition is found within the pages of "Design for Murder."
Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."
Welcome to a southern mystery night!.......2006-07-18
This second in the Death on Demand series is a good, solid mystery. We still get that wonderful name-dropping from the world of "mystery fiction", and we get Annie planning a murder-mystery surprise for a small Southern town's annual spring celebrations. And no one is more surprised than Annie and Max when a real mystery occurs in the little town of Chastain. As they delve into motives and opporturnites they find more secrets in this little town than they ever dreamed. It was fun reading about their efforts to solve the mystery of the death of one of Chastain's leading citizens, while Annie's scripted plot ran through the book.I think I'm going to enjoy this series.
Mystery Game-board, Black Checkers `n Chin (No Gin). Reader/Author Double Win........2005-11-25
This 2nd in the DEATH ON DEMAND series has an intriguing set of intro chapters which compete with the brilliance of the pilot's opening salvos.
After the classic-mystery jazz-steps of the intro chapter pair sat me down in my chair, I, of course, couldn't resist reading further. As I did so, I couldn't help but notice that the contrast of the society maven's chill to Annie's enthusiasm was dramatic and effective.
Transition-ed from that point of awe, I was warmed into the story by Annie's reaction to being asked to do a mystery program and get paid $1000. As noted above, Annie's "badee, badee, badee" enthusiasm was an engaging contrast to the perfect portrayal of the repulsive chill of the society maven. What with the up angle in which Carinne carried her rigid, frigid chin, she'd never develop horizontal neck wrinkles, though vertical, hair-line-fissures would likely apply in rivulets. And, I'd bet money I have not, that one of her eyebrows was spring loaded.
A couple questions came to me early in the reading:
-- Was Annie going to use the Maven as victim and Roscoe as murderer, as a reality switch to the victim and perpetrator in the murder mystery game Annie was being paid to produce?
-- How would the contention between Annie & Max over having a fancy Vs intimate wedding relate to the plots-within-plots, and their resolution?
Hart entertainingly dramatized Annie's cracking out of the egg of an endearing, feisty childhood (even as a "mature," brilliant, and independent young woman), with Max as a backdrop of the truly mature, already-arrived one in the self-actualization game. In this sense, the irony of Annie's compulsive responsibility bounced off Max's (seeming) childish nonchalance was well wrought. And, Hart's periodically designing Annie as wrong and Max as right could be taken as proof that Hart's healthy self-depreciation and personal generosity has cancelled any egotism or arrogance in her character.
I believe that those tendencies seem to magnetically attract themselves to most creative persons; maybe it's the charisma they're charged (up) with. Me too. I, I, I be creative! Gotta get these thumbs out of my vest. But, only because it's hard to type that way. "Me, me, me." (Practicing my operatic slavos. Doe & Ray are continually dogging my voice, trying to get ahead.)
The type of sexual tension toyed with between Annie & Max is refreshing. It sometimes feels delightfully (and effectively) staged (like culinary mysteries collecting quotas of cooking hits, which I, for one, appreciate, yum intended). Hart's romantic sidelines are fun, cute, warming, and absolutely appropriate for her characters and genre. I appreciate the fact that the innuendos aren't obviously spiced for reader turn on ... Hart's style of sexual undertone is Leo's childlike, playful toying with male-female differences; it's not Scorpio's intense and steamy, heavy-hitting below the belt (which has been well-placed and hotly-paced in the romance genre). In my opinion Hart's style of light, Leo romance suits this series to a "T" ... or maybe I should say, to a steam-rolled-over "R."
It was worth my time to savor Hart's artistically portrayed characterizations. An especially luminous introductory description of the society maven's niece follows:
>>The young woman was as clearly limned as if by a spotlight, her attractive auburn hair glistening like the flank of a sundrenched Kentucky colt, her delicate, anguished face a study in anger.
<<
My first flash upon reading the segment around the above quote was of Daisy in THE GREAT GATSBY, though of course Daisy is lifetimes jaded while Gail is a fresh pick (which is not meant to diminish either character, it's merely to attempt to get the contrast clear while the comparison is made).
Another great character description:
>> Corinne looked every day of her fifty-nine years, her cheekbone drawn so tight that hairline wrinkles marched on her upper lip like a stockade fence.
<
<
So was it the facelift or the upward chin habit which did Corinne(`s youthful plushness, if she ever had any) in?
