Customer Reviews

Shakespeare's Christmas (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 3)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third book in the Lily Bard mystery series and it takes the reader out of Shakespeare, Arkansas to Lily's hometown. Lily is less than thrilled about going home for the holidays, especially when her sister's wedding is involved. She loves her family, but things just haven't been the same since she was violently assaulted years ago. To add to her notoriety, Lily manages to nab a purse natcher within a few days of her arrival and then is the first to walk in on a brutal double homicide. Before the buzz even begins to die down, Lily's detective boyfriend Jack Leeds shows up at the wedding rehearsal. Much as Lily would like to think that Jack showed up to offer her his moral support in her time of need, she knows better. Jack is investigating an eight-year-old kidnapping and the trail leads right to Lily's hometown - and her sister's widowed fiance. With only three days before the wedding and corpses piling up all over town, Lily must work fast to clean up the messy case before her sister commits...marriage!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think Charlaine Harris should be congratulated for her fantastic characterization and plot pacing. Many reviewers critized this book for having Lily be too soft and/or too much of her and too little of the mystery. They seem to have completely missed the point. Lily is softer in this book because she is at home and is different there. Everyone acts slightly differently when they go home, especially when they have been away for a long time, as Lily has been. As far as there being too much Lily and too little mystery, I thought that this book gave the reader a chance to learn a little bit more about Lily and what makes her tick. When you are reading a novel that is from a first person point of view, you should expect to hear a lot about the lead character - that is the whole point of having a lead character. Anyway, enough complaining - I just don't understand why everyone didn't love the book as much as I did! Buy this one while it is in print - it is a keeper!

Once again, the complex world of Lily Bard shows that, although you can go home again, you'd better watch out what happens once you get there. This powerful third novel in the Lily Bard saga explores more of Lily's past, as well as her relationships with her family - most of whom would rather forget what happened to her. Charlaine Harris continues to entertain and enthrall us while weaving a great story. I can't wait for the 4th installment of this most excellent series.

In this 3rd installment into Miss Lily Bards life, we are treated to a trip back to Lilys hometown. Varena, Lilys sister, is getting married and Lily is to be her maid of honor. While away, Lily gets herself involved in yet more trouble when she stumbles across two bodies in a doctors office.
Shakespeares Christmas didnt disappoint. There was murder, mystery, humor...and Jack. Oh how Im loving Jack.
This is another great addition to the series. Read it.

Lilly Bard is a very interesting character. Her life has been shaped by a brutal assault and rape when she was young. Now, at age 31, she has worked her way back to a fairly normal life. She is strong, capable, and a little prickly, but likeable. In this, the third book of the series, Lilly has returned to her hometown for her sister's wedding. Along with her boyfriend, Jack (a private investigator), she is trying to piece together several recent murders in town that may or may not be related to a child abduction eight years previously. The premise for this story is a good one and it is very well plotted, but it is the characters that make it special. I haven't read the two previous books in this series, but I didn't feel lost. In fact, the references to past events just added a little more mystery. I am looking forward to getting to know these characters better in the earlier and future books in this series.

Since Lily Bard left her home town of Bartley Arkansas after experiencing a life altering and tragic event, she has rarely come back. But her sister is about to be married and Lily is the maid of honor, so sisterly duty takes her there.

Lily makes Christmas plans with her private Detective boyfriend, Jack, after the wedding and back at her home in Shakespeare. But when Jack is assigned an 8 year old unsolved kidnapping case, things suddenly get crazy in Bartley.

I paid an obscene amount of money for this out of print book as I am totally addicted to this series and simply could not wait for the December 2008 re-release. Was it worth that huge pile of clams? You bet; I'd pay it all over again in a heartbeat.

While Lily finally starts to heal with her family and friends and the life that was before she was hurt, we get to watch her relationship with Jack progress. The mystery is a heartbreaking one that had me in an internal battle with myself about turning to the end ahead of time to see whodunit.

For such a small number of pages, Ms. Harris utilizes them to their fullest and provides a well rounded book with maximum entertainment. I am ready for the next one!

