Customer Reviews

Never Buried: A Leigh Koslow Mystery (Leigh Koslow Mytery)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was a wonderful first book by Miss Claire. First, I enjoyed the characters. They were all very likabale and have wonderful potential for future character development. Next, I loved the setting. I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of their quaint neighborhood. Many times in a mystery when the characters and the setting are great, the mystery lags. Not in this story! Miss Claire keeps the action and the mystery flowing throughout the entire book. She grabs the reader at the beginning when Leigh Koslow finds an embalmed body in the hammock in her backyard. Add a slightly neurotic pregnant cousin, and you have the beginnings of a terrific story. Plus, it was a great who-done it! I am looking forward to starting Never Sorry. Thank you Edie Claire for the great read- and great job to her friends at Ingomar United Methodist Church!

In addition to the great mystery plot, I enjoyed the setting and the characters. Leigh Koslow is very human and very humourous. She is also more likable, more normal, and more moral than most other single female heroines. Edie Claire's writing reminds me somewhat of Joan Hess. But Joan would have written Maura as the heroine and had the Ozarks instead of Pittsburgh as the setting. I would like to read more about Maura (the police woman)and her mother. In fact the book explores three very different mother /daughter relationships: Cara has 'cut the cord' and married, Maura left but returned to care for her mom, and Leigh is still entangled in breaking that cord. I look forward to reading more about these six women.

Leigh Koslow is supposed to be helping her cousin Cara convalesce in the last few months of her pregnancy. But one morning, Leigh finds a body in the hammock in the backyard. This sets off a chain of events that is anything but restful. Who has this man? Why wasn't he buried? Why did he show up now, 10 years after his death? Who is leaving notes warning the cousins to leave the house? And does this have anything to do with the deaths that occurred in the house 50 years ago? Leigh has to find answers fast, before someone she loves gets hurt.

Edie Claire has written a wonderful debut mystery. The characters are charming, and the plot is puzzling. As we slowly get answers, we're only left with more questions to be answered until we finally reach the satisfying conclusion.

I've added this series to my list of books to read and am looking forward to Leigh's further adventures.

I enjoyed reading Never Buried. It was the type of mystery I enjoy---an intriguing plot with believable characters. I stray away from mysteries that are too horrific and scary because I'd never sleep at night. Never Buried was a refreshing change---it got me thinking about who did it in an entertaining way. It's a great book for an afternoon of enjoyable reading. The plot had many twists and turns---it kept my mind running! I found the main character, Leigh Koslow, to be a very likeable 90s woman with a good sense of humor. I could identify with her--- turning thirty, being single. I can't wait until Edie Claire's next book comes out so I can see what new adventure Leigh has found!

This book has all the elements of a classic mystery: evolving plot, evocative setting, and engaging characters. It was a pleasant addition to have it set in Pittsburgh, a city with its share of old neighborhoods and charming scenery. The mystery was compelling, with more than a touch of humor (cat lovers will recognize life with a spoiled, beloved,pet). I look forward to more Leigh Koslow adventures. There's plenty of possibilities here! Thank you, Ms. Claire!

The whole point of a mystery is to solve it. When a mystery writer leaves major loose ends I always feel cheated, as I did here. Where was the body all that time? And why didn't the murderer search or destroy the house during the years it was empty? Why didn't Paul Fischer make some better provision for getting his secret out before he died-- it wasn't as if he died suddenly and without warning?

Because this was a first novel some mistakes are forgivable, but I would wish the editor had been a little more on her toes when it came to catching these things.

I did have a favorite character though and I don't think he got enough space. Warren the unrepentent Trekkie politician gave me the only laugh outloud moment in the book.

I am a fan of mysteries in all genres. I'll read "cozy" mysteries by Cleo Coyle or Laura Child, suspense by Michael Koryta, and even (once in a while) books by James Patterson. This book kept popping up on my "we think you would like this" list from Amazon and at a price of 99 cents it seemed to worth a try. I also have to say the cover art drew me in. Not that you can judge a book by its cover, but I thought it looked classy which added to its appeal.

Leigh Koslow is a young woman in her late 20s who works as an advertising copywriter and lives outside of Pittsburgh. She temporarily moves in with her cousin Cara to be with her during the last phase of her pregnancy. Cara has been having early contractions, her husband Gil is out of the country for an extended period of time, and it's Leigh's job to help out and make sure that Cara gets enough rest and stays as stress-free as possible. When a corpse is discovered in the hammock outside the refurbished home, Leigh is worried that the investigation will cause an increase in stress which is just what she needs to be eliminating for Cara. After other messages are delivered, it's obvious that someone wants them out of the house but they have no idea of why. Events in 1949 involving the previous owner appear to be tied to the threatening messages and the mystery of who and why is nicely set up.

First published in 1999, this first installment shows very little signs of age and has held up well. I particularly enjoyed the character development since I felt I was getting to know Leigh as a person and she is more fleshed out than many protagonists in the mystery genre. There are enough characters to keep the story moving without so many that it bogs the reader down. I also like the variety of characters and think things have been set up nicely to be able to continue the series. Not as heavy on atmosphere as the more recent "cozy" mysteries are, it's still enough to provide context to the characters and mystery.

I really enjoyed this novel - read it in about 24 hours - and have bought all the books in the series. I am that confident of the writer's style and story-telling ability to not just wait until I read the next one to make that commitment.

This was an excellent read....the mystery was superb and the outcome was surprising! I loved the characters and really look forward to reading many more mysteries by Edie Claire.

As a mystery lover, Edie Claire's Never Buried was the best I've read in a long time. The story has everything a mystery buff could want--an old house filled with secrets, great characters who are like old friends and a dead body in the backyard hammock! You will be hooked from the first page, fill your coffee cup and sit back to enjoy this one!

This is the first of five books (so far) in the Leigh Koslow series. The characters and family interactions remind me of a cross between Kinsey Milhone and Stephanie Plum. The heroine, Leigh, is as fiercely independent as those two other leading ladies, and the predicaments she finds herself in are just as far-fetched and sometimes unrealistic, but it makes for lively reading. In this particular book, I agree with some of the other reviewers that the plot doesn't quite make sense in terms of why the killer waited so long to destroy the evidence, and the author doesn't provide enough detail and history to help astute readers solve the mystery. However, I found the characters and writing compelling enough to purchase all five books in the series. I enjoyed them a great deal and would like to see the author continue with more books featuring Leigh Koslow.