Elected for Death [Mass Market Paperback]

Valerie Wolzien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

AMONG RICH NORTHEASTERN SUBURBANITES, POLITICS CAN BE POISON.
Hancock, Connecticut--a historic enclave of wealth and conservatism--is in the final heat of a three-way mayoral election when long-shot candidate Ivan Deakin takes a sip of cyanide-laced water and is retired to the morgue.
His murder exacerbates an already fierce controversy over proposed changes in rules governing the landmark status of local real estate--changes that would drastically alter property values. Like everyone else, amateur sleuth Susan Henshaw suspects unusually dirty politics and when her husband--who's running for town council--is tarred in the general smearing, Susan gets serious about finding Ivan's killer. But the possibilities are myriad, for Ivan Deakin was a political loose cannon, and the murkiness of his business deals is matched only by the notoriety of his romantic adventures. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Although I now live in New York City, there's a lot I can identify with in Valerie Wolzien's mysteries. Valerie's portraits of small towns and suburban communities remind me of my youth -- and I suspect they strike a similar chord with all those readers who live (or used to) far from urban centers. Also, Valerie's novels are like comfort food in a way -- because they are, in part, celebrations of holidays and happy social occasions (weddings, birthday parties, family vacation trips) . . . plus the mandatory addition of homicidal doings. Valerie is now writing two series with two different amateur sleuths -- suburban housewife Susan Henshaw (MURDER AT THE PTA LUNCHEON is her first appearance) and businesswoman Josie Pigeon (who started solving murders in SHORE TO DIE). I heartily recommend anything Valerie Wolzien writes.

--Joe Blades, Associate Publisher

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449149595
• ISBN-13: 978-0449149591
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder during the Silly Season, August 8, 2001

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elected for Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Jed is running for the Hancock town council, and the whole Henshaw clan is stressed out. Susan is spending time trying to be the perfect political wife amid vicious items planted in the local media about Jed, and the total disintigration of the candidate for mayor's wife. The big issue is the Landmark Commission's mission to control every building in town built before 1939. The third party candidate for mayor, Ivan Deakin, announces that he has a solution for everything and will announce it at a press conference. Unfortunately, he drops dead at the podium before he can make his speech. All the candidates, their families, and the police chief's new girlfriend seem to be suspects.

Wolzien seems to have captured the life of a candidate and his family very accurately in this novel. One is surprised that there aren't more murders during the election season. In any case, they wouldn't be as amusing as this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Elections Can Be Murder, February 14, 2008

By 

L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elected for Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Tensions are running high in suburban Hancock, Connecticut as the local town elections approach. Series heroine Susan Henshaw finds herself right in the middle of the election excitement because her husband Jed is running for the Hancock city council. But when Ivan Deakin, one of the mayoral candidates, is poisoned right before giving a controversial speech, Susan dons her amateur sleuth role to help Hancock police chief Brett Fortesque solve Ivan's murder. Author Wolzien does a great job poking fun at the foibles of upper class Eastern suburbia. The mystery was a good one, too, that kept me guessing until the end.