In this second in the DOD series, I was captivated and literarily impressed by its use of various levels of mysteries as an echoing mirror-within-mirror, reality-within-reality. This novel could go undercover as an entertaining class on the genre, which I was certainly able to benefit from, because I'm not anywhere near as well read as most buffs of classic mysteries.
Some readers have reported feeling irritated or insecure at the mention and plot use of such an awesome collection of reality mystery titles, many of which are known only to mystery buffs of the first water. I can understand that natural sensitivity. Yet, I see that situation as an opportunity to introduce myself into the nuances of the genre, and to spotlight other series I might like to explore. I also receive a pleasant hit of recognition when one of the titles or authors happen to be one I've actually read. This constant "listing" of mysteries also allows me to know I'll be able to return to reread this series and get even more out of it as I progress in my consumption of offerings in the genre. So much to look forward to. Even with my having read so few classic mysteries, I had no trouble keeping up with the story and retaining a solid and strong interest within full entertainment regalia.
The resolution of tangents, sidetracks, mysteries within mysteries was satisfyingly, almost uncannily smooth. The mood-and-action to wrap, as expected, held several surprises and variations on mystery form schematics. The style was an opposite type of drama from the resolution of the pilot to the series, in which Annie & Max dug into a hilarious bull-dog standoff (after the murder-mood-run had its due).
Overall, to me, the style of DBD gave evidence that Hart's confidence in this series had leaped beyond growing pains, as she seemed to be taking her time developing the plot-lines without losing a Quantum of reader interest. The graceful flow exposed an author absolutely relaxed in her craft, certain of its guarantee to result in reader involvement and appreciation. This isn't to imply that Hart hadn't been a fully-seasoned author for many years prior to this novel. It's merely to note that the author's relaxation with developing characters and machinations seemed to show off a well seated rhythm and stride here.
More than most, this novel showed me why mystery afficionados reportedly reread stories in this genre. There's enough in each offering that a reread will continually surface segments which appear to have been written in invisible ink the first time around.
Well done Oh Mystery Queen, who knows how to honor the gestalt of her genre.
Linda G. Shelnutt
P.S. I probably shouldn't post 3 reviews on Thanksgiving morning. Makes it too obvious what kind of life I live. Furthermore, my holiday trilogy will probably sit on Amazon's pages in lonely, zero-vote solitude, sans coveted spotlights, until at least a week after everyone's finished burping up turkey. Okay, here's mine, offered even before I get to the oven on time. Burp. "Buzzzzz." (That's the stove alarm.)
Got me almost to the end.......2004-09-10
What a great mystery - it was almost Perry Mason-like with seeing all the suspects at the beginning of the book and why they would have a motive to kill Corinne. Also like Perry Mason you had to pay attention to what was going on. It was a good believable story. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to start the next book in the series.
A Touch of the South.......2003-10-25
Carolyn Hart write wonderful stories set in the South. I always like the way Annie name drops about detective fiction at the start and the beginning or each story, but rarely in the middle. I always wonder if the author does this on purpose or is just the way story develops. This is a find follow-up to Death On Demand, although there are parts that are overly predictable and
sterotypic.
Book Description
From the man whose first book inspired the movie Walking Tall now comes this startling, true account of ruthless criminals who reigned for decades.
Customer Reviews:
the State Line Mob- Great Read!.......2007-03-24
Once I started reading the book, it was hard to put it down. I live only a few counties north of where all this was taking place. I only thought I
had an idea of what was taking place and about the people who were running the gambling, illegal whisky, and prostitution operation. That was one tough
area vs one tough sheriff who had to "fight fire with fire".
An Amazing Story. A Must Read For Any Pusser Fan.......2006-11-13
It took only one day to read this book. It was like a magnet in my hands I could not put it down. I have seen
the movies, and heard stories of Buford Pusser, but now
I know the facts. What an awesome book.
fascinated reader.......2005-10-31
as a little boy who grew up thinking sheriff andy taylor had a cool job, i've always found the sheriff pusser stories interesting.(in a 21 year law enforcement career, i found the job required a little buford pusser and a lot of andy taylor) i read the twelveth of august back in high school and thought the story fascinating but poorly written. the state line mob was better written and after meeting w.r. morris,his lovely wife cathy and spending an afternoon riding the roads of mcnairy county, i began to understand the relationship between him and the sheriff pusser. he couldn't tell the story inthe state line mob while sheriff pusser was living. i think he did a good job of telling the story. he told me about getting into a discussion with one of the characters in the book, who was voicing his displeasure with his portrayal in the book and mr. morris asked him one question: did i lie about you in the book? the man answered to the negative but he still didn't like being mentioned in the book. i've just order my second copy seeing how i loaned my first out to a so-called friend who never returned it. it's a keeper.
