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Cold and Pure and Very Dead (Karen Pelletier Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joanne Dobson (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Karen Pelletier Mysteries October 2, 2001
The Agatha Award-Nominated Author of Quieter Than Sleep

Professor Karen Pelletier has made a name for herself as one of the leading scholars of literature at exclusive Enfield College. But when an offhand comment sets off a firestorm of controversy, she finds herself embroiled in a scandal that began with a notorious novel from the 1950s — and ends with a very real murder....

When a New York Times reporter ends an interview with Karen by asking her to name the best novel of the twentieth century, she glibly picks the steamy potboiler Oblivion Falls, a long-forgotten tome that caused a sensation forty years ago.

After Karen’s comment renews interest in Oblivion Falls, the book quickly climbs onto the bestseller charts — and now everyone wants to know what became of the book’s long-vanished author, Mildred Deakin. The reporter who broke the story finally tracks her down — and is rewarded for his efforts by being shot dead in the writer’s driveway.

When Mildred is arrested for murder, Karen feels obligated to investigate further. And what she discovers, as she probes the long-forgotten publishing drama surrounding Oblivion Falls, is almost as shocking as the book itself — and far more deadly.

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Cold and Pure and Very Dead (Karen Pelletier Mysteries) + The Raven and the Nightingale + The Northbury Papers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fans of Amanda Cross’s delicious academic mysteries really must meet Professor Karen Pelletier!”
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

“Amanda Cross, move over. There’s a new literary mystery novelist in town.”
Great Neck Record

“Dobson’s sparkling tale lures readers through enough bait-and-switch red herrings to guarantee a riveting curiosity about who’s who.”
Kirkus Reviews

“For a modern mystery of academic proportions, you can’t beat Joanne Dobson’s series!”
Mystery Lovers Bookshop News


Don’t miss these other books in Joanne Dobson’s acclaimed series
featuring Professor Karen Pelletier:

The Raven and the Nightingale

“Richly textured ... witty and withering.”
Mystery Lovers Bookshop News

Quieter Than Sleep
Nominated for the Agatha Award

“A truly stunning academic mystery.”
Mystery Lovers Bookshop News

The Northbury Papers

“One of the year’s best mysteries.”
Salon magazine

From the Inside Flap

The Agatha Award-Nominated Author of Quieter Than Sleep

Professor Karen Pelletier has made a name for herself as one of the leading scholars of literature at exclusive Enfield College. But when an offhand comment sets off a firestorm of controversy, she finds herself embroiled in a scandal that began with a notorious novel from the 1950s ? and ends with a very real murder....

When a New York Times reporter ends an interview with Karen by asking her to name the best novel of the twentieth century, she glibly picks the steamy potboiler Oblivion Falls, a long-forgotten tome that caused a sensation forty years ago.

After Karen?s comment renews interest in Oblivion Falls, the book quickly climbs onto the bestseller charts ? and now everyone wants to know what became of the book?s long-vanished author, Mildred Deakin. The reporter who broke the story finally tracks her down ? and is rewarded for his efforts by being shot dead in the writer?s driveway.

When Mildred is arrested for murder, Karen feels obligated to investigate further. And what she discovers, as she probes the long-forgotten publishing drama surrounding Oblivion Falls, is almost as shocking as the book itself ? and far more deadly.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (October 2, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553580027
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553580020
  • Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wearing my creative hat (as distinct from my scholar's mortarboard),I am the author of the Professor Karen Pelletier academic mystery novels. In both my fiction and my scholarly work on 19th-century American women writers, I am fascinated with the past. Maybe that's because I sometimes feel as if I have lived in three different centuries. Born in New York City in the middle of the 20th-century, I spent all my summers at my grandmother's remote, 19th-century non-electrified home in northern New Brunswick, Canada, carrying wood for the stove, pumping water for the laundry, each morning disposing of the unmentionable contents of something I thought was spelled "p-o-e," but was really spelled "p-o-t" (as in chamber ...)and pronounced in the French manner for reasons of discretion. Now, in the 21st century, I am writing novels whose mysteries are often based in the past. DEATH WITHOUT TENURE is the most recent, published by Poisoned Pen Press in January 2010.

 

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An obscure book leads to murder, October 6, 2002
By 
Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Cold and Pure and Very Dead (Karen Pelletier Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
While being interviewed by a NYT reporter Dr. Karen Pelletier states her opinion that the best book of the 20th century was an obscure book from the fifties, called Oblivion Falls. It was based on a true scandal in a college town. The author disappeared a few years later never to be heard from again. After the interview, sales of the book skyrocketed, and the reporter searched for Mildred Deakens, the author. He found her and ended up dead in her driveway. Millie was arrested, but claims to be innocent. Letters from her to Karen have been stolen, and there are rumors about her and a visiting writer.

This is a very good addition to the series. All of the characters from the previous novels have been developed more fully and so has Karen's relationship with Lt. Piotrowski. I really loved this one and finished it in one sitting.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery series, November 20, 2011
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This is the first in a really great mystery series involving an English professor. The characters are great. The mysteries are very interesting and always involve some sort of literary puzzle. And the satire of academia is very entertaining. How does anyone take that literary jargon seriously?

Great books!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Another Baltimore novel, October 13, 2010
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This review is from: Cold and Pure and Very Dead (Karen Pelletier Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have enjoyed reading the Karen Pelletier series of academic so much that I cannot wait to get them all read. They are not all on the Kindle but I have purchased 4 in paperback from Amazon. These books never cease to entertain me or captivate me. I have a B.A. degree in English and Karen has a Ph.D. I often wonder how my life would have changed like Karen's if I had pursued a Ph.D. as she did.
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