Customer Reviews

The Doctor and the Dead Man's Chest

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I have now read three in this series. They are more escapist novel than mystery. I like the author's style of writing. The characters are charming. If you are a hardcore mystery reader this won't be the book for you.

A deceased patient, Reebesther Smith, bequests fifty acres of choice marshland in Southern New Jersey to Dr. Fenimore with specific stipulations on the care of the land in its natural habitat. There is also a pirate's treasure map that provides a path to riches buried on the land.

Dr. Fenimore and his able assistant Rat head south to see what he inherited especially the booty. They stop at the home of another patient Lynn Ashley, who is the recipient of some nasty pranks that are a form of subtle pressure to force the senior citizen to sell her property. Knowing the treasure is not going anywhere Dr. Fenimore begins to investigate who is trying to scare Lynn off her land. To his surprise the list of individuals and corporations that could gain with the purchase of Lynn's acres is large, making it difficult to determine whom the culprit(s) is.

The third Dr. Fenimore tale, THE DOCTOR AND THE DEAD MAN'S CHEST, pays homage to Stevenson's Treasure Island though it is set in New Jersey. The story line is fun due to the strong supporting "good guys" and insightful references to historical tidbits such as brickwork. Bringing most of the potential "bad guys" to one party allows Fenimore easy comparisons, but seems to simple of a solution. Still the trek into the New Jersey wilderness is an engaging diversion for those readers who enjoy a non-metropolitan northeast cozy.

Harriet Klausner

This is the third book in this series but the first one I read. It is truly a poorly written book. The characters are not fully developed, the secondary plotline of gang murders is almost entirely ignored, and the main character--the detecting Dr. Fenimore--really doesn't do much of anything but meet his cop buddy for drinks. The author's age is clearly reflected in her prose...much as Lilian Jackson Braun's is in her "Cat Who..." series. One other thing...on page 27, the author describes one of four cars as a "Taurus van." There is no such thing as a Taurus VAN...an insignificant mistake, perhaps, but it shows that the author and her editors don't check facts. With all the excellent mystery writers to choose from, this author is a waste of reading time.