A Must For Buford Pusser Fans and Foes.......2004-09-17
This book will probably only be of interest to followers of the Buford Pusser story (the Sheriff of "Walking Tall" fame). It is the final book in Morris' Buford Pusser trilogy (the first two are "Twelfth of August" and "Buford"). Morris was the Tennessee Sheriff's official biographer but fell from favor with Pusser before his death and thus the book is written with a slightly unfavorable view of the late lawman. Morris reveals Pusser to be "less than the idealistic hero" of the Walking Tall movies in this book. The book tells the story of the "State Line" area that was the backdrop for Pusser's adventures as Sheriff. It tells the sordid stories of the individuals and the establishments of the region (Alcorn County MS and McNairy County TN).
The book itself is not nearly as well written as "Twelfth of August." Morris attempts to dramatize the stories and only makes them less credible by the way he does so. Be cautioned as it is filled with profanity. It also contains sexual content (unnecessarily I might add). It should be noted that many consider Morris to be a poor authority on the Pusser/State Line story and that he wrote only for profit, embellishing and exagerating the stories he tells for effect. He is villified by both sides of the story today. Personally I have found no reason to doubt him outright and he is the only source of information about the Pusser Legend.
Pretty good account of what really happened.......2002-04-19
As a resident of McNairy Country, I have grown up with the legend of Buford Pusser. I remember watching Walking Tall in my high school class. The movie made me sick. I hate the hero status that Buford Pusser has taken when he is the farthest thing from it. When people hear where I am from, they always say "Buford Pusser is the greatest: and I have to refrain from telling them all the horrible details. Although this book really didn't center him, it touched on the fact that he wasn't the greatest lawmaker to ever live. I would love to see a book that told the real story about Pusser.
Amazon.com
And the Sea Will Tell spins a riveting story--a story that could have been the backbone for a classic novel by Herman Melville or Joseph Conrad. Two couples--one wealthy and married, the other an ex-con and his hippie girlfriend-- separately set sail for a remote South Pacific island, each hoping to play "Adam and Eve" in paradise. Instead of getting away from it all, they take it with them-- their pasts and prejudices, and the petty battles over status and material goods that arise from their different social classes. Only two people out of the original four live through the experience. One of them has the extraordinary good luck to be defended in court by master attorney Vincent Bugliosi (author of Helter Skelter). As the Los Angeles Times writes, "The book succeeds on all counts. The final pages are some of the most suspenseful in trial literature."
Book Description
"Grips you by the throat from beginning to end."—Cleveland Plain Dealer
Alone with her new husband on a tiny Pacific atoll, a young woman, combing the beach, finds an odd aluminum container washed up out of the lagoon, and beside it on the sand something glitters: a gold tooth in a scorched human skull.
The investigation that follows uncovers an extraordinarily complex and puzzling true-crime story. Only Vincent Bugliosi, who recounted his successful prosecution of mass murderer Charles Manson in the bestseller Helter Skelter, was able to draw together the hundreds of conflicting details of the mystery and reconstruct what really happened when four people found hell in a tropical paradise.
And the Sea Will Tell reconstructs the events and subsequent trial of a riveting true murder mystery, and probes into the dark heart of a serpentine scenario of death. 24 photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Reading!!.......2007-05-27
Vincent Bugliosi is not only a top-notch prosecutor & attorney, he's also a top-notch writer! This is one of THE best books I've ever read....you talk about not being able to stop reading a book. This is one of the strangest "True Crime" stories ever, and it will just blow your mind. Some nights it gave me such chills, I was afraid to get off the couch & go to bed! I was frozen with fear almost. Spooky....This crime is freaky & scary. Get this book! You won't regret it. Promise. If you love True Crime, get this book!
epic but premature.......2007-04-28
Much like Helter Skelter, Bugliosi gives a huge sense of depth to his this case. There's epochs of history, a slew of investigation, new vocabulary to learn, characters to relate to, laws to be reasoned with, etc. I usually wouldn't use the word "epic" to a true crime book, but with Bugliosi's sheer depth, the word sticks. At times the author can seem a bit self-centered, a real hot shot. In reality, he has the right to be egotistical and a hot shot!
