A Little Learning: A Madeleine Maclin Mystery

Madeline Maclin #3

by Jane Tesh

Former beauty queen and fledgling private investigator, Madeline Maclin, has married her best friend, Jerry Fairweather, and settled into his old house in the small town of Celosia, North Carolina. Madeline becomes involved in the mysterious death of Amelia Lever, an unpopular teacher at Celosia Elementary School. Her cigarette break turned out to be fatal. But Maddy isn't convinced it was a natural death. Grumpy, uncooperative Amelia Lever was despised by the faculty, mainly for voting against grant proposals. And then there's her latest case. Nathan Fenton has hired Madeline to help solve a riddle left to him by his Uncle Elijah, a man who loved to play games. The riddle From west to east the river flows, from ancient times the sparrow flies. Trust animals that live in packs, and listen where the portrait lies. Are the teacher's death and this mysterious riddle somehow related?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Contemporary

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jane is a 2022 Book Excellence Award Finalist for her fantasy novel, Butterfly Waltz and a 2023 Book Excellence Finalist for her mystery novel, Ghost Light.

Jane lives and writes in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, the real Mayberry. She is the author of the Grace Street Mystery Series, the Madeline Maclin Mysteries, four fantasy novels, and over thirty plays for children.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Private detective Mac has married Jerry and they are really happy--although she's not getting many cases in quiet Celosia, North Carolina. Then she's hired to solve a riddle left by a man's eccentric uncle, which may earn him a large fortune, if he produces the answer by Monday. Invited to speak to an elementary school's art class, Mac is on hand when the body of an unpopular teacher is discovered. And she's been invited to exhibit at a prestigious art show--if she can finish three pictures by Monday. When Jerry gets in trouble for a scam he ran years ago, the Monday deadline looms before both of them. There's something peculiarly entertaining about this series, perhaps Mac's calm, unflustered tone as she narrates her exciting life.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Former beauty queen and fledgling private investigator, Madeline Maclin, has married her best friend, Jerry Fairweather, and settled into his old house in the small town of Celosia, North Carolina. Madeline becomes involved in the mysterious death of Amelia Lever, an unpopular teacher at Celosia Elementary School. Her cigarette break turned out to be fatal. But Maddy isn't convinced it was a natural death. Grumpy, uncooperative Amelia Lever was despised by the faculty, mainly for voting against grant proposals. And then there's her latest case. Nathan Fenton has hired Madeline to help solve a riddle left to him by his Uncle Elijah, a man who loved to play games. The riddle says: From west to east the river flows, from ancient times the sparrow flies. Trust animals that live in packs, and listen where the portrait lies. Are the teacher's death and this mysterious riddle somehow related?”

This was a quick, entertaining read. Took less than half a day. The main character and her new husband were interesting and a couple characters in the murder part helped to make the plot a bit more real. Good, quick summer read!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd probably give this a 3.5 really. The editing by the publisher was pretty slack, there were several blatant errors but that's not Tesh's fault. This is the third installment of the Madeleine Maclin mystery series. If you're looking for a light, fun mystery this is great. If you're looking for Grisham or Patterson, well you're going to be really disappointed.

Tesh is a NC author from Thomasville about 40 minutes from Charlotte and now lives in Mt. Airy (Mayberry) about 20 minutes from Winston-Salem. I'm an NC native and live in Charlotte now. What I liked most about this book and series is you get that southern community feel from the story and the characters. I guess I would best describe this as a "charming" mystery. Not overly complicated but not lacking in story. I give it a 3.5 for what it is and not less for what it isn't. Tesh accomplishes her goal of a small town mystery.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series. Life in the small town of Celosia is far from boring for Madeline & Jerry. Jerry learns the hard way that his past con games have come back to demand retribution. His good deeds with Tori and Nathan, however, provide the funds to allow him to settle with his past. Madeline solves another murder as well as minor problems. Madeline gets a chance for another show in an art gallery. She makes the time to paint the entries when she could have easily dismissed the opportunity as requiring too much effort. The characters are still growing as is the marriage. The murder mystery is the most difficult to solve with few clues until the end.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madeline Macklin, newly married to Jerry, a former con artist who has promised to go straight, and is now working part time in a local bookstore. Madeline has started a detective agency. Being a former beauty queen she has a difficult time being taken seriously. She also is an artist who is about to have her first official show. One of her first cases involves a strange will which pits the possible heirs against each other. On top of things, a local elementary school teacher who is widely disliked by both students and fellow teachers has suddenly dropped dead. – Is this enough to make a good story? --- Yes, good but not great.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madeline Maclin has finally married the man of her dreams. But is she living happily ever after? Mostly. She's still worried that small-town living isn't good enough for her husband. He's used to moving around, running cons and now he's settling in with her.
Luckily, she has a new case to help taker her mind off the problem. Nathan Fenton can inherit a fortune if he can solve the riddle left to him by his Uncle Elijah. Also, a particularly unliked teacher drops dead at the middle school.
Not as good as the first two books in the series, this is still a quick and enjoyable read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the first book in the series, I don't think, so I will go back and try to catch the beginning. Madeline is an artist/detective married to a former con man who is supposed to be on the straight and narrow now. He has a few lapses back into the old life. Several places were awkward and hard to believe could happen, but all in all I liked the main characters and would read another book by this author.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite questionable choices in murderers & their crazy, UNBELIEVABLE methods, I'll keep reading Jane Tesh's work. I think the characters & settings are pretty well done, but nothing close to the Grace Street series.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy, fun read. The detective is a combination detective and artist. She solves mysteries in her small NC town. I liked everything except the fake-masculine voice of her husband, as done by the reader of the audiobook.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ditto to my other reviews. However, I do like the characters and would read another.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the characters, but the world of Celosia, NC just doesn't ring true to me. I'm done with this series.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third one isn't as good as the first two books of the series. There were places where I seemed to have more pages than story. But it is still a good series and plan on reading book 4.

[Harlequin Books]

Category: Mystery