Creeps Suzette (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Mary Daheim (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries | Publication Date: January 2000

THE REAPER'S AT CREEPERS

The off-season blahs, a pyromaniacal mom, and a recently retired husband who is constantly underfoot have poor Judith McMonigle Flynn going stir crazy at Hillside Manor. So the harried R&B hostess leaps at cousin Renie's suggestion that Judith accompany her to Creepers--the stately estate of kindly old Leota Burgess. The wealthy senior is certain that someone is determined to do her in for money--most likely one of her disreputable relatives--and Judith and Renie have agreed to look into her allegations. And when they stumble upon Leota's bruised but still breathing body at the foot of the grand staircase, they realize the old lady's fears may be well-founded. But the decidedly dead corpse lying on top of Leota--his head bashed flatter than the proverbial French pancake--suggests that there's more to these homicidal doings than meets the eye. And now it's up to the cousins to follow the clues to the creep who's creeping around Creepers with murder on the mind.

 

THE REAPER'S AT CREEPERS

The off-season blahs, a pyromaniacal mom, and a recently retired husband who is constantly underfoot have poor Judith McMonigle Flynn going stir crazy at Hillside Manor. So the harried R&B hostess leaps at cousin Renie's suggestion that Judith accompany her to Creepers--the stately estate of kindly old Leota Burgess. The wealthy senior is certain that someone is determined to do her in for money--most likely one of her disreputable relatives--and Judith and Renie have agreed to look into her allegations. And when they stumble upon Leota's bruised but still breathing body at the foot of the grand staircase, they realize the old lady's fears may be well-founded. But the decidedly dead corpse lying on top of Leota--his head bashed flatter than the proverbial French pancake--suggests that there's more to these homicidal doings than meets the eye. And now it's up to the cousins to follow the clues to the creep who's creeping around Creepers with murder on the mind.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seattle B&B owner Judith McMonigle Flynn and her ill-tempered cousin, Renie, leave behind their recently retired husbands to look after the elderly mother of an indisposed friend in this chatty mystery. Convinced someone is trying to kill her, and undeterred by her relatives' strong opposition to outside interference, wealthy widow Leota Burgess welcomes the middle-aged sleuths into the prisonlike confines of her aptly named estate, Creepers. When they find the family doctor's bludgeoned body at the bottom of the stairs, Judith and Renie quickly set about snooping into the reticent clan's sordid past. More than once, their probing unearths references to a mysterious past employee named Suzette, who some say still haunts the house. Daheim (Legs Benedict, etc.) pokes fun at Burgess's dysfunctional, WASPy family, whose skeletons include suicide, adultery, racism, mental illness and murder. Her acerbic wit and sarcasm propel the dialogue, but sadly, Daheim leaves few clues to the killer's true identity. 5-city author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Judith and Renie are sleuths to treasure...Daheim writes with wit, wisdom, and a big heart. I love her books." -- --- Carolyn Hart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417710306
• ISBN-13: 978-1417710300
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,040,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery in a Creepy Mansion, September 13, 2000

By 

Nancy J. Cohen (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creeps Suzette (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a cute story in the classic cozy tradition. A wealthy old lady believes one of her relatives is trying to kill her. Enter onto the scene Judith and her cousin who stay at the woman's estate to unravel the plot. Just about everyone has a motive, but what is more shocking is the dark family secret that Judith uncovers. A delightful read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good plot, solid cast of characters, January 20, 2003

By 

H. Male "southpaw32" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creeps Suzette (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Out of the 4 books I have read so far from Mary Daheim, this one is the best. It has a little bit of everything: humor, suspense, romance, family secrets galore and a good mystery to boot. The two main characters in the story (and in this series) are cousins Judith and Renie, whose witty banter back and forth keep the story flowing well. Just a warning, though - Mary Daheim is a good mystery writer who likes to have a lot of murder suspects in each book, so pay attention as new characters are introduced into the story!

My one beef with this book is an unrelated scene where Renie flips off an evangelical Christian woman after a brief exchange back at the B-and-B. How in the world this adds to the story is beyond me. It left a bad taste in my mouth for an otherwise very enjoyable and funny book.

For other good mysteries with zany characters, I also recommend Charlotte Macleod's "Peter Shandy" series and Dolores Johnson's "Mandy Dyer" series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good for the old school, May 31, 2007

By 

Julie H. Bloch "Printmaker" (Hurleyville, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creeps Suzette (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Daheim's "Creeps Suzette" isn't bad, but I find it irritating that she seems to find it necessary to mock those who are in favor of animal rights. I find the frequent religious references and moralizing a bit much, as well. But all in all it's not a bad story. I appreciate her showing a family tree; it helped to keep the characters straight.