Customer Reviews

Grave Misgivings (Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I can't believe LGandle read the same warm and witty book I did. Of course I am a fan of Mother Lavinia Grey and have read all Kate Gallison's books. Mother Grey and her wacky assortment of parishoners are always a hoot. The uproariously odd coincidences and dizzying plot twists of Grave Misgivings kept me up until 3:00am.

I wish Kate Gallison would hurry up and write another Mother Lavinia Grey mystery. The premise for her novels is so different...and wonderfully done.!

Mother Lavinia meets a man and his teenage daughter in the rain in a cemetery. She kindheartedly asks them home with her and they tell her they are looking for the grave of the man's father. He died in the great flood of 1955, or did he? Someone is also stealing the ornaments from the graveyard. Mother Lavinia takes both mysteries in hand.

While this isn't my favorite of the Mother Vinnie mysteries, it is still very entertaining. The mysteries of the past and present blend very well together, and the ending is somewhat surprising.

When this book started out, I thought it had great potential for a nice cozy mystery. However, I found it slow moving--it just didn't have any pick-me-up to it. I felt like we were jumping back and forth from Vinnie's professional life to her personal life, and the two just didn't mesh. For me, the characters and the storyline just didn't come together. It felt like something was missing, although I can't put my finger on excactly what. This is my first shot at Kate Gallison, and I might try another at some point in the future, but not right away.

Mother Vinnie Grey found the two waterlogged individuals wandering in the Mount Overlook Cemetery in Fishersville, New Jersey. She brings the pair home with her to warm them up and to hear their story. Mark Smith and his adult daughter Shannon traveled from Phoenix to bury the ashes of his recently deceased mother, Mary Agnes, next to his long time interred father, James. However, Mark and Shannon admit that somehow the grave of his father, who died in 1955, is no where to be found in any of the nearby cemeteries, regardless of religious affiliation.

His mother never told Mark much about Fishersville as he lived out west since he was six years old. A few elderly citizens remember James, but no one seems to be able to find the grave site. One particular person, John Ferryman, even cried to learn his former love, Mary Agnes, died, but no one tells the Smiths how James died and where he is buried. Mother Vinnie takes over the investigation even as other in! cidents seem to interfere with her inquiries.

No readers will have any GRAVE MISGIVINGS after perusing the latest Mother Vinnie novel. The witty story line is simplistic, a bit offbeat, yet outrageously genuine, and definitely exciting. Readers will feel the motivations and grief of all the characters and Mother Vinnie is a unique amateur sleuth. However, the fifth Mother Vinnie entry, which may be the best of a great series, is superb because of the brilliantly written, elementary yet complex puzzle. The great Kate Gallison will rightfully receive critical and reader accolades for her newest novel.

Harriet Klausner 7/26/98

This was my 3rd Mother Grey book I've read & I was disappointed. There were just too many coincidences & unlikely events. I liked Shannon Smith, but her father was a troubled man who didn't seem to be going to get any help.

See elsewhere for a synopsis. This is the fifth Mother Lavinia Grey mystery written by Kate Gallison. This is probably the most poorly written book I have read in years. In skilled hands, it could have been a somewhat clever book. However, the characters are wooden burdened with incredibly stilted, simplistic dialogue. The book is full of improbable coincidences remniscent of juvenile fiction. With so many other titles avalable, look elsewhere for your entertainment dollar.