Perennial Boarder: An Asey Mayo Mystery [Paperback]

Phoebe Atwood Taylor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

What a treat to have the humor of Asey Mayo available again in the delicious detective fiction of Phoebe Atwood Taylor. -- Otto Penzler

About the Author

Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1909-76) was born in Boston, and was the first member of her family to have been born off Cape Cod in more than 300 years. Taylor was one of the first mystery writers to give a regional and rural focus to mystery writing during its "golden age" (1918-39). Taylor authored 33 books, most of which are volumes in the Asey Mayo private-eye series. Among Taylor's fans was Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Countryman (June 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881500798
• ISBN-13: 978-0881500790
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,234,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, cozy, fun, January 2, 2008

By 

H. Grove "Errant Dreams Reviews" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perennial Boarder: An Asey Mayo Mystery (Paperback)

The Perennial Boarder is a republication of a 1941 mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor. As the back of the book tells us, "Taylor was one of the first mystery writers to give a regional and rural rather than urban focus during the time known as the "golden age" of mystery writing." While Ms. Taylor died in 1976 (at age 67), her many books live on.

The Perennial Boarder is quirky and cozy, yet that hardly makes it slow-paced. The rapid-fire discoveries, wide cast of beautifully-drawn characters, and hilarious antics keep your head spinning and your neurons firing page after page. Despite the number of characters, I never became confused---characterization is clearly one of Ms. Taylor's strongest points, as is description.

Taylor has carried her characters to the extreme, and made them so delightful that you just can't resist spending time with them. I found that the anticipation of "whodunit" ended up being far less interesting than just finding out what all these unique characters were up to! Anyone who's primarily accustomed to modern mysteries and procedurals would most likely be driven insane by actions that modern lawyers would use to drive gaping holes through a case, but this isn't a modern mystery, and I think anyone who enjoys the genre knows you just kind of have to set those sensibilities aside and enjoy the ride.

4.0 out of 5 stars The seventeenth book in the Asey Mayo mystery series, July 19, 2009

By 

Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The perennial boarder: An Asey Mayo mystery (Hardcover)

When Asey Mayo and his cousin-in-law Jennie deliver eight buckets of fresh clams to the Whale Inn, they find the place unlocked and empty. That discovery is surprising enough. Added to the dead body they find stuffed in the hotel's phone booth, it's downright disturbing. Especially since they had seen the victim mere minutes before, when they were all stuck in traffic with an Army convoy. What bizarre series of events has descended upon the Cape Cod town of Quissat?

The individuals who gradually surface are examples of the traditional quirky characters found on Cape Cod. The place is owned by the Doanes. Mrs. Doane runs the establishment with an iron fist, while daughter Freddy half-heartedly staffs the desk. Working in the kitchen is Mr. Washington "Washy" Doane, whom Asey recalls as being a cook on his uncle's schooner years before. "Biffer Doane he had been called, owing to his violent tendency to biff over the head with the first object at hand anyone and everyone who disagreed with him. Sometimes, in fact, Washy didn't even bother to wait for any disagreement to take place. Sometimes Washy just biffed." (p. 60) Did one of the Doanes shoot the woman in the phone booth? Or could the murderer be found among the various guests? There's Mrs. Clutterfield, a well-to-do woman with a penchant for speedy but erratic driving. Her own driver and servant, Alfred, is not above bribing officials for the slightest of offenses. Elissa Hingham is a local theater promoter who can summon up a migraine headache on a whim. No one can remember the surname of her second husband Horace, who is also involved in the acting business. Genealogist Jonathan Rankin bends Asey's ear a bit, until Doc Cummings warns his old friend that the man should not be trusted because he hasn't paid his medical bills. And then there's schoolteacher and perennial boarder Olive Beadle, who has been coming to the inn every summer for more than 20 years. Where is she now, by the way?

As usual, Asey Mayo is called upon to figure out not only the identity of the victim, but also the motive for her murder. Jennie and Doc Cummings do their best to help, but the investigation itself belongs to Asey. He finds solace in removing himself from the action and getting away from the incessant inquiries. "[H]e was tired of talking, and of people's if's and how's. Any situation, even one as confused and complicated as this seemed at the moment, simplified itself after you thought about it a little. Usually it was the if's and what's of other people that made it confused in the first place." (p. 183) Asey's biggest quandary comes down to the issue of identity. When someone is murdered while impersonating another, how can we possibly decide which of the two was the true intended target of the fatal shot?

This installment is one of the best ones in the Asey Mayo series, complete with layers of confusion, mistaken identity, and down-home logic. In writing it, Ms. Taylor may have deliberately planned to outdo herself. Most of the action in her previous book, _Deadly Sunshade_, occurred over the course of just one 24-hour period. Here she has narrowed down the timetable to 18 or 20 hours. It seems as if a lot can happen in one day (or less), out on the Cape.