Customer Reviews

The Alpine Vengeance: An Emma Lord Mystery (Emma Lord Mysteries)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE ALPINE VENGEANCE (2011) by Mary Daheim is the 23rd book in the Emma Lord mystery series, also one of my favorites so far. Not only did I feel in the company of old friends as I read all 320 wonderful pages, but I enjoyed seeing all the the threads of the plot come together at the end of the story. I have to admit my favorite coming together was that of two of Alpine's leading citizens, but I won't say who in this review.

It is always amazing to me how the author can continue to think up yet another mystery involving the residents of the small mountain town in Washington State. It does help that the first families of the town represent many generations. Mary Daheim is herself descended from residents of the original old logging town of Alpine that existed during the early 1900's, but no longer does. I'll bet it was never as exciting in Alpine then as it is these days, at least not in the same way.

In THE ALPINE VENGEANCE, a member of one of the old Scandanavian families called Petersen, owners of the local bank, has died in prison while serving a sentence for killing his sister Linda. Larry Petersen's motive for killing his sister was presumed to be because she had been chosen to be the bank President when their father retired instead of him. The brother and sister were supposed to have had an argument which resulted in her death.

Before Larry Petersen's death, Sheriff Dodge received three anonymous letters claiming that Larry's conviction had been a mistake and that he hadn't killed his sister. After his death, Emma received one more of the letters at the Alpine Advocate newspaper, where she worked as the publisher and editor. This fourth letter threatened another death if Linda's real killer failed to be exposed and Larry's name cleared.

While Milo and Emma are trying to sort out this mystery, there are other crimes to find culprits for. Who is cutting down so many of the town's maple trees and poaching their wood? Who shot Alpine's reclusive artist, Craig Laurentis? Besides trying to answer those questions, Emma is also trying to guarantee herself a happier holiday over Christmas than she experienced at Thanksgiving.

I would give THE ALPINE VENGEANCE 5 stars.

I have read all the books in the "Emma Lord" mystery series. I have enjoyed all of them, but Mary Daheim has really out-done herself in this one. I couldn't put it down, and can't wait for the next installment!

Ten years ago, Larry Petersen was convicted for the murder of his sister Laura in a bank dispute (see The Alpine Fury). However, someone insists Larry is innocent and has sent anonymous letters claiming someone else provided a deathbed confession to Alpine, Washington Sheriff Milo Dodge and Alpine Advocate editor Emma Lord. Emma asks her House & Home editor, Vida Runkel if the confessor's name means anything to her, but the Cascade Mountain town gossip queen says no.

Although Larry dies in prison from congestive heart failure just after insisting to his son he did not kill his sister, the anonymous author continues to send letters demanding justice be served. As Emma and Milo discuss the letters, poachers are raiding maples in the forests and someone kills artist Carl Laurentis just after he delivered a work to an art gallery.

This is an exhilarating mystery that has Milo and Emma hopping between The Alpine Fury (published in 1995) cold case and a new homicide during Thanksgiving in the Cascade foothills. The story line is action-packed, but the personal stuff will slow down new readers unfamiliar with the light switch relationship between the sheriff and the editor. However, long term fans will relish the whodunit ties between entries twenty two and six, and the personal references to the pasts of the lead characters.

Harriet Klausner

I have read all the books in the Alpine series and this is a great one. Loved reconnecting with the characters. I will continue to always buy these books. Do yourself a favor and do the same

I've read nearly the entire series and this book read as well or better than the other books in the Emma Lord series. As a "local" to the area her books take place in, I love to imagine how the area could have been and what it would have looked like.

I like the Alpine series and have read each in this long series with its ups and downs. I left Daheim's Bed and Breakfast series awhile ago. This book just did not come up to the level of her previous books. It was stilted especially in her solidifying a relationship between Emma and Milo. The main character is in her 50's, is worried about how her priest brother will react even though she had a child with a married lover who was later murdered. That 'bastard' child later became a priest (is that even possible?) and so many details that distracted from the fact the plot was thin. The dialogue was just ridiculous and Emma just was all a twitter with her longings. Hmmm. I think the only reason to continue with this series is that its almost over. Sorry Daheim fans.

I usually love this series but I found this installment very disappointing.

I read "Fury" many many years ago and didn't remember a thing about it. I felt the author did a really poor job of tying the present story to the past one so people who either hadn't read the other story, or who hadn't read it in a long time, would have a better concept of what was going on. Because I remembered nothing about the Peterson family or what happened, I felt lost much of the time and ending up not really caring about what happened to any of them.

And while I've been an Emma/Milo fan since the beginning, I really didn't care for the way the author seemed to rush this relationship into something it's never been. It felt like she suddenly realized she only has four more books to go before the series ends so she had to hurry this thing along in order to be able to use it or tie it up before the series ends. I really didn't even recognize either character, or all the supporting characters, in regards to this relationship.

Hoping "W" is better.

Having read all of the books in this series this gets back to the quality of the first dozen or so.

After reading all Ms Dahiem's books up to this point, her quality never waivers, in my mind. The characters are funny and engaging and while these are "cozies" in terms of genre, they offer more substance than most series of similiar ilk.
Emma and Milo and Vida are on the trail for answers of who actually killed a person years ago, when the accused dies in prision. The clues lead many places and in this one i was sort of surprised who it was.
I like that Ms. dahiem doesn't cloud the novel with too much romance either. Emma and Milo have a relationship but it's not hearts and flowers and it doesn't intrude on the plot as one tends to see in many of female sleuth series.
I look forward to the next installment of this series.

While I enjoy many cozy series, this is my favorite. The main characters have their flaws, but that makes them more real. The setting is wonderful and seems so like many mountain towns we know. That said, I do believe that these books are best enjoyed if they are read in order. There is enough background that allows a reader to just drop in, but the full experience is richer. I am glad I reread the first 6 before I read Vengeance. I strongly recommend rereading Fury before Ven.