Customer Reviews

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie

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

 

 

I picked this book up on a whim and boy am I glad! If you loved Clue as a kid or just crave a hillarious and well written story, this is the book for you! The dialogue both internally and between characters was brilliantly written and the author gives beautifully lyrical description.

One of the main characters , Thomas Heyworth, has just died. He was a reclusive, odd, rich, mystery writer. Since he has no heirs to leave his millions and Mayhem Manor to he stages a treasure hunt to determine the winner. He pairs up people from his past into teams, stages clues, and sets a time limit. But a new twist is added since Thomas was murdered. Just before he died he knew who was going to make an attempt on his life and sends letters letting the contestants know that the murderer will be revealed by the winning contestants...and that one of the people in the room with them is the killer.

Team number one is Edmunds the butler ( who has a 26 year old secret) and the bumblingly mysterious psychic Madame Grovda who had an affair with Thomas long ago. Team 2 is Lorne, Thomas's secretary, and the reclusive poet Dabney James. However there's a darling twist to that team...

The final team is comprised of our hero and heroine. Evie Randall was Thomas's beloved ward who would do anything to catch his killer and keep her home. Max Galloway was Thomas's sulky stepson. They hated each other. But Max is also a cop that would like to see the killer captured. And if he can see as much of Evie's assets as well all the better! Only, someone is trying to kill her just as they did Thomas, for they belive that she may be his true heir.

Will the killer be revealed or will our charcters fall prey to the suspicions of one another and do each other...in? Read and find out! I'm not telling!

Eccentric millionaire Thomas Heyworth never did things the easy way, so it's no wonder that he chose to have a scavenger hunt - winner take all - in lieu of individual endowments in his will. Feeling that he might be the victim of a murder, and knowing who his culprit is, he set out to create the ultimate contest for his estate, as the scavenger hunt teams must solve the mystery of who killed him in order to get the loot. The loophole is that someone involved in the hunt is the killer. Three teams comprised of his longtime friend and butler and a Russian medium; his new secretary and a reclusive poet; and his ward Evie Randall and estranged stepson Max Galloway set out to solve the mystery and win the coveted prize.

Evie came to live with Thomas as a child, and he took on a surrogate father role; it's always been her hope that Thomas is her father as her mother was once a maid at his secluded island estate. Max has always held Thomas responsible for the ruin of his parent's marriage but realizes that his father really didn't deserve his mother - unfortunately he never had a chance to reconcile with her as she died when he was a teen. Evie and Max clash at first, but they melt their resolves and start to fall for each other. As the teams set out to outwit, outplay and outlast each other, they grow closer to solving the murder, but at what cost to themselves?

Stillings has written a humorous and charming story with plenty of red herrings and possible suspects (including the butler no less). I managed to read it in a single airplane trip - it was funny and fast paced.

evie (our heroine) and max (our hero) are involved in a treasure hunt purusant to the last will and testimony of a very wealthy eccentric. not only will the clues lead them to the money, but also to the person who killed our eccentric testator (guy who wrote the will). evie and max end up working together against (sort of) two other teams to reach the end first. what ensues is a funny story.

the story was amusing and light. this is not an in depth read - do not read this if you are looking for a good murder mystery. it was merely an amusing easy read - it was pretty obvious who the bad guy was.

all in all, not a bad read for a saturday afternoon, just don't expect iris johansen or julie garwood :)

I'm sorry but I couldn't get into this book. After the heroine fell into a hole in the barn I had, had enough. But as I have said before to each his own. Where as I didn't care for it others thought it was great.

Very fun - great for those who were fans of The Westing Game as a child.

It seems that every time I read a book by Marianne Stillings, I find myself laughing out loud. This book is no exception. If you like romance/comedies then you should read this book. All the characters are great and I loved the chemistry between Evie and Max, lots of sparks there!! If your looking for an easy summer read, this one is a great choice.

This is a murder mystery plus romance that involves beautifully proportioned people who are initially called to participate in a treasure hunt. There is a fetish for tall and good looking detectives because they all are in this book. They are also young. The mystery is not hard to solve. In fact, the reader could guess correctly who he/she is early in the story but the real question is how to expose the culprit. The hero and heroine are passionate and of course as in any other romance type of reading, they are always hungry for each other and the writer brilliantly makes sure that her readers are sated.

In Port Henry, Washington, mystery writer Thomas Heyworth decided to go out in style by setting up a winner take all treasure hunt in which the triumphant team obtains his considerable wealth. Thomas' attorney Felix Barlow explains that the will is legal and that three teams of two each will participate for the prize. If you refuse to play your team forfeits.

The deceased's ward Evie Randall is teamed up with police detective Max Galloway, who hated his stepfather Thomas who "stole" his mother from him. While Evie wants to uncover who killed her beloved Thomas, Max leans towards not participating. Still he plays the game, and soon he and Evie fall in love, but someone is willing to kill all rivals to be the sole beneficiary.

Though Thomas may feel he set up something unique, treasure hunts have been a part of novels and movies (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) forever yet Marianne Stillings makes it seem as if this is the first time the concept is employed. The story line combines humor (Mariners, llamas, and profanities oh my) with homicides while the three teams compete. The lead couple is a delight as neither realizes how manipulative even from the grave Thomas is; only that their diverse opinion on him keeps a wedge between them. Fans of lighthearted investigative romances will enjoy reading at MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL.

Harriet Klausner

I give it 2 star because it was humorous. It was not a romance novel....it did have some emotionless sex scenes but not once Max said the love word ......and the ending was terrible. For the heroin at least....this was my second book from this author and the last one.

not as much as the authors first one. Still the book is clever, well written, and the author has a great sense of humor. I can't wait for her next title.