Bloody Ham [Paperback]

Brian Kavanagh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2007

Lights! Camera! Action! . Murder! A rollicking puzzle and a turmoil of personal relationships, some happy, some doomed, some downright evil. The third adventure for Belinda and Hazel continuing the pace and humour that readers have come to acknowledge and appreciate. Excitement and tension begin on the first day of filming a Restoration drama on location at the historic Jacobean mansion, Ham House in Surrey when one of the leading players collapses and dies. With the death ruled non-accidental the director, producer and members of the cast are all suspects. An award winning Hollywood star is brought in to replace the dead actor and Belinda is employed as her stand-in. When another member of the crew is found stabbed to death, Belinda is forced to prove her innocence. In all this tumult, Belinda finds herself torn between her long-time English lover, Mark and the energetic and exuberant Australian, Brad she met again on a trip to Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Bewrite Books (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905202539
• ISBN-13: 978-1905202539
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,192,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a lifetime making films, I have a new life writing books. No one is more surprised than I. Author of Belinda Lawrence mystery series, CAPABLE OF MURDER,
THE EMBROIDERED CORPSE,
BLOODY HAM,
A CANTERBURY CRIME.
Published by BeWrite Books.
I'm proud to have a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Film Editors Guild and an Australian Film Institute award for Best Editing for
the childrens film, Frog Dreaming, along with many nominations. Proud also of my first feature film, which I produced and directed, A City's Child, which won an AFI award for actress Monica Maughan and was invited to screen at the London Film Festival as well as Edinburgh, Montreal, Chicago and Adelaide, where it
won the Gold Southern Cross Advertiser Award for Best Australian
Film, all in the days when most of you were a mixture of multiplying cells, when the world hadn't heard of Australian films (apart from the dear departed, Chips Rafferty) and therefore was a neater and cleaner place. I am also a member of the Australian Society of Authors.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsive Page Turner, September 13, 2007

By 

Cyril Thomas (Dundee, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloody Ham (Paperback)

After "The Embroidered Corpse" and "Capable of Murder" Brian Kavanagh just cooked Bloody Ham and it is delicious for the voracious reader. For the fans of Belinda and Hazel this delightful book is something to cherish. Kavanagh is a master of ingenuity and cerebral humour. The characters in Bloody Ham, are dexterously delineated and the book is a scream from beginning to end. A great murder mystery and drama with a touch of humour. Just go out and get the book...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An old English mansion and murder, December 17, 2007

By 

Robert E. Keesey "WC Keesey" (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bloody Ham (Paperback)

An ancient English mansion, rich in history and filled with an acting cast ends up being a different kind of drama. A true mystery involving murder.

Belinda and Hazel are protecting the silver props, when the leading lady dies. Belinda is hired as a backup to the new actress brought in to replace the deceased.

Drama on film and in life, leads to more drama. While trying to solve not one, but two murders to save her own skin, Belinda has a personal drama. She has to make a decision about the men in her life.

A well written tale that comes at you from several different levels.

Review by Wanda C. Keesey (author of Lost In The Mist release date May 2008)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality you expect from Kavanagh, November 8, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bloody Ham (Paperback)

Reviewed by Vanessa Lee

Hazel Whitby follows her antique silver - and her latest lover - to Ham House, the location of a new movie shoot. She is joined by her friend and business partner, Belinda Lawrence, and they're both present when one of the stars dies. It looks accidental, but it's quickly ruled a murder, and when Belinda is asked to take the role of stand-in for the Hollywood star who takes over the part, figuring out "whodunit" becomes top priority.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of distractions, including clashing Hollywood egos, a long-time lover wanting commitment, and an old flame Belinda sort-of rekindled on her recent visit to Australia. Then there is another murder...and Belinda becomes a prime suspect.

Though some of the situations seem a bit contrived, overall Bloody Ham is a well-written cozy mystery with likeable and unique "detectives." They read like real people, complete with petty jealousy, commitment issues, and odd obsessions. They mostly blunder through the mystery, which is quite believable as well as entertaining and if the body count gets a bit high and the police presence seems a little low, well, no book can be perfect.

The mystery itself is well-done as well and fits together nicely. The way Belinda and Hazel solve it is also quite convincing, though it is curious why the police didn't do some of the things the ladies accomplish. They were mentioned as being involved, and yet there weren't any police officers as characters, which seems odd. It doesn't detract from the story, however, and it gave Belinda and Hazel the starring roles they deserved.

One particularly impressive thing was Kavanagh's use of setting - both the crazy Hollywood set as well as the actual location of Ham House. The two are at odds with each other and yet Kavanagh blends them together seamlessly and manages to use both to commit and solve the crimes. It adds flavor to the story that would be lacking if either element were removed.

Armchair Interviews says: Bloody Ham is a fun, unique read and we look forward to more of Belinda and Hazel in the future.