Customer Reviews

Death of A Tart

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

 

 

The town of Cobb's Landing New England is on the downhill slide thanks to a lack of money to keep the place running at peak capacity. Mayor Peggy Jean Turner (P.J.) has no money to give the teachers a much needed raise or to update the equipment in the police department. Max heroically rides into town, buys the bank and offers a brilliant idea to fill the town coffers.

He wants to turn the town into a colonial village, a New England Williamsburg. Max is so enthusiastic and such a positive speaker that the residents unanimously adopt his ideas. Of course Max is a business man first so he makes the residents take out loans to cover their share of the renovations. When Selma runs into P.J. at the post office, she says she has something to tell her about Max and they should meet that night by the town cemetery. Selma doesn't show and the next day her body is found at the unused water mill. Believing she was murdered, P.J. starts her own investigation and finds herself at the mercy of an insane killer.

DEATH OF A TART is an upbeat whimsical tale of small town living wrapped around a murder mystery. Just like an official police investigation, P.J. slowly connects the clues until she figures out who the perpetrator is. The townsfolk are a jolly lot as they see prosperity coming their way after years of trying to make ends meet. Though why P.J. and not the police investigated the crime is a myteery, fans will appreciate the talent of Kate Borden, who provides a fine New England amateur sleuth cozy.

Harriet Klausner

I really was unsure of this book when I picked it up, but it was definitely worth the read. Its got great characters and a fun, fast-paced plot. And Ian is a simplpy a dream-boat - sure hope he and Peggy continue on in the next book!

I will agree with one of the other reviewers that I thought the whole "Colonial village" thing went off too smoothly. I was also expecting it to crash on their heads - I was glad it didn't, but still. I actually can see why the town would go along though...Max is a smooth talker and added to that the town desperately needed something...people will believe anything if they want it to be true badly enough. And the Missy character...what was her point exactly? Will she be back to cause more trouble? She just kind of disappeared mid-story.

Anyway, I recommend this book and look forward to more that I hope can live up and then surpass this one. But a good solid first mystery.

In the 1st book in the Peggy Jean Turner Mystery series, we meet the mayor of Cobb's Landing, New England, Peggy Jean Turner. Being the mayor of a small town might seem like a big thing, but in a town that is losing revenue and a good tax base, it is a highly unglamorous position. Peggy Jean (P.J.) has recently lost her husband, and while still reeling from his death, she continues to run their hardware store and raise their son. She finds it difficult to keep everyone happy, however, when the teachers threaten to strike if they are not given a raise, and the police complain about the lack of running vehicles. P.J. knows she cannot raise taxes in her already struggling town, and desperately looks for a way to increase revenue. And then, newcomer, Max, shows up in town and buys the bank. He speaks to P.J. about changing the town into a tourist attraction, and capitalize on the old style and old fashioned ways of the New England town. Things are looking up for Peggy Jean and Cobb's Landing, until one of the town's most despised citizens is found dead on the town's landmark...a beautiful old waterwheel. It was quickly discovered that P.J. was going to meet with the victim that evening, and all eyes turn to their bewildered mayor. P.J. must move fast to find the killer, before she is thrown into jail before she gets to see the revival of her beloved hometown.


This is a fun, light cozy series and I really enjoy the characters, the mysteries, and the setting. The only thing that I didn't care for was the nicknames (P.J. for a mayor's name seemed too casual), and the name "Lovey" for her best friend was a bit silly for me. Otherwise, I loved the storyline, and was intrigued by the character of Max who seems like he is hiding something. If you like small town cozies, give this series a try.

The next book in the series is called "Death of a Trickster". Enjoy!

This is a cute and easy read. Has some gret characters in the series and they are fun to read about. Look forward to other instalments in this series.

Fun little murder mystery! The town of Cobbs Landing is a typical New England village with a history and a bunch of local characters from the chief of Police to the Peggy the town's mayor and hardware store owner. Peggy and Lovey (Peggy's neighbor and dearest friend) are amature sleuths and they love to find "trouble", from a Pumkin float, and the high schools missing skeleton. A great halloween read!

The atmosphere is cozy. Peggy Jean is the main character. She is the town's mayor. She lives with her ten-year-old son, Nicky. She is a good mother and spends as much time as she can with her son. I admire their relationship.

They live next door to their best friends, Lavinia and Chuck, and son Charlie. The two families have a good relationship with each other; Peggy Jean and Lavinia are best friends; Nicky and Charlie are best friends.

They live in a New England town that needs to be revived. Max shows up to reform it into a colonial, historical town and everybody has to wear costumes.

The mystery/plot was very clever, fun, and interesting.

