Customer Reviews

A Fool and His Honey (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, No. 6)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Aurora 'Roe' Teagarden's day started out normally enough. She woke up, ate breakfast, got ready for work, greeted Darius Quattermain who was delivering the firewood, and then watched incredulously as Darius proceeded to take off all of his clothes and dance naked in the yard. After dealing with that unsettling incident, Roe is even more surprised when her husband's niece, Regina, arrives unannounced on their doorstep with her baby, Hayden in tow. Southern hospitality being what it is, Roe felt that she had to offer a temporary refuge to the young woman and got her settled in the garage apartment. But when Roe returned home from work, she found a dead man on the steps, a baby hidden under the bed, another man sleeping in her living room and no Regina. As Roe and Martin try to discover what trouble Regina has gotten herself into now, they are led on a madcap journey to Martin's home town in Ohio and the small house where Martin grew up and Regina was living. Instead of solving all of their problems, however, Martin and Roe find that they have stepped into a kidnapping/adoption/murder plot and do not know who to trust. As the strain of attending to Hayden and learning more about Martin's secretive past begin to catch up to her, Roe is unsure of everyone and everything, except the fact that Regina has ruined her life!

A Fool and His Honey is the 6th book in the Aurora Teagarden series and I enjoyed it. I have to admit that the ending was a real surprise, but the darker side of the mystery did not bother me. In fact, I think it is good when characters change and mature and grow because it makes me feel that they are more like me. I still love Harris' characters and I especially enjoyed Roe's attempts to take of the baby because she had always wanted a child but was so clearly clueless as to what to do with one. The plot is fast paced and this is an easy, quick read. If you have enjoyed any of Harris' other books, I think you will enjoy this one, but it does have a tear-jerker ending so be ready for it!

Being a huge fan of the Aurora "Roe" Teagarden mystery series, I was anxious to read the latest book in the series. However, I was extremely shocked by the outcome of this book and kept waiting to find out that Roe was having a bad dream or something similar. This series has always been on the tougher side of the cozy mystery genre, but I was blown away by the darker edge to the plot in this book. When a book makes your heart stop for a moment and your eyes well up with tears, you know that you really "care" about the characters. Caring about what happens to the characters is one of the aspects that makes a good book, and if the reaction of readers is any indication, this must be one to look at. Ms. Harris definitely took a chance with this plot, and I have to say that it was indeed a shock. Like other readers I have had a hard time picking up subsequent books in the series, but am determined to find a reason as to why Ms. Harris chose the ending that she did.

Saying all of these things, I would highly recommend all of the previous books in this series. Roe is a great character, and the relationship that she has with her husband was a big reason that I loved the previous books. If you enjoy a bit of a darker cozy, this might just be the series for you.

The first book in this series is "Real Murders". Enjoy!

A Cozy Mystery Lover

I really enjoyed this book, up until the final 5 pages. Then it was just heartbreaking. I get the feeling that this is the last book in this series, due to the fate of one of the characters (not the main one, so if you haven't read it don't worry about it). Although not her best, Harris did do a good job with the writing style and prose of the characters and kept them real throughout the book.

I didn't want to put the book down! It was a good story and I could feel with Aurora the confusion and frustration of caring for the baby. So much was said about "the wrong people having children and others not being able too", that is so true! It is something I am familiar with and understood what she was trying to "get across". The ending really hurt.....I didn't want it to be that way at all, he was so good to her and loved her so much. I will miss him. I need to find a "light" book right now, this ones ending really does hurt.

In case anyone has forgotten the "real" Roe Teagarden, may I recommend a return trip to REAL MURDERS? This is NOT a "cozy" series, never was, and A FOOL AND HIS HONEY shows Roe dealing with dreadful deaths and the nastiness humans can inflict on one another. The humorous moments (particularly with her husband Martin's ex-wife, Cindy) support the development of the characters and the tension of the plot. And there is a LOT of tension -- there is always a sense that something is hovering just outside one's peripheral vision. Harris has skillfully conveyed the frustration the characters feel as they seek information, and their sense that they are in danger (which they are) unless they can find what's really going on.

