Closely Akin to Murder

Claire Malloy #11

by Joan Hess

A chilling telephone call from a long-thought-dead cousin sends amateur sleuth Claire Malloy on the trail of her kin, a prestigious scientist being threatened with blackmail over a sordid period of her life. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cozy, Humor

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Joan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.

Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime

Reviews

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason protagonist Claire Malloy, bookstore owner with a police detective love interest, becomes involved in the case at the center of this novel can be found in the title, Closely Akin to Murder. In this case, it isn’t the victim per se to whom Malloy is related, but the alleged murderer. One problem I usually have with “cozy” mysteries is that it tends to stretch one’s credulity as to how the amateur sleuth becomes involved in the case (and I have sometimes used Claire as a poster child for these tenuous circumstances). For me, though, it works in Closely Akin to Murder. If I were to get a call from the grave and the individual offered sufficient detail to corroborate her/his identity, I’m pretty sure I would want to find out what’s going on just like Claire does in the book. But, of course, one of the reasons this is an enjoyable story is because Claire has more perseverance and more courage than I do.

As one might suspect from the set-up, the crime that Claire is asked to investigate relies on finding connections to a cold case. In this case, it was the murder of a prominent film director at a resort in Acapulco. As Claire begins to discover, the end of this Hollywood celebrity’s life proves to be the end of people’s lives (including others related to Claire), careers, and businesses. On the other hand, the end of the celebrity proved to be a time of surprisingly good fortune for some people involved in or on the periphery of that murder. Claire has been asked by her relative, the alleged murderer who has hidden herself and her identity for three decades, to find out who is blackmailing her. As one may have surmised from the aforementioned remarks of ends and beginnings, there are plenty of suspects to go around.

Claire flies, using her relative’s unexpected wealth, to Acapulco, accompanied by her intelligent but egotistical and insensitive teen-aged daughter, Caron. She flies against the will of her beloved Lieutenant Peter Rosen of the Farberville CID and the protests of Caron, the latter more worried about what she might be missing in her high school rivalry with the resented (if not detested) Rhonda Maguire while on the trip. Caron proves, as usual, to provide comic relief with her acidic comments, adolescent cluelessness, and ample histrionics (aka “drama queen” in my generation). But this time, were Caron more perceptive, she receives a type of karmic recompense for her complaints, a situation both amusing and disconcerting.

As for the mystery or mysteries, there are enough plot threads, suspects, and potential motives that even if the reader suspects the eventual epicenter of the case(s) early on, there are enough points at which the “threads” are pulled into a knot that one is never quite sure. And that makes for a good mystery in my estimation. Frankly, Closely Akin to Murder is one of the more satisfying volumes in the Claire Malloy canon for my taste since I first discovered the series and found that I eventually liked it more than Joan Hess’ Maggody series with its, sometimes, “over-the-top” humor.

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book by Joan Hess, was my 1st time reading a book by her!! It reminded me a lot of a Nancy Drew series but had more suspense to it than Nancy Drew did.

I'll definatly be reading more by this author in the future!!

[B.C. Deeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading classic cozy mysteries, especially when they hold hold up well to the passage of time. CLOSELY AKIN TO MURDER is one of those that clipped along with only the occasional blip where a cell phone would have come in handy, but the references to a pay phone was kinda nostalgic. The characters were well developed, and the plot was full of twists and turns. This is a classic series that I’m going to go back to revisit as a whole. It’s just that good!

[Bethel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire's cousin, Ronnie, has a chance at the Nobel Prize but a blackmailer is threatening to make her past public and seriously damage her public image. Can Claire help? Can her trip to Mexico find the blackmailer? Is it a vacation for she and her daughter? Lots of action and lots of secrets for Claire to uncover. Loved it!!!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another entertaining Claire Malloy adventure

Joan Hess never fails to deliver, and this picaresque tale of hi jinks in Acapulco is no exception. Strange characters and bizarre situations abound in this highly entertaining book.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I own and had previously read but had forgotten enough to reread. Not her best--got a little bored in the middle when the plot seemed way too elaborate (not to mention credibility straining). Still she is one of my most favorite mystery writers--still true!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little mystery, a first of this author for me takes you on a ride of cozy mystery like very few. A few moments of laugh out load reading, some oh my get out of there and then oh wow that was a a little more deep that I was thinking.

I'd look into more of the series for sure.

[Debra]

Mystery solved

This was a very good mystery with lots of secrets, characters with motive and cloak and dagger moments. Anyone who wants a good mystery should pick up a Claire Malloy mystery by Joan Hess.

[Gale Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and I love this series. Claire can get into some fixes. I wish that Peter was more involved.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Katie Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute Claire Malloy mystery that leads her to Acapulco, investigating a murder 20 years ago that involved her cousin. A good read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different mystery...exciting!

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worthy of a full-fledged review that involves careful thought and good editing. This was ok, as the rating suggests. There are other books in this series that are far better.

[D. Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightweight murder mystery
PG 13+
Appropriate for high school (maybe middle school) to adult
Some strong language
No sex
No graphic violence.

Plot (no spoilers): Our main character, Claire, gets a phone call from a cousin who she had thought had been dead for years. The cousin begs her to find out who is blackmailing her now that she has provided herself, out of necessity, with a new identity. Claire and her teenage daughter, Caron, travel to Mexico to try to discover the answers. Murder and mayhem await them.
Some good twists and turns in the plot.
If you enjoy other Claire Malloy mysteries, you'll probably enjoy this one.

[Crafty Cristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Malloy is a book seller who repeatedly gets involved in murder mysteries. She snoops with the best of 'em.

I have been re-reading through the series because I enjoy the setting of a run down book store barely making ends meet, a slightly obnoxious teenage daughter, small town, and nineties lifestyle. Claire Malloy is a widow who is in a relationship with one of the police officers in the CID.

