Conch Shell Murder [Large Print] [Paperback]

Dorothy Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2004

Newly licensed Private Detective Katie Hasworth faces her first murder case with more than a little anxiety - not only is she a newcomer, but the Chitting family would give Sherlock Holmes a migraine. Who murdered Alexa Chitting before she had time to change her will, leaving her fortune to the Key West Preservation Society rather than to friends and family? Her husband? Lover? Daughter? Katie faces more questions than answers as she faces the dangers awaiting her as she solves his murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the wake of a traumatic classroom shooting, teacher Katie Hassworth turns private detective in Francis's stylish, fast-moving adult mystery debut, set in Key West. When an intruder bludgeons prominent entrepreneur Alexa Chitting to death with a conch shell in what appears to be a drug-related robbery at Alexa's marina office, the victim's daughter gets her close friend Katie to investigate. With her partner, Mac McCartel, away on another assignment, the less-than-secure Katie must do her best to crack her first case on her own. Conflicts over an endangered salt pond, an affordable housing project and a sudden change of will beneficiaries provide a murder motive for everyone from the panhandler selling information to the stunningly efficient manager of the Department of Community Affairs. An attractive and intelligent sleuth, Katie thoroughly explores all leads, albeit considerably distracted by the attentions of the town's tanned and handsome mayor, Rex Layton. Local lore, history, food, and fauna and flora add interest without overburdening a smoothly written and suspenseful tale.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Francis, known for her mysteries for young adults, has written her first for adults. The story introduces Katie Haswoth, a recently licensed private detective in Key West. As a newcomer to the community, she faces a complicated case involving a prominent family. Alexa Chitting, owner of a prosperous marina, lies dead in her office. Someone killed her before she had a chance to sign a new will leaving her fortune to the Key West Preservation Society instead of her family and friends. The list of suspects includes her husband, lover, daughter, son-in-law, and secretary. The mayor and the housing-development director may be involved, too. Sorting out family entanglements and political corruption will give Katie a chance to establish herself as a detective if she can survive to solve the crime. Most Key West mysteries lean toward the hard-boiled, but this one gives cozy fans a chance to enjoy Margaritaville, too. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158724621X
• ISBN-13: 978-1587246210
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,926,427 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 Kept me guessing!, April 28, 2003

By 

Judith C. Oswood (Marshalltown, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conch Shell Murder (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Somebody murdered Alexa Chitting with a conch shell, and the list of suspects is long. P.I. Katie Hassworth's job is to use that long list to find the killer. The reader goes along with Katie when she meets each one of the suspects, and we hear their alibis. I felt very much like a P.I. myself, as I tried to figure out "who did it" from the information given. Katie was a novice at solving murders, but she didn't back away when things get rough. I especially enjoyed the local color of Key West and the descriptions of the surrounding attractions, restaurants, wild-life, and plant-life. The writing itself was very smooth and tight. The author did not digress into other areas as many authors often do. I would recommend this book as a compelling, satisfying read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars engaging private investigative tale, May 17, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Conch Shell Murder (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Though she has partnered with former Miami cop Mac McCartel for two years, former schoolteacher Katie Hasworth has been bonded and licensed as a private detective for a few months. Her confidence is limited so she is hesitant to take on a murder investigation especially with her mentor out of town even though her landlady and friend Diane Dade asks her to look into the death of her mother Alexa Chitting. Reluctantly Katie agrees to investigate the homicide ruled a robbery gone bad by the Key West police and concurred with by Mac.

Katie begins her inquiries at the scene of the crime, Alexa's office, where the culprit killed the victim using a conch shell that ironically symbolizes birth. Katie finds an obscure bullet that the cops overlooked and believes more than just a robbery occurred as Alexa was changing her will. However, she wonders who were the losers if Alexa had signed her revised will and would one of them kill to keep his or her inheritance? Katie learns the answer as she becomes a target when she gets too close.

This engaging private investigative tale hooks readers because the heroine lacks confidence yet courageously seeks to solve the homicide against staggering professional odds. The story line reads more like an amateur sleuth cozy as the violence is left off the pages and Katie is learning on the job. Katie is a delightful individual and the support cast enables the audience to understand her, especially her fears, much better even when they fail to cooperate. Fans will enjoy Dorothy Francis' straightforward Florida (no major whackos) mystery.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I can't agree..., January 20, 2007

By 

Judith Lindenau "dulcie22" (Traverse City, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conch Shell Murder (Paperback)

I can't agree with the other reviews on this book. Yes, it is 'cozy'...by that I mean it has no real violence depicted...except for page 12, where the murder is written from the victim's point of view (an improbable task) and the last sentence is "She slumped, her head a pulpy melon dangling wetly over the chair arm and dripping blood onto the pristine carpet." Well, ok then, how about the heroine, wno has "depth of character"? Well, if "depth of character" means a continuing debate with herself as to whether she can do the job of solving the murder, then Katie has "depth of character". She also fights grief over a failed marriage, eating problems, and a fear of committed relationships. In other words, she's a basket case. But all's well that ends well: Katie has a flesh wound, finds two culprits (not one), and finds a man who will abandon his father's wishes and career path so that he can stay in idyllic Key West with our cozy heroine. Sounds like the beginning of a series to me. And frankly, I probably won't read the second installation.