Customer Reviews

A Streetcar Named Expire (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries)

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

 

 

In the past decade, Judith McMonigle Flynn, proud owner of the bustling Hillside Manor Bed and Breakfast, seemingly has stumbled on more dead bodies than many coroners have. Judith reluctantly accompanies her cousin Rennie on a death tour that the latter won with the highest bid during a church auction. Judith becomes outraged to learn her B&B is part of the tour

The tour stops at the dumpy Alhambra Arms where Judith peaks into a room only to spot the corpse of a woman on the bed. Judith becomes a media sensation just like she ha last many times before. Month ago the crew found the remains of a decades-old person walled up in one of the apartments. Judith believes there is a connection between the two deaths and begins to investigate, not yet aware that any revelation could make her corpse number three.

The "Bed and Breakfast Mystery" series is like a bag of potato chips as readers can't read just one. Each time Mary Daheim releases a new entry, fans seem propelled to go back and reread the previous novels just to remember what trouble Judith manages to encounter. A STREETCAR NAMED EXPIRE is a well-done amateur sleuth novel filled with a plethora of suspects so that the audience struggles with identifying the villain. Cozies should always be this delightful.

Harriet Klausner

Judith Flynn is not James Bond when it comes to solving mysteries because Bond himself was never this real nor this funny! Toss her cousin, Renie Jones into the mix and you have a pair of the zaniest, middle aged sleuths this side of....uhhhhh....well, any Agatha Christie characters. This was my first experience at reading a Mary Daheim book but, certainly not my last. It was a riotious read that kept me guessing to the very end (and then I was wrong about who did what to whom). Judith and Renie may not have the most conventional methods of getting to the bottom of the case, however, they have the brains plus pure dumb luck on their side. They're both a hoot and an easy read! Now I'm off to find another Daheim book for my reading pleasure.

In this mystery Judith and Renie take a murder mystery tour of their neighborhood. It is no surprise to the reader that Judith's bed and breakfast is featured, but Judith is furious at the lurid description of her home and rushes to confront the tour operator at the next stop. She follows him upstairs to the second floor of an historic apartment complex and finds the featured entertainment, an exorcist, dead of a gunshot wound.

This is a fast moving and entertaining mystery, the characters are very quirky, and there are red herrings aplenty. I find myself looking forward to the next one.

Judith Flynn's cousin, Renie, talks her into going on a "murder tour" of their city. Judith is surprised and incensed when she finds out that the first stop is her own bed-and-breakfast where, indeed, there have been previous murders. The next stop is the Alhambra Arms, an old apartment complex which is being converted to condominiums. A 40-year-old corpse, which had been buried behind a wall, had recently been discovered. In order to encourage sales and satisfy those concerned about lingering spirits, an exorcist is brought in....the mystery deepens. Judith is convinced...two murders are related so she launches her own "unofficial" investigation, much to the disgust of husband Joe who is a private detective....Another enjoyable "cozy" from author Daheim.

This is a quaint story about a pair of middle aged (50ish) cousins who like to poke their noses where the police should be involved. It is written in an old fashioned, innocent style, suitable for juveniles as well as little old ladies. I have never read a Daheim book before. It kind of reminded me of Jessica Fletcher on "Murder She Wrote." There were plenty of inter-related characters and lots of suspects. The end was pleasantly surprising, but some of the loose ends were never tied well. The book was OK, but I would rather stick with other mystery writers.

This is an entertaining book in the "gifted amateur detective" genre. It lags in spots with undue detail to the cousins' foibles but in general is a good read.