Going Out in Style [Mass Market Paperback]

Joyce Christmas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1998

DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Rich and stylish Dianne Stark has it all: good looks, wealthy husband, cute baby, Fifth Avenue apartment. So why is she suddenly restless and anxious, hinting at secret troubles?

Lady Margaret Priam suspects her friend is the victim of an overactive imagination. But when Dianne's look-alike sister is murdered, Lady Margaret decides to do some mannerly snooping. As she canvasses her social connections--including Dianne's current men friends--and searches for a shadowy ex-husband, she meets a Dianne she never knew. And exposes a criminal where she least expects it. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Rich and stylish Dianne Stark has it all: good looks, wealthy husband, cute baby, Fifth Avenue apartment. So why is she suddenly restless and anxious, hinting at secret troubles?

Lady Margaret Priam suspects her friend is the victim of an overactive imagination. But when Dianne's look-alike sister is murdered, Lady Margaret decides to do some mannerly snooping. As she canvasses her social connections--including Dianne's current men friends--and searches for a shadowy ex-husband, she meets a Dianne she never knew. And exposes a criminal where she least expects it. . . .

About the Author

Joyce Christmas is the author of the popular Lady Margaret Priam mystery series, which began with Suddenly in Her Sorbet. She also writes the Betty Trenka mysteries: This Business Is Murder, Death at Face Value, and Downsized to Death. Ms. Christmas lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (April 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449150100
• ISBN-13: 978-0449150108
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,264,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What a Disappointment, June 1, 2003

By 

Kathe Romano "Kathe" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Out in Style (Mass Market Paperback)

As a Joyce Christmas fan, I was very disappointed in this mystery. I echo the thoughts of the previous reviewer. After getting through this contrived, obvious tale, I also thought that the author needed a nice long vacation! I was actually happy I bought this at a used bookstore and did not pay full price.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where's the plot?, July 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Going Out in Style (Mass Market Paperback)

Joyce Christmas must need a vacation...poor plot, a character (Diane Stark) change that's unbelievable, and a ridiculously contrived ending that really doesn't "end" anything. Phooey!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read, April 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Going Out in Style (Mass Market Paperback)

New York's high society women have excitedly accepted Lady Margaret Priam into their exalted circle because of her English aristocratic background. She migrated to America because she needs to earn a living, something she was not allowed to do in England.

Though most people she meets in the city are just acquaintances, Lady Margaret considers Dianne Stark, wife of a very rich, but much older person, to be a close friend. Dianne tells Margaret that someone is stalking her by sending her threatening letters and hideous flower arrangements. No one else seems to be taking the threats seriously. However, that changes when Dianne's sister, a near look alike, is shot. Subsequently, Dianne disappears. Margaret begins to search for her friend before someone else gets hurt.

GOING OUT IN STYLE is a stylish amateur detective story. The fascinating protagonist's struggle to survive in a strange city when she knows she is living a shallow lifestyle feels real and adds to the flavoring of the story line. Joyce Christmas writes a smashing mystery that is sure to be a bloody success.

Harriet Klausner