My only (slight) criticism is the way the police courteously leave Roe (thorn in their side from several previous cases) and Martin (whom they've always regarded with dark suspicion) to themselves after a grisly murder and disappearance is (again!) discovered at their house. Pure fantasy! Still, a little suspension of disbelief is part of novel reading.

Harris has left so many possibilites for future plots that it's dizzying to contemplate. This is a tough, exciting and suspenseful mystery. I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

This climax to the relationship between sleuth Roe Teagarden and her new husband, Martin, was as humorous, engrossing and fun as the prior books. It is a testament to the great writing of Charlaine Harris that I was so engrossed in the progression of their relationship that this ending totally shocked and floored me! I can't wait to see what happens next in Charlaine's life! Her writing just gets more suscinct and powerful!

Charlaine has done it again...provided me with an evening of pure entertainment. I was worn out with taking care of that baby long before I had to help fend off the killers. Talk about your virtual reality.....!

I thought this was one of the best thought out of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries. Aurora and her husband Martin find themselves with a baby, a dead body, and a missing niece. Although the niece had claimed the baby her and her husband's Aurora has her doubts. You can't tell much more of a synopsis with spoiling a mystery plot as each scene tends to unravel some more information. The book is now 11 years old and Harris's fans are still reeling from the ending of this one. *SPOILER* (Although others have spoiled the same thing throughout the majority of the reviews on Amazon) The death at the end of this book shocked many readers. Yes, it was surprising. I always had thought Martin wasn't quite right for Roe. I think she has something better coming to her. Martin was ok, but he kept too many secrets and he acted more bothered by Roe than anything else. Overall, this mystery was engaging and parts of the resolution I expected and yet other events were completely unexpected. There is a lot of depth to Roe's character here. We truly get to see her come off in a less than nice light...it was realistic however in that she was annoyed with having to care for a baby one minute, and then almost in love with it the next. Her friend nailed it to when she complained that Roe was a tad spoiled or selfish. There are only two books left for this series and I look forward to reading them. I hope Roe gets a HEA...this just sure wasn't it.

This is the last of the Charlaine Harris series books I have read. The Sookie Stackhouse books are my favorite (bleck-but *NOT* the HBO shows). This series is my second favorite - then the Harper Connelly (although kind of weird w/the brother thing in the last book) and then Lily Bard (a little too much graphic violence with the multiple rape and torture, head being cut off by the collection plate.) Just before I picked up this book to read I thought to myself how happy I was that Charlaine Harris allowed this character some happiness. (Reminds me a bit of the Diane Mott Davidson books - a nice murder cozy about a woman with a solid love life - i.e. she's married. Although Goldie stays the same age in EVERY book as everyone else ages - so not consistent with the facts - why is this so hard to find in series books anymore?) I was also enjoying the consistency of the books previous to this. I should have never thought that because I jinxed it all. I will not say what happened - no spoilers here - but those of you that have read this book know. When I finished the book i was honestly ticked off. Deflated. Done. Why is all I thought? And who is really writing these books? Why in the previous book was Martin 15 years Aurora's senior but in this book he is only 13 years older? Is it bad editing or a different person writing the book (an "assistant writer"?) Are we readers too stupid to notice these indiscrepancies? Because of my obsessiveness with series books I just picked up the next book Last Scene Alive hoping that it would somehow reverse the ending of this book - I like the bad dream theory. I had hope. Why, I don't know. At least Martin is back to being 15 years older in this one. But all of a sudden Aurora lives in SPARLING county, GA now - not Spalding. This is the kind of thing that is disappointing. Why Harris did what she did in this book at the end - that's one thing. I don't like her choice but what can I do about that? But the lack of consistent facts from one book to the next is just plain insulting to the readers. I like the character of Aurora and I enjoyed the book up until pgs 248-49. That is why this book gets 2 stars. The inconsistent writing gets 0 stars.

Charlaine Harris went beyond anything I'd expected in this book. A little darker than the usual cozy, it takes Aurora on a personal journey that truly tests her moxie. The prose is smooth and riveting, and it's impossible to put A FOOL down. Don't go into this expecting "another" anything. It's not a cookie cutter series, folks, and Charlaine Harris is as good as they come.