Customer Reviews

The House of Seven Mabels (Jane Jeffry Mysteries, No. 13)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was thrilled to see a new Jane Jefferys book by Jill Churchill on the new rack at my local library, because the series so far has been one of my favourites of the "accidental sleuth" variety. Unfortunately, _House of the Seven Mables_ is not up to par, lacking much of the warmth and humour, and, yes, direction of the books in the rest of the series.

In the latest of a chain of good ideas that turn out badly, Jane and her sidekick Shelley Nowack get roped into acting as decorators for a friend who is remodeling a Victorian Monstrosity. An iffy proposition from the start, the project goes increasingly sour as Jane and Shelley discover that the contractor is incompetent and the work is being sabotaged by persons unknown. Soon enough someone turns up dead and to protect their own interests -- as well as their skins -- the two friends turn their talents towards solving the crime.

The premise is not a bad one, but the work as a whole borders on the incoherent, lacking discernable pattern and full of random detail that adds nothing to the plot. The characters are lackluster and their motivations, where they appear, do not contribute to the mystery. Many of the situations and characters are stereotyped. I was particularly put off by the portrayal of feminism, which poked mean-natured fun at the concept and seemed to say that only whining incompetent women would embrace the title, while real women have no need for that kind of nonsense.

I also felt that the job-site setting was poorly researched and inaccurately portrayed. With a husband in the building trades, I could not help but wonder how anyone in his or her right mind could have been roped into such a situation in the first place. That such a disaster as the remodeling project was allowed to continue as long as it did without the homeowner's taking action stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.

Jane and Shelley spend lots of time doing random things that have nothing to do with the matter at hand, almost as if they don't find the actual crime very interesting. I'm sorry to say, it's not. To anyone paying attention, the solution is evident from about chapter five. This would have been okay if the book had put together successive pieces of the puzzle in a slow revelation of complex motive and complex relationships, but it didn't. Jane literally stumbles on the solution by accident in what can best be called an anticlimax.

I was still amused by this book and I give it three stars rather than two because I like the series and care about the characters. But it's a disappointment.

Jane Jeffry and her neighbor Shelley are offered the opportunity to be the interior decorators for a large old home which their acqaintance Bitsy is redoing. Their children are growing older and more independent so these moms have more time to do some things they want to do. The problem is that they are not sure that this project is such a good idea. When they go to see the house, they are discouraged by the poor condition that it's in. Also some strange things are happening on the job site which convince them that someone is sabatoging Bitsy's efforts. Added to this, they are put off by the bossy and incompetant manner of the contractor, Sandy. When a murder occurs, things become even more grim. Jane and Shelley turn from decorators to investigators and finally, quite by accident, Jane solves the murder. This is not Jill Churchill's best effort, but Jane Jeffry fans will probably want to read it. The solution is presented very abruptly at the end, without much leading up to it. Also there is not quite as much humor in this book as in some of the previous ones in the series.

Sadly, what I felt when I finished this latest Jane Jeffry mystery novel was frustration and confusion. Whatever is going on with Jill Churchill? The Jane Jeffry mystery books used to be one of my favourites (as well as an automatic buy for me). But not anymore. I found it very hard to believe that the authour who wrote "Grime and Punishment," "A Quiche Before Dying" and "The Class Menagerie" also wrote this very sad and unsatisfactory work.

Feeling bored and restless (Jane is suddenly confronted with the fact that soon her house will be empty of children and that she has yet to accomplish anything noteworthy besides being a good mother), Jane Jeffry reluctantly agrees to help her best friend and neighbour Shelley tackle the redecorating of an old Victorian house in their neighbourhood. The house is an eyesore and should have been torn down long ago. But now, incredibly rich and recently divorced Bitsy Burnside (a woman who usually gives Jane heartburn) has decided to restore and renovate the house and use it for business purposes. And she wants Shelley and Jane to do the redecorating. Jane is leery but Shelley is excited at the prospect of shopping at someone else's expense. And so Jane soon finds herself a reluctant partner in this latest enterprise. But too many things about this project cause both Jane and Shelley to wonder if it would be wiser to pull out fast -- for example, gung-ho about certain "feminist" ideas that she has picked up, Bitsy has decided to hire an all female crew of workers (Jane and Shelley are not at all certain about the wisdom of that particular move); the contractor, Sandra Anderson, strikes them as being both incompetent and strange; and someone has been playing a series of dangerous pranks on the workers. And the pranks result in a death...