In this book, Claire gets a call from a voice from the past. Her cousin, who she thought had died thirty years before. Her cousin, Ronnie Landonwood, claims someone is trying to blackmail her. She says she murdered someone 30 years ago, got help from a friend to throw his body off the cliff, and she and the friend went to prison in Acapulco. They were minors at the time and the murder victim was trying to rape her.

After serving time for this, Veronica Landonwood claims she changed her name, attended school and became a professional woman. She is very wealthy and is willing to pay Claire to go back to Acapulco to investigate the murder to try to find the blackmailer.

Claire agrees and goes to Acapulco with her daughter. She ends up traveling to Arizona as well.

This is my favorite book in the series!

[The Badger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Claire Malloy series is a step above a Cozy, mainly because you actually LIKE the characters. Claire is the single mother of Caron, a teenaged daughter who's at the age of speaking in ALL CAPS. Claire is also the proprietor of a bookstore (which she doesn't seem to spend much time in, on account of solving murders and trying to calm Caron down to at least italics). Peter is Claire's detective boyfriend whom she's lucky to have, otherwise she'd spend the majority of her time in a holding cell for interfering with crime scenes.

If you're looking for a mystery series where you actually LIKE the characters (I love Christie, but spent much of my extracurricular time plotting the death of the sanctimonious bitch Ms. Marple), start on the Claire Malloy series. Likewise, if you're wondering whether to have children, pay close attention to Caron. I work with kids and can assure you that all teen girls go through the "I HATE YOU--I NEED A RIDE TO THE MALL" phase. Unless you're saving for boarding school, pay attention.

[Alannah Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly wish I could give this more than 2 stars. I love Joan Hess, but this isn't one of her better entries in the Claire Malloy series. From the moment Claire received a call from her presumed-dead-for-30-years cousin Veronica (aka "Ronnie") asking Claire to look for a blackmailer, to Claire's traipsing blithely through Acapulco with little regard for the dangers of possible imprisonment in Mexico, I was left shaking my head. Granted, one needs to suspend belief with most cozy mysteries, but this one would have had to be an out-and-out satire for me to suspend my belief enough to believe it. This being said, this IS Joan Hart and there is always something to enjoy with her witty writing style. As always, I found Claire's daughter Caron a great bit of comic relief. The mystery itself was quite good - up until the "twist," which I totally saw coming.

It's not too bad, but I'm hoping for better with the next book I read by Hess, who is one of my favorite cozy authors.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

#11 in the bookstore owner Claire Malloy mystery series set in Farberville, Arkansas. Claire receives a call from Veronica "Ronnie" Landonwood in Chicago to ask Claire for help in tracking down a blackmailer who threatens to expose her past and possibly ruin her professional life is the information comes out. The twist: Claire thought her cousin died 30 years ago in a car accident in Mexico. She wants Claire to go to Acapulco, where, as a teenager, Ronnie killed a famous Hollywood producer who tried to rape her and was sent to prison. There are tons of twists and turns which take Claire to Acapulco and then Phoenix to unravel what happened and find the blackmailer. The end will come as a bit of a surprise.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just a phone call from her cousin--but Claire Malloy was stunned, because Ronnie was dead, dead thirty years ago in a car accident. But Ronnie knows too much about Claire's childhood to be anyone else, and now she needs Claire's help. Ronnie had changed her identity, had a successful career, and was being blackmailed for the crime that upended her life. She has no one else to ask--will Claire go to Mexico and find out who, from that close-knit people involved in that long-ago murder, is still alive and willing to blackmail her? But the dangerous trail doesn't end in Mexico.

[Mascanlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read all of the Claire malloy mysteries as they came out! Somewhere along the way I missed this one. Claire heads to Mexcio to solve a decades old mystery concenring her dead cousin...who turns out not to be dead...or is she? So what really happened on that night so many years ago. As always Claire is knee deep in to trouble with the police and in this case the Mexican mob (way before the current drug trade wars I might add.) A fun read and a very good mystery to boot.

[Daelith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the last Claire Malloy I read. Lots of twists as usual but this one kept me guessing. It will be interesting to see as Caron, Claire's daughter, gets older if she will take after her mother in the 'meddling' department. She seemed to have a bit of a start in this book.

[Lain · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a hot mess. I don't think I've been this overwhelmed by a plot in a long time! My head was purely whirling with the characters, changes of venue, and bumps and twirls. I really do love Claire Malloy, but this one was a skipper.

[Ryan James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hess has me chuckle at least once every other page. Her daughter Caron can be tiresome, but then when I hear American teens, I realize how accurate she could be. These are mind candy books, but I will read anything Joan Hess writes.

[Sandy Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is partly set in Acapulco (a favorite spot of mine).. so with Claire and Caron (a favorite pair of characters), I knew it would be great! The characters are well cast into their respective roles, with good detail. Interesting conclusion (one I guessed.. the other not so much).

[ChrisGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

great cozy with Claire and Caron investigating a cousin's involvement in a thirty year old murder. Claire travels to Acapulco and Phoenix to unravel a web of lies and false identities. Enjoyed the journey.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good parts and at one point I thought it was going to be a quick read. But, no. I found I really didn't care much about the players. Tired of Claire putting off her handsome beau. I didn't see some things coming but pretty much had the end figured out. Out of 5 stars maybe 1 1/2

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Joan Hess. Getting ready to switch authors now--though I have one more home to read. Still enjoy her, however.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle...still sick with the flu and again, this may be influencing my feelings about the rating of this book. Made a very miserable day go by faster....

[Helaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always something to laugh out loud at in a Joan Hess book!

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of twists, quite a setting change for Claire -- Acapulco