Customer Reviews

Behind Eclaire's Doors (Eclaire Mysteries)

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

 

 

I love Sophie's books and I was excited about each one as she wrote them.

This, her first one, is fun, and _Bad Hair Day_ is probably my favorite. Her characters are witty and well-developed, and so in love.

I went to elementary, junior high and high school with Sophie Dunbar, aka Gwen Belk of Florida. It was a shock when her husband called me on Mother's Day, 2001, saying Gwen had died. I think about her every day and miss her, loads.

I'm glad she had the fun and satisfaction of a job well done in these charming mysteries.

This is the first Eclair mystery - recommended and quite good too. Its an easy read, a bit saccharine at times, but in the end I didn't really care whodunnit because it was pretty easy to figure out the 'whydunnit'.

Still there is an element of romance in it for people who like that. This is about Claire Clairmont (nee Jenner) and set in New Orleans against the class structure. Claire comes from the 'swamp rat' side of town, her ex-husband and soon to be husband again, Dan Clairmont, comes from among the wealthy and powerful.

There is an awful lot of set up to the story before the murder even happens. We meet Claire as she meets her husband, goes on honeymoon/work to France where, Quelle Horreur, a formula for a perfume, tres expensive, is stolen. Of course this sticks in the mind so when a French woman turns up in Claire's salon 'Eclaire', you know why she is there and what she is doing.

I know it is a picky thing, but this seemed to be a book about extreme privilege. Claire has everything - rich husband, who handily decks out her salon as a divorce present. She is beautiful, talented and has no weight problems at all despite eating like a horse throughout the book. I have to confess I much prefer the Kinsey Millhone/Stephanie Plum school of flawed detectives/women who also have a great sense of irony and so a good line in self deprecation at the same time.

Claire also has that annoying habit of not doing as she is told and deliberately hiding evidence from the police in order to pursue her own faulty investigation - which could put her in danger. Why do they always do that? It never rings true to me.

Anyway - this was a very easy read, has a nice happy ending -of course the murderer is only one of two people it could be so it isn't that unexpected in the end. An easy read for a wet Sunday really.

This book is quite a genre straddler. It is a satisfying read for romance lovers and mystery lovers alike. It is a sexy, sassy southern romp with great characters and attitude. I found myself laughing out loud at the slightly ribald one-liners which REALLY worked in this book. This is a fabulous book with a dynamite combination of charm and laughs, an engaging mystery and sexy romance. Dan and Claire Claiborne are my heroes! I can't wait to read the next installment.

As I began reading this book and absorbed Sophie Dunbar's fantastic descriptive narrative, I was gently transported to N.O. and the "old-new" South. I felt I could smell the smells, and hear the deep-Louisiana 'accents'. The mystery itself definitely kept me guessing. "Oh he did it! No, she did it! No, they did it!?!?!?!?!??" The type of book you want to sit down and read straight through. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself so involved with it that I finished it in a day. I'm looking forward to future books by this author.

I'd seen this book mentioned on a mail list I belong to and being a fan of Diane Mott Davidson and G.A. McKevett, I thought this book might appeal to me. It did and in a big way.

Ms. Dunbar's characters are believable and totally entertaining. Her dialogue is smart and sassy without being demeaning or crude. In one part, Claire delivers a scathing retort that had me mentally applauding her ability to reduce her victim to the size of an anthill all with the use of brilliant profanityless dialogue.

I thought I had the mystery figured out up until the end when the author threw a curve and the spicy, steamy on-again/off-again romance between her and her erstwhile hubby, Dan, is quite humorous.

Although this is the first book I've read by this author, I enjoyed it so much I am now reading the next in the series, Redneck Riviera, and plan to work my way through to her latest release, Shiveree.

I heartily recommend this book.

I'm definitley cheering for Dan

Claire and Dan are a couple who will grow on you. Their affection, love and loyalty for each other will be tested more than once in this introductory title of the Eclair mystery series.

Claire knows she loves him and thought he loved her, so why did she find him and a lively large breasted goddess nude under the moonlight? ...It takes humor and intelligence to solve this crime and survive this relationship... so the question is will they?

The first couple of chapters will introduce you to Claire, Dan, their family and friends. Stay with it and you will learn much more about them then you expect. The mystery has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and the backdrop of the beauty shop is unique.

This mystery not only provides us with a mystery, but also with enough sexual tension to make one blush.

I love books that are set in New Orleans, but even that didn't overcome the disappointment with this "mystery" novel. The mystery was pretty thin and fairly easy to figure out. It's actually a romance novel with all the required elements: physically perfect leading characters, a love affair with lots of delicately written sex scenes and the standard class difference between the poor heroine and rich hero.

While it was fun to read, I don't really like romance novels and the mystery left a lot to be desired. By the end of the book, I had already decided I didn't want to read any more of the series.

I love New Orleans, spent many a happy hour sitting in Cafe du Monde munching and sipping and watching the styles go by, but....I do not think I ever want to see another recipe or fashion description in a novel again. Kind of how I felt about cotton candy after spending a summer spinning it at a park. This is formula writing at its most predictable. Event, outfit, meal. Outfit, meal, event. You get the picture. This stretches out the murder plot which is cluttered with a romantic plot and cutsey remarks at a level even we male pigs would consider inappropriate in an upscale beauty spa. Where yat? Not here.

Prominent corporate lawyer Dan Clairborne is part of New Orleans' upper crust. Evangeline Claire Jennerette is a Cajun from the lowest levels of the caste system. When Dan and Claire meet sparks fly. The pair elopes and for the first few months of their marriage, passion rules. However, the heat quickly turns cold when Claire catches Dan in a compromising position with another woman.

Claire divorces Dan, but before the ink on the papers can dry, they are engaged again. This time they plan to get it right, starting with sexual abstinence. They are able to sublimate the urges when they become embroiled in the stabbing death of a manicurist who worked for Claire. Even as the murder is linked to a case Dan is working on in France, the couple begins to work on uncovering the link without getting killed in the process.

BEHIND ECLAIRE'S DOORS is a great entry in a wonderful series. New readers will be able to peruse this book without reading the previous novels, while fans will see the continuity flow smoothly. Sophie Dunbar demonstrates her immense talent with a classy true romantic mystery that includes a complex who-done-it and a steamy amour. The "Eclaire" mysteries are a smashing success.

Harriet Klausner