Cherise Everhard, March 2008-03-08

Shakespeare's Landlord
Shakespeare's Champion (The Second Lily Bard Mystery)

In the third Shakespeare book featuring Lily Bard, the victim of gang-rape years earlier (and consequently murdering one of the rapists), the former future-housewife turned cleaning lady is on a visit home, to attend her sister Varena's wedding... right before Christmas.

She has barely settled down in her hometown of Bartley, Arkansas, when the small town's doctor and nurse are killed... and she, along with her sister, are the first ones to find them. Sooner than later, her lover - Jack Leeds - comes to town. Being a detective, he is planning on finding out who kidnapped Summer Dawn, eight years before.

Lily joins in on the investigation, planning to help Jack, since she's a native to the town. When one of three girls, who may or may not be Summer Dawn, turns out to be her sister's future husband's daughter, it becomes personal.

In this exciting tale of murder, kidnapping, and some really confusing clues, the reader will be unable to put down this novel. I wasn't especially fond of the first book in the series, and picked this one up - and was pleasantly surprised. If the rest are up to the standards set by this book, there will be no way I won't be getting them.

I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries. I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this series. This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena. The mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

If you haven't met Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Ak, you are in for a rare treat in the mystery genre. A victim of gang rape, coupled with a vicious knifing, Lily has reinvented herself, left home and become a cleaning lady in a small town. Now, however, she must go home for her sister's wedding and the family from whom she's become almost estranged. On her first morning home, she and her sister discover the bludgeoned bodies of a doctor and his nurse. Also in town on the case of a child abducted years before is the new love of Lily's life, Jack. One of the suspects in the kidnapping is her sister's widowed fiance. A taut, well-told tale of suspense with three dimensional characters. I would suggest that before reading this, one should read "Shakepeare's Landlord" and "Shakespeare's Champion." This different and much darker series by the author of the Aurora Teagarden books should not be missed.

I am a huge fan of Charlaine Harris and have read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books, so I started reading this series. At first I didn't know if I was going to like Lily Bard very much. I had a tough time getting through Shakespeare's Landlord but towards the end I was starting to enjoy Lily. The second book was good too, but now with Shakespeare's Christmas I am hooked. I am about to start Shakespeare's Trollop and can hardly wait.

The Lily Bard series gets to be very addicting and is such a fun and quick read. I love the relationship between Lily and Jack. Lily reminds me of a few people I have known who have gone through horrific things in their life so she does seem real to me. I think the way that she handles her relationship with Jack, and the fact that they both have a hard time with their feelings, is refreshing and how a lot of relationships are in real life.

I love the mystery and this time I really didn't see the ending coming. You know some of the details and get some hints but for once I didn't pinpoint the exact ending like I have done in the past. Charlaine Harris does a wonderful job of tying all the lose ends together and I like that she gives little updates about past characters, like Bobo.

If you like funny (but sometimes sarcastic), witty, suspense then this is your book! Enjoy your reading.

Lily Bard is sorry that she has to return to her hometown of Bartley, Tennessee to attend her sister's wedding. Several years ago, she was the focus of a media blitz when she was kidnapped, mutilated, and gang raped. The revulsion and pity from her friends and family drove Lily away. She has been relatively happy living in Shakespeare, Arkansas where she runs a cleaning service.

When she returns to her hometown, she is pleasantly surprised to see that her lover Jack Leeds is also there. Though he has come to provide her support, he is also trying to learn if one of the local girls is actually a kidnap victim who was abducted as an infant eight years ago. Lily wants answers too because her sister is about to become the stepmother to one of the girls.

SHAKESPEARE'S CHRISTMAS is a fascinating mystery because Charlaine Harris provides much insight into the head of her female protagonist. The who-done-it is interesting and well-designed, but it is Lily's ability to surmount her traumas and move on with her life that touch the reader's heart. This change is so realistically portrayed, it engages reader empathy, who will enjoy a glimpse into Lily's hometown relationships. Ms. Harris has written a wonderful novel that adds much to this top rate dark cozy.

Harriet Klausner