Straight As an Arrow [Paperback]

Celestine Sibley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1994

In the house she and her late husband built on an isolated island off the Florida coast, Atlanta reporter Kate Mulcay must investigate the attempted murder of a neighboring friend's spouse. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Intelligent, plucky widower Kate Mulcay (last seen in Ah, Sweet Mystery ) carries this murder mystery, the resolution of which will be apparent even to novice armchair sleuths. Atlantan Kate is called to Ila Island off the Florida coast, where she has a vacation home, by her friend and year-round resident, Nora Noble. Suspecting that island residents are being killed, Nora asks Kate, who is a reporter, to investigate. Before Kate can get there, Nora's husband, Phil, who is afraid of snakes, suffers a non-fatal heart attack when he finds a rattler in the living room. Soon Kate is attacked by a wildcat in her cabin. Then Phil suffers another heart attack (fatal this time) when he sees a snake in the cockpit of his island-hopping plane. Kate becomes convinced that Nora's isn't just an hysterical reaction and that a killer is loose on the island. Attentive descriptions of the tiny island and its inhabitants enliven a predictable story.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Atlanta reporter Kate Mulcay (Ah, Sweet Mystery, etc.) hurries to Ila, a barrier island off Florida's coast, in response to a call for help from Nora Noble, who, with husband Phil, lives there year- round. Kate and her late husband Benjy vacationed there, in a house they built themselves. Now, according to Nora, someone is out to decimate the tiny population. Two men, both ardent protectors of the island's pristine state, have died; a young woman visitor has disappeared; and Phil is in the hospital after a heart attack caused by someone aware of his phobic fear of snakes. Death and mayhem follow Kate's arrival as she struggles to find the driving force behind it all, aided by wily old-timer Ash, who sees all and says little. He's a sturdy support when she homes in on the fairly obvious villain and flies a plane, for the first time, to save the latest victim. Much coming and going in cars, boats, and planes; endless talk of dogs, cats, and more exotic animal life; mostly dull and chirpy characters--all make for a fussy, only mildly engrossing story. Add a plus for nature lovers. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061091901
• ISBN-13: 978-0061091902
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,806,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars KATE STRIKES AGAIN!!!, February 3, 2002

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straight As an Arrow (Paperback)

Celestine Sibley again has Kate Mulcay playing at being a detective. She is called to Ila Island where she has a cabin. Strange things are going on and people are ending up dead. Are they accidents or is someone commiting murder? Kate has a hard time figuring out why someone would want these people dead. She ends up in trouble herself but is aided by Ash of all people. Sibley writes so you can feel like you are there and a part of these people. No bad language, no gory details, but a good mystery.