I thought that perhaps the book was written prematurely, solely for the fact that the second body was never found and Buck never admitted to the crime. If both of those were to happen, I'd read the edited version of this book again.
thoroughly enjoyable.......2007-01-31
Vincent Bugliosi is quite skilled at giving minute details that relate to the tale he is telling. I think he is one of our best writers today and
AND THE SEA WILL TELL is my favorite. I have given this book to many of my friends. This is one I'll read again and again.
And the Sea will Tell.......2007-01-12
This is a fast moving real life story that ended with two people missing and persumed dead. Part II of the same book is the trial and defense of one of the accused. This part goes into detail as to the defense. Very informative.
And The Sea Will Tell.......2006-08-26
My biggest problem with the book is the cause of death as related by the authors. It is difficult to believe someone, or possibly two individuals, killed and burned two people, then put them in a box or boxes, to sink them in the lagoon. Further this was all done to steal a boat worth maybe $100k. The murderers then sailed the boat back to the Hawaiian Islands where it had left approximately a month or so prior.
I read the book during my personal sail down to Palmyra and spent a week investigating the atoll while trying to reconcile the story. I'm wondering what other readers have to say or think about this story?
Average customer rating:
- humor and honor
- Well worth it; a definite read
- The Real Thing
- Exciting! Suspensful! Real-life stories of a retired FBI
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With Honor and Purpose: An Ex-FBI Investigator Reports from the Front Lines of Crime
Phil Kerby
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
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Amazon.com
In 1969, disgruntled high school teacher Phil Kerby applied to the FBI on a lark. To his surprise, he was accepted (via a personal telegram from J. Edgar Hoover), and he spent the next 26 years of his life serving as a special agent. With Honor and Purpose purports to tell the "true story" of the FBI's inner workings; Kerby makes repeated attempts to show the reader that the FBI presented in popular entertainment is mostly wishful thinking, and his just-the-facts writing style and endless references to mundane paperwork make the claim believable.
The FBI, as Kerby tells it, is really just another plodding bureaucracy, only these clerks get to carry guns. In one of the longer cases described in the book, Kerby spends almost a year just trying to get the paperwork done correctly to request a wiretap on a suspect; the tap is denied anyway. Kerby characterizes his graduating class at the FBI Academy as a bunch of accountants, an exclusively white club for men in white shirts and black ties. Later in his career, Kerby's passion turned to nailing mobsters and gangsters of all stripes, and the book's centerpiece, wherein Kerby and his fellow Saginaw, Michigan, agents laboriously investigate a local would-be Mafia don, is enthralling. While Kerby tends to grouse about policies made by headquarters, his book sheds welcome light on an organization all too often cloaked in shadows. --Tjames Madison
Customer Reviews:
humor and honor.......2001-06-11
Written insightfully. You will find both humor and seriousness. He addresses social problems, bureau red-tape, the mob, specific investigations and more.
Well worth it; a definite read.......1999-02-15
I found this book to be insightful and well written. Phil Kerby seems to tell you the good and the bad about the FBI. I could feel his pride as I read the book. If you are interested in the FBI, crimefighting, and more, this book is for you. I truly enjoyed it.
The Real Thing.......1998-09-07
This is a solid account of FBI work as it really is, showing that agents are neither flawless supermen nor incompetent idiots--that they're human, in other words. Very readable, too.
Exciting! Suspensful! Real-life stories of a retired FBI.......1998-04-22
I read this book in one night; I couldn't put it down. Kerby vividly decribes the cases he personally worked on in the FBI. You wouldn't believe some of the stories!
Book Description
The most grueling missions. The most dangerous criminals. The ultimate insider.Bank robbers. Pimps. Wise guys. Murderers....Today's FBI street agents face a never-ending parade of violence and chaos perpetuated by society's most dangerous and sometimes most demented felons. In this action-packed confession of an FBI man, Phil Kerby takes us on a white-knuckle ride through a career that pitted him against militia bombers and black militants, against hardened, hardcore kidnappers, coed hookers, biker drug dealers, bank robbers on the lam, and much, much more.Here are hostage standoffs and cat-and-mouse games with the Mob. Here are nerve-shattering armed confrontations and heart-wrenching searches for missing people-or dead bodies. And here is the courage, skill, and grit of a few good men trying to fight America's dirtiest and most dangerous war-with honor and purpose....
