2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Kind of Hero, July 7, 2009
This review is from: To Hell in a Handbasket (A Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer, Mystery) (Hardcover)
I've just finished reading the second Claire Hanover mystery, and I'd have to say Beth Groundwater's main character really is strong enough to keep my interest through a whole series. A fascinatingly resourceful amateur detective, with the cleverness of Miss Marple, the sore knees of the middle-aged, and the physical prowess of an empty-nester who plans to keep skiing forever, Claire has the confidence to believe what she sees and to tell it like she sees it. Just because no one else saw the ski tracks doesn't mean they're not there. Just because no one else sees the danger doesn't mean she shouldn't protect her daughter. Just because...
So she walks into police stations and describes exactly the sort of details that someone unaccustomed to such places would notice--the presence or absence of family photographs, the pictures on the walls... She walks into a night club and learns the right words for the music by making mistakes--okay, so daughter's embarrassed, but Mom's taking charge. She leaps into action, rightly earning the nickname Mama Bear. And the reader follows along, all the time amazed and impressed and, if you happen to be me, just plain wishing I were more like her.
I guess Claire's kind of a niche hero, perfect for us moms with kids fleeing the nest, and ideal for the recipients of gift baskets. She makes me want to ski again. She believes in ibuprofen. She's real and she's fun. And she's more than capable of leaving me eagerly awaiting her next adventure.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Snowy Danger, March 6, 2010
This review is from: To Hell in a Handbasket (A Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer, Mystery) (Hardcover)
Reading Beth Groundwater's TO HELL in a HANDBASKET during the Winter Olympics felt like just the perfect time for this Cozy-Mystery. Claire Hanover, a Gift Basket sleuth, and her husband, Roger, and daughter, Judy, live in Colorado. Knowing how to ski is like knowing how to bike down to the corner store. It is just a daily part of life. Sadly, snow, skis and snow mobiles become an ugly place for murder and sorrow too. Judy witnesses the death of Nick's sister while skiing a trail. Nick is Judy's boyfriend.
Boy, it was painful to read about Stephanie's life cut short in a quick matter of moments.. Before too long I had to stick close to Claire because she really got herself in dangerous situations trying to solve the whole messy, bloody situation. While sleuthing, Claire seemed to always overhear what she was not meant to hear. At least, she seemed able to work well with Owen the sheriff. She didn't get in his way too much. Secondly, she would report to him what she had discovered to help the investigation come to a quick close.
This is one reason I liked TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET. It was really different reading about an amateur sleuth who does not bark at or get smart with the police and detectives constantly to make a point. Claire knows how to dig around for the truth in a smooth, polite way. However, Claire can melt when it comes to sudden and bloody deaths, but she holds her own. I like her strong spirit. Don't cave until you've gotten the truth.
She also knows how to keep her man happy. I loved it when Roger and she would steal a romantic moment. I also like Claire, the heroine, because she's a tiger when it comes to protecting her daughter, Judy. Come Russian mobs or guns and rifles Claire is going to save her daughter from becoming a victim of crime. She does become rather snippy with Owen, the sheriff at times. She does not bite her tongue when it comes to telling him she is not going to wait around for the phone to ring or twiddle her thumbs when her daughter is in danger. Claire wants all hands on deck including her hands. Her number one desire is to protect her daughter. Claire's a true blue, Annie Oakley mom.
Even when it comes to riding a snow mobile to find Judy Claire rides one. Really, this is a fantastically brave move because Claire has a phobia of riding snow mobiles. Her friend's son died riding one of those "dangerous machines." This must have happened in the first Claire Hanover cozy. I am definitely going back to read the first book. A few juicy tidbits are dropped in this second book about the first book.
I also enjoyed this cozy because of the craft theme in the background. At times I wanted to stop reading, go to the craft store and pick up pretty colored items like stationery and pens, a little raffia, a little leather to make up a basket for a friend. She makes one basket almost too huge for Roger to carry to the person.
I thought Leon, the gangster, was a hoot along with his driver and bodyguard. Claire proved she was an all around person when she spent time teaching Leon to ski in order to get more information about the killer or killers of a few people in the community.
TO HELL in a HANDBASKET is the best Cozy-Mystery I have read this year. "It is so totally all that" as young people would say.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To Hell in a Handbasket is Heaven in a Book, November 16, 2009
This review is from: To Hell in a Handbasket (A Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer, Mystery) (Hardcover)
To Hell in a Handbasket, the second book in the Claire Hanover series, takes the reader along on a family ski trip to Breckinridge, Colorado. Beth Groundwater's examination of family dynamics set around a murder mystery is sure to have readers alternately biting their nails and laughing aloud. Dangers, both real and imagined, keep Claire on edge to protect the most important thing in her life, her family. Claire struggles to let her daughter become the adult she is while trying to protect her from physical danger. Populated with characters ranging from a wealthy accountant, Russian mobsters, helpful drug dealers, career snowboarders, and a thoughtful detective, To Hell in a Handbasket is a fast, fun, and entertaining read.
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