9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hitting A Sour Note, September 21, 2006
If you've been reading the Bed & Breakfast series from the beginning it is obvious that the quality of the stories has decreased. Dead Man Docking, her last book was ok, but this one is definitely the worst of the series.
I'd describe the storyline but it's so convuluted with multiple stories, including a murder, a missing violin bow worth a fortune. An old murder. Possible illegetimate child, Nutty people. Ex-wives, stepchildren, drug addicts, alcoholics mysterious strangers and a partridge in a pear tree.
It never comes together into a coherant story. Not only don't I care who committed the murder, I'm just sorry more of these loser characters didn't bite the dust.
I think Mary Daheim should consider starting a new book series with fresh characters and leave Judith and Renie alone for a while. I would rather wait a couple of years and get a tight, exciting mystery where you can't put down the book (as many of the earlier books are)instead of a book every year or so that just doesn't seem worth the effort to read.
Highlights:
No matter how bad the book, Judith has always been a great character. Very loving and very funny. I love her romance with her husband Joe, although he has almost disappeared from the storyline for the last few books.
Humor. Not as funny as they used to be, but I still find Renie's obcession with her stuffed Ape and live bunny to be very funny.
Lowlights:
Bad and boring mystery.
Cousin Renie: There is a small line between eccentric and nutty. Renie has now crossed the line. What used to be funny about her messy, aggressive manner has become annoying. I would be embarrassed to ever be in a public place with her as her behavior has become so annoying.
Gertrude: Her nasty behavior has increased as the series continues and is no longer funny, just because she's old doesn't make it any less abusive.
Very disappointing, I agree with another reviewer, if you're just starting the series, don't begin with this book. Go back to the beginning for some really great reads.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Far From Her Best, August 29, 2006
I have read all of Mary Daheim's bed and breakfast novels and have enjoyed most of them. I won't go into the story details, which the other reviewers have already nicely done. From the beginning I felt Ms. Danheim's heart was not into this novel. Even Judith protesting that she was through with sleuthing a number of times...well, I had to agree with her that as many characters and twists and double twist that this book had, I would have given up also. Too many extra mysteries thrown in making it difficult to concentrate on the main one. I found too many parts of the book annoying in content and so I would skip quickly, which I don't like to do! Gertrude use to be funny, but now she is more annoying and if Ms. Danheim had a heart, she would give her a nice burial. Judith is a slave to solving a mystery but has to stop to get her mother's lunch or dinner because the old women brow beats her until she does by calling her insulting names. Not funny anymore. That scene has been played out too many times and has lost its humor. Cousin Renie is the only one with a backbone.....Judith could take a lesson. Joe, Judith's husband, is once again off somewhere NOT being involved, but even when he is home he is no help. Phyliss, the housekeeper and Sweetums, the cat, keep the whole thing going. If you are new to Mary Daheim's B&B's......please do not read this one first. You won't want to pick up another. If you are a fan you will want to read it because we are hooked, bad or good.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A very attractive book cover, November 28, 2007
After 30 pages of unpleasant characters and murky explanations of how they were connected, I gave up and returned this one to the library. This was a classic case of judging the book by it's attractive cover and cutesy title. If the previous books in the series were better, then I am sorry that I started with this one. There is nothing really horrible here, just nothing that compels the reader to invest much time.
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