Customer Reviews:
Interesting look at the FBI.......2000-05-29
The book is a recounting of the author's career in the FBI, from his start in the Hoover-era to the drug and gang investigations of the early 90's. I found it an interesting read. The author exposes some of the weaknesses of the FBI, particularly the bureaucratic idiosyncracies that plague the agency; at the same time, I came away with a sense of an organization that can get the job done in the field and put the 'bad guys' away despite the red tape. The book does not follow the typical autobiography format that most ex-cops use, and I for one was grateful of that. The author breaks down his career by crime types and major cases, and it maks for an easy, informative book.
Customer Reviews:
Good, if you forget it's Rex Stout.......2003-07-06
This is a good mystery, and the clue used to trap the murderer is very a la Agatha Christie. In fact, the whole novel is a la Agatha Christie. It seems almost as if it were written to show the general public that Cramer could indeed solve a case without Wolfe's help.
The story starts one month after a brutal crime has taken place. Val Carew has been scalped in the tomb/slightly unnatural shrine of his late Indian wife with, naturally, an entire houseful of guests.
Cramer is called home from a Canadian vacation to solve the crime. Then he disappears for 60 pages while we are introduced to the characters, their motives, alibis, and relationships with each other. Once he reappears, he solves the crime, albeit with some help.
The only problem with this mystery is if you expect it to read like a Nero Wolfe. Since that's what we primarily associate with Stout, that's what we expect from him. While this novel doesn't really disappoint the reader, it's just rather slow going because you expect Wolfe and Archie to pop up at any moment. As they never do, it's something of a disappointment, but if you just tell yourself at the beginning that the novel isn't written by Stout, but someone else, it's quite enjoyable fare.
More bologna than Saucisse Minuit.......1999-06-18
It comes as a surprise that Rex Stout, the master of dialogue and characterization, could have written this book. Simply put, Red Threads is dull. The writer tells us too much and shows us too little. The protagonist is little more than a bundle of mannerisms, lacking the spark of reality which enlivens Stout's more famous creations, Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe.
I was disappointed, and I don't recommend this book.
Cramer without Wolfe is like spaghetti without sauce..........1999-04-25
... it's sort of filling, but you feel a bit cheated, and you keep thinking how much better it would be *with* the sauce. It wasn't until about page 50 that I realised Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin wouldn't be turning up to save the day. This has all of Stout's fine plotting and craftmanship, but it doesn't have the dialogue and the characterisations that make the Wolfe novels such a joy. Even Cramer is a mere shadow of his usual self. If you're a fan of Stout's then of course you must have this, but to continue the food analogies that always seem so apposite when discussing his work, it's a bit like having to finish your vegetables before you can move on to the lovely dessert of the brownstone on West 35th Street.
Book Description
Joseph Wambaugh's Echoes in the Darkness and its subsequent TV dramatization have made household words of both Susan Reinert, the murder victim, and Dr. Jay Smith, a high school principal and her accused killer. Here is the first-hand account of Jay Smith's trial, sentencing, and ultimate acquittal, written by his defense counsel. Costopoulos will tell you how three key pieces of evidence ultimately surfaced, proving that the prosecution had falsified its case and overturning the verdict. As flamboyant on the page as in person, Bill Costopoulos will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
Customer Reviews:
Much better than Wambaugh.......2006-10-15
If Echoes in the Darkness was a novel, then it would be the better book. But the key test of nonfiction is truthfulness and accuracy. On that score, Wambaugh comes out third. (Engaged to Murder is better than EitD).
Read this book and watch how Wambaugh's pursuit of a good story ended up distorting our justice system.
He was a demon.......2004-04-13
I went to Upper Merion high school, the old one, where I was told the moview was made. It was a crime free great environment. My daughter went to Upper Merion, the new school, where Dr Smith ruled. She always hated to be sent to the principle's office because he would be sitting there in his underwear and smoking pot. He said bizzare things over the intercom. Things even the students thought were strange.
The strangest thing is that none of the kids told on him. They were too scared so they just gave him a wide bearth. If anyone belongs to still be in prison, it is he. He was lewd, a thief (Sears), sadistic drug addict. And not with just pot. He should still be in prison. I have no doubt he committed the crime himself. He would enjoy that.
