Customer Reviews

Lead-Pipe Cinch (A GEORGIANA NEVERALL MYSTERY)

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

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by Christy Evans' first book "Sink Trap". I don't like "chick lit" - it often reads too much like a half-hour sit-com. "Sink Trap" was not chick-lit and neither is "Lead Pipe Cinch". The main character, Georgiana Neverall is a woman hiding from the tremendous pain of her first huge career and relationship failure - still afraid to trust - anyone, even her best friend from school, Sue. This second book in the series gives us more insight into that first carerr failure and why she walked away from the work she loved, while Georgie tries to find out who killed her former first love. Good writing, wonderful sense of "place", believable characters. I like this series a lot.

I enjoyed this mystery.
Mysteries these days, seem to have a theme to them.
Cooking, television, knitting, bed and breakfasts, etc.
I guess we can now add Plumbing to our list.
Unique, to say the least.
Georgiana, an apprentice plumber, is the main character.
Losing her security business didn't do much for her ego.
So, she moves back home.
What does this genius security whiz do?
She becomes a plumber's assistant.
Not a fluff job at all.
This book , "Lead Pipe Cinch", second in this series,
deals with an old flame,
a castle with a moat, and murder..... maybe.
Being knee high in mud and having your old boyfriend
seeing you not quite looking your best, is not the way to start out your morning.
But, wait,the story gets even better, when Georgianna happens to find Blake,
bottoms up in the moat the next day. Not good news for Georgiana.
Having the sheriff telling her to leave the snooping to the police,
just makes her even more determined to find out the truth.
I can't forget the banter she has with her mother.
Mother and daughter bring a little levity to this mystery.
Of course, I knew who "did it" in the first chapter.
My skills could match Poirot's little gray cells, any day!
Hah! Surprise, I was wrong, really wrong.
Maybe next time, maybe next time.
Christy Evans, is now an auto for me.

First Line: "Let's get a move on, Neverall," Sean Jacobs, the crew foreman, said as he gestured toward the muddy bottom of the trench.

As this second book of the series opens, apprentice plumber Georgiana Neverall finds herself building a moat-- part of a state-of-the-art castle for a retired Microsoft engineer. Almost before she can blink an eye, her ex-boyfriend has shown up to take care of the security system for the property. Since this is the same ex-boyfriend who sold her company out from under her, his body being discovered at the bottom of the moat doesn't bode well for Georgiana. When the law seems to be eyeballing her a lot-- and moving very slowly at the same time-- what's an apprentice plumber to do but set out to prove her own innocence?

Just as important as the whodunit in this book are the evolving relationships between Georgiana and her family and friends. Her mother's boyfriend is acting strangely, and Georgiana has to decide if she should tell her mother what she knows.

In addition, this murder has opened a whole can of worms. When Georgiana was sold down the river, she left San Francisco vowing never to look back and to make a completely new and different life for herself. She is making a lot of progress on that new life, but at the cost of a lot of secrecy. Another decision facing her: does she want to continue to keep her friends in the dark to salve her pride, or does she want to place her trust in them?

As ever, the mystery and the plumbing tips are first-rate, but what really makes this series shine is its main character and the small select group of people she is gathering around her.

The third in the series, Drip Dead, has just been published, and I look forward to reading it. Do these books stand alone well? Yes, they do, but (as always) in the case of a series that depends so much upon characterization, I recommend that you read the series in order.

If you're looking for a cozy mystery, you'll get that in the last forty pages. The other 200 wax and wane about the main character's past, her relationships, and future as a plumber. The first time the victim is mentioned as being murdered doesn't happen until the book is almost over, up until then everyone (but the Sheriff) thinks he had just slipped and hit his head.

It was still an OK read (if you forget the bad research and knowledge...) but I'm glad it was a gift and I didn't spend $7 on it. Fortunately, the next book was better.

I enjoy this series and can't wait for the next one to be published! The main character has a interesting job, a nagging mother and she used to be a computer geek. You won't be disappointed in this series!

Book 2 of 3 - Great weaver of stories - she's great. May her muse stay with her for many years. I couldn't put it down!!

Second in the series. Cozy mystery with female apprentice plumber and her two Airedales, her bossy but loving mother, and the usual cast of characters. Easy to read - if you like cozies, want to see the free plumbing tips, or -- like me, are an Airedale owner -- Fun and easy.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Sink Trap," the first book in this series, and this second book may have been even better. I really loved learning more about Georgie. Gradually, Ms. Evans is filling in Georgie's back story, and we're learning about why she left the world of high tech and became a plumber's assistant. I'd wondered if Blake might not come back into her life to give Wade some competition - guess not! If you like your mysteries "light and bright," you'll love this.