Million Dollar Baby (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

Amy Patricia Meade (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With its 1930s setting and unlikely pairing of a rich dilettante and an earnest young woman, Meade's debut will strike a chord with fanciers of Dorothy Sayers's Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. When Creighton Ashcroft arrives in his Rolls-Royce Phantom in the little town of Ridgebury, Conn., he creates quite a stir. Unimpressed by the car or its owner is mystery writer Marjorie McClelland, until she decides that Ashcroft might be able to help with her new novel. The history of a long-ago suicide at Ashcroft's newly purchased mansion and the accidental discovery of an old murder victim serve to bring the two together, while a handsome police detective provides competition and a foil. Meade uses the Depression-era setting to highlight the class differences between Ashcroft and McClelland, though she strains at times for the right balance of attraction and tension between them. Their repartee misfires as often as it dings, but this is a good first effort that bodes well for future installments. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

If only Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart were still alive. They would be fabulous in the movie version of Meade's debut Marjorie McClelland mystery, a romantic caper redolent with the campy atmosphere of the madcap 1940s films that made these stars icons. Like Hepburn, budding mystery writer McClelland is a sassy combination of wisecracking wit and penetrating intelligence with an insouciant knack for making men fall in love with her. Having caught the eye of Ridgebury, Connecticut's newest resident, dapper British expat Creighton Ashcroft, McClelland soon finds herself touring the grounds of Ashcroft's new home, the venerable Kensington mansion. When the pair literally stumbles upon a corpse camouflaged beneath dense garden brambles, they insinuate themselves into the official murder investigation being conducted by Ridgebury's ruggedly handsome Detective Jameson. While McClelland flirts with Jameson and Ashcroft flirts with McClelland, Ridgebury's death toll begins to increase. Will Ashcroft or Jameson succeed in saving McClelland before she's next? Meade's kickoff mystery is a winner. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 2210 KB
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0738708607
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK; 1st edition (April 8, 2006)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001JEPVIW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,651 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Amy Patricia Meade graduated cum laude from New York Institute of Technology with degrees in both English and Business. Amy lives in Vermont with her husband and their two cats. She enjoys classic films, The Beatles, travel, cooking, and entertaining friends and family. Her fourth Marjorie McClelland Mystery, "Black Moonlight" was released June 1, 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't cheat!, June 21, 2006

By 

LSB (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Million Dollar Baby (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries) (Paperback)

Million Dollar Baby is a superbly-written whodunit set in the 1930's amid the small town charm of Ridgebury, Connecticut where Creighton Ashcroft purchased a mansion with a dark secret. There is murder, there is a cover up, and there is the unraveling of a mystery. All this is done in wonderfully-flowing character dialogue with pictorial descriptions of the scenes. Readers will feel as though they can hear the ting-a-ling of the bell on the book shop's door, the sound of the orchestra, and the dull roar of the crowd at one of Creighton Ashcroft's house parties. The lead detective, Jameson, is a very likeable lug, and he's got a crush on Marjorie, a sleuthy novelist who likes to solve crimes for fun and adventure. Creighton also likes Marjorie, but he's more of a Rolls Royce-driving rich guy who'd rather dance and party all night than solve a murder mystery. But he helps Marjorie, if for no other reason than to keep the handsome detective, for whom she seems to have a fancy, away from her. Clues and red herrings pop up in every chapter, and the reader won't have an idea whodunit until the final few pages, so don't jump ahead and cheat! You'll need the information in the earlier chapters to figure it out! I can't wait to read Ms. Meade's next installment!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressed, June 25, 2006

By 

M.G. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Million Dollar Baby (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries) (Paperback)

It's been a few years since I picked up a mystery novel, but this book has restored my faith in the genre! Amy Patricia Meade is a captivating writer, and she sweeps you up in the era. Creighton and Marjorie carry the story forward and their relationship is the perfect backdrop for a great "whodunnit" that unfolds with twists and turns. Overall, a wonderful first novel in what should be a very promising series. Looking forward to the next Marjorie McClelland mysetery!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, June 21, 2006

By 

Pee Wee (Depew, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Million Dollar Baby (The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries) (Paperback)

Everytime I put the book down to do something, I couldn't wait to pick it up again to continue reading. I love murder mysteries and this is one of the best ones I have ever read!