The Rampant Reaper (Charlie Green Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marlys Millhiser (Author)

Book Description

Series: Charlie Green Mysteries | Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Literary agent and amateur sleuth Charlie Greene accompanies her mother to her great-great-aunt's funeral under great duress--after all, Charlie herself is adopted, and this part of her extended family has never made her feel that welcome. Plus, it's in Myrtle, Iowa, about as far from Charlie's life as a high-powered California literary agent as one can get. But she agrees to go. How bad could it be?

In one of Marlys Millhiser's quirky, offbeat mysteries, that is the world's biggest rhetorical question. Because someone may be offing the elderly in this midwestern town's only nursing home, and it falls to Charlie, the suspicious outsider, to put all the pieces together. Dealing with a passel of wacky relatives she's never met and a vicious killer as well won't be the easiest task she's ever been handed, but Charlie's good humor and recently acquired investigative experience should be more than enough to finish the job. That is, if she can escape the prying eyes that seem to peer at her from every corner of the tiny town.

Millhiser outdoes herself yet again in The Rampant Reaper, an effort sure to leave both loyal fans and new readers clamoring for the next installment of this unconventional and engaging series.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Charlie Greene, high-powered West Coast literary agent, single mom and amateur sleuth, leaves the glitzy world of Los Angeles for a small Iowa town in Millhiser's (Killer Commute, etc.) seventh amusing and wacky tale of murder and mayhem. Much against her will (after all, she is adopted and has had no contact with her birth mother's family), Charlie has agreed to accompany her birth mother to the funeral of her great-great-aunt in Myrtle, Iowa. Relatives she has never even heard about come out of the woodwork, and when the two travelers are sent to stay at the dilapidated family homestead with Uncle Elmo, Charlie begins to wish she'd stayed in L.A. Much to her chagrin, a blizzard and a rash of unexplained murders at Gentle Oaks, the local nursing home, keep Charlie in Myrtle and involve her in a bizarre mystery that has to do with the town's namesake, Myrtle herself. An investigation that becomes personal leads to an almost catastrophic conclusion. In dealing with the locals, especially the geriatric inhabitants of Gentle Oaks and their antics, Charlie displays the characteristic wry wit that has endeared her to her fans. Although Charlie's slowly evolving family tree is complex and confusing, a strong plot and a vividly described setting will engage the reader from start to finish. This read is as satisfying as a Midwest dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn and carrot cake.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Marlys Millhiser, a former regional vice president of the Mystery Writers of America, is the author of five previous Charlie Greene mysteries and several best-selling novels, including The Mirror. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Worldwide Library; Reprint edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037326478X
• ISBN-13: 978-0373264780
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,998,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mix of wacky and thoughts on euthenasia, August 2, 2002

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Rampant Reaper: A Charlie Greene Mystery (Charlie Greene Mysteries) (Hardcover)

When her mother asked her to go back with her to Iowa, Charlie Green had wanted to refuse. Iowa and the family there meant nothing to Charlie--noting but the people who had made her mother's life miserable. Still, she couldn't abandon her mother to her ruthless relatives. Charlie goes to Iowa.

Myrtle, Iowa is something of a mystery itself. The town is supported largely by a home for the aged--where, curiously, people go to die but...

Author Marlys Millhiser delivers a quirky and thoughtful mystery. ...

THE RAMPANT REAPER includes knee-slapping humor, but is occasionally hard to follow and sometimes loses track of the mystery completely. As I was reading, I couldn't help wonder if Millhiser is having current problems with her own aging relatives. Perhaps so, because REAPER seemed unable to make up its mind whether it was intended to be a funny-quirky novel, or a thoughtful examination of the way America treats its aging, and saddles its women with these responsibilities.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strange eccentric amateur sleuth tale, July 7, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rampant Reaper: A Charlie Greene Mystery (Charlie Greene Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Though her preference would be to stay home in Southern California, literary agent Charlie Greene agrees to accompany her adopted mother attending a funeral in Myrtle, Iowa. Charlie has not met this side of the family that has never accepted adoption as a source of viable kin. Still, Charlie would do almost anything for her mother, biology professor Edwina Greene, including meeting the extended family even in this backwater.

Once there, Charlie realizes she has an opportunity to uncover the identity of her biological mother, but instead ends up at Gentle Oaks Nursing Home. Though elderly, the patients seem more than senile than the average geriatrics. Most of the senior citizens act petrified in mind and body leaving Charlie to wonder why society allows people to live with what appears no dignity, hope or thought. Apparently someone agrees with Charlie because someone begins killing the residents. Encouraged to uncover the truth, Charlie begins to investigate what seem to be euthanasia killings.

The latest Charlie Green mystery, THE RAMPANT REAPER, is a strange eccentric amateur sleuth tale. The story line centers on what to do for the aging especially when the mind goes and the body is not lagging far behind. However, Marlys Millhiser's efforts to use humor to diffuse the seriousness of the topic come across as iniquitous because the cast including the heroine is nasty. Fans who don't mind an ensemble of misanthropes will enjoy Charlie's sleuthing and the insight into a problem that society would prefer die away.

Harriet Klausner