The Fortieth Birthday Body: A Suburban Mystery [Hardcover]

Valerie Wolzien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1989

Down-to-earth housewife Susan Henshaw is turning forty -- and feeling ancient. Adding insult to injury is the return of gorgeous local hussy Dawn Elliott, rumored to have slept with half the married men of quiet Hancock, Connecticut. To lift her sagging spirits, Susan's loving husband throws her a surprise party. But one guest gets the surprise of her life -- or death. Dawn Elliott is found murdered. And Susan herself is the prime suspect . . .

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Susan Henshaw, the affable but somewhat inept housewife introduced in Wolzien's first novel, Murder at the PTA Luncheon , returns in this mild, low-key mystery set in affluent Hancock, Conn. Also reappearing is Henshaw's good friend Kathleen Gordon, a shrewd, unflappable former state police detective who calls on all her wiles and experience to work with the antagonistic local police in solving the murder of Dawn Elliot, a former resident of Hancock whose body, shot through the head, turns up in Susan's birthday present--a new car--at her 40th birthday party. Most of the male guests present quickly become suspects, since many, including Susan's seemingly agreeable husband Jed, reluctantly admit to having had affairs with promiscuous, enigmatic Dawn. Kathleen penetrates the town's seething gossip network to ferret out motives, but it is Susan's precocious 10-year-old son Chad, a sports-car buff, who inadvertently provides a vital clue. A townful of listless characters and a thin, drawn-out story line stall this pallid mystery.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 266 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (July 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312029179
• ISBN-13: 978-0312029173
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing but unsatisfying, January 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fortieth Birthday Body (Mass Market Paperback)

Dawn, the "town tramp" of Hancock, manages to ruin Susan Henshaw's 40th birthday bash by showing up uninvited behind the wheel of Susan's new Volvo. No one gets to confront her about her obnoxious behavior, though, because she's deader than a doornail. Anyone in this wealthy enclave could have done the deed--Dawn had seduced husbands and alienated wives every time she was in town from one of her archaeological digs. Unfortunately for Susan, her husband had not been immune to Dawn's charms, and now he's a suspect in the murder, too. Susan copes with the investigation, a March blizzard, and the feeling that she's no longer sexy and her husband doesn't really understand her in this book that keeps you guessing till the end. The reason I didn't give this a higher rating is that there are too many things left unsaid and unresolved that have nothing to do with the mystery. Maybe future books in the series will bring them to closure (this is the second). Just let me say that if all wealthy suburbanite marriages are as shallow and sick as some that are portrayed in this book, then I'm moving to the country, pronto

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Week in the Life of Susan, March 31, 2008

By 

Nancy Grisso "Stepfordmomto2" (Tehachapi, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fortieth Birthday Body (Mass Market Paperback)

Second book in the Susan Henshaw series.

Susan is days away from her 40th birthday when she find out that Dawn Elliot, the neighborhood tramp, is moving back to town and all of Susan's insecurities resurface when she once again must be reminded of her husband affair with the woman. But Susan has other things on her mind as well, including the "surprise party" that he husband is planning - but that whole thing doesn't work out so well when Dawn's dead body is found behind the steering wheel of the brand new car that Jed bought Susan for the big 4-0.

With the help of her friend Kathleen, an ex-detective, the two set out to solve the mystery of Dawn and the men she was involved with, including a strange husband, but this book quickly dissolves into naughty neighborhood goings on and storylines that could only be described as soap-operaeque. I don't know why I continued on with the series, other than its throw back to kinder gentler days of Dallas and Knot's Landing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, July 24, 2001

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fortieth Birthday Body (Mass Market Paperback)

Susan Henshaw's fortieth birthday rapidly approaches and Jed plans a "surprise" party for her with a new car as a gift. Unfortunately the local tramp is found dead in the front seat. Everyone who had an affair with her in the town of Hancock is a suspect including Jed. Susan and Kathleen have to do their best to clear him.

Ms. Wolzien has alot to live up to in her novels and this is not up to her usual standards. Her attempted red herrings just turn out to be loose ends. Susan and Jed never once discuss the affair--why--it almost gets him arrested and everyone else in town has told the police and Kathleen about it. This novel seems just sort of tossed together. It is however enjoyable for all that and I am slowly working my way through all her novels.