Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Deadly Ackee and Other Stories of Crime and Catastrophe [Hardcover]

Joan Hess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2003 | Series: Five Star First Edition Mystery

Agatha and Macavity Award-winning Author

In the title novel, The Deadly Ackee, retired florist Theo Bloom lucks into what appears to be a perfect situation -- escorting his teenage niece and her five friends to lush Jamaica, where he can study the tropical flora to his heart's delight. But there are serpents in paradise; his squabbling charges are enough to drive even mild-mannered Theo to drink, and when an old friend from the CIA turns up, it's more than coincidence. But when a body is found floating in the resort pool, Theo's vacation turns murderous, and only he can solve the mystery before another victim is found. Also included is a selection of short stories, including one from The Maggody Files.

Joan Hess lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (December 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594140790
• ISBN-13: 978-1594140792
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,697 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great writer--Excellent stories, January 18, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Deadly Ackee and Other Stories of Crime and Catastrophe (Hardcover)

"The Deadly Ackee". Nadine calls up her brother Theo, a retired florist, to chaperone his niece, her fiancé and four other college students on their Jamaican vacation. Theo says no since he is still recovering from his last frolic with Dorrie in which Israelis tried to kill them and Communists tried to indoctrinate them. Fun and sun in the Caribbean proves tedious for Theo as the sextet drives him crazy with their antics. However, Theo soon finds himself in a deadly situation as someone poisons the pool boy with rum spiked with deadly unripe ackee and one of his charges has been kidnapped. The adolescent humor is amusing at first, but like Theo becomes a bit tedious until the homicide and the abduction take center stage. Theo, in his second appearance (see The Night-Blooming Cereus) is a fine amateur sleuth who would prefer to find exotic flora, but acts responsible even if it is dangerous. Tongue in cheek, this is an amusing reprint of a late 1980s tale that is fun to read.

The Other Stories. The four accompanying short stories blend humor with murder and mayhem to include a return to Maggody, Arkansas for one tale. The four contributions are amusing, contain a twist or two, and enhance the fine lead title in providing readers a taste of Joan Hess' properly cooked ripened ackee mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars I love Joan Hess, February 16, 2012

By 

Karen (hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Deadly Ackee and Other Stories of Crime and Catastrophe (Hardcover)

..but this is not her greatest work. The major story of the book is the best, the other short stories aren't worth the read.