An amazing story, masterfully written.......2002-05-09
This book is the conclusion to the part true, part fairy tale originally written by Joseph Wambaugh called "Echoes In The Darkness". Wambaugh traveled to Southeastern Pennsylvania in the early 80's to write a book about a school teacher who murdered and her children who have never been found. His book and influence and promises of money to State Police members actually helped convict two men and have one of them, a school principal, sentenced to death. The story seemed to end with the death sentence in 1986. However, lawyer William Costopolous was assigned to handle the appeal of the convicted principal Jay Smith. Six years later the truth began to be discovered - in a box in the attic of the Pennsylvania State Police's lead investigator on the case. Although I pause to recommend Wambaugh's book, it is easier to appreciate this incredible story if you read that book first then read Principal Suspect. If you only ever read oe more book in your life it should be Principal Suspect.
Not very convincing arguments.......2001-11-30
by Mr. Costopoulos, whose writing style is not bad but not compelling either. Unlike Wambaugh, who tried to provide a balance of information, Costopoulos is an advocate, and so he stresses the strengths in the evidence while ignoring the weak parts of his case. For example, he doesn't adequately explain the presence of the little green pin with the "P" worn by Karen Reinert in Jay Smith's vehicle (although it's obvious to anyone that Bradfield could easily have planted it; something not discussed by Costopoulos), nor does he even mention the fact that Jay Smith said he was home during the time frame of the murders and that the purchaser of his home was there, when she testified she wasn't, and was at the shore herself. Nor does he ever explain why he didn't call Bradfield to testify at Smith's trial, although the State didn't and the strategic reason for such an omission.
Nonetheless, new facts come out in this book that aren't mentioned in other publications on this murder mystery. For those who are interested in this baffling case, it is still a worthwhile addition to the collection of printed material available.
Whimpers in the Darkness.......2001-06-06
In comparison with Wambaugh's taut, suspenseful, brilliantly woven account of the Main Line murders, Costopoulos' book (which is bad enough on its own) seems all the worse. Costopoulos is not a good writer by any stretch of the term, and his arrogance and self-absorption certainly do not help his case. Some of the sentences in this book are so poorly crafted you almost shudder in embarrassment. If I had not read "Echoes in the Darkness" already, I would not have been able to follow what happened--this is how poorly and confusingly Costopoulos sets out the facts. The ONLY things this book has going for it are the pictures included of the actual people involved in the saga (sorely missing from Wambaugh's book) and an update on what has happened to some of these people since Wambaugh's book was published.
Book Description
Three old men die on a stormy November night: one by deliberate violence, one in a road accident and one by an unknown cause,
Inspector Pascoe is called in to investigate the first death, but when the dying words of the acident victum suggest that a drunken Superintendent Dalziel had been behind the wheel, the integrity of the entire Mid-Yorkshire CID is called into question.
Helped by the bright but wayward Detective-Constable Seymour, hindered by 'Maggie's Moron', the half-witted Constable Hector, Peter Pascoe enters the twilight and vulnerable world of the senior citizen - to discover that the beckoning darkness at the end of the tunnel holds few comforts.
Customer Reviews:
Has Fat Andy Become a Bent Bobby?.......2007-09-26
In this novel Reginald Hill tells a more concise and tighter story than the overblown behemoths he's been churning out in recent years. Shorter is better when it comes to crime fiction. It's funny, well-written, deftly-plotted, full of eccentric, crackling good characters, insightful stuff with a good understanding of human nature. Hill is darn near at the top of his form.
In the opening pages three men in their early seventies die under unfortunate circumstances. Fat Andy Dalziel is marginalized in the investigation because he is suspected of causing the death of one of these men who's been struck down in an auto accident. Was a heavily soused Andy the driver?
Dalziel's second in command, the better educated and more politic Peter Pascoe, is the star of this enterprise with a good assist from Detective-Constable Dennis Seymour who likes the ladies and his pints.
Old people do not fare well in this story. It's almost an anti-geriatric rant as in this quote: "People live a long time these days. Trouble is they don't stay young longer. They stay old longer."
Hill has created two brilliant characters in Dalziel and Pascoe, and we see how distinctive they are in this book. Pascoe trods the straight and narrow, and fat Andy incongruously teeters on the tightrope of what seems dodgy and felonious. Read it and have a good time whether you're young or old.
Nine Lives Too Many
The Daemon in Our Dreams
The Rice Queen Spy
Another Great Dalziel Pascoe Novel.......2007-06-29
I read it once, and just got it in the mail today after
purchasing it from a fine Amazon bookseller. I plan to
read it again. This time, with Large Print. Great book.
