Customer Reviews

Huckleberry Finished (Delilah Dickinson Literary Tour Mysteries)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Plot/Storyline: 3 1/2 Stars

When I purchased this book, I did not realize that it was part of a series. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue; however, in this case it was a big problem. I am a firm believer that books in a series should also be 'stand-alones.' While the mystery in this novel was solely contained within the pages of this installment, the author made numerous references to the previous book. Still, this wouldn't be a problem, but not only were there many references made, they were never really explained, making for a very annoying read. I felt like I was missing quite a bit.

The mystery was pretty simplistic and didn't have that `let the reader try to figure things out' flavor. I prefer my mysteries to have some way for me to at least attempt to figure out who the killer was. I especially like the ones that fool me so that in the end I can think, "Oh, yeah, I didn't catch that while I was reading it." This one, however, had none of that. There were no clues that the reader could have picked up on prior to the ending revelations. I was just led along with Delilah, the main character, and only able to discover it as she went along.

Another issue was that it started to seem as though almost everyone on the tour group had some private agenda or was not what they seemed. After awhile, I just had to shake my head and ignore reality.

Character Development: 1 Star

Delilah definitely had a lot of potential. I can only assume, though, that all of her development was in the previous book. In this one, much of her character description was only done in allusions to events in the previous book. For instance, I found out that she was divorced, and somewhat bitter about it, but it was never revealed why she was divorced, who initiated the divorce, etc. This made her character very flat.

All of the other characters were also just cardboard cutouts seemingly thrown in just for the mystery. At no point did I care about any of them.

Writing Style: 4 Stars

The writing had a very nice flow making for easy reading. The sentence structuring was good, if a little simplistic.

Rating: PG for Light Violence

This is a murder mystery. Our intrepid amature sleuth, Delilah, is a thirty something divorced mom with a married daughter. She is a travel agent who specializes in tours with literary themes. On this tour she is taking group on a steamship tour down the Mississippi to Hannibal, Mo, Mark Twain's birthplace. Unfortunately, Delilah's tours also tend to supply a little extra entertainment - murder. Throw in a few of Mark Twain's famous quotes, a bit of romance with the actor playing Mark Twain on the riverboat, who is hiding a few secrets, and a few more plot twists to keep us guessing, and we have the elements for a quick, fun read.

Delilah Dickinson owns a travel agency in Atlanta that specializes in literary themes. She hopes the Samuel Clemens tour on a riverboat down the Mississippi will prove more relaxing than the Scarlett O'Hara plantation trip, which included a real murder (see FRANKLY NY DEAR, I'M DEAD).

The cruise does not get off to a good start when one of the customers Ben Webster throws a punch at a roulette dealer whom he claims was cheating. The captain holds Delilah culpable while the security chief orders Ben from the boat, but he disappears and his cabin is empty. He is found dead. The police refuse to allow anyone to leave the vessel until they find the killer. Delilah teams up on her investigation with an actor on board portraying Samuel Clemens, Mark Lansing. However he is really a private eye undercover trying to learn who killed pregnant Hannah Kramer a year ago on the same boat. The travel agent believes the current homicide and that of Hannah are related, but her inquiry almost makes her victim number three.

The second literary tour mystery is a special amateur sleuth tale as the spunky heroine makes for a fun "locked room" cozy. Hannah behaves in a believable manner while obtaining tidbits of information by asking questions of those trapped on board. HUCKLEBERRY FINISHED is a humorous, fresh (baked) dramatic whodunit that fans will enjoy and Mark Twain would have appreciated.

Harriet Klausner

I got this as a kindle freebie and found it to be an interesting and enjoyable light read. The premise of the story is unique, a Mississippi paddle wheeler that operates as a tour boat. The operator of a literary themed tour agency is on the boat when she is asked to intervene in a dispute between one of "her" passengers and the boat's casino operators. The passenger believes the roulette wheel is rigged and has reacted by trying to strike one of the gaming staff. Justifiably he is ruled off the boat and will be asked to leave at the next stop.

At the next stop, the tour operator can't find her recalcitrant passenger. Did he already get off - is he hiding - did something happen to him? While investigating this situation and preparing his refund, her daughter back at the office learns that this passenger is using a fake name and identity. She also learns that it's just been a year since another mysterious death on the same boat, with the anniversary date coming up shortly.

The parents of the past victim are on the boat as a memorial to their daughter. Are they involved with this current disappearance?

An actor playing Mark Twain is helping in the investigation, as well as emerging as a love interest for the heroine. What are they going to find, and will they survive the adventure?

I simply love this series!! I was hooked from beginning to end!!! I can't wait to read the next installment.

"Huckleberry Finished", the second book in the Delilah Dickinson Literary Tour mystery series, features Delilah Dickinson, owner and operator of a literary themed travel agency in Atlanta. Delilah leaves her travel agency in the capable hands of her daughter and son-in-law and joins her clients on a short Mississippi River cruise from St. Louis to Hannibal, Missouri, hometown of author Samuel Clemens.

