Mausoleum (Ben Abbott Novels (Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Justin Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2007 | Series: Ben Abbott Novels (Hardcover)

When Newbury Connecticuts three hundred year old village cemetery is invaded by a gaudy, half-million dollar mausoleum, Ben Abbott is not happy.
Newcomer Brian Grosess tall, wide, mirror-polished eruption of eternal ego sticks out in the peaceful burying ground like a McMansion in an apple orchard. Bens fellow drinkers at the bar have nicknamed the monstrosity, McTomb. But no one expected to find Brians body locked in his mausoleum, fifty years ahead of schedule.
Then Homeland Security Immigration Criminal Enforcement agents descend on Newbury hunting for Charlie Cubrero, an illegal immigrant farm handand supposed gang leaderwho bought a gun after he was stiffed for fifty bucks by Brian Grose.
Ben Abbott doesnt buy it. Half the town was in the graveyard celebrating Newburys tercentennial when Brian was shot and most of them were mad at him. Besides, Ben admires the hard working Charlie. And he fears that the news that the illegal worked for the Village Cemetery Association will destroy the venerable society already torn asunder by suing and counter-suing anti-mausoleum traditionalists and pro-mausoleum insurgents.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The well-crafted fifth Ben Abbott whodunit (after 2006's McMansion) opens on the beautiful summer's day that graces the tercentennial celebration in Newbury, Conn. As members of the town don period costumes to portray people of the past while village residents tour the serene cemetery, recorded classical music suddenly blasts from the large, ostentatious mausoleum nicknamed the McTomb, recently erected by real estate developer Brian Grose. When the tomb is opened, its murdered owner is found inside. The Newbury Cemetery Association wastes no time in bringing in Ben Abbott, real estate agent, private detective and ex-con, to solve the case. When an Ecuadorian immigrant unexpectedly becomes the prime suspect, Ben seeks to exonerate him while investigating the many other people who despised Grose and wanted him dead. The intriguing mystery features a cast of fascinating characters and an honest look at the effects of modern ideas and design on a steadfast New England town. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Ben Abbott, the realtor with the nose of a shamus (McMansion, 2007, etc.), returns to investigate skullduggery among the dead.
Snooty Newbury, Conn., has been burying people in the village cemetery for 300 years, but this corpse is different. In life it was Brian Grose, slick operator, world-class egotist and owner -- better say perpetrator -- of a gaudy eyesore of a mausoleum locals have dubbed McTomb. As the result of three well-placed bullets, McTomb is about to be occupied earlier than foreseen. Irked by negative publicity, the trustees of Newbury's Cemetery Association decide that it's time for real-estate agent Ben to dust off his private-eye license and do what the police can't. Given the unpleasant nature of the departed, the list of those eager to see Grose in hallowed ground is predictably long. It includes the husbands of seduced wives, the wives themselves, a selection of chagrined business associates and the cheated Ecuadoran illegal favored by the cops, a man who might have felt an irresistible need for payback. Ben buckles down to sort it all out, but once he does, he realizes something else needs sorting: the question of "what was right and what was wrong" -- and what he's required to do about it.
Wry, witty and garnished with sharply observed local color: Scott at his best." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (December 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590584686
• ISBN-13: 978-1590584682
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,875,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Justin Scott has written twenty-four thrillers, historicals, and mystery novels, including The Shipkiller and Normandie Triangle. With many books set at sea, he has been called "the Dick Francis of yachting."

He created the Ben Abbott detective series (HardScape, StoneDust, FrostLine, McMansion and Mausoleum), and was twice nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America.

His main pen name is Paul Garrison under which he has written five modern sea thrillers including Red Sky At Morning, Sea Hunter, and The Ripple Effect.

The Wrecker, a collaboration with Clive Cussler is being published Fall of 2009. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, filmmaker Amber Edwards.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb investigative thriller, December 14, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mausoleum (Ben Abbott Novels (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

Newbury, Connecticut celebrates the tercentennial by wearing historical costumes. The villagers wander around the cemetery looking at stones of deceased residents. Suddenly classical music explodes from the recently constructed pretentious mausoleum "McTomb".

Everyone rushes over to McTomb to see what is going on. When it is opened, the corpse of developer Brian Grose, who created the gaudy crypt, is found. The Newbury Cemetery Association hires realtor and private investigator Ben Abbott to investigate the murder of Grose. The police believe an Ecuadorian immigrant killed the obnoxious Grose, but Ben thinks otherwise as that seems too simple with so many other people having stronger motives to commit this particular homicide.

As with the insightful MCMANSION, MAUSOLEUM plays out on two levels. First there is the obvious whodunit with Ben Abbott conduction a private investigation that not surprisingly goes contrary to the official police position. Supporting Ben's sleuthing is the theme of national (and even global) modernization and how it impacts on a small regional town. The story line is fast-paced as Ben conducts his inquiry. However, it is the various reactions by the townsfolk to changes in their quaint village that justifies reading this superb tale.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful characters in a small town, January 9, 2008

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mausoleum (Ben Abbott Novels (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

MAUSOLEUM (Private Invest-Ben Abbott-Connecticut-Cont) - VG

Scott, Justin - 5th in series

Poisoned Pen Press, 2007, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9781590584682

First Sentence: It was too gorgeous a summer day to kill someone.

Ben Abbott is a realtor and part-time private investigator in a small town Connecticut town celebrating it's tercentennial. The town's cemetery has been invaded by a newcomer's mausoleum, which has come to be nicknamed "McTomb." During the celebration, the mausoleum's owner has been found locked inside; dead from three gunshots. Homeland Security Immigration Criminal Enforcement is hunting for an Ecuadorian immigrant, Charlie Cubrero, who was known to have bought a gun after the victim had refused to pay him for work done. Ben doesn't believe it and, working for the Village Cemetery Association, sets out to protect Charlie and find the true killer.

Scott is an author whose work should be much wider known that it is. His characters are wonderful; everyone from proper Great-Aunt Connie, the family matriarch, to Ben's Chevalley cousins, who are not wealthy and certainly not proper. His sense of place is wonderful right from the first sentence. The puzzle is subtle and clever with an effective sub-story dealing with the effects of modern times on an historic small town. Scott has a wonderful voice that is wry, funny, and poignant. I've enjoyed every book I've read by Scott, and this is no exception.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book arrived in good condition, January 10, 2010

By 

Markyp00 (Milford, CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mausoleum (Ben Abbott Novels (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

I was delighted with my book. I was a bit surprised that it was marked as having been discarded from two different libraries. Nevertheless, it was in very good condition and I am pleased with my purchase.