Feast of Stephen [Turtleback]

Rosemary Aubert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

This is the second in criminologist Aubert's series starring Ellis Portal, the disgraced former judge who solved the mystery in her 1997 novel Free Reign, praised by The New York Times as a "smart, successful who-dun-it "whose sleuth is "a character with great dignity and unusual moral depth."

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

story in 1994. She is an American criminologist working in Toronto.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Fallen from grace, ex-Toronto judge Ellis Portal, known to street acquaintances as "Your Honor," leads a basically homeless existenceAbut by choice. His focus, however, is changed by the request of a homeless woman friend: she wants him to investigate the suspicious death of a homeless friend of hers. Soon Ellis finds himself visiting his former courthouse stomping groundsAdisguised as an officer of the courtAafter two further deaths convince him that a murderer has targeted homeless court "groupies." Second in a series following Free Reign (LJ 2/1/97), this title draws strength from its rich detailing, humble characters, and flawed protagonist. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606283854
• ISBN-13: 978-0606283854
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting characters, twisting plot. Textures and layers., August 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Feast of Stephen: An Ellis Portal Mystery (Ellis Portal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I always liked Dorothy Sayers assumption that her readers were intelligent, educated and well read. Rosemary Auberg seems to start with the same assumption while leading her reader through interesting avenues. Her characters seem so real that one must decide if one is up to meeting them. Her clues so honest and wickedly devious they are a joy.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Feast of Stephen, February 23, 2000

By 

"blackjewel" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Feast of Stephen: An Ellis Portal Mystery (Ellis Portal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

One of the sad facts of modern life as that the "have-nots" among us tend to die earlier and with less fanfare and official interest than the "haves". Ellis Portal is a homeless person who at one time was a judge. He's been on the streets for several years. Two years earlier, he was instrumental in solving the murder of a young homeless girl. Since that time, he's gone into isolation, living rent free in an abandoned government hatchery. A fellow street person and friend named Queenie walks 13 miles from the center of Toronto to find him. She believes that one of her homeless friends, a woman named Melia, has been murdered, although it looks like she froze to death. Since winter is just beginning and the homeless are fairly smart about living in the elements, this doesn't seem to be a probable cause of death. More suspicion is raised when a threatening Bible verse is found on her person.

Ellis doesn't really believe that Melia was murdered, only agreeing to look into it because of his respect for Queenie. Several other deaths of street people follow, all found with a different threatening Bible verse. Ellis doesn't mention it, but he has received several of these verses himself. The other link between all the deaths is that the victims appear to be court "groupies", those people who hang around courtrooms observing trials, possibly because they suffered at the hands of the justice system. It's difficult for Ellis to think about reentering the judicial environment because he is so far from the lofty heights he occupied as a judge. However, most fortuitously (and implausibly), he is offered the opportunity to serve as an Officer of the Court which gives him a bird's eye view of what's happening in various courtrooms.

Although the police don't seem terribly interested in the deaths of the impoverished, there is one man named Matt West who goes beyond a token effort. He finds out that the various deaths have been caused by administering the poison curare. And there appears to be some kind of connection to a crostic puzzle about saints that's appearing in the media.

Aubert has a gift for writing descriptive passages, some of them almost lyrical. She also introduces various elements of homelessness that bring the street people closer to the reader. What does one do with a winter coat when one has no home? How does one live with the constant rejection by the so-called civilized people? However, I felt she was less successful overall than in the first book in the series, Free Reign. For one thing, Ellis is not really that down and out. He earned some money and is able to live in a boarding house (which, oh so coincidentally, happened to be a house where he once lived with his family). It was much more interesting when his abode was a self-made shelter in the outdoors. Secondly, all the victims received one Bible verse and died; Portal has received about a dozen. I've never been too fond of the main character having an "aha!" moment where all becomes clear. Aubert is a good writer and the focus on the homeless interesting; but overall, the book is only average.

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Tony the Tiger.....this book is Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!, February 28, 2004

By 

Lydia (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Feast of Stephen: An Ellis Portal Mystery (Ellis Portal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Looking for a great book with a little bit of everything? If so The Feast of Stephen is the book that you are going to want to read! This story contains a hidden love story, some drama, and lots of mystery. Ellis Portal is a had-been. He used to live the perfect life with a wife, a daughter named Ellen, and he was a judge. They all lived in a beautiful house in Toronto. When Ellis begins getting in to bad drinking habits, his wife walks out on him taking Ellen with. Ellis quits his job as a judge and now lives on the streets. The only person that he keeps in touch with is his friend Queenie. Queenie is uneducated and refers to Ellis only as "your honor". She lives on the streets also. When Queenie's friend Melia dies and the cops hide all information on the case she instantly takes action in to her own hands. Her and Ellis begin finding stranger and stranger clues. Each case is linked together could Ellis be the next victim?

This book is a great page-turner. I have a really hard time finding books that actually keep me interested enough to finish them. This book kept me reading. I never wanted to put it down! Rosemary Aubert has a superb writing style that will keep you interested. She is very descriptive with an interesting perspective. -The park was full of children sliding down its steep slopes on pieces of cardboard and plastic, the almost fluorescent blues, purples and pinks of their winter jackets making a bright confetti splash of color against the snow- this was one of my favorite lines out of the book. I really felt as if I was there when I read this line. Overall this is a really great book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery. A lot of this book contains a lof of court context though, so you have to have a slight interest in the court system. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that you will too!