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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I could not put this book down and heartily recommend it., September 2, 2001
This review is from: Occasion of Revenge (Hannah Ives Mystery Series, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
Just as Hannah Ives is gazing around at the beautiful arrangements for Connie's wedding and reflecting on the happiness around her, she espies her recently widowed father in the company of a frizzy -headed blonde, identified as Darlene, a widow from Chestertown. Darlene quickly establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with, carefully monopolising George's company and deftly cutting out any arrangement made by Hannah and her sister Ruth. When George announces his engagement to Darlene there seems little Hannah can do to stop what she anticipates is a disaster for her father. When Darlene is found dead in her bath tub after the engagement party, and on the on the eve of Christmas, the family is thrown into disarray when it becomes clear that George has disappeared. This is the third Hannah Ives mystery, and as with the previous ones it centres around the family. As Hannah agonises and searches for her father the description of the Christmas Eve Carol service was truly wonderful, and transported me to the many Christmas Eve carol services I have experienced. Hannah is convinced that her father could not have killed Darlene, but where is he? And as the hours pass with no word of him she faces his addiction to alcohol which she and her sisters have tried to ignore, as being a serious problem. Once again, Marcia Talley has written a fascinating mystery around Hannah Ives and her diverse family. As with her previous books, the characterisation was brilliant and I could not put this book down and heartily recommend it. ----- Lizzie Hayes
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another hit!, August 8, 2001
This review is from: Occasion of Revenge (Hannah Ives Mystery Series, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
With each book, Marcia Talley gets better and better. The first Hannah Ives, Sing It To Her Bones, won an Agatha nomination for Best First mystery and was terrific, yet Unbreathed Memories (#2 in the series) knocked my socks off. Now, don't know how she's done it, but Occasion of Revenge surpasses the first two! Hannah is matron of honor at her sister-in-law's long-awaited wedding to her policeman sweetheart, when her father shows up with his "date", Darlene, a thrice-married opportunist with larceny on her mind. Dad proposes, but the engagement party turns to tragedy when a body shows up in the bathtub and Dad goes missing. Is he the murderer or a victim, too? Once again, Talley holds us spellbound with the wonderful Chesapeake setting (much of the action takes place in Chestertown on Maryland's eastern shore)and richly-drawn characters that seem to walk right out of the book and into our hearts and lives. And, once again, the author had me in tears -- a Christmas Eve candlelight service at the Naval Academy Chapel was particularly touching. And the finale -- a classic chase scene through downtown Annapolis during the city-wide New Years' Eve celebrations -- tied up all the loose ends -- and more! -- and left me with a smile on my face. Can't wait to see what Hannah gets up to in the next book!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Soap opera plus a mystery, April 4, 2005
This review is from: Occasion of Revenge (Hannah Ives Mystery Series, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the third novel in the Hannah Ives series. I did not like it as well as the first two, possibly for the same reason I do not watch afternoon soaps. The first half of the book deals with family matters. Hannah's father is 70 and a widower. Hannah and her sisters are displeased that he is chasing after a younger woman. Hey ladies, he may be 70 but he's not dead (especially with Viagra on the market).
After getting through the soap opera part of the novel, the mystery appears in the second half. A death occurs and Hannah's father disappears. Various characters are introduced in the novel, and all are not as they seem. The second part of the novel was more interesting, but not enough so to give the novel five stars (although if you like afternoon soaps, you will probably like the novel). Events seem to lead into a sequel.
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