This Enemy Town: A Hannah Ives Mystery (Hannah Ives Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marcia Talley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hannah Ives Mysteries | Publication Date: August 30, 2005

Hannah Ives is always ready to support others like herself who have been through the gauntlet of fear and uncertainty that a diagnosis of cancer often brings. So when friend and fellow survivor Dorothy Hart asks for help building sets for the Naval Academy's upcoming production of Sweeney Todd, Hannah readily agrees.

But it means associating with an old foe -- a vindictive officer whose accusations once nearly destroyed Hannah's home life. And when one corpse too many appears during a dress rehearsal of the dark and bloody musical, Hannah finds herself accused of murder -- and enmeshed in a web of treachery and deception that rivals the one that damned the "Demon Barber."

Caught up in a drama as sinister as any that has ever unfolded on stage, Hannah stands to lose everything unless she unmasks a killer before the final curtain falls ...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Agatha– and Anthony Award–winner Talley's predictable fifth Hannah Ives cozy fails to take full advantage of its intriguing premise: the victim is discovered on the set of a navy production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd. Ives, a cancer survivor, quickly becomes the chief suspect, since her fingerprints are found on the hammer used to fatally bludgeon Jennifer Goodall, who was the Naval Academy's sexual assault victim intervention officer. Years before, Goodall had earned Ives's enmity by falsely accusing the amateur sleuth's husband of sexual harassment. Stunned to find herself in cuffs, Ives loses no opportunity, once bail is posted, to seek the truth. Despite references to the Clinton "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward homosexuals and to procurement scandals resulting from the ongoing war in Iraq, the author doesn't make her setting convincing; even the scene describing a visit to the Pentagon memorial for the victims of 9/11 will leave many readers unmoved.
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Review

“Hannah is as plucky and ingenious as ever - funny, self-deprecating and brave … well done!” (Kate Charles, author of EVIL INTENT )

“[E]nthralls with real-life characters coping with the extraordinary circumstances of murder.” (Romantic Times BOOKclub )

“[C]ontinues the depth of plot and character we’ve come to expect from this...award-winning author.” (Florida Sun-Sentinel )

“[A] mystery that will keep you guessing and turning the pages.” (Medina Gazette (Ohio) )

“The strongest, most moving novel in the Hannah Ives series.” (Sujata Massey, author of THE TYPHOON LOVER )

“A standing ovation for Marcia Talley’s fifth Hannah Ives mystery…A fine addition to one of my favorite series.” (Deborah Crombie, author of IN A DARK HOUSE )

“THIS ENEMY TOWN is the best yet in Annapolis author Marcia Talley’s Hannah Ives series. The character development is magnificent.” (Washington Woman )

“[The] latest gem in a remarkable series.” (Mystery Lovers Book News )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Avon (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060587393
• ISBN-13: 978-0060587390
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,231,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of A QUIET DEATH and nine previous mystery novels featuring survivor and sleuth, Hannah Ives.

Marcia is author/editor of two star-studded collaborative novels, NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX and I'D KILL FOR THAT set in a fashionable health spa and an exclusive gated community, respectively. Her short stories appear in more than a dozen collections. A recent story, "Can You Hear Me Now?" is featured in TWO OF THE DEADLIEST: NEW TALES OF LUST, GREED AND MURDER FROM OUTSTANDING WOMEN OF MYSTERY, edited by New York Times best-selling author, Elizabeth George.

Marcia is immediate past President of Sisters in Crime International, serves on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and is a member of the Crime Writers' Association (UK) and the Authors' Guild of America. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with a husband who loves to sail and a cat who doesn't.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read!, September 6, 2005

By 

Janet Benrey "janet benrey" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Enemy Town: A Hannah Ives Mystery (Hannah Ives Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Marcia Talley has done it again. Hannah Ives has returned to face yet another adventure that fans of Ms. Talley will enjoy. If you haven't yet read a Hannah Ives mystery, I encourage you to start. It's all here, intrigue, betrayal and murder set on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy during a production of Sweeney Todd. Honestly, yummy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid Descriptions, Fast Paced Action, A Great Read!, September 10, 2005

By 

D. D. Kelchner "Mystery Maven" (Tiverton, RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Enemy Town: A Hannah Ives Mystery (Hannah Ives Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This Enemy Town is a wonderfully, and tightly constructed mystery. The story begins with Hannah Ives being arrested and accused of murder! Someone has murdered the woman that had falsely accused Hannah`s husband Paul of sexual harassment a few years earlier. Hannah, a five year breast cancer survivor, and my favorite amateur sleuth has to solve this murder to save herself. The action of the story centers around a Naval Academy production of Sweeney Todd and the mystery has as many possible murders with motives as the Demon Barber has victims of a close shave. The story is loaded with authentic local flavor; you know the author has an intimate knowledge of Annapolis and its environs. Vivid descriptions, meticulous detail, and fast paced action fill Marcia Talley's latest Hannah Ives mystery which will keep you guessing until the very end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Marcia Talley, September 6, 2005

By 

R. Flynt (Odenton, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Enemy Town: A Hannah Ives Mystery (Hannah Ives Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read every one of Marcia Talley's mysteries featuring Annapolis-based amateur sleuth Hannah Ives, and this is the best one yet! Hannah is a survivor - a breast cancer survivor - and those survival instincts serve her well in THIS ENEMY TOWN. Hannah not only has to solve a murder but also finds herself the prime suspect. Always comfortable conveying the charm of her Annapolis setting, Talley takes us literally backstage at a Naval Academy production of Sweeney Todd, where Hannah is building sets and real-life murder trumps the on-stage drama. Fans of her series will find the feisty Hannah in rare form. From rarely seen nooks and crannies of the Academy to the inner sanctum of the Pentagon, Talley unfolds a complex and satisfying plot. Enjoy the read!