Further Lane: A Novel (Beecher Stowe and Lady Alex Dunraven Novels) (Hardcover)

by James Brady (Author) "I'd been away from East Hampton, working in Europe and North Africa as a correspondent, and now I was back in a wonderful place where..." (more)
Key Phrases: missing manuscript, privet hedge, cigarette boat, East Hampton, Further Lane, Hannah Cutting (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
After five years abroad, news correspondent Beecher Stowe returns to the family home in tony East Hampton to finish a book on terrorism. However, when wealthy Hannah Cutting, a controversial and much-hated neighbor, is found murdered on the beach, Stowe's new boss at Parade wants a juicy story. Just as Stowe catches wind of Hannah's "lost" tell-it-all autobiography, her publisher dispatches delectable competition in the form of a beautiful and aristocratic editor. Dry humor, literate tone, acid observation, and lots of name-dropping help characterize the village and its people. From a weekly columnist for Parade and Ad Age and the author of several successful novels (e.g., Paris One, LJ 5/1/77); for most collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Full of old money and new celebrities, Brady's East Hampton is the setting for the murder of a rich and famous woman whom no one liked very much. His hero, Beecher Stowe (yes, as in Harriet), is hanging out at the family manse nursing his injuries after some recent unpleasantness in Algiers. His life is considerably brightened first by the murder, then by the arrival of a lovely, overeducated Sloane Ranger with the improbable name of Alix Dunraven, whose task is to retrieve the tell-all memoirs of the deceased for the greater glory of Random House. Lots of really neat publishing foofaraw and local obsessions with class, architecture, beachfront, and the sea will appeal both to actual locals and to those who wish they were. Lightweight and as hard to resist as People magazine. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312155336
• ISBN-13: 978-0312155339
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,156,987 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mind numbing, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

Brady seems to think that a liberal amount of name dropping surrounded by his fantasy world of journalism makes for a good read. I still can't figure out whether the book was a poorly disguised attempt at kissing up to Parade magazine (we're to believe the narrator and protagonist of Further Lane has left Newsweek to write for Parade - supposedly a step up) or simply bad writing. The fact that Brady has chosen to write about the place where he lives (or lived) simply magnifies the fact that he has no imagination whatsoever. This book is nothing more than a collection of whodunit cliches and rip-offs. How ironic that one of Brady's characters makes the same criticism of Hannah Cutting, the victim of the "savage stabbing" that our narrator is out to report on.

Brady's characters are two dimensional at best, his story is unimaginative, and his writing would be hard pressed to challenge a fourth grader. If anyone seriously recommends this book, reconsider your relationship with this person.

Thankfully I borrowed, rather than bought, this book for the flight home over Thanksgiving. I should have known I'd made a bad choice when the owner told me I didn't need to bother to return it. I suspect she was embarrassed to even own it. Flights usually go relatively fast if I'm reading, however this made two relatively short flights seem like a transatlantic journey. Given a chance to do it over again, I would rather repeatedly read the airplane safety brochure than read Further Lane.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Hamptons from the view of a summer person., July 18, 2000

By	Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a real beach book. It is set on the beaches and villages of the East End of Long Island, mostly in the celebrity ridden Easthampton village. The protagonist is a descendent of the original settlers who thinks of himself as a local. He is really just a summer person who has contempt for the people who really live and work on the East End. The female character, Lady Dunraven is a one dimensional cartoon version of a woman as are many of the local people. The murder mystery, however is good and moves quickly. It is a pretty good choice for a beach read or to read on the Jitney on your way to The Hamptons.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars FURTHER LANE ISN'T FAR ENOUGH AWAY FOR ME, April 15, 2000

By	Nancy Martin (Pennsylvania (orig. NY)) - See all my reviews

I grew up in New York and often spent summers in the Hamptons so I thought this would be a fun romp for me through my old stomping grounds with some moviestar names thrown about. Not only was this book tedious; it was DULL. It reminded me of Sander's McNally series but instead of Palm Beach, Florida as the setting, we have the Hamptons.....another place where old money or lack of old money rules. While Beecher Stowe and Alix Dunraven have some promise, the story didn't. I bought this book based on a People Magazine recommendation that it would be a "good summer read." It wasn't.