The Grief Shop [Mass Market Paperback]

Vicki Stiefel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

Tally Whyte has seen a lot of dead bodies in her years with the Massachusetts Grief Assisstance Program, but this is the first time a murder victim has been brought there by the murderer himself. During the night, someone broke into the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, aka the Grief Shop, and left behind a tragic calling card- the body of a young girl, bearing a message that reads: Sins of the Fathers. The girl's playmate is also missing. Could she be another victim? Or can Tally still save her before the k iller strikes again? As the mysteries multiply and Tally's life is threatened, she scrambles to prevent another child from falling prey to a madman's warped sense of justice.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This third installment of the Tally Whyte series (The Dead Stone, Body Parts) begins with a very bad day for Stiefel's steadfast heroine: her dog is being tested for cancer, her mom is hospitalized with the flu, and someone has broken into her office—and delivered a murdered little girl. Though corpses aren't exactly out of the ordinary in Massachusetts's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner—the "Grief Shop" where Tally directs the state's Grief Assistance Program—this victim was somehow secreted into the secure facility by her killer, suggesting that one of the Grief Shop's own is involved. The only clues to the girl's death are a message written on her palm in marker—"Sins of the Father"—and a toy lamb left behind after someone knocks Tally cold in the OCME's decomposition room. Already feeling the rigors of her grim job wearing at her resolve, Tally is rocked by the mystery and the possibility of a criminal among her colleagues—and it doesn't help that her out-of-commission mother is also her boss, the chief medical examiner. Tally is a compelling protagonist—edgy, compassionate and vulnerable—with a clipped narrating style that keeps the tricky plot in focus. Stiefel's latest shows—again—that she can hold her own against genre heavyweights like John Sanford and Patricia Cornwell. (Sept.)
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Review

Tally Whyte is full of warmth and wit --and she'll keep you turning pages through this engrossing mystery thriller. --Jan Brogan, author of A Confidential Source

Stiefel has the psychological thriller down so well you might think she inventied it. An original, brilliant novel of the human experience worthy of anything James M. Cain could have done. --Crimestalker Casebook

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Mary Higgins Clark and Sue Grafton, Stiefel creates a tenacious but vulnerable heroine in Massachusetts homicide counselor Tally White. --Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843957433
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957433
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,396,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, November 13, 2006

By 

LBW (Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grief Shop (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Grief Shop" is Vicki Stiefel at her best! The thriller has all the psychological drama of her first 2 novels, yet shows great compassion and sensativity in her heroine, Tally Whyte.

Tally is constantly challenged in her attempts to find a child killer and in her personal life. You find yourself worrying about the fate of missing children, her step-mom and her devoted dog Penny. All are in jeopardy!

As Tally weaves her way through a maze of clues, one thing becomes certain. This crime is not going to be easy to solve. The plot twists and turns, while danger lurks around every corner.

A great read! I'm looking forward to number 4!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong psychological thriller, September 2, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grief Shop (Mass Market Paperback)

Tally Whyte runs the Massachusetts Grief Assistance Organization (MGAP) and although it is in the building that houses the medical examiners office it is a separate entity. The Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Veda Barrow is Tally's foster mother who she loves dearly. She is also in love with Sheriff Hank Cunning who lives in Maine and wants her to take a job up there as chief medical examiner.

Tally's life begins to radically change when she finds a lump on her three-legged dog and takes her to the vet who wants to do a biopsy. Then she is called to the medical examiner's office because the body of a child was in there with the phrase "sins of the father" on her hand. When they track down the victim's parents, they discover that a second child that was staying with them was also kidnapped. She is returned to her parents but a third child is found dead with the same words written on her hand that were inscribed on Rose's. Veda is hospitalized with an infection and then someone injected her with medicines that destroyed her brain. To make matters worse, the expected new chief medical examiner wants MGAP out of the building. Tally tries to carry on and identify the killer while finding she has feelings for another man. When Veda is kidnapped, Tally goes on point to find the killer before he strikes again.

There is so much action in THE GRIEF SHOP that readers will want to finish it in one sitting to find out what happens and how the various sub-plots are linked together. Most people would break under the strain Tally is under but the protagonist seems to gather strength out of adversity. Vicki Stiefel is a talented storyteller who writes enjoyable consuming psychological thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Subplots and Characters, September 28, 2006

By 

Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Grief Shop (Mass Market Paperback)

THE GRIEF SHOP is an overstuffed novel with so many different subplots and characters that I had some real problems following the narrative.

Vicki Stiefel is a decent writer, but I think she needs to streamline her plots better. The story in THE GRIEF SHOP seemed to jump from one plot line to another, without much transition. I was more confused than entertained by this novel.

My primary suggestion would be for Stiefel to write a tighter plot with a smaller number of characters that are better developed than what I found here.