Accidental Murder [Paperback]

Claire McNab (Author), Claire McNab (Author)

Book Description

Series: Detective Inspector Carol Ashton Mystery | Publication Date: December 2002

When people with no obvious connections to each other are dying in what appear to be legitimate accidents -- a fall down the stairs, a single-vehicle car crash, a drowning in a hot tub -- nothing seems amiss. Until, Detective Inspector Carol Ashton receives a call from a private investigator who works for a number of insurance companies. Recently, several large life insurance policy pay outs seem questionable but there is no proof of wrongdoing. As Carol begins an investigation of the completely unrelated deaths, she realizes this could be the toughest case of her career and perhaps, one impossible to solve.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Claire McNab is the author of thirteen Detective Inspector Carol Ashton mysteries. She is also the author of three Denise Cleever thrillers. In her native Australia she is known for her crime fiction, plays, children's novels and self-help books. Now permanently a resident of Los Angeles, Claire teaches fiction writing in the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. She makes it a point to return to Australia once a year to refresh her Aussie accent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Bella Books (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931513163
• ISBN-13: 978-1931513166
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hopes Dashed, November 14, 2002

By 

Theresa Clare "islandgrrrl" (Winter Park, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Accidental Murder (Paperback)

Having read all titles in this series - and been frustrated by the last few -- I began this latest with high hopes. Hopes that Carol Ashton would finally begin putting together the experiences and lessons of the past and display some personal insight;. hopes that Carol and Sybil would finally have a real conversation about the nature of their relationship and feelings for each other; hopes that there would be a love scene that didn't read like "Slam, bang, thank-you-mam;" hopes that Carol would move from being the thoroughly frustrating character she became as the series progressed. I was much too optimistic (my fault, I admit) and once again had a mystery wherin I knew who the killer was pretty darn quick, .. The promise of the series best titles -- "Lessons In Murder,""Fatal Reunion," "Body Guard," and "Inner Circle" -- has been wasted. I gave No.14 three stars only because of the initial promise it showed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed - Again, February 24, 2003

By 

P. Bigelow (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Accidental Murder (Paperback)

Is it my imagination or is Carol Ashton becoming non-descript as she - and the series - grows older? There wasn't much to this book - not much plot, not much mystery, not much character development. I keep reading the books in this series because hope springs eternal - that Claire McNab will be able to find the writing skills she exhibited in the first three or four outings, that Carol Ashton will develop into a real person, that her character will grow and become interesting once again. But once again, I was disappointed.

If you want to read a decent book by Claire McNab, read her new series featuring Denise Cheever. That is where McNab seems to be putting her creative writing to best use these days.

3.0 out of 5 stars Getting worse, November 10, 2003

By 

"ripwoman" (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Accidental Murder (Paperback)

I feel like every other book in this series is decent, kind of like the Star Trek movies. This book is better than the last one but not by much. Claire McNab does have an annoying habit of ending her books rather abruptly. This one is no exception. I am tired of her "relationships" which have been boring since she broke up with Sybil for unrealistic reasons. The sex scenes (they don't seem loving enough to call them love scenes) are as abrupt as her endings. The mysteries really aren't very compelling & haven't been since about book 5. The other series isn't much better. I'm not sure what the deal is but the only people I care about in these books are her aunt & her cat.