Faint Praise [Mass Market Paperback]

Ellen Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 1997

"INTELLIGENT AND ENGROSSING . . . A VERY COMPLEX PUZZLE."

--Publishers Weekly



Everyone knows Arno Heywood. He's been a Minneapolis TV personality for years. So when he jumps to his death from a downtown high-rise, it's a shocker--especially since he dies wearing women's clothes, a suicide in drag.



In chic Linden Lofts, where Arno lived, the other tenants are spooked, and smart investigator Jane Lawless soon finds out why. They, like Arno, have secrets to conceal, and the shadowy someone with a full set of keys who's scouting out their apartments may soon make that impossible. Can one of Linden Loft's upscale professionals really be an aspiring blackmailer? Before Jane and her pal Cordelia can make sure, a brutal murder ups the ante. . . .



"The plot resonates with fascinating details, a good bit of action, several keen twists, and a soupçon of romance for the protagonist."

--Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine



"The characters are diverse and well rounded, the plot is intriguing, and the style lively and literate."

--The Armchair Detective

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From its opening, in which local TV personality Arno Heywood dresses up as a woman before leaping to his death from the top of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis, restaurateur Jane Lawless's sixth outing (following A Small Sacrifice) is intelligent and engrossing. Lawless, entering middle age and still mourning the not so recent death of her lover, Christine, is drawn into a dangerous situation when her old sorority sister Roz asks for help. Someone has been rearranging things in the compulsive Roz's apartment?a spectacular loft in a converted warehouse, which was owned by Heywood. Soon, the crimes on the premises escalate to murder. It looks like the culprit lives in the building?all of whose residents have ties to the charismatic Heywood. At Roz's urging, Lawless moves into the dead man's apartment in order to investigate. The residents are an appealing hodgepodge of eccentrics, lost souls, closeted gays, homophobes, cross-dressers and yuppies brought convincingly to life as Lawless and actress Cordelia Thorn, her irrepressible friend and sidekick, untangle a very complex puzzle.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Minneapolis restaurant owner Jane Lawless, one of the better-known lesbian sleuths, returns for another "engagement" with her old friend, the theater-centered Cordelia Thorn. This time, their investigation into the suicide of a famous television personality who was dressed in drag leads to deeper and more dangerous mysteries. Wit, charm, and fine writing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345404939
• ISBN-13: 978-0345404930
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ellen Hart is the author of twenty-five crime novels in two different series.?? She is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. ?? Entertainment Weekly??named her one of the "101 Movers and Shakers in the Gay Entertainment Industry." For the past twelve years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Ellen's newest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required, (Ballantine, June 2005). The Mirror and the Mask, the seventeenth Jane Lawless mystery, was released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in November 2009.?? Ellen lives in Minneapolis with her partner of 32 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars no title, November 29, 2005

By 

C. L Wilson (Elmhurst, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faint Praise (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a pretty good read, even if the writing was a tad simplistic. A little overblown. A lesbian murder mystery very much in the vein of Agatha Christie, with a huge cast of characters and lots of red herrings thrown in. I never did figure out the murderer with any surety. The description of the various lofts was quite intriguing, as was the well-described Minneapolis winter. Each of her characters was given a very delineated personality, but some of the conversations were stilted. This is the fifth in a string of Jane Lawless mysteries. Hadn't read a mystery in ages. Was a good choice for a vacation. I passed it on to my husband, who also read it. The title was used early on and did point to the murder. Again, very nicely drawn characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite in the Jane Lawless Series, October 10, 2009

By 

Brad Eckels (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faint Praise (Jane Lawless Mystery, A) (Paperback)

Haven't seen this book in years. I picked up a copy at a local mystery bookseller and re-read it. Must have come
out originally sometime in the nineties. I'm a huge fan of Ellen Hart -- both of her series -- but I like the Jane
Lawless series the best. I read Sweet Poison a few years back and liked it, then read a few more. I was hooked.
I think this one won an award in Minnesota, can't remember what. I fell in love with her characters -- especially
Cordelia Thorne. THis story has other great characters, including Amy McGee. I wish Hart would bring her back in
another book. The puzzle grabbed me from the first chapter. I liked the loft setting in downtown Minneapolis,
the creepy basement. I recommend the entire series, but this one was a standout.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Faint praise for Faint Praise, October 9, 2007

By 

John F. Pepple (Mount Vernon, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faint Praise (Mass Market Paperback)

As a mystery, this was pretty good. But I couldn't get interested in the main character. During the course of the novel, her life is saved by two people, but she doesn't thank them or show any sort of gratitude towards them. Nor did she feel even the slightest bit guilty about her feelings or actions. I doubt if I'll read any more of Ms. Hart's books, even if they are set in my hometown of Minneapolis.