Customer Reviews

Arson and Old Lace: A Far Wychwood Mystery

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

That's high prize given that she's only published this one book, but this book was excellent. After 50 pages or so, I couldn't put it down.

I suspect that the author was writing with her tongue firmly in cheek -- having fun with all the conventions of the English Cozy Mystery (including the rustic gardener whose English is almost incomprehensible because of a heavy rural accent and the manor house), and yet she has a vicar who confounds all the conventions of the "cozy" -- he's young, abrasive, and doesn't fit in. He wants to tear down the old church and build a modern worship center!

The plot involves an older American woman, Catherine Penny, who has moved to a picturesque cottage in the Cotswolds following her divorce. She has a daughter and grandchild in England, and after her husband's betrayal, feels the need to start over somewhere new. The picturesque cottage is marred only by a decrepit cottage across the road, inhabited by the hermit-like and cantankerous George Crocker -- who Catherine insists upon trying to help. Meanwhile, she gets to know all the stock characters of the English cozy, including the people who live in the manor house and the woman who runs the village shop.

She has hardly begun to settle in before there is a murder -- she has difficulty convincing anyone that murder has taken place because murders aren't supposed to happen in this little village. She sets out (driven by a sense of justice?) to discover who the killer is. Meanwhile, she's trying to care for her daughter's toddler, and butting heads with her daughter in the process -- so Catherine's personal life is intertwined with her detective work. I also was surprised by the ending -- totally -- something that doesn't happen very often -- and yet it all made sense (no holes in this plot!)

This book quickly developed into a real page turner, because it is well written and carefully plotted -- and because you care for and like Catherine. I can hardly wait until the next book to come out, but will have to wait for over a year!

I enjoyed this book very much. It has all the best aspects of an English cozy: a good mystery that keeps you guessing, very enjoyable characters living in a quaint village setting, and of course wonderful descriptions of the beautiful English countryside. I felt like I was taking a trip to the Cotswolds everytime I picked it up. I also enjoyed how the author wrapped everything up nicely in the end. I look forward to reading many more books in this series. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next one!

This is the first installment in a brand new series by a new authour (Patricia Harwin), and what a thoroughly enjoyable read "Arson and Old Lace" proved to be! Set in a small little village just outside Oxford (Far Wychwood), "Arson and Old Lace" fits comfortably within the parameters of what an English "cozy" should be. Patricia Harwin obviously knows exactly what ingredients should go into an English "cozy," as well as what to add/change so that "Arson and Old Lace" manages (and rightly so) to come across as something fresh and vibrant. I enjoyed reading this mystery novel immensely and am feeling really both disappointed and impatient since I will have to wait a whole year in order to be able to read the next Catherine Penny mystery novel.

Bitter, angry and saddened by her sudden divorce, sixty-something Catherine Penny has decided to leave her old life in New York City behind her and move into a charming little 17th century cottage at Far Wychwood, near Oxford. Of course Catherine won't be really all alone since her daughter, Emily, and her family lives there as well. Determined to put the memory of her failed marriage and her ex-husband, Quinn, behind her, the very notion of moving to another country definitely had its appeal. But Catherine is little prepared for the odd characters that she encountered in her new home. People like her immediate neighbour, senile old George Crocker, who seems to have been left to cope with things all by himself by both his family and the village; or the zealot-like new vicar, Ian Laribee, who seems intent on removing all signs of the village church's historical past. Fortunately most of the villagers seem to be nice and welcoming, and Catherine soon begins to feel that her decision to immigrate was the right one.

That is until old George Crocker is found dead in his burning cottage. Thanks to Catherine, the police quickly discover enough evidence to conclude that George was murdered. You'd think that having convinced the police that old George had been murdered would have been enough for Catherine, but Catherine finds that she has a burning urge to discover for herself who had murdered George and why. But in a village that goes back hundreds of years and where the villagers all seem to have roots that also go back as long, Catherine just might dig up more than she has bargained for...

I love English "cozies" and it was a real treat to discover "Arson and Old Lace." The story was a good one, dealing evenly with how Catherine tries to cope with her hurt over the breakup of her marriage; the difficulties she faces with her daughter, Emily; how she adapts to life in Far Wychwood, and how she keeps finding herself deeply involved in trying to unmask George's murderer. The pacing was even and fairly swift -- nothing got bogged down -- and there was enough plot twists and red herring suspects so that mystery buffs shouldn't feel too shortchanged. "Arson and Old Lace" is wonderful first installment in a brand new series that is worth recommending that everyone buy/read and keep an eye out for future installments. This truly was an excellent buy and read.

Patricia Harwin's "Arson and Old Lace" is more than a nice cozy Cotswold mystery. The 60-something heroine, Catherine Penny, is dealing with her feelings of being dumped by her husband, her attempts to settle into her new home and new lifestyle, while being barely "tolerated" by her daughter, snarled and grumped at by some of her new neighbors, and finding that living in a small English village is like living under a microscope.

Penny does prevail in making herself a new home, bravely meets most of the challenges (although personally, I would have liked her to be less meek around her daughter), and determinedly fumbles around trying to figure out the mystery of her curmudgeonly neighbor's death until she succeeds.

