Customer Reviews

A Grave Mistake

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

 

 

I never grow tired of Stella Cameron's creative writing. Every time I read one of her books I'm transported to the time and place where the story is set. Her characters sizzle (especially Jilly and Guy) and let's face it... Who wouldn't love to spend an afternoon with Wazoo? This thriller will have you jumping in your seat and eager to turn the page to find out what happens next. Oh, and you might want to keep a towel handy to wipe your glasses... the sex is downright steamy.

Then to read a Stella Cameron book and A GRAVE MISTAKE is a good reason why. I just love to visit the town of Touissant and of course the hunky Father Cyrus. When evil threatens Jilly Gable, Guy Gautreaux comes out of leave of absense to protect the woman he has developed feelings for. Jilly is willing to forgive the woman who claims to be her mother, but is she really her mother or just a con?
A GRAVE MISTAKE is the perfect book to read this time of year with the evil, creepy villains that only Stella Cameron can create and Guy and Jilly who fight to be together.

This was well worth the wait! I couldn't put this book down and stayed up way late reading. It has everything you want in a page turner -- romance, chemistry and a great suspense/story. The romance is emotional, deep and sexy. The characters are likable but have flaws and quirks. The suspense is gritty and nail biting and just really edgy. This is a definite keeper.

Once again Stella Cameron has taken me on a captivating journey through "old" Louisiana. It's like looking at a picture book of that area before the disaster hit. Her detail to time, place and people allows a reader to feel as if they're right in the midst of things. I love running into characters I've met in prior stories because they are - for the most part - very endearing. And who can't use a spicy sex scene on a cool autumn evening? I hope to someday achieve her level of intuitiveness as a writer; always knowing what the reading public wants... and giving it to them.

New Orleans detective Guy Gautreaux is on a leave of absence and hanging out in the small Louisiana town of Toussaint. His former partner Nat comes to visit when a body turns up and has ties to the little town and wants his help in investigating the crime.

Jilly Gable is the proprietress of "All Tarted Up," a fancy bakery in Toussaint. After suffering through yet another failed romance (chronicled in "Now You See Him"), she is excited when her estranged mother shows up in Toussaint, and with her new husband, purchases an estate. Guy is suspicious

When she returns home after finding out that her mother had an accident shaving her legs (and somehow slashed her wrist), Jilly and best pal Guy discover a body that might have ties to the one in New Orleans, and the two are catapulted into the investigation which leads to her new family, as the body count continues to climb.

I never thought that I would be disappointed with one of Cameron's Toussaint Tales, but "A Grave Mistake" just does not have the same level of tension, suspense, romance, and quirkiness that makes the rest of the series so good. At a little under 500 pages, it is just a really long, predictable, and drawn out tale. At least we finally find out what happened to Amy Girard.

That's Stella Cameron. A Grave Mistake is yet another example of Ms. Cameron's incredible talent. The characters are as steamy as the humid Louisiana setting. I wanted to climb right into the pages and sweat with them. (Especially Guy.) It's a terrific whodunnit that weaves the grizzly mind of a psycho into a great story. I typically read historical fiction but when I see a new book by this lady I detour into the contemporary market. I can't wait for her next release. Thank you, Ms. Cameron, for providing an escape from the everyday doldrums.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

New Orleans homicide detective Guy Gautreaux is called back from a leave of absence after his last case to investigate a murder in Toussaint. This particular case doesn't seem all that unusual enough to bring him back, but the more he investigates, the deeper he realizes the trail leads.

Jilly Gable owns bakery where the latest murder has occurred and she needs answers. In the midst of the investigation, Jilly is trying to strengthen her family ties and reunite with the mother her abandoned her as a child. But when a "shaving accident" nearly kills her mother, things in Toussaint grow even stranger.

Jilly and Guy must work together to stay safe and get to the bottom of the mystery but the newly developing relationship between them adds even more danger to Jilly's life.

