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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great cosy, October 31, 2004
This review is from: Buried By Breakfast (Hemlock Falls Mysteries) (Paperback)
March is normally quiet time for the manager and co-owner of the Inn at Hemlock Falls Sarah "Quill" Quilliam and for her sister co-owner and Chef Meg. However, this year the Inn hosts a sequestered jury working the case of Rocor vs. Meecham. Six jurors, the flamboyant Judge Moody, his bodyguard, and the court liaison are the only guests at the Inn, but this entourage keeps the siblings hopping trying to satisfy their outrageous demands. Meanwhile the town is coping with Corliss Hooker who is going to ridiculous lengths to stop Ferris Rodman, owner of Rocor Construction, from relocating a Civil War Cemetery so that he can build a golf course at its present site.
Soon after Corliss asks to speak with the Judge, Moody is found murdered; Quill is eager to find out who killed him. She hopes it is Ferris Rodman, who is supposedly planning to build an inn to rival that of the sisters. Quill convinces businesswoman Marge Schmidt to break into Rodman's trailer hoping to find dirt on him, but they get caught. Rodman agrees to not press charges and admits he plans to build an inn by the proposed golf course. The next day Marge asks Quill to help her find her ex husband Buddy who was supposed to meet them at the inn, but when they do he has been decapitated. Quill thinks the murders are connected, but struggles to find the missing link.
A "Hemlock Falls" mystery is always a great reading experience and BURIED BY BREAKFAST is no exception. Claudia Bishop writes an enthralling amateur sleuth mystery with so many suspects mostly guests that readers will not guess who the perpetrator is. The siblings and Marge remain solid protagonists in this highly recommended novel and series.
Harriet Klausner
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sequestered jury and murder, February 14, 2005
This review is from: Buried By Breakfast (Hemlock Falls Mysteries) (Paperback)
It's the slow season at the Inn of Hemlock Falls. So, Meg and Quill are happy to have the sequestered jury. That is until they get all the requirements for having them stay there. There are only six jurors, the judge, his bodyguard, and the court liaison, but they keep everyone hopping with their demands.
Corliss Hooker is the head of protestors called "Friends of the Dead" They are trying to stop Ferris Rodman, owner of Roncor Construction, from relocating the Civil War cemetery to build a golf course. Then Corliss is found murdered in the cemetery. He is clutching a piece of paper that brings Quill into the investigation.
Quill starts hearing rumors of a large hotel being built in town. She and Marge end up doing some late night investigation to find out more. Plus Marge's ex-husband Boomer is in town. No one even knew she was married before. One morning Marge asks Quill to help her find Boomer as he didn't show up for their meeting. He is apparently dependable to be where he says he will be. Unfortunately they find he's had an "accident" and has been decapitated.
Quill begins to wonder if the two murders are related. She begins digging to try to find the link. She ends up putting herself in danger before unmasking the killer.
I love this series. Meg and Quill are so likeable. I would love to be able to stay at the Inn and get to know everyone in town. It sounds like the type of place you would love to visit, except for all the murders.
Not only are the setting and characters wonderful, the plot and pacing are great too. There are always plenty of suspects so that it is difficult to figure out who the killer is before the author uncovers it through the story. I highly recommend this book.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well plotted but too slow for my taste, July 19, 2005
This review is from: Buried By Breakfast (Hemlock Falls Mysteries) (Paperback)
This is my first book by this author, and although I enjoyed the cozy part of this mystery, I just couldn't get into the story. It took way too long for the pace to pick up (like the last 50 pages?) and the rest of the time I had trouble getting into the book.
The "detective" in this series is a woman ("Quill"), an artist who runs an upscale inn in the Ithaca, NY area with the help of her gourmet chef sister Meg. Quill has a reputation for solving mysteries.
This book begins with a group (a generous word considering how small the group is) picketing to stop a developer from moving a Civil War era cemetary. At the same time, there's a big trial about to begin and for not very credible reasons, the judge decides to sequester the jury -- and Quill is talked into giving them rooms at a low rate because it's off season. Suddenly, the inn is filled with people involved with the trial not to mention various townspeople dropping by, including a strong-willed local woman who is set on getting a volunteer police department going. Eventually there's a murder, and then another, and Quill is trying to find the killer because she has little confidence that the local police will be able to (she believes they need her help and are subtly asking for it).
This book ranks low on credibility (the coincidences are truly amazing) and pacing, and high on coziness. If you buy the coincidences, the plotting makes sense. I was not entirely surprised at the perpetrator, but then I read a whole lot of mysteries. I really don't think I'll read more in this series, however -- just not my cup of tea, I like them with a faster pace. If you like cozies, however, you may very well love this series.
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