Customer Reviews

Shadows on the Coast of Maine (Antique Print Mysteries)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It almost doesn't matter -- who cares about the plotting when you have the coast of Maine in August in a fabulous old house that's being rehabbed and some antiquing to boot? To be honest, I can hardly remember the plot -- oh yes, some woman is killed and while everything else is going on, the police are investigating the murder (which occurs on the grounds of the fabulous old house and connects to the house). Our antiquing amateur sleuth only gets involved towards the end, of course managing to solve a case that the police couldn't crack. There's a drawing room confrontation with the accused at a gathering of all the suspects -- the sleuth has invited the police to attend as she unmasks the killer.

Yeah, the plot is hokey, but I really enjoyed the book anyway -- it's a lot cheaper than an actual trip to Maine in August and you can really imagine yourself there. I intend to read more books by this author.

When Maggie Summer's old college roommate and close friend begs her to come visit her in her new home in Madoc, Maine, she drops everything to see Amy Douglas. Her husband and Amy left their high powered jobs in New York City and bought an old Colonial home built in 1774, which they intend to restore to it's former glory.

The move hasn't worked well for the Douglas' as Amy tells Maggie the moment she enters the home. Sounds of a baby crying disturb their sleep as do phone calls with nobody at the other end. A fire breaks out in a room where nothing is combustible and shingles fall off the roof even when the roofer has fixed them. Matters take a more serious turn when Amy's part-time helper is murdered and her husband gets into a car accident because the brake line is cut. As Maggie starts putting the pieces of the puzzle together, she realizes that there are two separate groups at work with different aims and only one of them intended actual harm.

SHADOWS ON THE COAST OF MAINE is a picturesque amateur sleuth mystery that is perfect beach or pool reading material. Readers are treated to life in a small Maine village in which the same families have lived near each other for generations and an outsider is considered anyone whose gene pool hasn't resided there for over a century. Lea Wait has written a complex, multi-layered who done it that is fun to read and difficult to solve, leading to readers waiting anxiously for the author's next novel.

Harriet Klausner

The title of this book was well-chosen. Qualifying as a "cozy" mystery, Shadows provides a slow-moving tale of ghosts, accidents, and murder with the potential to become more intriguing than it actually is. The residents of this small town in Maine are depicted as dour and unwelcoming, resentful of outlanders and bound by centuries of inbreeding and tradition. The unwitting city folk who have the audacity to buy a 250-year-old, dilapidated house are almost immediately subjected to anonymous intimidation. Nearly everyone, however, comes across as somewhat wooden, hard for the reader to care much about. And mystery becomes solvable only halfway through the book. Shadows on the Coast of Maine is a quick, effortless read that provides entertainment but not much more.

I recently finished this book and want to recommend it to all who enjoy traditional cozy mysteries.
It was great. I liked everything about it. I was a bit leery in the first few pages cause I didn't want a ghost story, but that soon faded and I got engrossed in the plot and characters, etc. I like the old houses - live in one built one that was built in 1863 - so that was a great part of the book for me. And as with Shadows at the Fair, I enjoy the little print descriptions at the top of each chapter.
Maggie goes to ME to visit an old college friend who, with her husband, has abandoned life in NYC for a an old house on the coast of ME. Amy is intrigued by the history of the house they've bought and hopes to have a family there. She's already fixed up a room as a nursery.
Soon Will, an antiqueing friend of Maggie's, meets her. All of his ancestors are from ME and he's there visiting an elderly aunt. Maggie tells him about the weird experiences Amy is having in her old house, a baby crying in the night, minor accidents, etc. Then the young girl, who has been working for Amy, is found dead in a field behind the house and Maggie can't help but think about it, maybe ask a few questions, etc.
Altogether, an excellent read.

I enjoyed listening to this on CD, but doubt that I would have completed it in book form. Too slow. Hardly anything happens in the mystery and too much time is given to excessive details about the main character's antique print business. I liked the main character and the atmosphere, but the mystery itself was laughable. It was all wrapped up in a few pages at the end. The killer had good reasons for the deed, but one aspect of the plot which I won't reveal here, was totally unbelievable.

This would probably make a good movie but it was slow, slow reading. Didn't need all those facts about prints, hard to get excited about any of it. What a twisted tale of who's sleeping with who and who's the father? My first and last by this author. How one could consider this an excellent story of the Maine coast is beyond me, just another two-timing someone did me wrong story.

Maggie Summer gets an invitation from her former college roommate, Amy Douglas. Amy and Drew have just moved into an eighteenth-century house which they are restoring in tiny Madoc, Maine. They invite Maggie to come up for a few days and ask her to bring some of her antique prints. There is an urgency in Amy's invitation that Maggie cannot ignore.

When she arrives, she finds things are not all they seem. Many unexplained things have begun happening. There are phone calls with no one on the other end and sounds of a crying baby disturbing their sleep. Then when the Douglas' neighbor and teenaged helper turns up dead on their land and Drew has a car accident that is suspicious, Maggie decides she needs to do some investigating. She gets her antiques-hunting friend, Will Brewer, to help her. He knows everyone in town and is related to most of them. Many folks in town have not been very friendly with Amy and Drew since they are outsiders. Maggie knows without someone on the inside, she'll never get any information.

As she digs deeper and deeper, Maggie uncovers secrets that have been hidden for years. Can she figure out who is behind everything without anyone else getting hurt?

I love books set in New England, so this is right up my alley. I love Maggie. She is such a great character, and her antiques print business was something that was new to me. I enjoyed learning more about it.

The descriptions of the area were superb. Made me feel like I was there with Maggie. The plot was well constructed with plenty of red herrings, and the peripheral characters aided the story wonderfully.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more!

The second in the Antique Print series by Lea Wait is by far my favorite in a very well written and well plotted series.
Maggie Summer answers a call from an old friend to supply the prints in her newly renovated eighteenth century house in Maine. Once there Maggie learns of ghostly cries and a body appearing on the grounds convinces Maggie that it is more than ghosts at work.
The characters are very true to life and believable, the setting is atmospheric and charming at the same time, and the story cleverly written. Overall a very meaty and satifying read.

This is a very good series of cozy mysteries "Antique Print". This time around Maggie goes to visit her college roommate Amy and her husband Drew. They have just bought a house on the Coast of Maine and are in the process of renovation. Will Brewer is visiting his Aunt Nettie in a nearby town so he and Maggie get together. A young girl Crystal who is helping out Amy and Drew is found murdered in the back field of their home. Of course, Maggie and Will attempt to find the killer, along with the Police Detective Strait.

I ordered 3 of the 4 books in this series and enjoyed them very much. (I already had the 4th one). I would suggest that anyone wanting to read a good mystery that they should read these. They will keep you guessing and you get to enjoy reading about their lives.