Murder On High (A Charlotte Graham Mystery) [Hardcover]

Stefanie Matteson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994 | Series: A Charlotte Graham Mystery

Former movie star and amateur sleuth Charlotte Graham returns in a strange case involving the death of Iris O'Connor, a screenwriter in the forties, who left Hollywood when the House Un-American Affairs Committee began its investigations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seventyish Charlotte Graham, actress, sometime sleuth and summer resident of Old Town, Maine, helps her friend, state police Lt. Howard Tracey, solve the murder of Iris Richards, shot by an arrow while climbing Mt. Katahdin. The victim was a crusty recovered alcoholic and Thoreau disciple who shared a house and wildflower nursery in Old Town with companion Jeanne Ouellette. Charlotte soon discovers that the dead woman was also Iris O'Connor, an Oscar-winning screenwriter of the '40s and '50s whose work had provided Charlotte with some of her best roles. While Tracey explores Iris's local connections, Charlotte flies to Hollywood, where a look back to the turbulent years of red-baiting and blacklisting uncovers events that changed Iris's life. As Charlotte reviews those years and her torrid affair with a blacklisted cowboy star, light shines on the present-day murder, sending the actress back to Maine to find the solution. Although well-plotted, the pace of the sixth Charlotte Graham mystery, following Murder at the Falls, is burdened by wordy prose, an oversized red herring and more Thoreauvian and mountaineering lore than many mystery readers may appreciate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Matteson uses Thoreau and his writings as thematic background in her hardcover debut. Murder victim Iris Richards, a screenwriter hounded out of Hollywood during the McCarthy era, became a prominent nurserywoman and Thoreauvian in Maine, even editing a Thoreau journal. Now, policeman Howard Tracey and his sometime partner (and movie star) Charlotte Graham (recently seen in Murder on Silk Road, Diamond: Berkley, 1992) spout an abundance of quotes by Thoreau as they re-create the victim's last weeks. Sturdy, fascinating fare, with aptly described Maine folk, mountainous surroundings, and a clever older "heroine."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1st edition (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425143554
• ISBN-13: 978-0425143551
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,240,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "must" read if you ever visit Mt. Katahdin!, August 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on High (Paperback)

This is a great read - it mixes fact and fiction like creaming butter and sugar! The writer obviously did her homework - either visiting the great State of Maine in person, or researching one of Maine's greatest treasures - Mt. Katahdin. She also brought to life the history of the tribal nations in Maine using the "Ghost of Pamola." This story is a murder mystery set on Knife's Edge (Mt. Katahdin) and how, with the help of an "outsider" (New Yorker!), the local police department, along with the nosey townspeople crack the case in record time. Although I was able to knab the killer at the beginning of the book - it was pure luck! You'll never be able to guess the killer, but you'll be in for a visual overload with the perfect descriptions of Mt. Katahdin and surrounding areas. It's a short ride, but worth taking.