The book's ending was not predictable - a pleasant surprise, thanks to some neat little twists and turns of plot. Thank you Ms. Harwin!

However I could only give the book 4 stars since I was still disgusted that by the end of the book Penny was still trying to conform to the "ideal" grandmother image her daughter has - one where apparently emotions are to be kept under tight control ala Queen Victoria. humpf

After more than two decades of marriage, Catherine Perry had no idea that her husband was seeing another woman or that he wanted a divorce so he can cohabitate with his new Barbie doll. After the divorce was finalized, Catherine could no longer live in New York City with the memories all around her. She moves to the quaint English village of Far Wychwood so she could spend quality time with her daughter, her English son-in-law, and especially her grandson.

Her cottage is lovely if isolated and her nearest neighbor is irascible George Crocker an irritating old man who Catherine rescued when his curtains caught on fire. She becomes immersed in village life and is upset that the vicar is having the historic cross in the cemetery moved so a youth center can be built. When the digging starts, the buried skeleton of a murdered man is found and a few days later, George's house catches fire. Catherine drags the body out and sees that it was arson to cover up a murder. Her inquisitiveness brings her to the attention of a murderer who has killed twice and will not hesitate to kill again.

ARSON AND OLD LACE is the first installment in an exciting new English cozy series that is an enthralling mystery. The delightful way the sleuth brings the doings of the villagers to life is absorbing and colorful. Readers get a real feel for the intimacy inherent in such a lifestyle while also adoring the sixty year old heroine, dumped by her husband for a younger model. Patricia Harwin is a gifted storyteller and readers will want to continue reading this colorful series.

Harriet Klausner

After reading the first few pages online, I couldn't wait to buy the book. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop and I wish the story had been much longer. Today I'm buying Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow. If there is such a thing as a comfortable murder mystery, Patricia Harwin knows how to write a darn good one.

As a librarian and lifelong Anglophile I found myself envying Catherine's move to a country village in Oxfordshire, then admiring her as I read further and became caught up in the mysteries. This story became better and better the more I read, and I find it astonishing that this is a first novel. Tomorrow morning I will be searching the catalog for Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow. I can't wait to spend more time in Far Wychwood!

I was so disappointed to find that the next book in the series won't be out until Fall of 2005! I sooo don't want to wait that long. I enjoyed the characters so much, I had a hard time putting it down.

For another series on an American ex-pat middle-aged lady sleuth, try the Dorothy Martin series by Jean M. Dams. I could curl up with Dams and Harwin 'till the cows come home!

On the basis of an Amazon recommendation, I picked up the second in the Far Wychwood mysteries. By the second chapter, I realized this was a jewel of writing, put it down, and bought Arson and Old Lace--first things first.

As to why I like the series:

First, the author does not waste words. Verbosity is a pet peeve of mine.

Second, the dialogue is witty and believable. The main character has been dumped by her husband of many years and decides to move to England, near her daughter. She gifts her friends with her possessions, keeping only "a modicum of clothing, and the books, CDs, and the photo albums"--my kind of person. In short, she is a charming eccentric.

Third, with titles like Arson and Old Lace and Slaying Is Such Sweet Sorrow, the books deserve to be read.

The constant theme in the favorable reviews of "Arson and Old Lace" is that readers can't wait for the next book, "Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow" in this brand new series by Patricia Harwin.

The writing is superb and the plot and outcome take some unexpected twists. Moreover, I found the main character, Catherine Penny, to be so realistic and indicative of older women in our society today. After a long, successful marriage, she has abruptly been left by her attorney husband for a younger woman. She is angry and bitter, but is also determined to get on with her life and start anew. Moving to England to live in a small English village that she fell in love with when they visited their daughter, Catherine has wiped the slate clean. She looks forward to being near her daughter and grandson and is charmed by her new village cottage. What she isn't prepared for are the memories that sometimes overwhelm her of the times that she spent with her husband there. She isn't expecting the murder and mayhem that the sleepy, tranquil village awakens either!

I personally loved how her daughter Emily was portrayed. Her daughter has always kept her emotions in check and cannot fathom why her mother cannot do the same. Emily is a new mother and a take-charge psychotherapist who has very definite ideas on child rearing. Many of these ideas are "unrealistic," but so true of some new mothers! Especially since Emily is assertive and maybe a little bit of a control freak. She is totally consumed with her new son and is pretty uptight about how he should be raised. The one area that made me dislike Emily, somewhat though, was her totally disregard when her mother was almost killed. However, I can also understand that many people mask their fear with anger instead. So even though it didn't make me fond of her, I found it to be very realistic.

I think that Catherine Penny is in a niche that would appeal to all readers, but especially readers in their 20's and up. If you have to read about beautiful, young heroines with torrid love interests in each chapter, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy reading about a mature woman with realistic dialogue and plot, as well as a clever and enjoyable mystery - you will join the ranks of Patricia Harwin's fans.

Ms. Harwin: Write faster! Take care of your health! If you smoke - please stop! Eat your veggies and get plenty of exercise because I want you to write novels for many years to come! An excellent, excellent first novel!