Wreck the Halls [Kindle Edition]

Sarah Graves (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her first hardcover in this popular series (Repair to Her Grave, etc.), Graves entertains with a cozy New England murder as she also treats such dark topics as domestic violence, stalking, date rape and drug abuse. When not do-it-yourselfing around her 1823 Federal house on a Maine island or looking after her son, Sam, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree, a former Manhattan financial manager who's divorced from a philandering neurosurgeon, solves mysteries. In this outing, a neighbor, Faye Anne Carmody, stands accused of murdering her wife-beating husband, Merle, a butcher who was literally butchered. Although no one liked Merle, Faye is the prime suspect, and no one doubts her guilt except her friend Ellie. Ellie encourages Jake to investigate, and before long there are so many likely suspects you wonder if there is anyone on the island who didn't have a motive to kill Merle. But Graves is crafty and craftsmanlike enough to pull a least likely killer out of her top hat. Home repair doesn't figure as much as in past books, but the case is difficult to crack and involves considerable danger for Jake and Ellie. Incidentally, Jake acquires a cat and a mouse to keep her dog, Monday, company; and her ex-husband, who's moved to Maine to be near Sam, asks her help to persuade his new girlfriend to marry him. Graves's characters are very human creations, warts and all, with Jake in particular making fine company. (Dec. 4)Forecast: A most attractive holiday jacket will snag attention, but a few supportive blurbs, particularly from male authors, would help signal that this series isn't just for women.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In her hardcover debut, series sleuth Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree (Repair to Her Grave) and best friend, Ellie, try to help Faye Anne, an abused wife, after she's accused of butchering her drunkard husband. Unfortunately, their unauthorized investigating results in a stronger case against her. Nonetheless, Jake and Ellie persevere in their quest: they rev up the Eastport, ME, rumor mill and spout various crime scenarios. In spare moments, Jake weather-strips her 1823 fixer-upper. Frequent humor tempers the Down East mannerisms, plucky heroine, and more serious subject matter. Recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 487 KB
• Publisher: Bantam; Reprint edition (December 10, 2008)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001NJUPCK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,244 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Sarah Graves lives with her husband in Eastport, Maine, where her mystery novels are set. She is currently working on her twelfth Home Repair Is Homicide novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Distracting punctuation and fragmented plot, December 14, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: Wreck the Halls (Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery) (Hardcover)

I am a fan of this series, and have very much enjoyed the four preceding books in it. This one, however, was a disappointment. First and foremost, the author has developed an extremely quirky use of colons. This may sound unduly fussy on my part, but the appearance of the colons is more than just a misuse of a punctuation mark: the author uses colons in this book as a substitute for appropriate paragraphing and sentence structure. The ubiquitous colons make the work read in a very fragmented manner. I prefer paragraphs and complete sentences; the colons seem almost lazy, and prevent the language from having any flow to it.

Second, the characterizations and the plot were both fragmented. Like a Russian novel, numerous characters were introduced, but without enough about them to enable me to remember who they were between appearances. Perhaps this problem is related to the first one I mentioned, in that the abrupt writing style of this book distracted me from the content.

I am looking forward to more books in this series. Coming out so soon after the fourth in the series, this one might have been a bit rushed (releasing it in the summer would have been infelicitous). I am more than willing to forgive this lapse in an otherwise very enjoyable series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jake and Ellie solve a particularly grisly murder, December 12, 2001

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Wreck the Halls (Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery) (Hardcover)

Jake and Ellie arrive at Faye Ann Carmody's house and things are suspiciously silent. Worried, they enter the house to find a sea of blood. They fear the worst, Faye Ann's violent drunken husband has finally killed her. They are relieved when a dazed Faye Ann appears from under a pile of comforters. Unfortunately, she is covered with blood. When Jake enters Merle's butcher shop to see who is actually dead, she finds him, neated chopped up and wrapped in butcher paper. Jake and Ellie need to find out who killed Merle, because Faye Ann is not capable of either the crime or defending herself.

This was a little more grisly that the usual Graves mystery, but very good. The author introduces us to even more of the unusual characters of Eastport, and life in a Maine seaside town in winter. Very Very good mystery!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars scooter mcgoo, April 7, 2009

By 

Virginia Ludlow "McGoo" (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wreck the Halls (Mass Market Paperback)

I have enjoyed each of her books. They are well written and have good plot development. One can easily imagine the setting of each situation.