Ordinary Furies [Paperback]

Linda Morganstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2007

Alexis Pope's life has come undone. Just when she thought she'd found a life of guaranteed security and comfort, her husband's death in a sky-diving accident has cast her into self-imposed solitary confinement in her Northern California suburban mansion.

Unsure as to whether she'll ever stop grieving, or whether she'll ever want to, it's no wonder she's reluctant to accept her gay cousin Jeffrey's offer to come up and work at the Russian River resort where Jeffrey runs the dining room.

Then, a revelation in the form of a nosy fundamentalist neighbor signals enough. Enough hiding, enough lethargy. Little suspecting she's almost literally jumping from the frying pan into the fire, Alex plunges into the refreshingly frantic world of restaurant resort cooking and dining in the funky chic town of Guerneville, California.

Unfortunately, when it finally seems she's climbing out of her malaise, a series of increasingly vicious events at the resort forces her to revive her abandoned skills as a self-defense instructor and--to her great dismay--face up to her own involvement in her husband's death.

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Spinsters Ink (March 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883523834
• ISBN-13: 978-1883523831
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an overeducated fiction writer who grew up in the Borscht Belt resort area of New York. My father worked in hotels and I met many entertainers who would later become famous in Hollywood. I love theatre and film, which explains how these topics often find their way into my books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary Furies, September 12, 2010

By 

Sandy (Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ordinary Furies (Paperback)

Loved this book. Loved the beautiful little details, loved the main character and how she deals with her grief. It was just a great read in general. I'm not normally a reader of mysteries but this one held my interest from beginning to end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Who-Dun-It!, June 27, 2007

By 

big daddy (San Pablo, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ordinary Furies (Paperback)

First of all, I really liked the cover of the book. It invites one in with a serene yet somewhat 'eery', other-worldly scenery. You just sense mystery!
Really like the character development. And, the writer's style of giving you just enough information, then you can complete the thought.
I hope Alexis comes around again in a follow-up mystery!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Sonoma County Women's Voices--Review, November 25, 2007

By 

M. Jaeb "mystery lover" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ordinary Furies (Paperback)

Review of Ordinary Furies by Linda Morganstein
Judith Fein, reviewer


A few years ago, Linda Morganstein asked me to be a consultant with her about self-defense in relationship to a novel she was writing--Ordinary Furies. She had heard of my self-defense classes at Sonoma State University as well as my self-defense classes at the Santa Rosa Community Centers, and my books on self-defense. She explained that she was writing a mystery--the first in a series that would feature a self-defense instructor who lives in Sonoma County.

I am happy to report that the mystery, Ordinary Furies, has been released (April 2007) and is both a fun read and a well-written and plotted novel that does justice to the principles of self-defense. The publisher--Spinsters Ink--is a small press that has a long and venerable history in feminist publishing, having featured such authors as Judy Grahn, Audre Lorde, Sally Miller Gearhart, Minnie Bruce Pratt, and many more. Today, Spinsters is still committed to works that empower women, but is also growing, with expansions into more popular genres that will appeal to a larger audience. Ordinary Furies is a fine example of this new direction.

The novel features Alexis Pope, a complicated and quirky character, who is suffering an emotional meltdown after the death of her husband. She comes up to Sonoma County from the East Bay to work with her gay cousin, Jeffrey, in a new resort in Guerneville that is trying to appeal to the Bay Area trend-setters.

From the beginning, things are not right. In an increasingly vicious series of events, Alex is eventually called upon to use her self-defense knowledge.

Alex herself is an endearing character, far from perfect--strong, funny and vulnerable. In fact, one of the most appealing aspects of the book is the cast of characters, who display a range of sexualities and relational complexities that can make for an appealing series. I'm reminded of Armisted Maupin's Tales of the City and I can't wait to see which of these characters will carry over into the next books. Ordinary Furies is a well written, exciting novel.

Morganstein currently resides in Minnesota with her partner. She has been a long-time Sonoma County resident. This shows in the fine details about the area. Local residents will especially appreciate the evocation of setting and ambience. Sonoma County has always been a place ripe for a mystery series. Here it is.