"Death of a Tart" is the first book of the series. Next books are "Death of a Trickster" and "Death of a Turkey". This series is absolutley the coziest, and the most superb, series I have ever read in my life. Each book keeps getting better and cozier, even though you don't think a book can get any better. Kate Borden is the most wonderful, most awesome, and most magnificent author I have ever encountered.

This is my first "cozy" mystery and I have to say I really liked it !! Very fun, fast-paced and easy to read. I live in New England and enjoyed the setting and understood it well !! Peggy Jean Turner is quite the sleuth as well as a wonderful mother, friend, and mayor. We are introduced to the townspeople and get a glimpse into their daily lives. I really enjoyed reading about Peggy and Lavinia's close relationship and the closeness between their kids etc. Peg and "Lovey" often have each other over for dinners (along with Lovey's husband and their son) drinks, bbq's, pizza, and they are very involved with their son's school functions and sporting events.....felt like a really close , cozy connection that seems to be lost in todays neighborhoods. I'll be reading more from this author !

Kate Borden is the pen name for 2001 Anthony Award Best Paperback ~ Death Dances to a Reggae Beat ~ winner, Kate Grilley.



Death of A Tart is an amazing, whimsical start to a promising new cozy series.


Set in New England ~ Cobb's Landing ~ I had to remind myself Cobb's Landing doesn't exist, so all plans to move there were off : /.




P.J. is a delightful character. I took to her immediately. I am real fussy. When a character speaks to me & seems real the author has a reader in me for life.




Kate Borden created a three dimensional character that is so vibrant, I found the little girl in me wishing she was real.



I wanted to hang out w/ P.J. & all the wonderful townfolk of Cobb's Landing. I wanted to jump into the book & become a part of Kate's creation. It's that terrific.

Death of A Tart is one of my all-time favorite books ever written.



It touched me, made me fall in love w/ mysteries all over.


Death of A Tart definitely is what a cozy mystery is all about ~ hands down.

I'm not one to reread books, since there are so many books for me to discover, but I do have those cherished treasures I read again to comfort my soul. I remember how good it made me feel inside to become lost in this book.

The people of Cobb's Landing are offbeat & authentic. All of the characters are warm.


Death of a Tart is a fast, one sitting mystery chock full of surprises & secrets.



Death of A Tart is definitely not a book to pass up & will have readers antsy to return to the charming, cozy & warm town of Cobb's Landing.

Psst! If you close your eyes, you can smell the fresh baked treats drifting through the town.

This cozy is first in the Cobb's Landing series, which I happened to read out of order but still had fun and I can safely say that the rest of it is just as good! This mystery is short and sweet, I read it in one sitting, while battling a cold, warmed with a cup of hot tea it melted my aches away as I got sucked into a charming Colonial Village, replicated to attract tourists from what it used to be back in the day.

Single mother, Peggy Jean Turner ran as mayor for the past eight years, ever since she lost her husband and she was starting to feel tired and stressed out about the grim economy and lack of profits the town was experiencing. That all changed when Max, new owner of the local bank showed up and ignited everyone to spruce up the village into it's old image of Colonial times, with costumes and all. It all seemed too good to be true until the reality of new bills and surprising small text under the dotted lines of legal papers people signed started to bind them to their contracts. The whole town had to change or people would have more losses than before. Old traditions were brought back and charming tourist attractions set up, along with rehashed family troubles of some families that had disagreements in the New England region. When the town hussy winds up dead and ties to witchcraft start to come up Peggy knows she must solve the mystery before it stops the whole town from prospering under its new image. Armed with her best friend Lavinia, she snoops and pokes around to discover many interesting little bits, which made for a fun mystery and one that tries to lead the reader into the wrong direction!

The things I love most about this charming little book was the relationship between Peggy and her best friend and next door neighbor and their little daily routines, the cooking, shopping, normal things that are overlooked in most books. It made the book feel cozy without reading like an unrealistic fairy tale. I only wish that the author would describe what the characters looked like, I knew what their thoughts and general manner was but their looks were totally omitted!

One can't make a mistake with a book like this; its warm, filled with wonderfully described weather, crisp ambiance, feeling of comfort and a jolt of mystery because there is a crime to be solved and time if ticking away as more people start to get tangled in danger. Finding the connection to town gossip and relationships that were hidden was half the fun, the other half was spend relishing in the cozy setting of a place I'd like to visit again.

- Kasia S.

Not a full meal to me. I know why the amateur sleuth did the investigating. That's what they do. What I didn't understand was how everyone was so thrilled with the ideas presented by Max that they just blindly signed whatever he asked them to. All the lawyers had left town with Selma's parents? I kept expecting something awful to happen - total foreclosure on the town by Max's bank maybe. Perhaps the author's saving that up for another book.