Customer Reviews

Something Wicked in the Air (Caroline Rhodes Mysteries)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Something Wicked in the Air is a wonderful and worthy successor to A Deadly Little Christmas. Nurse Caroline Rhodes is persuaded (or should that be railroaded?) to help investigate the death of Rhineburg's long-serving post-mistress. She calls on her good friend, Professor Carl Atwater of Bruck University, for assistance. Suspects are thick on the ground, including the obsessed and wonderfully named Professor Littlewort, taciturn gardener Charlie Branch, and handsome bad boy student Sid Burke. Throw in some of the colourful Rhineburg residents, especially the lovely ladies of the Rhineburg Boarding House and Home for Gentle Women, and mad Madeline, the Police Chief's wife, and you have a recipe for murder, mayhem and mirth. All this is set against Rhineburg's annual Renaissance Faire, the Festival of Knights, a medieval extravaganza that is so wonderfully described you want to join in the jousting and carousing. At any rate, I could almost smell that barbecue.

Caroline and Carl are such great characters, it's a pleasure to know them. If I was an accident victim, I would be relieved if Caroline were my ER nurse. If I were a murder victim, I would definitely want her to investigate my death. I'm already enrolling my children at Bruck University, and can't wait for my next dose of life in Rhineburg.

Mary Welk does it again. SOMETHING WICKED IN THE AIR is a perfect follow-up to the explosive debut of Mary Welk and her fantastic characters (A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, Kleworks, 1998. In this new adventure of Caroline Rhodes and her "sidekick" Carl Atwater, the tiny college town of Rhineburg loses its much-loved, but also much-underestimated postmistress to a murder over what? A runestone? Throw in the rantings of an eccentric literature professor, the antics of a spoiled rich kid, and the mystique of an ancient gypsy fortune teller, and you have the makings of another first-rate tale from this new voice to the mystery scene. Centered on the college's Renaisance Fair, the story is fast-paced, funny, and keeps the reader wanting to come back for more. Let's visit Rhineburg and good ole Bruck U. again soon!

Ms. Welk's second book was just as great as the first, if not better. The discription of the Festival of Knights was full of brilliant details. Once again, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the killer right along with Caroline Rhodes. Ms. Welk has definately made her mark.

A Deadly Little Christmas packed a big wallop. Something Wicked In The Air has as much of a wallop, if not more. The descriptions of the Renaissance Fair were so good that I felt like I was wearing the costumes with them and the story line had me in its grip from the first page to the last. I love both the familiar characters from the 1st book and the new ones introduced in this book, especially Maddie, the chiefs wife. I also loved the ladies at the Home for Gentle Women. I am waiting impatiently for the third book in the series and I feel certain that it will be going out of the park!! Mary write faster!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Welk's first novel, A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. Her second book continues the adventures of Caroline Rhodes, RN, and Professor of History Carl Atwater in the town of Rhineburg, Illinois. Once again, Ms. Welk captures the essence of small town living with her descriptions of the place and the people. Anyone who has roots in rural America will recognize the pomposity of local politicians like Mayor Teddy Schoen, the reclusive lifestyle of characters like Branch the gardener, and the indomitable strength of elderly folks like Alexsa Stromberg Morgan. Chief of Police Jake Moeller, his antique dealer wife Madeline, and the little gypsy girl Bricole are welcome additions to the Rhineburg family, as are those wacky residents of the Rhineburg Boarding House and Home for Gentle Women. My only wish was that we could have heard more from the Archangels, those guardians of civilized behavior at Bruck University. Hopefully they will shine in Ms. Welk's next novel in the Caroline Rhodes series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with a strong plot and continuous action. For those who enjoy a taste of the past, the descriptions of the Renaissance Faire are an added treat to an already great story.

You've got to love a mystery where the prime suspect's name is Littlewort. Anyone who's attended college will recognize the type: an eccentric know-it-all professor who's despised by all his colleagues. Ms. Welk aptly describes the university setting and the various types of characters who work there. I enjoyed her description of the Renaissance Fair with all the pomp and pagentry surrounding the knighting ceremony. Most of all, I enjoyed how she wove a diverse group of characters into a fast paced plot that was both realistic and entertaining. Not having read Welk's first book, I now intend to do so.

After reading A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, I was really looking forward to Mary Welk's next book. I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all by SOMETHING WICKED IN THE AIR. Many of the same great characters appear in this second Caroline Rhodes adventure, and some new residents of Rhineburg are introduced. I thoroughly enjoyed both the story line and the characters involved, and I was kept guessing till the end as to the identity of the murderer. Great fun!

Caroline Rhodes works as a nurse at Rhineberg, Illinois' St. Anne Hospital. Caroline also serves as a Bruck University dorm housemother in exchange for a free apartment. A relative newcomer to the town, Caroline was once suspected of being the "Mad Bomber". To prove her innocence, Caroline flushed out the killer and became regarded as a heroine by the campus faculty.

Caroline looks forward to attending the annual Renaissance Fair with Professor Atwater. However, a few days before the event starts, a rock is dug up that look to be a genuine Viking runestone. Everyone feels it is a fake except Professor Lillewort, who plans to mail it to a colleague for authentication. However, the day after the package is dropped off at the local post office, postmistress Emma Reiser is found dead. Despite her misgivings, a reluctant Caroline is cajoled into investigating the murder. Doing this places the intrepid woman in danger again (see A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS) from someone who wants the past to remain buried.

Mary Welk follows up her charming debut mystery with another warm amateur sleuth tale starring a likable, down to earth heroine. Secondary characters make repeat appearances, which gives previous readers a strong feeling of continuity between the stories. SOMETHING WICKED IN THE AIR is an alluring who-done-it with plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep the audience interested in this tale and return for the next book in the series.

Harriet Klausner