Malice In Miniature: A Dorothy Martin Mystery [Hardcover]

Jeanne M. Dams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Now married to her constable, Alan, Dorothy is settling in for a life of quiet bliss. That is, until Ada Finch calls with a problem about her alcoholic son who works at the toy museum. Then Dorothy discovers big secrets are hidden behind all those miniatures--secrets that lead to the morgue.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jeanne M. Dams continues her successful venture into writing mysteries featuring protagonist Dorothy Martin with Malice in Miniature. Dorothy, an American matron, has remarried and resettled in the fictional cathedral town of Sherebury. In the midst of toast and tea on a November afternoon, Dorothy and her husband, Alan, are startled by the arrival of Dorothy's friend Ada Finch, who is in a state of panic. Ada's son (Dorothy's gardener) has been arrested for stealing, and while Bob may have a soft spot for liquor, he is no thief--particularly when the article concerned is a 17th-century tea set created for a doll's house.

Dorothy agrees to help clear Bob's name, but she soon realizes that something more is afoot at Brockelsby Hall and its Museum of Miniatures than a mistake over a tea set. A few well-placed questions and Dorothy's growing interest in the dolls' houses and furnishings contained in the Victorian pile has her on the spot when the Danvers-esque housekeeper is poisoned. Bob is once again a suspect, but Dorothy is determined to find the real culprit. While Dams's prose is confident and polished, Dorothy as a nosy American sorting out British justice can be a bit grating. But the novel is amusing--our heroine's hat collection is a treat--and a proper follow-up to the author's previous Dorothy Martin novels: The Body in the Transept, Trouble in the Town Hall, and Holy Terror in the Hebrides. --K.A. Crouch

From Publishers Weekly

Dorothy Martin, known for her eccentric hats and snoopy nature, returns (from Holy Terror in the Hebrides, 1997) to delight cozy fans anew. Martin, who moved from America to England after she was widowed, has married Alan Nesbitt, Chief Constable of Sherebury, and is adjusting to wedded bliss in her 17th-century cottage. Then their charwoman, Ada Finch, begs Dorothy to help clear her son, Bob, who has been arrested for theft. Bob, who works as a gardener at Brocklesby Hall, is accused of stealing an antique miniature tea set from the Miniatures Museum there. Agreeing to investigate, Dorothy finds that the Hall harbors not only the enchanting Museum but a collection of assorted oddballs, foremost of whom is Sir Mordred Brocklesby, obsessed with his miniature houses and furnishings. Bob is cleared of theft, but is eyed as a suspect again when Brocklesby's domineering housekeeper is murdered. Another murder complicates the case?and Dorothy's home life with her copper husband. No garden variety ex-pat herself, the 60-ish Martin manages to get around the British reserve of most of the villagers as she steers this tightly paced, thoroughly entertaining tale to its unpredictable finale, and despite some damage done to herself in the process, celebrates a memorable Thanksgiving.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802733220
• ISBN-13: 978-0802733221
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great surprise ending, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Malice In Miniature: A Dorothy Martin Mystery (Hardcover)

A friend of mine told me about the Dorothy Martin books and I loved the first two, and then didn't care at all about Holy Terror. Therefore I was reluctant to read Malilce in Miniature.

However, I am glad my friend talked me into reading the book. It was wonderful. I love Ms. Dams descriptions of the house and the people.

And the ending ... I had sort of figured it out, or thought I had. It was wonderful. I finished it late at night and laughed out loud. My cats thought I was crazy. If you have not read this book you will thoroughly enjoy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner in a charming series, August 19, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malice in Miniature (Dorothy Martin Mysteries, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

In this, the fourth in a wonderful cozy mystery series, retired American schoolteacher Dorothy Martin, who is living in Sherebury, England, has married Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt. Her gardener, Bob Finch, is suspected of having stolen a toy tea set from the local dollhouse museum at Brocklesby Hall, a grotesque country house owned by the eccentric, elflike Sir Mordred. In her quest to exonerate Bob, Dorothy spends time at the museum investigating and, in the process, learns much about miniatures and the little houses in which they are displayed. Two murders ensue, and Dorothy, of course, decides to find out who the culprit is. The story's big surprise revelation is easy to foresee, but the book is so charmingly written and has so many endearing characters that it doesn't matter at all. For maximum enjoyment, read the series in order, beginning with "The Body in the Transept," so you can get to know the people (and cats) in this delightful series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dollhouse Cozy, August 25, 2003

By 

Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malice in Miniature (Dorothy Martin Mysteries, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dorothy Martin is an American matron living in England, and married to a very senior policeman (how handy for getting those tidbits of inside information). In this, the fourth book of the series, she feels obligated to rush to the rescue of the drunken son of her cleaning lady who is wrongly accused of stealing some dollhouse furniture.

Now, as an expatriate English person living in North America, I'm kind of sensitive to an American writing an English who-dun-it. I like that this writer, writing in the first person, remains American and doesn't try to be British, even though she tries to out-Brit the Brits by wearing a succession of outlandish hats. I don't mind that she looks down her nose at some aspects of British life and is thoroughly confused by others (I do the same myself here). I really like the way she accepts her age and all that goes with it, including the stiff knees and the way young people patronize her (boy, do I empathize with that). All in all, this is an experienced writer who makes the reader identify with her protagonist.

This is a thoroughly competent book, and a good read. It takes a lot of confidence to have your sleuth fall asleep in the middle of the climax and the big chase scene. I shall look for some more of Jeanne M. Dams books.