Customer Reviews

Poison Pen (Claudia Rose Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
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Lindsey Alexander is dead, presumably by her own hand. After all, she left a suicide note, in her own handwriting (printed in block letters), or did she? A number of people think the powerful publicist for the glitzy stars of Hollywood was murdered.

Claudia Rose, a handwriting expert, is retained by Ivan Novak to prove the suicide note was a fake. Claudia and her best friend Kelly have experienced Lindsey's cruelty numerous times in the past and neither woman wants anything to do with her--even if she's dead. But business is slow for Claudia, Kelly may be involved in the murder, and Ivan is persistent.

As Claudia searches for handwriting samples to compare to the unusual sample supposedly left by Lindsey, she inadvertently learns of the darker side of her former friend's life. If Claudia doesn't learn what really happened to Lindsey, she might lose her own life. She joins forces with police detective Joel Jovanic and their relationship soon goes beyond solving the crime.

Sheila Lowe, author of Poison Pen, has written a fast-paced, crisp and gritty novel that penetrates the world of celebrity and the dark appetites of those who live in that world.

Lowe's plot is intriguing and incorporates her intimate knowledge of handwriting analysis. The characters are richly drawn and complex. Claudia is tough, yet vulnerable and immensely likeable.

Sheila Lowe is a handwriting analyst who has authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Handwriting Analysis and Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous. Lowe was recently involved with the Jon-Benet Ramsey/John Mark Karr case.

Armchair Interviews says: Sheila Lowe's Poison Pen is highly recommended and proof that good mysteries are being published by small houses.

Sheila Lowe keeps you guessing to the very end whether Lindsey Alexander killed herself or was murdered. There are enough good reasons it could be either that you have to race to the end to find out. There are lots of suspects. Lindsey wasn't exactly a rose.

And then there's Claudia Rose, the hero of the piece. She knew Lindsey, maybe too well, then again, maybe not at all. When this onion has been completely peeled, Claudia knows a lot more about everyone around her, as well as herself.

But the coolest things threading through the entire book are all the insights into people through their handwriting. Lowe is a professional handwriting expert and she knows her stuff. Maybe too well. Watch out. You might learn a few things about yourself.

And be careful how many keys you carry.

This was a fast and exciting read.

What a delight it was to read this book! I ordered it because I am an avid mystery reader but, also, have studied graphology and have been a medical writer. To read such a well-written first mystery book was indeed a pleasure for me, and I hope that Sheila Lowe will be considered for a first mystery book award, as her book is every bit as good, if not better, than those I have read in that category. I have enjoyed her graphology books as well.

Poison Pen- Death Between the Lines is one of the latest additions to the successful releases of Capital Crimes Press. And again they have published a well written but fun mystery that entertains from the first page to last.

Claudia Rose, Kelly Brennan and Lindsay Alexander had been close friends since college until Lindsay's betrayal of the others ended the friendship on a sour note. But when Lindsay is found dead and the police say it is suicide, Claudia and Kelly are not so sure. Actually Kelly does not really care either way, Lindsay was too cruel to her too often for her to be overly sad that she is dead at all. But Claudia is drawn into the question by mutual friends who want to know the truth. Was Lindsay's drowning her way to end her life or the revenge of one of the many people she had angered in one way or another. There is certainly more that one person who would have cause and desire to want her dead. Claudia, with the help of the good looking policeman Jovanic, must sort out the alibis and motives to see if she can solve a case that seems more and more like murder. With her talent as a hand writing expert she searches for both written and other clues to the mystery.

Lowe creates characters that live larger than life on her pages. They are delectably true to themselves, filling their roles with sincerity and dedication. The mystery itself keeps the readers' attention as the well paced plot develops from uneasy suspicions to tightly wound action. Since Lowe herself is a well known hand writing expert herself. she is able to bring a level of authenticity that shines through into the story.

The basic information given on the subject through its use in the plot is facinating. Readers will be tempted to continue reading on the interesting subject for further knowledge.

This is Claudia Rose first entry as the star of her own series. Next up is Written in Blood, with more planned for the future. Poison Pen will create a posse of fans that will anxiously await the future investigations of Claudia Rose.

Downloaded to my Kindle 2 all 3 of this author's books and read them all this weekend. Liked all of them. Each story is different enough even with the same characters that they all were good reads. I read anything; but really like the mysteries.

When Poisen Pen was made available in the kindle format, I bought it and read it right away. I just loved it and can't wait to read her second forensic handwriting mystery "Written in Blood". I have always been interested in understanding people thru body language and handwriting analysis. This book had a great mystery and incorporated interesting tidbits on handwriting analysis. The writing was easy to read. I know this sounds silly but I have read some books where the plot and charactors are good but the writing did not flow, was hard to get thru and overall was sub par.

