This Little Piggy Went to Murder [Mass Market Paperback]

Ellen Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1994

It's election year in Minnesota, and Jack Grendel is running hard for the U.S. Senate. But a pair of grotesque murders threatens to derail his campaign. One is the bizarre hanging of a consultant for Grendel Shipping. The other is the shooting of Jack's own father soon after he withdraws financial support from his son's campaign. When food critic Sophie Greenway, a family friend, starts snooping, it begins to look like one of her oldest friends is a killer. But will she discover which one before it's her turn to die?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hart, whose previous mysteries starred restaurateur Jane Lawless (Stage Fright), introduces a new heroine, food critic and amateur sleuth Sophie Greenway. Don't expect much in the way of recipes, restaurants or food, however, since the job serves mainly as an excuse for Sophie's presence on the scene. When an old friend, Amanda Jorensen, remodels her family restaurant, Sophie travels to Duluth, Minn., with her husband, Bram, to cover the grand reopening. The day before, a man has been found hanging from Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge, and Amanda's father is shot to death soon afterward. A few days later, a third person is poisoned at a Labor Day fund-raiser for Amanda's politician brother. The killer leaves behind verses from the nursery rhyme "This Little Piggy Went to Market," and it soon becomes obvious that the murderer must be a member of Amanda's family. Though Hart has given her characters distinct and detailed backgrounds, they never quite come alive, and a point-of-view switch whenever the killer is about to strike is annoying. The reason behind the nursery rhyme, other than to provide a catchy title for the book, is also never fully explained. Still, there are some good, nail-bitingly tense scenes and lots of red herrings, and Hart manages to resolve things nicely.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

It's election year in Minnesota, and Jack Grendel is running hard for the U.S. Senate. But a pair of grotesque murders threatens to derail his campaign. One is the bizarre hanging of a consultant for Grendel Shipping. The other is the shooting of Jack's own father soon after he withdraws financial support from his son's campaign. When food critic Sophie Greenway, a family friend, starts snooping, it begins to look like one of her oldest friends is a killer. But will she discover which one before it's her turn to die?

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (October 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345381890
• ISBN-13: 978-0345381897
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,693,367 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 Good atmosphere, a nice cosy, August 25, 2005

By 

D. S. Bornus (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Little Piggy Went to Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this novel because it is set in Duluth, Minnesota along the North Shore. I relished envisioning the disguised localities in the book such as Canal Park, Glensheen Mansion, Grandma's Restaurant, Blackwoods Grill, Split Rock Lighthouse, Fitger's Restaurant, Northern Lights Roadhouse, etc. (at least those are the locations I envisioned as I read, whether intended or not.) Also I happened to read this novel at the time of year in which the story takes place (late August/early September, on the verge of the North Shore leaf season), so it further helped me get into the atmosphere.

The only downside is that characterizations seem to be a little light. Nearly all the women in the story have sex on their minds and the men are various shades of jerk. I didn't find anyone that I cared about very much. Certain scenes and dialogue didn't ring true. You can be certain that if there were four murders within the space of a week in the REAL Duluth, it would be buzzing with media, state BCA, etc. (as it was during the actual Congdon murders at Glensheen in the 1970's), not just an older retired detective benignly poking around. Also, no police are going to stand for a long monologue by the murderer during a standoff with hostages. And descriptions of behavior, such as Sidney's grotesque manners, are overemphasized to the point of becoming annoying. Things like this seemed to give the story a flippant, unrealistic edge. However, if you willingly suspend disbelief and just overlook such things, this is an enjoyable read.

For another enjoyable mystery cosy set on the North Shore, I recommend UNRAVELED SLEEVE by Monica Ferris.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Start for the Sophie Greenway Series, February 16, 2003

By 

Lori L. Lake "Author of Like Lovers Do, Buyer... (Portland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Little Piggy Went to Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

THIS LITTLE PIGGY is an excellent debut novel. The sleuth, Sophie Greenway, is engaging, reflective, and entirely believable as a nosy but nice magazine food critic who gets plunged into the puzzling circumstances of the murder of her oldest friend's father.

In particular, the language and subtle humor are striking. Hart sets a nice balance between the grim realities of the murders and the relationships of the main and secondary characters. The narrative draws the reader in and keeps you hooked, whether we are finding out unexpected things about Greenway's friends and family or about the deadly plot that results in the murders.

After reading this first novel in the Sophie Greenway series, I was surprised to see it out of print. If this debut is any indication of the quality of the subsequent Greenway books, this series is well worth Ballantine reissuing it.

Other books recommended: M.D. Lake's Peggy O'Neill series, William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series, and R.D. Zimmerman's Todd Mills mysteries.

5.0 out of 5 stars Who will die before the Grendel family secrets are known?, September 2, 2003

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Little Piggy Went to Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

Jack Grendel is running for U. S. Senate in Minnesota. His father, Herman Grendel, is a Duluth shipping magnate. First Lars Olson a consultant for Grendel Shipping is murdered. Then Herman is murdered right after he pulled his financial support from Jack's campaign.

Sophie is a food critic and old family friend of Amanda, Jack's sister. Sophie and her husband Bram, a radio personality, attend the reopening of Amanda's restaurant Gasthaus Rethenau. Sophie is also good friends with Luther, Amanda's husband. Luther is quite ill and becomes the police's favorite suspect. Is he being framed?

When these two murders rock the Grendel family and possibly Jack's political campaign, Sophie begins to investigate. At each murder a line from a children's poem is left. Sophie tries to figure out who the next victim is before there are more murders. Unfortunately she is not successful. Then Sophie begins to receive notes with clues about the murders.

Bram and Sophie stay at Amanda and Luther's for a few days. Bram is working on his new novel and needs solitude. Sophie continues to investigate. Sophie finds out some information she isn't sure she wanted to know. Both Bram and Sophie end up in danger. Who is behind all this? Can one of her oldest friends be a killer?

This is a great series. This is one of the earlier books I hadn't read. I enjoy Sophie and her many antics. She always ends up in the thick of things. Being that she is a food critic, food is always an integral part of the story! Then there's Nathan, her ex-boyfriend, who has recently returned. What's his story?

The Minneapolis setting lends charm to the story. This book has many twists and turns and comes to a climactic ending. I highly recommend this book and series.