3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Heroine Makes For a Cozy Read, January 26, 2002
This review is from: Murder at Conundrum Creek (Paperback)
The protagonist of Ms. Monroe's story, Nika McGuinness, is an absolute delight. Ambivalent, conflicted, yet headstrong and resolute, Nika is an intelligent turn on the flighty young woman portrayed in some "cozy" mysteries. Watching Nika contradict herself with cheerful determination constitutes one of the joys of reading the novel. The prose is clean and pleasant. Written in first person, Ms. Monroe's protagonist has a unique, consistent voice. The humor, and there is a great deal of humor, is character-driven, and never intrudes on the narrative. The tale is unique in two aspects. First, Nika is a nurse (the story's setting includes a Nursing Home). Second, there is a supernatural element that seems natural, in view of Nika's character.
Given the voice, the setting, the odd twists, and above all, the engaging protagonist, I would highly recommend "Murder at Conundrum Creek."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mountain town mystery for Twin Peaks fans, February 24, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Murder at Conundrum Creek (Paperback)
Fans of David Lynchs Twin Peaks will feel right at home in Murder at Conundrum Creek. Set in a remote valley of Colorado, Magdalena is a tranquil hamlet of quirky people, where the communitys matriarch was universally loved yet murdered, where the living commune with the deceased, at least when sleep-deprived and over-stressed, and where heiresses must go on treasure hunts and solve riddles before collecting their bequest.
The convincing portrait of this remote community is rendered in a sparkling, light-footed prose, accompanied by a steady drip feed of humor. The terse, matter-of-fact style is a well-chosen foil for a story with some high-octane plot points. As written, the deadpan delivery and throw-away humor disarmed this reader entirely. The humor is so dry you may have to read it twice to take it all in. A good example is found in the about the author blurb, where Joan Harvey Monroe advises us she writes about her favorite persons, who are all fictional. When was the last time you read an authors blurb that made you laugh?
The heiress in question and protagonist is a young nurse from Minneapolis, a fish out of water in this town where everyone knows everybody. Nika McGuiness seems alternately seasoned beyond her years and more callow than most twenty-somethings, as a result of having been orphaned young, and growing up fast in a predatory but provincial environment. Prone to trust anyone old enough to be a surrogate parent or grandparent, Nikka is much more skeptical of younger adults, and very conflicted about the disastrous sibling she raised while little more than a child herself. Desirable and warm-hearted yet inclined to a prickly rectitude and schoolmarmish ways, this is a heroine in the Katherine Hepburn tradition, and she has not one but two would-be Spencer Traceys vying for her affections. But can she trust either of them?
This is a murder mystery and as such displays the sordid side of human nature. And yet at the end it is a life-affirming story about the power of love and the ability of the individual to make a difference in others lives. A pared-down subplot involving the mutual devotion of an elderly couple is truly moving, and offers a nice counterpoint to the instant-gratification urges of the younger set. That this story is authored by a nurse who presumably has had plenty of first-hand experience with the inevitable end of life, makes it all the more rewarding. It is a wonderful sentiment to encounter in a grisly post-9/11 world.
I took Murder at Conundrum Creek along as beach reading recently, and mean no disrespect when I say I found it perfectly suited to poolside afternoons much better suited for that purpose than the latest best seller I carried along with it. It is a fast read, not too demanding, yet rewards the alert reader with a steady stream of humor, social observations, and insights ranging from client-attorney relations to the state of health care in nursing homes.
This is a highly original book, and as refreshing an alternative as an Indy movie after one too many Hollywood formula features. I recommend it, and expect the author will attract a following who look forward to the further adventures of Nika McGuiness and the eccentric citizens (living and possibly otherwise) of bucolic Magdalena, Colorado.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Murder at Conundrum Creek, April 27, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Murder at Conundrum Creek (Paperback)
Great mystery story! Started reading and could not put the book down...the plot thickened with every page I read. The characters were truly delightful and very realistic. Hats off to Joan Harvey Monroe!
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