Customer Reviews

Cuttings

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read Cuttings by Anne Grant in one huge gulp. Sidney Teague is back! I started reading the series because Multiple Listings concerned Realtors. I thought she nailed us. :) My interest in her character has grown with each book. Cuttings concerns the floral industry (which I found to be surprisingly fascinating), and I was grabbed from the first page. The plot had a very unexpected turn, at least for me, and I loved it. It was one of those slap your forehead and say DUH times. The clues were there, but Grant had me so caught up in the story I missed them. It is a wonderful mystery that gives us a glimpse into the new urban south of Charlotte. I love Sydney and highly recommend this book and the first two Multiple Listing and Smoke Screen. You might as well buy them all while you are here, because you'll come back for them. Cuttings is a must read for mystery lovers.

"Cuttings" comes in a paperback and is a mystery series, but Anne Underwood Grant does more with her amateur sleuth Sidney Teague than most authors do with their hardcover heroes.

In no way would one want to step into Teague's shoes. Sidney is a single mother of two who runs her public relations agency with the help of two staffers and a revolving door of salespeople. And instead of a house by the Atlantic or some other attractive location, Teague works out of Charlotte, N.C. Those who know the area will recognize the locations, the people and Grant's cutting knowledge of the city's foibles, from its inability to distinguish itself nationally to its overweening pride in being a "big city." The only bow to convention -- her boyfriend is a homicide detective -- is undercut by her uncertainty that they have a future together.

So Teague lives a life that's closer to the everyday hurly-burly that her readers will find familiar. Her time is not her own, even when there's a murder to be solved. During a long weekend servicing a convention of florists, their wholesalers and suppliers, she has to cope with her demanding client, her employees and her children. On top of that, she is shaken when a floral designer she had known for decades suddenly drops dead at a seminar he was conducting. Then a convention executive is found stabbed, and Teague finds herself targeted as well. She soldiers on, but she's clearly shaken, and her subsequent discoveries carries with them an air of tragedy far graver and more satisfying than one would expect to find in a paperback. If Anne Underwood Grant doesn't take care, she may find herself compared with Patricia Cornwell and James Lee Burke. And who would want that?

Cuttings was a great continuation on the series. Sydney and the kids are advancing through their lives and I can hardly wait for the next one. Couldn't put it down.

I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer below. I found Cuttings to be Grant's best mystery to date, and I also thought number 2 was better than the first. This book in particular had added suspense that kept me awake until all hours. And here's another thing we disagree on - I think Sydney should have trusted Tom Thurgood less, not more. A great read IMO.

I tried author on basis of great reviews from other customers. After wasting time reading the first 5-6 chapters I jumped to the last 2-3 chapters and was glad I hadn't wasted more time reading entire book. I never felt anything for any of the characters, especially the policeman boyfriend who was about as animated and interesting as a lump of dirt. The killer was easy to figure out (and I didn't even read the whole book) and the reasoning for the killing left me thinking, huh? I guess we all have our likes & dislikes and I seem to be in the minority of opinion about this author, but I found Cuttings to be boring, boring, boring.

CUTTINGS is the best classic mystery I've read this year. As a lover of Dorothy L Sayers and Dame Agatha Christie, I have a hard tiime finding an author who pays attention to the details of plotting the way Ms. Grant does. I havent' read her other two books, but I'm going to find them today!

Sydney Teague, mother, owner of a small PR firm and amateur sleuth is back for her third case. Ann Grant does not write the same book twice. Sydney keeps growing as a person, which doesn't mean she has all the answers. A recovering alcoholic and Friend of Bill W, the murders that occur at a Charleston flower show and a "list" with Sydney as fourth victim makes the temptation to return to the bottle strong, but not irresistable. Her recent foray into being a non-smoker is more problematic as the bodies pile up and she gets more signals that she may be next. Her first concern is her two children. She then wonders if her lover, homicide detective Tom, doesn't have something else on his mind besides finding the murder and protecting her. A fascinating look at the retail flower business is never overdone. Even when the murder is discovered, Sydney realizes that there are no easy solutions for her. Highly recommended.

Anne Grant's 3rd Sydney Teague adventure comes out in July.......be sure and indulge........this one is full of her skillfull plotting (the author) and her skillful sleuthing (Sydney) and her wit and tenacity (both of them). I guarantee a good read. I continue to like and admire Anne Grant's style which includes humor and crusty philosophy, BUT still manages to grip the reader in serious involvement with action and suspense............a unique combination.

Sydney Teague may bend, but the tough lady will never break. The single mother raises two children while operating her own ad agency. The United Floral Associates Symposium sponsors the first Floral Global Show in Sydney's hometown of Charlotte. Two of Sydney's clients plan to attend and she is working on advertisements and other public relations for them.

Two deaths occur at the trade show. Both involve a beautiful bouquet with a strange note attached to them. An identical arrangement ant note is sent to Sydney. The killer has scheduled three more deliveries of the deadly combination, the last delivery meant only for Sydney. The intrepid individual takes the threat very seriously and begins her own investigation that leads her faster and closer to an irate killer.

Each new Sydney Teague mystery seems better than the previous tale, which says a lot because they are all good. CUTTINGS will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good mystery while providing an insider's look at the floral business. The protagonist appears stronger than ever as she refuses to allow any trauma to send her reeling back to cigarettes or alcohol, items she previously abused. Anne Underwood Grant makes Sydney a majestic survivor who should become a fan favorite of those who relish an entertaining amateur sleuth series.

Harriet Klausner

Not a good book. Each book in this series is less and less enjoyable. With minimal secondary character development, a 'villain' whose motivation remains obscure even at the end, and a main character who seems to be predisposed to distrust her significant other [who has never given her any reason not to trust him] and a plot that doesn't connect from one incident to another, don't bother!