Wicked Games (Jane Lawless Mysteries) [Paperback]

Ellen Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2010 | Series: Jane Lawless Mysteries

When Jane Lawless rents her quaint third-story apartment to a new tenant, children's book author Elliot Beauman, she unwittingly opens the door to a sinister, decades-old mystery that has been waiting patiently to unfold--in her own house. Meanwhile, Jane assists a detective in tracking down clues about her new neighbor, Patricia, whose husband died mysteriously.
Patricia is eager to become friends, or more...even though she knows Jane is immersed in a long-distance relationship with the attractive but secretive Dr. Julia Martinsen. Little does Jane know that a strange man upstairs, an attractive neighbor, and a volatile love affair, are just the beginning of her problems.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lambda Award-winner Hart continues the story of lesbian Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless (Robber's Wine, 1996) in this slightly bland tale of a chillingly dysfunctional family. Jane's new tenant is Elliot Beauman, a children's-book author who seems to have a psychic touch when it comes to finding killers. Down the street, his sister Patricia moves in and is helping Jane plan a neighborhood get-together. As they get to know each other, Jane learns that Patricia's former fiance in Iowa recently committed suicide after she broke up with him. Jane is soon contacted by a PI who has been hired by the fiance's parents who believe their son may have been murdered. The more Jane learns about Elliot and Patricia, the more they trouble her, and her worries increase when she discovers that her house is where their older brother once suffered a paralyzing fall from the roof. Why did they move back to their old neighborhood, with its tragic memories? As Jane probes for an answer, the bones of a young girl are unearthed in her backyard, and she suspects that one of the siblings knows way too much about murder. Hart adeptly wraps up the puzzles, and she also keeps questions about Jane's private life sufficiently unresolved to lure fans back for the next installment.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Sometime sleuth Jane Lawless (Robber's Wine, LJ 8/96), who runs a restaurant in Minneapolis, finds that a man she rents to supposedly experiences psychic visions of murder. Jane's friend, the inimitable Cordelia Thorn, still assists. An engaging series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bella Books; Reprint edition (August 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594931852
• ISBN-13: 978-1594931857
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ellen Hart is the author of twenty-five crime novels in two different series.?? She is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. ?? Entertainment Weekly??named her one of the "101 Movers and Shakers in the Gay Entertainment Industry." For the past twelve years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Ellen's newest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required, (Ballantine, June 2005). The Mirror and the Mask, the seventeenth Jane Lawless mystery, was released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in November 2009.?? Ellen lives in Minneapolis with her partner of 32 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A twisting and turning book that anyone would enjoy, November 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wicked Games: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading Ellen Hart's book Wicked Games she has is an excellent mystery author. I read the book for a project in my school and actually I read the book and with my suprise I really liked it . I really like the chachter Jane Lawless she shows to me what a real women is she has power and courage to face anything head on.All the chachters really have Wicked Games up there sleeves and that make sher book such an excellent book to read.I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good mystey book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, June 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wicked Games: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

With this book and the next two that follow it, Ellen Hart has established herself as the lesbian Sue Grafton! I not only found the book suspenseful, I found it unpredictable. I highly recommend it. Of course, you may want to purchase Hunting the Witch, so you have it on hand as soon as you are done with this one!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good entry in the Lawlesss series, August 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wicked Games (Jane Lawless Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless rents her third floor apartment to Elliot Beauman, a writer who claims to be a psychic. Elliot has recently told the newspapers about his visions of brutal murders. Moving next door is Elliot's sister Patricia, who goes out of her way to become Jane's friend.

However, Jane is soon contacted by the parents of Patricia's deceased fiancé. They feel their son was murdered, though the official report is suicide. Jane begins to worry about her boarder and his sibling when she learns that years ago their older brother was paralyzed after a fall in what is now Jane's house. Jane begins to investigate the twosome even as buried bones of a dead girl are uncovered in her backyard.

Multi-award winning Ellen Hart has written an enjoyable amateur sleuth tale that will thrill fans of the Lawless series and the sub-genre. The story line is chilling, but in a serene way (sort of like the movie THE BURBS without the humor). J! ane remains an interesting character, but readers will be disappointed that her personal life problems (including troubles with her lesbian lover) from previous books have not been moved forward. They will still take extreme pleasure from this absorbing novel.

Harriet Klausner