A Better Class of Murder (Lady Margaret Priam Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joyce Christmas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2000 | Series: Lady Margaret Priam Mysteries

For the first time ever, Lady Margaret Priam and Betty Trenka join forces--to solve a high-tech Manhattan murder among the very rich.

To her delighted surprise, suburban sleuth Betty Trenka finds herself ensconced in a luxurious New York City hotel--preparing to investigate the wealthy, ruthless computer entrepreneur Gerald Toth for her country neighbor, Ted Kelso. An expert tester of software programs, Ted has been offered a suspiciously large sum to approve Toth's top secret new brainchild.

But a murder on a foggy Connecticut beach ups the ante especially when an unmarked computer disk is found at the crime scene. Suddenly Betty and her newfound friend, the elegant Lady Margaret Priam, are surfing the social scene for a cunning killer--and playing real-life computer games where death is only a mouse click away. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

For the first time ever, Lady Margaret Priam and Betty Trenka join forces--to solve a high-tech Manhattan murder among the very rich.

To her delighted surprise, suburban sleuth Betty Trenka finds herself ensconced in a luxurious New York City hotel--preparing to investigate the wealthy, ruthless computer entrepreneur Gerald Toth for her country neighbor, Ted Kelso. An expert tester of software programs, Ted has been offered a suspiciously large sum to approve Toth's top secret new brainchild.

But a murder on a foggy Connecticut beach ups the ante especially when an unmarked computer disk is found at the crime scene. Suddenly Betty and her newfound friend, the elegant Lady Margaret Priam, are surfing the social scene for a cunning killer--and playing real-life computer games where death is only a mouse click away. . . .

About the Author

Joyce Christmas is the author of the popular Lady Margaret Priam mystery series, of which a quarter-million copies have been sold. She also writes the Betty Trenka mysteries: This Business Is Murder, Death at Face Value, Downsized to Death, and Mood to Murder. Ms. Christmas lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett; 1 Ballanti edition (November 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449150135
• ISBN-13: 978-0449150139
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,922,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery that is sheer pleasure to read, November 29, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Better Class of Murder (Lady Margaret Priam Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

In East Moulton, Connecticut, Elizabeth Trenka thought the last two fogged-in days were very gray turning her mood bleak. However, that changes when she reads the E-mail on her computer. Her neighbor, software programming test guru Ted Kelso offers her an opportunity to accompany him on a business trip to Manhattan. Xaviera Corporation's CEO Gerald Toth wants to hire Ted, but he is concerned that the product might be stolen. He wants Elizabeth to help him by gauging the integrity of Gerald while spending an all paid trip to a fancy Big Apple hotel.

Gerald's friend Lady Margaret Priam escorts Elizabeth around the city as a friendship has sprung up between them. However, unbeknownst to either of them, a killer recently murdered a woman named Xaviera on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. Could two women having a good time together in the big Apple be the next targets?

Either Joyce Christmas is a genius or lunatic. She takes the amateur sleuth stars from her two series (Lady Priam and Betty Trenka) and brings them together in a plot that leads to A BETTER CLASS OF MURDER. The story line is fun and enjoyable as both women stay in character yet work well together. Anyone who reads this merger novel will agree that Ms. Christmas has pulled off a coup and hopefully will not only have her two heroines star in their own tales, but come together again in a future story.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The author should be ashamed!, July 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Better Class of Murder (Lady Margaret Priam Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought Joyce Christmas foisted a pretty lousy book on her readers with "Going Out in Style," but "A Better Class of Murder" has to take the prize for being one of the most contrived, ridiculous and unbelievable plotlines ever conceived--one in which the murder is almost an afterthought to the list of restaurants, clothes, etc. It's pretty clear that Joyce Christmas has either lost her creative edge, or has found what she considers a good way to sell a few more books to unsuspecting readers...but she--and her publisher--ought to be ashamed! Do yourself a favor and skip this ...!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BETTER CLASS OF MYSTERY, June 3, 2001

By 

Kent Braithwaite (Palm Desert, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Better Class of Murder (Lady Margaret Priam Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Having had the great honor of sitting on the same author panel at the recent Left Coast Crime Mystery Convention as the legendary Joyce Christmas, I made it a point of reading A BETTER CLASS OF MURDER. In this mystery, Ms. Christmas brings her two series leads--Lady Margaret Priam and Betty Trenka--together for the first time. By having these ladies join forces, Ms. Christmas creates an adventure that is a thoroughly entertaining read. Each lady remains consistently in character as they solve a murder involving high-tech computing and the New York social elite. I enjoyed this book completely, and I recommend it highly.