Something in the Water (Peter Shandy Mysteries) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite its goofy plot, cast of caricatures, digressions and lack of suspense, MacLeod's lively mystery lampoon set in coastal Maine, where she lives, will surely please her myriad fans. Jasper Flodge, a loutish dinner guest at Bright's Inn, abruptly expires onto his recently cleaned plate of chicken pot pie and is pronounced dead of cyanide poisoning. The only other diners at the time are Peter Shandy, professor of botany at Balaclava Agricultural College and unofficial "sleuth-for-all-seasons," who was seen most recently in An Owl Too Many , and elderly Claridge Withington, an avid amateur horticulturist who reminds Shandy of the Ancient Mariner. Shandy proceeds to unravel a devious scam involving unloved, miserly Flodge, the flamboyant woman claiming to be his widow, and two others. He figures out the murderer and the suitably loony method. But he nevers solves the mystery that has drawn him from his native Massachusetts to Maine: Why do the lupines growing in the rocky soil of nearby Rondel's Head bloom so gloriously? And what keeps their nonagenarian nurturer, Frances Rondel, so spry? MacLeod has good sport with the laconic reputation of Maine residents, but this arch humor, no matter how fond, will likely appeal most to MacLeod followers. Mystery Guild selection .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Professor Peter Shandy, a botanist par excellence, witnesses the sudden death of a diner in a landmark Maine restaurant. No one believes that the despised man died naturally, but did he commit suicide to spite his wife or die by another's hand?
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr; First Thus edition (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446404462
• ISBN-13: 978-0446404464
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,201 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #7 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > MacLeod, Charlotte

• This is item 9 in The Peter Shandy Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Veteran mystery writer releases a new delight, May 1, 1998

By A Customer

Charlotte MacLeod, veteran mystery writer, has released a paperback delight called Something in the Water. This latest entry stars Peter Shandy, professor at a mythical agricultural college in Massachusetts, who has an amazing ability to kick up clods of murder as he traipses through life. Professor Shandy, a reluctant economy-size hero, has temporarily abandoned his wife Helen's side at her request while she entertains childhood chums. The timing appears perfect for Peter to visit Pickwance, Maine and see for himself the "glorious" lupine the scientist in him knows must be more the stuff of legend than fact. To his chagrin the lupine are real and everything else in this picturesque community is not what it seems to be. He discovers paintings (by an artist who refuses to be identified) that evoke distinct pictures in the mind, but are only hazy colors on the canvass. He drinks water from a mysterious spring owned by a woman who must be old, but looks young. Most disconcerting to him, however, is the man who dies within his purview the evening of his arrival. In a community where so much is larger than life (quite literally as even the hens are the size of turkeys and lay enormous eggs), so is the corpse, perhaps not in physical size, but in perfidity. This truly is a man whom none mourn. Time passes, Peter Shandy requests his wife join him in Maine, and the mystery spins itself out. Try this book--if you have never read a MacLeod mystery befoe you will be enchanted, if you have, you will find yourself comfortably back within the company of old friends. Two other selections by the same author featuring Peter Shandy which are very good reading are The Corpse in Oozak's Pond and Vane Pursuit.

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love AMAZON and Charlotte MacLeod, November 3, 2006

By	Nancy L. Smith "Puppyseed" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Something in the Water (Peter Shandy Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Great book with lots of humorous action. The characters are memorable Peter Shandy rocks