The Doctor Makes a Dollhouse Call (A Doctor Fenimore Mystery) [Hardcover]

Robin Hathaway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2000

Emily and Judith Pancoast, elderly sisters, are the owners of a priceless dollhouse that is an exact replica of their Victorian home in a small seaside resort near Philadelphia. The dollhouse is inhabited by dolls that the sisters crafted to resemble each member of their family.

On Thanksgiving Day, just before relatives arrive for dinner, Emily Pancoast discovers that the dollhouse dining room table, set in miniature of the real one, is in total disarray and the doll representing their niece Pamela is lying facedown in her dessert plate. When Pamela's death soon follows, the sisters turn to the physician detective, Dr. Andrew Fenimore.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This entertaining mystery heralds the return of Dr. Andrew Fenimore, Philadelphia physician and amateur sleuth, along with that of his loyal nurse, Mrs. Doyle. Not only does this doctor make house calls, but he also finds time to tackle deadly murder cases. Fenimore is called to the small town of Seacrest, when two elderly patients, Judith and Emily Pancoast, request his help investigating the poisoning death of their niece, Pamela, on Thanksgiving. Pamela's murder seems to be tied to the sisters' antique dollhouse, an exact replica of their Victorian house down to miniatures representing each member of the family; moreover, Pamela's doll was found facedown shortly before her death. Fenimore's greatest challenge lies in discovering why Pamela's death and the successive murders all occur on or around holidays, and why they are always heralded by an enactment in the dollhouse. Hathaway's nimble prose provides quick, enjoyable reading, and her setting of the small coastal town verges on perfection. Also of note are her varied characters, from the streetwise teenager Horatio, who helps in Fenimore's office, to the members of the geriatric karate class, led by Mrs. Doyle, that meets in Fenimore's cellar. An unexpected conclusion, mixed with charm and tragedy, tops off this expert tale. Agent, Laura Langlie. (Jan.)

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Book-An Imprint of St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (January 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312241925
• ISBN-13: 978-0312241926
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BIO: Robin Hathaway

Robin Hathaway began writing at fifty and collected rejection slips until she was sixty, when her novel THE DOCTOR DIGS A GRAVE won the St. Martin's Malice Domestic prize, and later an Agatha Award. She now has two series both featuring doctor sleuths. Dr. Andrew Fenimore is a Philadelphia cardiologist who practices solo and still makes house calls. Jo Banks is a young woman doctor who provides healthcare to motel residents and makes her motel calls on a motorcycle. SLEIGHT OF HAND, her most recent in this series, won the 2009 David Award. Robin is not a doctor, but her husband is a cardiologist and she uses him shamelessly as her #1 medical resource. Right now Robin is taking a break from her two series to work on a spy novel set at Cape May during WWII. www.RobinHathaway.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful Americanization of a Ms. Christie-like cozy, December 30, 1999

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doctor Makes a Dollhouse Call (A Doctor Fenimore Mystery) (Hardcover)

Just before the Revolutionary War, the Pancoast family founded Seacrest, a resort town near Philadelphia. Over two centuries later, the townsfolk still hold the Pancoast family in high esteem. Especially loved are the senior citizen Pancoast sisters Judith and Emily. The duo own an incredible dollhouse that is identical to every nook and cranny in their mansion. Additionally, family members have a miniature that is an exact replica of them.

This year, the siblings are preparing the Thanksgiving dinner when they notice the doll of their niece Pamela lying face down in her plate. They think mice must have knocked the doll over. However, Pamela is found dead. The two sisters ask their friend Dr. Andrew Fenimore to look into the death. Besides being a physician, Andrew has experience as an amateur sleuth. He learns that someone poisoned Pamela. Soon two more family members die with their replicas giving a foreshadowing of their death. As months go by and more killings follow, it soon appears that only the murderer will remain as the sole living family member; that is if the killer is even a Pancoast.

Anyone who has read Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE or seen one of the movies of that novel will realize that Robin Hathaway has put her own spin to the tale. The concept works as it maintains a freshness that will fascinate the audience until the novel is finished. The first class story line stars two adorable elderly ladies and an amateur detective. Though the murder count is high, violence is nil and kept off-stage. Thus, in spite the constant killings, Ms. Hathaway has written a wonderful Americanization of a Ms. Christie-like cozy.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great miniature mystery!, January 30, 2000

By 

Mary Harnwell (Phil., PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doctor Makes a Dollhouse Call (A Doctor Fenimore Mystery) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful story which uses a doll's house to give clues as to who will be murdered next. The characters are interesting and well developed. The book leaves you wanting to read the next adventure.