Deal with the Devil and Other (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Maxine O'Callaghan (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 158 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME) (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786231424
• ISBN-13: 978-0786231423
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre if you can ignore the man-hating, February 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Deal with the Devil and Other (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

As a lover of short-story mystery fiction, I had high hopes for this book. And indeed the 7 Delilah West and Emma Hartley stories--which comprise over 2/3 of the book--are slightly above average. Unfortunately, 6 of the remaining 7 stories are almost unreadable (the exception is "An insignificant crime," but--at just three pages--it barely counts).

The biggest disappointment, however, was O'Callaghan's inability to cast men in anything other than a negative light. Halfway through the book, I suspected that she was the female equivalent of a misogynist; and by the end of the book, I was convinced of it. There is literally no story in this volume that does not paint the man as a villain, and the woman as a victim. Even if the woman is a murderess, somehow men are worse. While in the real world this is sometimes true, the sheer repetition of this formula eventually overwhelmed the good points of O'Callaghan's stories.

I returned this book--just as I return any book that unremittingly portrays a specific group as evil--and will certainly buy nothing else from such a one-dimensional author.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful short stories from a gifted storyteller ., December 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Deal with the Devil and Other (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

It's a treat to have many of Ms. O'Callaghan's stories together in one
volume. This collection showcases her talent and versatility as a
writer.

Ms. O'Callaghan's novels in the Delilah West series include "Down for the Count", "Trade Off", and "Set-Up". Be sure to read them!

Her Anne Menlo books, SHADOW OF THE CHILD and ONLY IN THE ASHES, are also outstanding.