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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly the best of the bunch!, May 18, 2004
This review is from: Dying to Retire (Murder She Wrote, No. 21) (Paperback)
Reading Murder She Wrote books is a guilty pleasure of mine. As a 23 year old, most people my age never watched the series in the 80's because they were too young. I watched it with my mother, and I got into reading the books when they came out in the late 90's. I've read all of them, and in my humble opinion, this is truly the best of the bunch. Bain keeps the characters true to their roots in the series. He gets the characteristics of the New Englanders Seth and Mort down to a science. I loved this one because it was more predictible then the other ones. There's been a few in this series where you've been able to guess who did it, right off. This was definitely not one of those. The character of Sam Lewis described as someone with bigger ears then Yoda, who drives a Pink Caddy, was definitely one of the many highlights of the book. Yes it's a quick read, but definitely a good way to get your summer reading started. Highly recommended!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chomp, Chomp, Chomp Went the Gator, September 24, 2005
This review is from: Dying to Retire (Murder She Wrote, No. 21) (Paperback)
Portia Shelby, a former resident of Cabot Cove has been found dead on the beach near her retirement home in Florida and the Metzger's, Seth and Jessica have all flown down for the funeral. Seth had treated Portia for years for a heart condition so her apparent heart attack was no big surprise. The Maine contingent was surprised however to find that the mild and unassuming Portia that they knew in Maine had become something of a tiger in Florida. A tiger that had been causing no end of trouble for powerful real estate developer DeWitt Wainscott who was known to be vicious in silencing his opponents.
Despite the Wainscott connection everyone assumes that Portia's death was by natural causes. Portia was however a fan of herbal medications and Seth who hates herbal cures decides to snoop around in the deceased's pillboxes. To his surprise he discovers diet pills in there and given Portia's heart problem, diet pills could be deadly. Sure that Portia would know better than to take diet pills, Jessica's suspicions are aroused and the snooping begins.
The Florida setting allows the author to run wild with the introduction of new and colorful characters and he does so with a vengeance. There is Monica Kotansky, a man hungry retiree who was involved with Portia's husband before he married Portia and the senior rumor mill still has them together. While the husband is grieving however she turns her attention elsewhere and Seth falls into her net with hilarious results. There is Tony Colombo, a pizza parlor owner in the village who some feel sure is a mobster and even Jessica is sure that he is not really a restaurant owner. But most of all there is Sam Lewis who drives a big pink Cadillac even though he can barely see over the steering wheel. It is Sam who is sure that Mr. Colombo is a mob hit man and that DeWitt Wainscott had taken out a contract on Portia. Determined to prove his point, Sam takes his big pink car and starts to tail Colombo with predictable and entertaining results.
The mystery here is a little deeper than those found in some of the books in this series. The first question that must be answered is whether Portia was murdered at all, and once that question is answered by the autopsy the clues start to point in all sorts of odd directions. As Jessica tries to find the correct path in a maze of conflicting information she also has to contend with an angry alligator, a runaway dumpster and one of Seth's old classmates who has moved to Key West, grown a ponytail and painted his house purple. Needless to say, Seth is flabbergasted by his old friend's behavior. Of course, Seth although lovable, is easily flabbergasted.
Despite Seth's little fits, the disgruntled gator and more key lime pie than you can shake a stick at, Jessica finally begins to fit the puzzle together. Of course when you start one of these books you do so knowing that Jessica will figure it all out in the end, so the question is really one of how much fun the reader will have solving the case with her. That being the case, you should fear not for this book is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and even includes a visit to Papa Hemingway's home in Key West. I found this entry in the "Murder She Wrote" series to be one of the most entertaining and enjoyable so far.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Did Portia take the diet pills knowingly or was it murder?, September 1, 2004
This review is from: Dying to Retire (Murder She Wrote, No. 21) (Paperback)
Jessica, Seth, Mort and his wife Maureen fly down to Florida from Cabot Cove, Maine, for the funeral of their old friend Portia Shelby.
At first the police and Clarence, Portia's husband, feel her death was of natural causes or an accident. Not long after arriving, Jessica and Seth discover potent diet pills in one of her pillboxes. Since Seth had been her doctor in Maine, he knows she's on heart medication. The two together is a deadly combination. Did she take them voluntarily or was she murdered?
Over time, it becomes certain that it was murder. But, who did it? Was it Clarence? Was it the mysterious restaurateur who Sam, another resident in Foreverglades, thinks is a mobster? How about the developer who Portia and her neighbors are fighting to keep their beach? Or is it one of the women who seem to be after Clarence?
Jessica comes face to face with a large alligator. She is quite shaken, but luckily not injured. Later she has another accident. Is someone out to stop her? Or are they just coincidences?
Seth and Jessica go to Key West to visit a friend of Seth's. Jessica has ulterior motives for that trip. Seth learns a lot about his old friend while visiting. They also meet up with Mort and Maureen who have also gone to Key West for a little R&R.
Jessica gets some help from some of the other retirees in Forestglades. Portia was well liked. Will Jessica be able to figure out who killed Portia before without becoming the next victim?
I always enjoy reading books in this series. I watched it on t.v. extensively. I can see the characters playing out their parts in my head. I hope there are many more to come in this series.
I highly recommend this book.
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