Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (A Dotsy Lamb Mystery) [Paperback]

Maria Hudgins (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Worldwide Library; First Thus edition (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373266111
• ISBN-13: 978-0373266111
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I love mysteries. That's why I write them. My first two books, Death of an Obnoxious Tourist and Death of a Lovable Geek will be joined next year by Death on the Aegean Queen in the Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery series. Set in Italy, Scotland, and the Greek Islands, the culture and geography of each country play big roles in the story.
These are "play fair" mysteries. If you're really sharp you can solve the mystery before you read the ending. Maybe.
I live in Hampton, Virginia with my two new Bichons, Holly and Hamilton.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Travel Mystery, January 3, 2009

By 

Lucinda Surber "Stop, You're Killing Me!" (New Mexico & California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (2006) introduces Dotsy Lamb, a recently divorced empty nester from Virginia, traveling with her friend Lettie in Italy. The tour group includes a very annoying woman who manages to alienate everyone in the group, including her two sisters, by the second day. When she is murdered in Florence, Dotsy and Lettie decide to help find the killer. They form a perfect amateur team: Dotsy is logical and persistent while the scatterbrained Lettie has a near photographic memory. The suspect list quickly narrows down to the eclectic tour group. which includes a Canadian dairy farmer who carries pictures of his favorite cows and an Englishman who speaks in incomprehensible bursts. Traditional mystery fans will enjoy this humorous book.

[...]

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great new travel mystery, May 25, 2007

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

Dotsy Lamb, history professor and recent empty nester, and her best friend Lettie decide to go on a tour of Italy.

When they arrive, they find everyone is pleasant except for Meg Bauer, a very obnoxious woman. She is such a contract from her two younger sisters who are also on the tour. When Meg is found murdered, everyone is a suspect, especially her sister Beth.

The attractive carabinieri captain, Marco Quattrocchi, is in charge of the investigation. Dotsy hooks up with him to try to help solve the murder. She also enlists the aid of Lettie who is very observant.

Dotsy uncovers lots of motives since she insulted almost everyone in the tour group. The sisters and brother, who is back home, have inherited a nice sum of money.

When another tour member dies, it appears to be an accident. Dotsy believes it is another murder and sets out to prove it. Can she prove it before anyone else dies, namely herself?

I really enjoyed this book. Dotsy and Lettie are such great characters. I can't wait to see where they go in their next adventure. I hope there will be many books in this series. I loved the Italy setting as well as I've never been there, but I felt I had been there by the time I finished reading this book.

The author did a great job with the characters, setting and plot. I highly recommend this book!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful amateur sleuth, July 3, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

After their five children left the nest, her husband dumped History professor Dotsy Lamb; to feel good about herself and to move on; she and her friend Lettie join a tour group visiting Italy. The tourists are an eclectic mix with all being very pleasant except Meg Bauer who, unlike her two sisters, is a harridan tearing into everyone even her kind siblings.

When Meg is found murdered in her room by a knife that her sister Beth recently purchased, the police arrest gypsy street peddler Ivo Ramovic. Earlier he stole Beth and Meg's room key along with Beth's credit card and traveler's checks. When confronted he had both plus a large sum of cash. When evidence proves his innocence, suspicion shifts to Beth. Dotsy believes Beth is innocent so she plans to uncover the real culprit, but not before another group member is murdered.

Readers will have no sympathy towards the culprit who took immense pleasure hurting others, but will feel for Beth, a nice person caught up in circumstances that make her look guilty as she had the motive and the opportunity and owned the means. The protagonist is an independent energetic senior citizen who shows her obstinacy with the trip to start her life anew and with the investigation. Maria Hudgins writes a delightful amateur sleuth tale and armchair detectives will enjoy seeing Italy through Dotsy's eyes.

Harriet Klausner