I LOVE Andy Dalziel :)
Hey out there! This is a great series!.......2006-11-28
The Dalziel and Pascoe series is a great series, and Reginald Hill is a smart and intelligent writer. This is the eighth or ninth book in this series, and it's probably one of the better ones in my opinion. The book starts with the death of three elderly gentlemen, and two looked like accidents, while one was definitely a murder. While Pascoe is trying to solve his murder, he begins to wonder whether or not one or both of the other deaths is related somehow. Hill's characters are wonderful, and he outdoes himself with this one with Pascoe's heart-rending search for the truth. And the end of the book is a total shock! What a wonderful story. It kept me guessing, and I was wondering about Andy all the way throug too.
Dalziel's motives may be suspect? ! **** A lighter mystery........2002-09-17
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Reginald Hill's Dalziel/Pascoe stories are unique, in that they vary from very light hearted (Pictures of Perfection) to grim and haunting, and even to the paranormal! This story is on the lighter side. The unusual twist is that Pascoe himself is forced to wonder whether, by driving under the influence, Dalziel has corrupted the investigation. The story ties together the threads of 3 different deaths on the same night. A newer character, Detective-Constable Seymour, assists Pascoe and Sgt Wield in the investigation. The completely clueless and luckless Constable Hector manages to hinder most of the help Seymour is providing. The story has some very funny moments despite the tragedy of the deaths of the three elderly victims. As always it is great when Mrs. Ellie Pascoe is a part of the story. And she is "present" in this one, although she's physically away, taking care of her own elderly father. The mystery is satisfying and the reader's natural suspicion of Dalziel's motives, and maybe even his integrity, actually enhances the plot. Well done.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
(For a sampling of the haunting, deeper side of Reginald Hill's Dalziel/Pascoe stories try "On Beulah Height: or "The Wood Beyond".)
Review.......2001-12-06
EXIT LINES (Reginald Hill, 1984) is a particularly good book, even by Reginald Hill's particularly high standards. It tackles the themes of death and ageing in both a humorous and a tragic way, showing the keen intelligence and humanity of the author.
The book opens with the deaths of three old men on a November night: as Detective Inspector Pascoe remarks, decidedly "not a good night for the old". One was murdered in his bathtub, his daughter arriving just in time to hear him gasp "Charley" and die; one died of exposure on playing fields, the discoverer of the body hearing him cry "Polly"; and the third murmured "Paradise! Driver... fat bastard...pissed!"-understandably so, for Superintendent Dalziel was in the car which hit him. The dying messages serve as clues as enigmatic as death itself, reinforced by the choice of dying words as chapter headings (great fun for those quotation spotters and spouters out there!). Police work uncovers connections between the supposedly separate cases-and police corruption hovering in the air, with Dalziel going on a shooting spree (of pheasants, that is)-"grand".
Reginald Hill shows himself as a keen observer of humanity, fascinated by the human race-but not becoming bogged down in Ruth Rendell's social conscience or P.D. James' bleak pessimism, but instead remembering that the writer's first duty is to the reader, to entertain. Take, for example, Ellie Pascoe's father's senility as an example of how to handle family background problems without intrusion: it is secondary to the plot, but is there as a play on the book's theme of ageing, and also serves to provide a vital clue. Characterisation is superlative, the reader really feeling sympathy for the characters, or despising those who view the old as a burden. Hill achieves this through a remarkable mixture of humour and genuine emotion, contrasting-but never clashing-humour with grief in succeeding paragraphs. Old age is really brought home to the reader by the senile dementia of Mrs. Escott, a genuinely pathetic and well-drawn character.
The whole-detective story, novel elements-culminates in a particularly neat and moving ending in which all the loose ends tied up, with both good clues and affecting murderers. This book shows Reginald Hill at the height of his powers-without any doubt the best of the modern writers of detective stories who are still writing.
Customer Reviews:
I like Ginger Barnes!!!.......1999-04-28
I really enjoy reading "cozies" and Ginger Barnes is a fun new (to me) addition to my favorites. Ginger is a smart, witty family woman and I think Donna Houston Murray does a fine job bringing the mystery into Ginger's life and making the situation one that she would naturally be trying to solve. After reading "Main Line", I purchased the rest of the series and I'm looking forward to spending more time getting to know Ginger and her family.
This is not great literature, but no one is trying to pass it off as such either. It's a fun book for a lazy Saturday or (my favorite) a couple of nights soaking in a nice hot bathtub.
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