Poisen Pen is deeper than a cozy (in my opinion), more substance I would say but not graphic in sex or violence. I just really loved it. The story grabbed me right away and I could not put it down. I found myself trying to figure out who done it by following the handwritting clues that were given.

I usually can tell who did it early on in a mystery book. My guess was close but not spot on and I did not guess the motive. My hats off to Sheila's great writing skills. She gave clues so she was fair to readers but still suprised me near the end.

I just love the hand writing information in the books. Great charactors. I also loved the dog so I hope he appears in future books.

I just bought the second one in the series and can't wait to get started.

Cindy

Can handwriting be faked to make murder look like suicide? Forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose must answer that question when powerful Hollywood publicist Lindsey Alexander is found dead in a hot tub.

The police believe it's Lindsey's handwriting on the 'suicide note', but not everyone is ready to accept that Lindsey would've taken her own life. Claudia knows first-hand the publicist's ruthlessness and cruelty, so when Ivan Novak, Lindsey's business associate, begs her to prove the note a fake, Claudia's instincts scream at her to run the other way. But Ivan leans hard, and when she accepts the case, Claudia becomes trapped in a far darker scenario than she bargained for. As she digs deeper into suspicious activities and insinuations surrounding the publicist - and even Claudia's closest friends - she begins to believe that Ivan was right about Lindsey's death being murder. As the danger increases, Claudia realizes the killer will stop at nothing to conceal the truth.

In the first of her Claudia Rose series, Lowe gives us a protagonist with enough quirks and flaws to make her fully believable and altogether likable, and is kind enough to give Claudia an interesting romantic foil in the sexy but equally flawed Detective Joel Jovanic (pronounced Yo-VAN-itch) of the LAPD, who begins an investigation into Lindsey's death when Ivan Novak is attacked in Lindsey's penthouse.

Lowe seamlessly infuses her own expertise as a handwriting analyst into the narrative without being too technical, and her storytelling style flows easy and fluid across the pages. On the surface, POISON PEN might come across as a cozy mystery, but there are darker underlying elements throughout, and Lowe does an excellent job of withholding just enough that you don't see the twist coming until it hits you in the face.

I enjoyed reading the book, but I kept being annoyed

by inconsistencies. For instance, the beach community

Claudia lives in is meant to be Playa del Rey. In the

first part of the book, it's called Playa de la Reina;

in the second part, it's called Playa del Reina. What?

The I Magnin department store referred to contemporaneously

closed in the 1980s. There's even a typo in the address of

the Claudia Rose website address given on the endpaper: it's

spelled "Clausiaroseseries"

First Line: "No, girlfrien'."

Publicist-to-the-stars Lindsey Alexander was ruthless. She was a backstabber. She was a manipulator of the first degree. When her nude body is found in a Jacuzzi with a suicide note nearby, former friend Claudia Rose is dumbfounded. Lindsey is the last person she would expect to commit suicide. Lindsey just had too much fun making other people suffer. When Lindsey's business manager hires Claudia to prove that Lindsey did not write the suicide note, the forensic handwriting expert finds herself up to her eyeballs in danger.

Although I sometimes have a tough time reading a book that centers around a thoroughly nasty murder victim, I had no problem turning the pages of Poison Pen. There are several reasons for this. One, I've been interested in handwriting analysis since I was in the eighth grade and helped my English teacher grade handwritten papers. (I was the only person who could read one particular student's handwriting.) As I read each person's paper, I began to pair certain characteristics of their writing to their personalities. I still do that today, although handwriting can certainly be much more difficult to find! Now that you know this, it would be easy for you to surmise that I enjoyed the fact that Claudia Rose is a forensic handwriting expert.

I also liked the fast pace of the book and the setting of southern California, but to me the best part of the book was Lowe's characterizations. I liked Claudia Rose. This character has just the right blend of intelligence, naivete, and willingness to take a risk. She also has a smart mouth from time to time, which is a plus. (At least to me!)

I don't know how many times I've read scenes when the amateur sleuth is being grilled by the police, and I've wanted to add my own smart-mouth commentary. I didn't have to when I read this book:

"She rolled her eyes. "Have you seen the amount of blood in there, Columbo?"

"You know, Ms. Rose, you might want to consider changing your attitude. At the very least, you're a witness at a serious crime, and I expect you to explain yourself, not smart off."

Claudia stared at him."

You go, girl! Don't back down! (She didn't.) Fast pace, good setting, interesting occupation, excellent characters, and a killer who isn't easily guessed...I'm already looking for the next book in this series, Written in Blood!