The cruise barely begins when Ben Webster, one of Delilah's clients, gets banned from the boat's casino for starting a fight with the boat's roulette dealer, claiming the roulette wheel is rigged. Boat security officer Logan Rafferty insists Ben leave the boat when it stops in Hannibal instead of making the return trip to St. Louis. Delilah has reason to doubt Ben will accommodate this request, but after finding Ben's cabin empty, is relieved that Ben has complied. She decides to join Mark Lansing, who was hired to portray Mark Twain for a nightly show on the boat, for a drink. However, her drink with the handsome Mr. Lansing is interrupted by a summons from Captain Williams. It seems Ben didn't leave the boat after all. His body is found in a boat storage closet, an obvious victim of murder.

Detective Charlotte Travis of the Hannibal police department now has over one hundred suspects between passengers and crew. She orders the boat to stay grounded in Hannibal while she conducts her investigation. Fearing for the reputation of her travel agency, Delilah decides to do some detecting, and soon has a partner in Mark Lansing who has reasons of his own to investigate the case.

Even though Delilah isn't a detective, the circumstances that lead to Delilah and Mark working together to solve Ben Webster's murder makes sense within the storyline and is believable. I'm not sure the police would really be authorized to detain a boat full of people in a murder investigation, but it made for a more dramatic story by forcing suspects, witnesses, and investigators to stay together.

The strongest point of this book is the way the author seamlessly weaves information about Mark Twain and his hometown of Hannibal into the story. In some books, historical facts end up bogging down the action of the main story, but Washburn was able to use the details from Twain's books and about the town of Hannibal in a way that added realism to the story and moved the plot forward. Other details that may have taken away from the storyline were left to an afterward so readers could learn more after the book had ended.

One thing that was a little distracting was Delilah seemed to acquire more and more of a Southern accent as the book went on. I didn't notice it at all in the beginning of the book, but then her drawl stood out in the later parts of the book. The ending was a little far-fetched with villains turning up everywhere, but everything did fit together and was explained in the last scenes. While things don't work out perfectly for all the characters the book ends on a happy note, with a bit of tease to leave the reader wondering what`s in store for Delilah after she returns home to Atlanta.

I liked the character of Delilah. From descriptions of how she runs her travel agency and how she handled herself in the face of murder and other events on the boat, she appears capable, decisive, and brave - the perfect skills needed for an amateur detective. There are a few times throughout the story when Delilah checks in with her daughter Melissa for assistance with computer searches on some of the passengers. Even from these brief conversations, a picture of a loving relationship between mother and daughter comes through. I would love to see Delilah and Melissa team up on a case in future installments.

While Huckleberry Finished was not perfect, I found it to be an enjoyable book with an interesting main character I would like to get to know better. Fans of Cynthia Baxter's "Murder Packs s Suitcase" series or Maddy Hunter's "Passport to Peril" series will enjoy this book.

This review was originally written for the "Season for Romance" E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery just flowed along, much like the main characters slow, smooth, Southern drawl! There almost seemed to be NO mystery at all for the first half of the book - just the basics. Then about 2/3 of the way through, the floodgates opened, and there were all sorts of twists, turns, and surprises. Characterization was quite good - you got a real feel for the personalities of the main characters without actually getting inside their heads. Most of their actions and motivations were quite realistic and plausible. The 'bad guy' was bad to the bone, and proud of it! This was a fairly short book, and an easy read. No explicit violence, sex, or bad language - it was a 'cozy', closed-room mystery with a fairly intense ending.

Note on Kindle formatting: Perfect, or nearly so. I did not notice any issues, and if there were any, they were so minor as to be invisible.

I got this book when it was free on Kindle, and was pleased to find it better than most of the other free books I've read - or tried to read. The author has a nice, easy writing style which draws you right into the story. Unfortunately, I, like some of the other reviewers, had the feeling that I'd come in in the middle of the story, since this is not the first book in the series. I felt that there needed to be more background on Delilah's past. The reader doesn't know enough about her to really "place" her as a person or a sleuth. As for the mystery, it was interesting enough, although not plotted so that the reader could figure it out. We only knew what Delilah knew, which is the consequence of first person narratives. I did enjoy the ride, though, enough to go back and read the first of the series, and to look forward to Delilah's next adventure.

All the deception and intrigue in multiple levels and interesections really enteretained me in this book. Delilah Dickenson is a lovely character. I did miss her daughter and son-in-law in this book though as the daughter was the only one of te pair in this book and only then by telephone. I feel bad for Delilah because she always seems to find men who aren't what she believes them to be in one way or another. After her messy divorce with her abusive and murderous husband, she deserves happiness, but it doesn't seem to be her lot in life. I also really felt for the mother in this book. I won't say why to allow the reader to discover the character on his or her own, but she really is pityable in the end as are, possibly, a few other characters thought of in the right light. This series has just the right amount of suspense and complexity to make it a fun read while still giving the reader a sense of mystery. I can't wait for the next book.

Delilah Dickenson is a "Literary Travel Agent". That means she arranges travel experiences based on great books or great Authors. Her first tour with a Gone with the Wind theme ended in Murder in the first book, "Frankly my Dear, I'm Dead" This time Delilah is hoping her Mark Twain riverboat cruise will be smooth sailing. No such luck. She is beset with client complaints, riverboat staff complaints, murder, intrigue and danger. Everything you need for a good book. I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, and was pleased to discover that the second was just as compelling. I won't spoil the plot twists and turns, just don't be too sure you have everything figured out until the very end!