The Murder at Murder at the Mimosa Inn (Claire Malloy Mysteries, No. 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joan Hess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1999

When you make a game of murder, be careful who the players are...

Who could resist the mock-murder weekend at the charming Mimosa Inn-- certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy, who decides to bring her petulant daughter Caron along for some detecting. As the guests settle in for a weekend of sleuthing, dressed as their favorite literary detectives, many a Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stand poised to solve a murder. But fiction becomes alarmingly real, as the mock-murder victim isn't just playing dead-- he's really been bashed to death. More determined than even to find the killer, Claire combs the grounds of the lovely inn for this most uninvited guest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hess's books are funny, acerbic, touching, terrific." -- Elizabeth Peters

"Joan Hess is one very funny woman." -- Susan Dunlap

"Joan Hess is the funniest mystery writer to come down the pipe since England's incomparable Pamela Branch. And oh, how well Joan writes." -- Carolyn G. Hart

From the Inside Flap

When Claire Malloy and her daughter Caron attend the mock murder weekend at the charming Mimosa Inn, everything goes swimmingly until Harmon, the leader of the theatrical group staging the event, turns up as the corpse . . . for real. Now the game turns to deadly earnest . . . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312971788
• ISBN-13: 978-0312971786
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MURDER ISN'T A GAME!, April 1, 2003

By 

Robert Edler "Master Of Mystery" (Saint Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Murder at Murder at the Mimosa Inn (Claire Malloy Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Taking a break from the daily bookstore grind, Claire decides to get away from it all and drafts her daughter Caron to accompany her on a mystery murder weekend at the Mimosa Inn. Her boyfriend Peter Rosen (an investigator with the Farberville police department) scoffs at the whole idea of solving a pretend murder. This only makes Claire more determined to take part in the mystery murder weekend and become the person who solves the murder.

To complicate matters, Lt. Rosen shows up at the Inn shortly after Claire, who is positive he is only there to show her up. Clues are dispersed to the mystery participants up until the point when the murder victim turns up murdered for real.

With a situation like this, it's a given that Claire will try to out-sleuth Peter, and only get herself in harm's way. And with Joan Hess's comic flair and skillful plotting it turns into a pretty interesting read. It's the kind of book you want to read when you just want to get away from it all for a bit. Actually I enjoyed the book so much; I grabbed her A Diet To Die For from my bookshelf as my next book to read. (Also reviewed today on Amazon.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Mystery, July 3, 2005

By 

mystery enthusiasts - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Murder at Murder at the Mimosa Inn (Claire Malloy Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This mystery reminds me of the Agatha Christie novel, And Then There Were None. Guests come to the Mimosa Inn for a "mock" murder weekend only to find that one of the actors has actually been murdered. It was interesting to discover all the actors' true identities as their mock "storylines" had me convinced that they were someone else. The silly thing about this book is Claire's lack of supervision of her daughter with a murderer running around. Also, I think reading the first novel would be advisable as there is obviously a prior storyline between the Detective and Claire. Overall, it was a fast, light read.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic Joan Hess mystery!, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Murder at Murder at the Mimosa Inn (Claire Malloy Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Joan Hess, creator of the Maggody series, introduces a new slueth in this amusing romp. Claire Malloy is wonderful as the bored bookstore owner looking for some excitement in her life. Claire's daughter Caron is every mothers' teenaged nightmare. The book provides a great introduction to this series of amateur detective fiction at it's funniest.