Snuffed Out (Candlemaking Mysteries, No. 2) [Paperback]

Tim Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2004

When the power goes out in Harrison Black's candle shop, he finds his tenant electrocuted. Now Harrison will burn the candle at both ends to catch a killer as the tenant's death starts to look shockingly like murder.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425199800
• ISBN-13: 978-0425199800
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Myers has been writing mysteries since 1993. He is the Agatha Award nominated author of 24 novels with Penguin/Berkley/Prime Crime, Penguin/NAL/Signet, St Martin's Press/Minotaur, and Kensington. Ten of his novels have been IMBA National Bestsellers, landing as high as #2. Tim has written under his own name, as well as Elizabeth Bright, Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, and others.

His first story, My Late Aunt Hattie, was an 800 word short-short that combined elements of comedy, mystery, and the supernatural. It was published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and went on to be included in The Haunted Hour anthology. The author has also had stories included in the Mystery Writers of America Anthology A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime, as well as the hardcover anthology Murder Most Crafty. He is also the author of over 80 short stories, and has been nominated three times for the Derringer Award for Excellence is short mystery fiction.

For more information on Tim, please visit www.timmyers.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Burning the Candle at Both Ends, March 17, 2005

By 

L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snuffed Out (Candlemaking Mysteries, No. 2) (Paperback)

In this second story in Tim Myers'Candlemaking mystery series, young Harrison Black is enjoying his new life in Micah's Ridge, North Carolina, running the candle shop which he inherited from his great-aunt Belle. Tragedy strikes the River's Edge community again when there is a power outage one evening, and Harrison discovers that the power outage is caused by the electrocution of one of the other tenants in the building, the potter Aaron Gaston. Harrison can't help but wonder whether or not Aaron's death is really an accident when he learns that the potter always did his work on a manual potter's wheel, and didn't use the electric wheel in his store.

Harrison Black is a wonderful character, and in this second story we get to know him much better. After inheriting At Wick's End, Harrison finds himself a very busy young man, with "a business to run, a complex to watch over, and, if time permitted, a murder to solve." Not to mention trying to find a date in Micah's Ridge. As far as I'm concerned, the story line of "Snuffed Out" dealt a little too much with Harrison's every day schedule of running the business, and didn't spend enough time on solving the mystery. Poof! In the last ten pages he suddenly solves the mystery. However, the book was fun and enjoyable. I hope the next book in this series will spend a bit more time on developing the mystery and giving the reader some clues as well.

The recipe for Cranberry Muffins is very good!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfectly crafted cozy, February 10, 2005

By 

Reader (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snuffed Out (Candlemaking Mysteries, No. 2) (Paperback)

I've enjoyed both of Tim Myers's candle shop mysteries--AT WICK'S END and SNUFFED OUT--because the series is crafted as the perfect cozy. The main character/sleuth, Harrison Black, has inherited a candle shop as well as the building his and several other cozy shops (antique store, coffee shop/bakery, pottery shop, New Age shop) occupy. This gives the books a closed community of characters, and with Harrison living upstairs in an apartment over the candle shop, gives the readers a place they'll want to come back to again and again. One of the reasons I and many other mystery readers love cozies is that we do get to live the main character's life vicariously, and how comfortable it is to return to Harrison's comfy building to hang out with his friends, learn new ways to make candles, and, oh yes, track down a murderer now and then.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing Second Book, December 22, 2004

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snuffed Out (Candlemaking Mysteries, No. 2) (Paperback)

When the power goes out at River's Edge, Harrison stumbles on a dead body. Looks like Aaron was electrocuted when water spilled on the chord of an electric potter's wheel he was using. The police are quick to rule it an accident, but Harrison isn't so sure. Especially when his other tenants keep telling him that Aaron hated electric potter's wheels. With the small police force being struck down by the flue, Harrison starts investigating. Meanwhile, his choice of a replacement tenant causes hard feelings and tensions to rise around the complex. Will Harrison be able to keep the peace, solve the murder, and run his shop?

I loved the debut in this series and have been looking forward to this book since February. I was disappointed because this book was a very poor follow-up. The mystery was so poorly plotted that it felt like an after thought. And the climax left me with too many questions. The redeeming factor of the book is the main character. I really identify with Harrison and enjoy spending time with him.

I sure hope the mystery in the next book is better. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't.