The Thanksgiving Day Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lee Harris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Christine Bennett Mysteries | Publication Date: September 27, 1995

A CELEBRATION OF ABUNDANCE BECOMES A DAY OF LOSS.
More than a year ago Natalie Gordon went to buy a balloon at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and dissolved into thin air. The police and a private investigator still have no leads. So when Natalie's despairing husband pleads with ex-nun Christine Bennett to help, she can't say no.
Not only are Natalie's present whereabouts a mystery, but so is her past. Someone has stripped her personnel file in her old office. Even her husband knows strangely little about her.
Starting with a cardboard box of Natalie's belongings--a few books, keys, some cosmetics--Chris searches for a life someone has tried very hard to erase and finds a cast of characters so chilling that murder seems not only inevitable but likely to happen again. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

A detective hired to locate a missing wife discovers that not only has the woman vanished; but someone has taken care to remove any records of her life - and her husband knows surprisingly little about her. Thus begins a probe which turns up some dangerous clues to a murder and which points to another potential conflict in Harris' intriguing mystery. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

I always look forward to a new mystery by Lee Harris. Her novels about ex-nun Christine Bennett are in that central range between cozy and hardboiled -- the perfect balance. Ever since I encountered Christine Bennett in THE GOOD FRIDAY MURDER, which was nominated for an Edgar Award as best first novel, I've been fascinated by the author's depiction and development of her heroine -- Christine matures in surprising (but always believeable ways) as the series continues. It would be hard to pick my favorite Lee Harris mystery, but certainly among my favorites is THE CHRISTENING DAY MURDER, in which a thirty-year-old unsolved murder has impact on present-day menace.

--Joe Blades, Associate Publisher

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (September 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449149234
• ISBN-13: 978-0449149232
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 'who-dunit?'?/ and 'what was actually done?' book, November 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Thanksgiving Day Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Very well written who-dunit about a disappearance investigated by a non-typical investigator. Fast paced, personable, non-complex, very good characterizations. Have read 2 other books by this author and intend to read all of them!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable, January 29, 2003

By 

Susan R. Cakars "sanpablos" (San Pablo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thanksgiving Day Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a pleasant read. I like Christine Bennett and her husband. I liked Sandy Gordon, the man who wanted to know what happened when his wife, Natalie, disappeared at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a year ago.

My biggest complaint was with the title. In the beginning of the book, it's not supposed to be clear whether Sandy Gordon's wife ran away, was kidnapped, or was killed. However, the title The Thanksgiving Day Murder, made me aware that Natalie was dead.

Overall this is a good story that's easy to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thanksgiving Day Murder is NO Turkey, August 15, 2002

By 

Carol Abbott (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thanksgiving Day Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Okay, I couldn't resist the lame pun, but it IS a true statement. Lee Harris writes tightly plotted, well planned mysteries.

This time, former nun turned cleaver, super sleuth, Christine Bennett meets a distraught husband who has an incredible story to relate. Nearly one year ago Sandy Gordon and his lovely redheaded second wife Natalie attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Both in a happy, festive mood and looking forward to an upcoming romantic cruise vacation, Natalie impulsively rushes off down a side street to purchase balloons from a street vendor and completely disappears without a trace. Sandy swears, first to the skeptical police and, even almost a year later, to Chris that there was absolutely no reason for her to leave. That they were madly in love and happy to be together -- looking forward to life and maybe even to starting a family. Sandy begs Christine to help him find out what happened to Natalie even though the police have backed off and a private detective that he had hired some months earlier had been unable to come up with any new leads.

It is a puzzle that Chris just has to try her hand at. And it eventually begins to unravel on thread at a time.

Ms. Harris is masterful at these intricate plots. She manages to keep me guessing nearly every time by zig-zagging and using a few well placed red herrings. As usual, Chris Bennett and her husband, Jack, are so likable. I really enjoy the cozy little details about their lives that get woven into the story. It keeps her from seeming like robo-sleuth as she cuts through the mystery and gets to the truth. A diverting side plot also gives us an interesting view of Chris' family.

It's a great, fast paced read.