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Dr. Jean Montrose #4
A Bonny Case of Murder
Inspector Doug Niven's investigation into the brutal murder of a beautiful secretary is stymied by a growing list of suspects and the baffling murder of his prime suspect, until medical expert Dr. Jean Montrose steps in
- GenresMystery
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 5, 1992
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 23, 2025
Dr. Jean has her hands full with not only family and practice, but then there are also the doings that are happening with friends.
Donald Tarland has a successful business in partnership with "Mac" MacFadyen but there are undertones within. Young Caroline Fraser has been working for the firm for a year and dating a whole series of men, and flirting with Mac, which is angering her co-worker Aileen Farquar, who has been Mac's lover. But aside from the romantic twists, there's an even deeper and more dangerous financial situation developing that will have potential ruin.
In addition, Caroline's known romantic entanglements have additional problems are making waves for her family. She's broken up with a young man who had fallen hard for her and can't walk away. Her brother, Marco, a bully with a hair trigger, also is jealous of Caroline's relationships, and takes out his anger by beating up her ex-boyfriend. He's learned about her flirtations at work.
And if that is not all, Marco is married to a woman he no longer cares about. She is having a difficult pregnancy and has no one other than her in-laws and Dr. Jean for support.
Love and hate and financial crisis are building up and soon, there is a death. And now Dr. Jean is juggling family, practice, friendships and police investigation. Quickly, police has a suspect but they can't tie things down. It ultimately comes down to Dr. Jean, her connections and her knowledge of personal behavior. Can she solve the mystery? Does she even have the time to do so?
C.F. Roe, a physician himself, has developed a terrific private investigator, a woman dedicated to the people around her, and sets her in the midst of a intriguing and multilayered tale. The characters are well drafted, the storywriting is great, but the true delight is how believable and compelling are the mystery and the personalities. A very good read.
Donald Tarland has a successful business in partnership with "Mac" MacFadyen but there are undertones within. Young Caroline Fraser has been working for the firm for a year and dating a whole series of men, and flirting with Mac, which is angering her co-worker Aileen Farquar, who has been Mac's lover. But aside from the romantic twists, there's an even deeper and more dangerous financial situation developing that will have potential ruin.
In addition, Caroline's known romantic entanglements have additional problems are making waves for her family. She's broken up with a young man who had fallen hard for her and can't walk away. Her brother, Marco, a bully with a hair trigger, also is jealous of Caroline's relationships, and takes out his anger by beating up her ex-boyfriend. He's learned about her flirtations at work.
And if that is not all, Marco is married to a woman he no longer cares about. She is having a difficult pregnancy and has no one other than her in-laws and Dr. Jean for support.
Love and hate and financial crisis are building up and soon, there is a death. And now Dr. Jean is juggling family, practice, friendships and police investigation. Quickly, police has a suspect but they can't tie things down. It ultimately comes down to Dr. Jean, her connections and her knowledge of personal behavior. Can she solve the mystery? Does she even have the time to do so?
C.F. Roe, a physician himself, has developed a terrific private investigator, a woman dedicated to the people around her, and sets her in the midst of a intriguing and multilayered tale. The characters are well drafted, the storywriting is great, but the true delight is how believable and compelling are the mystery and the personalities. A very good read.
August 15, 2019
Set in Scotland, I expected to really enjoy this cozy ... but instead was somewhat put off by the "soap opera" that unfolded. Drugs, embezzlement, affairs, and quite a bit more of the lifestyles I don't relate to at all. The mystery is ok ... somewhat surprising solution. Still, a bit of a disappointment.
April 29, 2015
"Caroline Fraser is undeniably a beauty and knows exactly how to use her looks to get what she wants, especially when it comes to men. But this time her self-confidence forces the hand of the wrong person, and she winds up viciously murdered with a kitchen knife. This bafling case causes Inspector Douglas Niven to turn to Dr. Jean Montrose, who was Caroline's doctor and liked her very much.
"Caroline aroused strong feelings in everyone who knew her, and this only makes Niven's job tougher. His growing list of suspects includes her ex-boyfriend, Brian, who couldn't accept that he'd been given the heave-ho ... her brother, Marco, whose feelings for her were disturbingly unfamilial ... her boss, Mac, whose interest in her was unprofessional ... and the terribly jealous other secretary, Aileen. To catch the killer, Niven must investigate this uneasy set of relationship-s. But when his prime suspect is gruesomely murdered, he once again calls on Dr. Jean Montrose, whose expert medical knowledge and understanding of human nature are desperately needed to unravel the web of deceit and death."
~~back cover
Another fascinating book -- the characters all very well done, and most of them not particularly "normal", in one way or another. It's like watching a train wreck, reading about these people whose compulsions and desires lead them to misery, mayhem or worse. I could hardly put the book down!
"Caroline aroused strong feelings in everyone who knew her, and this only makes Niven's job tougher. His growing list of suspects includes her ex-boyfriend, Brian, who couldn't accept that he'd been given the heave-ho ... her brother, Marco, whose feelings for her were disturbingly unfamilial ... her boss, Mac, whose interest in her was unprofessional ... and the terribly jealous other secretary, Aileen. To catch the killer, Niven must investigate this uneasy set of relationship-s. But when his prime suspect is gruesomely murdered, he once again calls on Dr. Jean Montrose, whose expert medical knowledge and understanding of human nature are desperately needed to unravel the web of deceit and death."
~~back cover
Another fascinating book -- the characters all very well done, and most of them not particularly "normal", in one way or another. It's like watching a train wreck, reading about these people whose compulsions and desires lead them to misery, mayhem or worse. I could hardly put the book down!
August 6, 2016
A fun little mystery. I liked that it was set in Scotland. I really like Dr. Jean Montrose because she is not perfect; she is a little plump, her daughters are mildly irritating, her husband has had an affair and she has forgiven him. She makes house calls and she while she tries to avoid becoming involved in local murders, she inevitable is. She has a temper too, which is appealing. Other characters are easily visualized due to the writing style.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews