Customer Reviews

The Alpine Nemesis

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I would have given this book 5 stars if it weren't for the ending. The Alpine series is a well-developed series of books with three-dimensional characters, vivid descriptions, humor, and excellent plot-lines. I always look forward to each new entry as I did this one. This book did not disappoint with regard to the above-mentioned characteristics. The citizens of Alpine are so realistic, I feel as if I know them, especially Emma and Vida. This book was a page-turner from beginning to end. So what's my problem? The ending. Without giving anything away, I felt that what happened was not true to the tone of the series or fair to Emma. Usually this series is more upbeat, a very attractive feature. However, the ending in this book was downright depressing, and I don't understand why it happened. If you're a die-hard Alpine fan, you may feel as I do about this part, but still enjoy the book. I do recommend it.

Emma Lord, owner and editor of the Alpine Advocate is furious, she's being scooped. Being the only paper in town, she's not used to that, but sincer Spencer Fleetwood - owner of the new radio station KSKY has come to town, she's no longer the sole sorce of local news.

It was bad enough when he scooped her on the disappearance of snowboarded Brian Conley several months before, but now it looks like he was going to do it on the biggest story to hit Alpine.

The three O'Neill brothers, Stubby, Rusty & Dusty are found dead in the freezer at Alpine Meats. Each of them shot.

Sheriff Milo Dodge suspects it might be their nemesis's the Harquist family. Their feud goes back years and started out with the flattening of the families pet goat.

But, it's while Emma's new reporter, Scott Chamoud starts shooting the crime scene the he wonders why there are four pairs of legs instead of three.

Shocking everyone was the discovery of the missing snowboarder, Brian Conley under the pile of bodies. Then the coroner says he had been stabbed to death and had been dead for several months. Where had he been all this time and how did he get into the meat locker? (Emma was pretty sure he didn't walk there.)

A lot of other strange things are happening in Alpine.

Milo discovery that the O'Neill's had an arsenal of weapons, including rocket launchers and grenades.

Brian's body is shipped back East to his family, but when the coffin gets there, the body is missing.

And why does everyone who dies recently suddenly want to be buried in Ireland?

Working together Milo and Emma solve the murder of the O'Neill's. But still aren't sure what happened to Brian.

Meanwhile, Tom Cavanaugh demands an answer from Emma and she finally says yes, she will marry him. They're riding on top of the Advocate float in the summer solstice parade when tragedy stikes.

The ending of this book was very difficult. I wouldn't normally say what happened, but it's already included in other reviews here, so if you don't want to know what happened, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

Tom Cavanaugh, is the father of Emma's son Adam. Tom married Sandra for her money and had an affair with Emma, got both women pregnant and stayed with Sandra. He didn't see Emma for the next 18 years. I've always disliked this character and I have really torn into him in my earlier reviews. Tom has asked Emma to marry him three differnt times and had dumped her each time. This was the fourth.

I've been dreading it, but I wanted Emma to realize that she wasn't really in love with Tom, but was living with a memory, in the almost 30 years, Emma & Tom probably only spent about 6 months together, (I'm not sure how long their original affair lasted, but the other two times were only a couple days each).

Emma has always had more chemistry with Milo Dodge than she has ever had with Tom. Heck, she has more chemistry with her ad manger Leo Walsh than she had with Tom.

The fact that he ends up dead and was a criminal (Running Guns To Ireland for the IRA is illegal) only makes it worse. Emma will probably never get over this, will go on wasting her life, just as she has for the past 30 years. Tom is now the dead lover who will be perfect.

I'm getting ready to read the Alpine Obituary and have just ordered the next one in the series. Had to spend the big bucks on a hard cover copy instead of the paperback. Couldn't wait for the paperback version to come out.

I've read all the books in Daheim's Alpine series and loved each of them . . . up until this one. The plot of Alpine Nemesis was great and the storyline, well developed, but the ending was unexpected, uncharacteristic, and downright depressing. Daheim's audience is probably ninety percent women, most of whom read for the sheer pleasure of escape from the realities of life. What was Daheim thinking when she wrote this book? I do not recommend Alpine Nemesis, and am very reluctant to read Daheim's next book in the series for fear that it'll be a downer like this one.