The saddest thing about this book was that it mirrored Jane's feelings of restlessness and boredom -- that spark of lively humour that characterised previous Jane Jeffry novels was completely absent. Add to that the fact that Shelley's character has somehow gone beyond ordinary bossiness into the realm of almost unpleasant, and I began to wonder if Jill Churchill had actually written this book! The mystery went no where for much of the book: Jane and Shelley would take a stab at 'interviewing' the suspects, and then do other things (shop, eat, garden, etc) and then look at the mystery from different angles before giving up for a good night's sleep.And when they finally crack the case, it is because Jane stumbles onto the answer by accident -- no taxing of the 'little grey cells.' But my biggest criticism was that Jill Churchill stereotyped the so-called 'feminists' in this novel. They were the usual short-haired, strident, angry male haters who may be lesbians, that the main stream media usually portrays all feminists to be.

Unfortunately "The House of Seven Mabels," does not compare well, esp when you consider the previous Jane Jeffrey mystery novels (those were real gems). And that is a real shame.

The 13th book in the Jane Jeffrey shows Jane and her best friend Shelley Nowack at work again. These two suburban mothers are asked to help old friend, Bitsy, renovate/redecorate her Victorian home and the two, looking for something to ease their boredom, agree to help. It seems that Bitsy only wants female contractors working on the house, and when Jane and Shelley show up, they realize that the lead contractor is a bit too demanding. When she ends up dead, Jane and Shelley once again are determined to find a killer. Add to this the fact that all of the renovations are going wrong (with a prankster adding to the mess), and Jane again finds herself in a situation she feels she has to "fix".

I have enjoyed each of the books in this series more for the relationships between the characters rather than the suspense of the mysteries. This was a good addition to the series, and I like the fact that Jane is becoming more independent (she keeps working on her book) and actually buys herself and her son computers. If Jane would only buy herself a new car, she would be all set! On the whole, I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries even if you have not read any of the previous books in this series.

The first book in this series is "Grime and Punishment". Enjoy!

A Cozy Lover

I'm a new fan of Jill Churchill and the Jane Jeffry Series. I enjoyed the writing and story and the only weaknesses I saw was that I couldn't understand why Jane would continue to go along with Shelly's project when she had such strong reservations. Also, I figured out who the killer was soon after she was introduced (and I guess that's kind of a biggie in a mystery). There were some distracting editing flubs too. But I still liked it enough that I will read the other books in the series.
I found a story featuring women in non-traditional businesses appealing. And I appreciated the length. Some seem to feel a book is better the longer it is, no matter how the story drags in some parts. I say get to the point and get it over with. Thank you Miss Churchill.
C.M. Miller, author Accrual Way To Die---An Audrey Wilson Mystery

OK, so this isn't the best in the Jane Jeffrey series; but in defense of Ms. Churchill I must say that I have known quite a few quasi-feminists who go overboard in their support of their new ideals and lose their normal sense of perspective. Most of us can do that when we get into something new and exciting, if only for a little while, then we generally come back to earth and evaluate whether or not this new "thing" is something in which we can truly believe and support.
Off my soapbox and back to the book and Jane: I love Jane and Shelley and all the crazy situations they usually find themselves in. I did sort of like this book; but I have to say that I thought it was too short and, therefore, a bit of a cheat. I didn't like the way it ended either -- but up until the last couple of chapters or so, I was still having a good time. Maybe the next one will be better. We true fans can only hope...

Jill Churchill's "House of the Seven Mabels" seems to be a little lacking in her usual ingredients of tongue-in-cheek humor and enjoyable fun. The book will divert you for a couple of hours, and you will enjoy the characters of Jane and her friend Shelley, wives and mothers whose children are getting more independent, but more satisfying mystery fare is to be found in Churchill's earlier works.

This is definitely the weakest entry in this series. If you're a fan, you'll read it, but be prepared to be disappointed. The story is weak and formulaic, the mystery is contrived, the characters don't seem as likable as before. Even the title seems to be trying too hard. Hopefully, if this series continues, the next entry won't be such a paint-by-number effort.

I came across this book at a sale; after reading the first few chapters, I checked Amazon and was disappointed to find that it was still in print. Jane seems like a fifties' holdover, and the descriptions of the many meals and snacks are simply tedious. The worst aspect of this book isn't even the shoddy editing--it's the tone. The anti-feminist take here is appalling.

I have liked the character Jane Jeffrey and her pal and neighbor Shelley. And this is an easy read with the comfort of known characters growing older and progressing as individual women who still find a home and family to be a good center. The mystery here is not such a big suspenseful draw, just the involvement of the two friends in a possible money-making scheme, ring led by Shelley, with Jane along for the ride, and maybe the profit. The plot revolves around this would-be job and the unusual, almost all woman crew of renovators who are already on the payroll. But the vandalism of the site and the one murder take a gentle route to solution. This is no great puzzler, much less suspenseful horror. Rather domestic in its scope.

Jane's interaction with her children and their maturation, her comfortable relationship with detective Mel, her entry into the real computer age and her developing novel, make for a fast and easy diversion.

This is not the best of Churchill. In fact, mystery is just coincidental to the plot, it seems. But I do think it is good enough to divert the mind from the frustrations of the world for a while.