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Well Bred and Dead: A High Society Mystery
 
 
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Well Bred and Dead: A High Society Mystery [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Catherine O'connell (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 23, 2007

Newly widowed Pauline Cook was once the toast of the Windy City elite—but now she's practically broke. At least she's in better shape than her dear departed friend Ethan Campbell, whose corpse Pauline has had the misfortune to discover. A writer who chronicled the lives, loves, and ensembles of the Gold Coast's most elegant ladies, Ethan apparently took his own life—while inelegantly clad in old boxers, no less. And since no relatives are coming forward to claim Ethan's remains, it falls to Pauline to settle his final affairs . . . with her own dwindling funds.

However, there are things about Ethan's suicide that don't seem to add up: the ratty undergarments he "chose" to die in, for example . . . and the multiple birth certificates the police turn up in his apartment. Before she can truly lay her friend to rest, plucky Pauline's determined to get to the bottom of his increasingly suspicious death.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Meet Pauline Cook, star of O'Connell's sparkling stand-alone. Cook, a widowed Chicago socialite, is devastated by the apparent suicide of her dear friend, gay society columnist Ethan Campbell. The police turn up a small stash of birth certificates in Ethan's apartment, and Pauline begins to wonder if her boon companion—always a bit cagey about his past—was who he claimed to be. Her search for answers takes her to England; Boston; Rochester, N.Y.; and Charleston, S.C. Along the way, several wealthy suitors woo Pauline—kudos to O'Connell (Skins) for the frank, funny writing about middle-aged sexual desire. Character development proceeds along predictable lines. Despite being perilously close to running out of money, Pauline shops when the going gets tough. The surprising denouement includes a last line that's laugh-out-loud funny. Fans of Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sisters mysteries will enjoy Pauline's escapades. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"...transports the reader on gales of dry wit. Humor abounds..." -- The State (Columbia, South Carolina)

"A hell of a storyteller, a master of plot, [and] a tart observer of the social scene." (Frank McCourt )

".frank, funny writing." (Publishers Weekly )

"...transports the reader on gales of dry wit. Humor abounds..." (The State (Columbia, South Carolina) )

"Fun and fast-paced, with some delicious twists...a terrific get-away-from-it-all-read." (Judith Michael )

"A wry look at the lifestyles of the rich and an amusing mystery with a twist in its tail." (Kirkus Reviews )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (January 23, 2007)
  • ISBN-10: 0061122157
  • ASIN: B0028N72Z8
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ for Mystery Lovers!, July 31, 2008
By 
"Well Bred and Dead" by Catherine O'Connell is a very well written book. I couldn't put it down (another mystery book that I just had to have the answers to)! I read it in a day!

The story is about Pauline Cook. She lost her husband about 10 years ago and never remarried. She lives in a penthouse with windows on all 4 sides and a magnificent view of Chicago. Pauline is used to living a "rich" life, but lately her money has been drying up. And when Pauline finds her best friend Ethan dead, the cost of his funeral and solving the mystery behind his death causes her to end up broke.

While attempting to solve the mystery of her best friend's death (and life!), she meets Terrance. Could he be the new love of her life? If so, she'll have to give up her young stud, Sean. Terrance helps Pauline find the answers surrounding Ethan, travelling to places such as London, England. Uh-oh ... Did Ethan kill someone?

There are twists at every intersection, taking the story in a new, presumably predictable direction. But wait! There's another twist you weren't even looking for!!

I VERY highly recommend this book! This story is very well told and very entertaining!

- 1smileycat :-)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars well bread & dead, February 13, 2007
I loved this book; it was like a breath of fresh air in the cozy world. Hey, even Frank McCourt endorsed this book :) I really hope there is a sequel. The plot was convoluted, but one could still follow along pretty easily. I loved Pauline. She was shallow yet likeable, and the book contained some great moments where she learned that the poor and rich have more in common than she once thought.

The book was humorous in its take on the wealthy, but I think, at times, there was too much observation and not enough action. It's a hard line to toe from mystery to social critique, but the book did a great job overall.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars torn on what rating to give, April 1, 2009
By 
I am having a hard time rating "Well Bred and Dead." On the one hand, it is an extremely good mystery, one that draws you in and keeps you guessing. On the other hand, Pauline Cook is one of the most awful heroines I've ever read about. I kept waiting for her to get her comeuppance and experience some sort of redemption, but in the end when she does, it is only minor improvement. Pauline is a condescending snob. She's primarily interested in appearances (both of wealth and beauty), she's not nice to anyone she doesn't deem her social equal (and even then she's not particularly nice), she's judgemental and she's a phony. And I get the sense the reader is supposed to admire this person, despite her horridness as a human, because she has a fabulous penthouse and wardrobe, comes from a society family, and "endures" her reduced financial circumstances because her parents and husband didn't leave her a big enough inheritance! But, as I said, the mystery is a really good one, full of false identities, inheritances and dead ends. However, I would have enjoyed the story much more if Pauline started out awful and then developed through circumstance into a more likeable version (or if her attitudes had been treated more satirically.) I've purchased the next in the series in hopes that she does turn a bit nicer.
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