The Alpine Traitor (Thorndike Mystery) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Mary Daheim (Author)

Book Description

Series: Thorndike Mystery | Publication Date: July 2008

In Alpine, Washington–Mary Daheim’s cozy hamlet in the Cascade Mountains–mystery fans can meet folks whose colorful quirks and welcoming manner make the town feel like home. Alpine’s bastion of bylines, Emma Lord’s weekly newspaper, The Alpine Advocate, is the current that drives the rumor mill of small-town life . . . and occasional death. But even the eagerly anticipated Advocate isn’t immune to the perils of the outside world.


THE ALPINE TRAITOR


Emma Lord is shocked to hear the outrageous news: The Advocate is embroiled in a takeover bid. Worse, the ruthless acquisitioners are the heirs of Emma’s longtime and tragically departed lover, Tom Cavanaugh. They have come to Alpine–to stay. Soon, battle lines are drawn and war is declared. Then the first casualty is discovered facedown at the Tall Timber Motel.

The victim is Dylan Platte, front man for the buy-out offer Emma turned down cold. Naturally, Emma is a prime suspect. Then it turns out that the dead man has a big surprise for the living–one that involves the glamorous Ginger Roth, a bodacious Alpine newbie who can perform the dumb blonde act in her sleep. Emma’s ever-inquisitiv a bullet, Emma and the rest of the e House & Home editor, Vida Runkel, plumbs her extensive grapevine, from the Burger Barn to the Venison Inn, determined to connect the dots. But when an Advocate insider is next to takeAlpiners make it their mission to find a killer.

Mary Daheim’s newest Alpine thriller throws an intriguing wrench into Emma’s domain, delighting fans with a generous helping of just deserts–in a town where secrets are everybody’s business.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Murder and mayhem once again rock the placid town of Alpine, Wash., in Daheim's 20th cozy to feature newspaper publisher Emma Lord (after 2007's The Alpine Scandal). When the two grown children of Emma's deceased long-ago lover, Tom Cavanaugh, offer to buy her paper, the Advocate, Emma refuses. Soon after leaving for Seattle for the weekend, Emma gets a phone call from Sheriff Milo Dodge, who tells her the driving force behind the attempted takeover, Tom's daughter's husband, Dylan Platte, has been murdered. A suspect herself, Emma joins Milo in the search for Dylan's killer. Not until violence strikes again, this time close to home, can Emma put the pieces together and come to terms with Tom, his family and her own painful past. An intriguing plot and the usual cast of lovable characters make this another winner. (Feb. 26)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

In this twentieth installment in the long-running series, small-town newspaper owner Emma Lord must deal with a buyout attempt from her former fiancé’s children as well as train an inept reporter in how to write for her weekly paper. When one of the would-be purchasers is murdered, Emma becomes a suspect and begins her own investigation, which prompts memories of her own fiancé, who left her pregnant and alone years ago. Emma is a likable, principled, caring character and an engaging narrator, and her account of the trials of running a small newspaper provides a fascinating frame. --Sue O'Brien --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 495 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (July 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410407543
• ISBN-13: 978-1410407542
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,578,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emma Lord is back, March 16, 2008

By 

T.B. Grant (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Alpine Traitor (Emma Lord Mysteries, No. 20) (Hardcover)

The Alpine series is a delight and I look forward to each outing. Emma Lord is back in another wonderful mystery set in Alpine, Washington. Tom Cavanaugh's family comes to town and starts trouble for Emma and her staff at the Advocate, and turmoil erupts.

I won't go into detail about the plot of the book, but I will say this is another winner in the long-running Alpine series. However, I agree with a few other fans that Ms. Daheim should retire her bed-and-breakfast adventures and focus her attention on this mystery series. Although I have read only one book in the B&B series, "Just Desserts," I prefer the books with Emma Lord and her friends in Alpine, Washington. The characters are more developed, interesting and three-dimensional.

I look forward to Daheim's next Emma Lord capers. Although the town of Alpine, Washington is homey and fun to read about, I tire of the atmosphere and can only hope Daheim takes Emma far away from her hometown, like she did in THE ALPINE ESCAPE and THE ALPINE JOURNEY.

T.B. Grant
3/16/2008

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still An Excellent Series, April 7, 2009

By 

A Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alpine Traitor (An Emma Lord Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's amazing that after 20 installments, this series is still going so strong -- especially when the author's B&B series is so awful.

This book was hard to put down and kept you turning pages until the end. I do admit that Emma got a bit annoying with her wussiness about her new reporter and her constant whining every time she didn't get an e-mail, or enough attention, from Adam. And Vida was her usual annoying, buttinsky self. But these things weren't enough to detract from the story.

One of the best things about this series is the way the characters and the town come to life. And it's not just the major characters like Emma, Vida and Milo -- it's the minor characters that only pop up now and then but whom you feel like you know after so much time.

I'm sad that it looks like there'll only be six more books before the series concludes. I've enjoyed visiting Alpine for so long and hope the author can find a way to let me continue to visit.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visitors from Emma's past, March 3, 2008

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Alpine Traitor (Emma Lord Mysteries, No. 20) (Hardcover)

Emma Lord is shocked when the children of her deceased fiance, Tom Cavanaugh, try to take over her small-town newspaper, the Alpine Advocate. She is determined to resist the takeover and is disappointed that Tom's children are so hostile to her. There is a murder and a shooting and suddenly Emma and her employees begin to fear for their lives. This 20th. book of the Emma Lord Mystery Series has all of the usual characters, from Emma's son, Adam, to her eccentric sidekick, Vida. The plot is somewhat convoluted and keeps the reader guessing until Mary Daheim chooses to reveal the bad guys at the end of the book. This is another good entry in this long-running series.