The Development: Three Jan Birch Mysteries

by Marshall Thornton

Set in the mid-sixties in upstate New York, Jan Birch is a housewife who lives in a planned development of small, cramped homes. As she struggles with a difficult marriage and an anti-social son, she finds herself involved in the murder of the neighborhood divorcee, her boss’s difficult divorce when she gets a part-time job and, eventually, falls in love with a man who may or may not be a murderer himself.This short story collection includes the separately published Coffee Clutch, Bartholi’s Rest and Mountain View Terrace in one volume.

Genres: Historical

216 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2011

About the author

Three-time Lambda Award-winning author, Marshall Thornton is best known for the Boystown and Pinx Video mystery series. Other novels include the erotic comedy The Perils of Praline, or the Amorous Adventures of a Southern Gentleman in Hollywood, Desert Run and Full Release. Marshall has an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, where he received the Carl David Memorial Fellowship and was recognized in the Samuel Goldwyn Writing awards.

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Reviews

[LenaRibka · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars




No, not because it was the best of his books, it wasn't.

BUT

I have analysed my reading stuff of the last months and have to conclude that the only NOT MM/NOT GAY FICTION's BOOKS I'd read in that time were from ♥Marshall Thornton♥.
And now try to recommend me something different from a gay fiction. I don't think you'll succeed.

He seems to be THE ONLY WRITER who IS ABLE TO inspire me for something like this and the most strange thing - I did enjoyed them all.

Well, because HE CAN WRITE and because his writing satisfies my mental imagination.

I was afraid to read Jan Birch's mystery:

* The main character is a middle age straight woman living in the middle of the 60s.

* There was a single review on GR with a one star rating.

* I hate to give negative reviews to my GR friends. Doesn't matter how I like them, I don't have to like their books. At least not all of them.

It is difficult to classify The Development.

*It is in no way a classical mystery.
Though there are murder case, corpses and at least one police officer.

*It is in no way a classical romance.
Though there are unhappy marriages including of Jan Brich's, affairs on a large scale and at least one attractive unhappy married police officer.

*It is in no way a historical novel.
Though Marshall created a very credible atmosphere of the family's relationships at the 60s with women caught up in their traditional roles as wives and mothers and men consider themselves as being the head of the family.

The Development consists of three novels/cases, and I had to confess that I had a problem with the first novel and even had to put it aside. The depressing mood of the story made me angry with all persons involved. Besides, it was difficult to like Jan Birch. But it changed along the story: The second novel was ABSOLUTELY not a mystery with a main focus on the RELATIONSHIP. It turned to a real page turner and I literally swallowed the rest of the book. I just wanted to know what happened next.

The book has reminded me more than other books of Marshall Thornton that he has an MFA in screen-writing. Nothing unnecessary, he doesn't waste time with a long explanation or description, he knows how to grip the attention of readers and does it in the most thrilling and captivating way.

I would recommend this book in the first place for all fans of Marshall Thornton's writing but also for everybody who enjoys good writing, unusual stories and excellent portraying.

[Rosa, really · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh, yeah....I really enjoyed this.

4.5 stars

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read a crime story with a lay protagonist, for whom crime is not part of their daily life, I always have to decide, if the number of crimes this person comes across as credible. Some characters/story/writing I like so much that I do not care if people drop like flies around the said investigator. But others I have difficulty with and read with one raised eyebrow and with eye-rolls at the ready. Unfortunately this is what happened with this one. The crime stories, of which there where 3, were adequate in themselves, but I found it hard to believe Jan’s role in them. I think Jan’s story could have been told better where it not separated into the 3 crime stories.

I found the writing flowing but a bit bare and I had difficulty to drum up any enthusiasm for the story or the characters. The much desired house in the Development that, Jan and Jim got turned out sour in the end. This slot of suburbia turned out to be a depressing, nest of vipers with no glimmers of light, laughter, wit or love. I could not connect to Jan, felt too removed from her. The relationship with Ernie felt convenient and I did not feel comfortable reading about it. I did admire her pragmatism but could not really reconcile to her seeming lack of emotion.

Buddy read with Rosa and Lena - thanks gals.

[Blaze · Rating 1 out of 5]

The editor of this book is not just a friend of mine,she is someone I love and respect. She asked me why I gave this book one star, and I suppose I share my reasoning with everyone who is going to look here.

I found the mysteries transparent. Even with the minimal clues the author gave to the reader, I knew who did it immediately, and had even interpolated why. That alone wouldn't have bothered me, but when you add in the angsty and unhappy nature of everyone in the book, and the fact that every one is in some way cheating, it gave me no character to rally around or for. Even Jan Birch herself was so minimally self supportive that I mostly disliked her. When I can't find anyone in a story who I sympathize with? That bugs me, but even that alone wouldn't have been enough, although it became a second strike.

The blithe uncurrent of everyone's husband cheats, whether to a greater or lesser degree is something I detest in books. The fact that all the women needed to repress themselves in the story is something I detest in books. There was not a single episode of humor, and so the narrative became, for me, like the image on the cover, a monotonal drone.

As a period piece it encapsulated everything I disliked about the period, and yet didn't spark in me any of the positive aspects of the early sixties.

All in all I found it a depressing book. If my friend had not been the editor? I would not have finished it. For me to say that? I am a (nearly clinically) compulsive reader!

There wasn't even a triumph for the reader to share in the end. The handling of that was so low key, that I suspected the protagonist was simply falling into another bad relationship.

[Irwin]

I just won as a goodreads giveaway! waiting to read it. Thanks.