2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Family relationships at the fore, February 15, 2008
This review is from: The Mortal Groove (Jane Lawless Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Dandy, just dandy. I know this author quite well and I am fond of her. Some of you who read this will be aware that she and I tour together frequently as part of the Minnesota Crime Wave.
This is a terrific novel which may disturb some of Hart's long-standing fans. It's a darker, more disturbing novel than she's penned before, reacting, I suspect, to the state of the world today. But this novel is no polemic . Mortal Groove, with roots in the Viet Nam conflict, examines once again some of the enduring aspects of all her novels, the complexity of family relations.
More than thirty years ago a terrible murder occurred in a small Iowa town. That crime, never solved, may have involved three recently returned veterans, from Viet Nam. Fast forward to the present time and a surprise visit to Jane Lawless's father, Ray Lawless by political operatives. Although it's late in the political season, a medical emergency has sent an urgent call to the liberal attorney to run for governor of Minnesota, replacing an experienced politician. On this platform rests the continuation of the novel, because some of the veterans are now becoming involved in the Lawless campaign. And thus is prickly and sometimes thoughtless Jane Lawless drawn ever deeper into murky family matters.
At the same time, her beloved brother, Peter, abruptly sets out on a personal quest which he believes will solve his marital difficulties. This sub-plot, a true domestic, plays well against the grittier political campaign and war background. But doomed individuals and doomed relationships coil around Jane and her companions. As always, the irrepressible and somewhat insane acting Cordelia Thorn is present to lighten the mood whenever it get too dark.
The novel demonstrates Hart's mastery of her genre and brings important social issues into bright focus. Unlike some novels which veer into the polemic, Hart is careful to subsume the political potential of these issues in order to maintain the forward drive and develops in the reader an almost irresistible compulsion to turn the next page.
This is an excellent and thoughtful novel that deserves a wide audience.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine writer, September 10, 2011
I have read everything I can get by this writer, and wait expectantly for the next book she publishes each time. Ms. Hart brings each story alive, immediately, and the characters are so well developed that I remember them, unlike other mysteries I read. Always, her characters are full and rich..people you feel you know. They are not only believable, but human. They could be YOUR friends, co-workers and neighbors. THANK YOU Ellen Hart for continuing to write this series. How devoid the world is of well written mysteries with lesbian main characters. I hope that you continue developing Janes sexuality and do not lead her into a concept of lesbian barren-ness while developing heterosexual characters and sexuality as so many writers do. To get readers, I assume. Stay with character and truth.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Mystery in a Great Series, February 27, 2008
This review is from: The Mortal Groove (Jane Lawless Mysteries) (Hardcover)
In Ellen Hart's latest Jane Lawless mystery secrets from the Vietnam War combine with family secrets in the present to create a suspenseful novel that skillfully weaves several storylines into one entertaining novel. On New Year's Eve, restaurateur Jane Lawless is busy managing her long distance relationship with her girlfriend while comforting her best friend Cordelia Thorn after her flighty and narcissistic sister (who is even more self-centered than Cordelia) reclaimed her daughter Hattie and left a hole in Cordelia's life. The small family party is interrupted by a group of Jane's father's friends, all wanting a meeting with the former defense attorney. Their goal; to convince Ray Lawless to run for governor of Minnesota. His surprise is soon overwhelmed by their belief in his ability to do good, but none of them are prepared for the digging into the past that commences with the campaign. Nothing is sacred, from Jane's sexuality to, more disconcerting, a secret that Ray's backers have hidden and brought back with them from the violent and often immoral Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Cordelia continues to hunt for her niece through a private investigator and Jane's brother discovers that his own wife has had her own shameful secret that could either destroy their marriage or be the key to keeping them together. An attack on Cordelia's ex - and current - girlfriend, a journalist who was meeting a source, brings Jane and Cordelia into the dark world of politics and the tragedies that did not end with the end of the war.
For all of the numerous plots that wind through Mortal Grooves, Hart skillfully keeps the reader engaged without losing focus or interrupting the pace of the novel. The shady secrets behind the election are definitely timely considering that this is an election year, but Hart avoids the usual clichés and brings a brutal violence that leaves Jane's family damaged but hopeful. Cordelia and Jane are less central to the novel than previous entries in this series, but when they are present Cordelia's flamboyant humor and Jane's wit make the wait worthwhile. This is a series that continues to stay surprisingly strong and fresh while allowing the characters to grow and evolve. This is another successful outing by Hart.
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