In the 14th outing in this fine cozy mystery series, 'Alpine Advocate' editor Emma Lord's life is changed forever. Emma must track down a multiple murderer, beat off news competition from the local radio station owner, and make a personal life-altering decision. A little darker than most of the earlier books in the series but filled with the same wonderful Alpine atmosphere, "Nemesis" is a strong outing for the plucky Emma and her creator, Mary Daheim. The book stands alone, but the reader can benefit from having read the earlier Advocate entries.

The Alpine series is fantastic reading. I have enjoyed all of the Emma Lord mysteries. The ending to this book, however, was disappointing to me. I had hoped that Tom would have just "one more family crisis" that would cause him to again leave Emma. Then, after struggling with all of her emotions from all of the years past, she would decide that she needed to move forward in her life without Tom, without looking back.

Being an avid reader of the Alpine series, I couldn't wait to sink my literary teeth into this new edition.
The first of many shocks came when Mary Daheim had the main character Emma Lord sabotaging her rivals car to scoop him on the murder story. vida and Milo stayed true to their persona, yet Leo seemed to have turned into a meek confused man who didn't know where his loyalties laid.
the ending is one that is fast becoming typical in the female mystery world and was highly disappointing.
Aside from all this... the writing is crisp and just as witty as all her previous works. Something is lacking in the story telling that makes you wonder if she just threw the ending together to meet a deadline.
Should you read this latest installment? YES! You need to take the good with the bad and the clear with the confusing to stay in touch with two of the craziest ladies, Emma Lord and Vida Runkel.

I love this series! The characters are like old friends. I will not spoil the ending, but will say I was happy about how the series has turned out!

Hard news is scarce in the small town of Alpine, Washington. This forces Emma Lord, owner and publisher of the weekly Alpine Advocate, to scramble to find a lead story for the front page. She thinks shes going to have to settle for putting a story about public toilets coming to Alpine, but thinks that stinks as a headliner.

Soon the biggest story to hit the small town starts breaking. The Hartquists and the ONeills have been feuding for generations, but nobody expected that the remaining Hartquists would kill the three ONeill brothers and put them in the butchers freezer. Emma gets the scoop and her front page story thinking that all thats left is to watch the Hartquists react during the trial. However, the story is just beginning and the subsequent events that take place in the pretty bucolic town will change Emmas life forever.

THE ALPINE NEMESIS is an exciting small town mystery starring a likable heroine and a fully developed cast of characters. Readers are given an inside look into small town living and how to run a weekly periodical. This is not a straightforward mystery but a tale with so many layers that, in actuality, it is a complex and totally absorbing read.

Harriet Klausner

I love the Emma Lord series. I also agree with another reader
that I also had hoped that Emma would tell Tom goodbye and go
on with her life. His death is an anti-climax. I hope she doesn't
mourn him for the rest of the series.

The 14th book in the Alpine series is a mixed bag of emotions. Overall, I wouldn't call this one of the best books in the series but it could have been.

The only thing saving Nemesis is the actual mystery. This is definitely one of the best stories Mary Daheim has written for this series. The clues that were found throughout the book made it difficult to put down. Also, it was nice to have back some of the humor that has been missing in the last couple books.

Emma's love life is one of my favorite aspects to this series. But in Nemesis, I thought I was reading a Harlequin book. As one other reviewer suggested, I would have preffered a different ending. A semi-original one perhaps? All I have to say is, Jackie O? Please Mrs. Daheim, let's move on from St. Tom!

I definitely suggest this book to Alpine devotees. The sleuthing is one of the best yet in this series. Entertaining and baffling. Also, there are a lot of important glimpses into the characters we have all grown to love AND hate. I would rate Nemesis higher if it were not for the teeny-bopper romance and violent unrealistic ending.