I had such a hard time even finishing A Grave Mistake. I've come to the conclusion that Stella Cameron's writing style just isn't for me. It certainly doesn't help that I was so confused throughout the entire novel I didn't have a clue what was happening with which characters in the various interwoven storylines. I was wandering aimlessly through the mystery until suddenly in the last few chapters everything falls perfectly into place... too perfectly if you ask me. Then there is the added problem that a couple of the characters I could never remember which was which! They just weren't unique enough individuals for me and I kept blurring who was who.

I also had a very hard time buying into the reality of some of what unfolded. The biggest issue I had here was with Edith Preston's (Jilly's mother) accident. An attempted murder gone awry left her passed out drunk on a bed with razors sticking out of her arms. (No this isn't a spoiler since it happens almost immediately in the book.) How the attempted murder is passed off to the town? As a shaving accident so people wouldn't think it was a suicide attempt. Come on now, give me a break! The exact circumstances in which she is found are ridiculous to the extreme that someone would believe she was shaving her legs and her hand slipped. This just started me into this story with such an air of disbelief that here is where my ability to get engrossed in the novel vanished.

To be honest there is only one redeeming feature of the entire book for me. There is a very poignant storyline involving the local priest and his housekeeper that brought tears to my eyes over the beauty of the emotions surrounding them. Their story is so heartbreakingly tender and bittersweet. This plotline is the only reason this book was not an utter wall banger for me. I found myself continuing A Grave Mistake to find out how their story would resolve itself far more than for our fearless lead couple Jilly and Guy.

Unfortunately, Alyson Silverman, in my opinion, was not the right choice for a narrator for A Grave Mistake. This is a dark thriller of a story and her voice is too young and soft to really portray the right mood with her performance. Don't get me wrong, Silverman is a very good narrator and I have enjoyed her voice on other audio books. Her voice just seems more suited to lighter works than this book is.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2008. All rights reserved.

First let me say this book is 200 pages to long. It starts like a bang and ends with a whimper. I still don't understand why the guy was murdered even if he knew his step-daughter was murdered, he couldn't prove it.

Second the story jumped to Toussaint La, too quickly. The story of Jilly and Guy started with the assumption that I already knew some of their history. I didn't, as this is my first (possibly last) Stella Cameron murder mystery. I have read her earlier historical novels.

Jilly was admirable, and I think she was brave in forcing Guy to consider their relationship. However her devotion to her mother who abandoned her was not quite believable. Jilly is really very sophisticated and I can't believe Preston would be able to fool her easily.

Guy seemed to be bogged down by the death of his previous girlfriend. He also seemed to care for Jilly. I am glad he finally found his center and asked her to marry him. He is still a cop at heart and I didn't think he could give up his profession.

The only really good thing about the book seems to be the secondary characters who keep you entertained. Some of them seem very unique.

I really think about a third of the book could have been deleted and still been the same read. This is not a bad book, but by the end I was just looking for closure.

New Orleans Detective Nat Archer heads to nearby Toussaint to enlist the aid of his partner Guy Gautreaux, on a leave of absence. Nat tells him someone shot and killed Pip Sedge in the French Quarter; the victim had ties to Toussaint. Guy says no as he still heals from a tragedy.

Pastry shop owner Jilly Gable wants Guy though he does all he can to discourage her even though he desires her too. He is concerned that a woman claiming to be Jilly's mother Edith, who deserted her years ago, wants to be back in her life. Edith has brought her husband antiques dealer Sam Preston with her. Guy does not trust the Prestons or their bodyguard although he admits he has only a feeling about the duo. Still he investigates because he will not allow any harm to come to Jilly, but is unaware of the link back to New Orleans.

Though the flood puts a damper on this Bayou romantic suspense thriller, readers will still appreciate this fine tale. The hero is a good guy trying not to get involved, but unable to keep out especially since he is falling in love with the upbeat Jilly. She is the more intriguing character with her need to belong to a loving family sending her willingly into accepting the Prestons and ultimately into danger. Stella Cameron provides a strong tale, but the real world provides an eerie feel to the Louisiana background.

Harriet Klausner

This book is terrible! Boring, repetitive, some of the characters were just not believeable. This book is not worth trying to wade through. I finished it but it took great effort. I have read a lot of Ms. Cameron's books but this will be the last.