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Kelling & Bittersohn #11
The Odd Job
With husband Max away in Argentina, Sarah Kelling plans to do a killer job of relaxing at her shorefront home. Then a real killer foils her plans when the administrator of Boston's Wilkins Museum is murdered with a lovely antique hat pin. Named executor of the will, Sarah must find the murderer--before her own life is added to the murderer's collection. HC: Mysterious Press.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1995
148 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte MacLeod
92 books257 followersNaturalized US Citizen
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 24, 2010
Charlotte MacLeod had been a well-established cozy author in the '90s, when I got this Advance. It's sad to learn, now, that she only published two more books before falling victim to Alzheimer's and dying in 2005. Given that she published nearly 40 books and lived to the age of 83, though, I probably shouldn't feel too bad for her. I'm just not used to being introduced to an author's works so late in her career.
The Odd Job is the penultimate of one of MacLeod's mystery series, this one starring Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. I didn't get to "meet" Bittersohn, though, since he's off in Argentina throughout the novel. Kelling, on the other hand, is a fascinating lady who I hope to read more about. Set in Boston and its suburbs, Odd follows Kelling as she tries to settle the estate of an acquaintance she knew through the Wilkins Museum. Kelling soon realizes that Dolores didn't die of natural causes, and that the well-meaning woman may have gotten involved in matters going far deeper than she'd known.
Despite walking into an already well-developed series, I never felt lost -- either in the plot or about Kelling's life. Odd was well written and well paced, truly a joy to read. I hadn't expected much when I picked the book up -- a cozy set among Boston's upper crust hadn't sounded all that appealing -- but I'm glad I did. Apparently MacLeod won all those awards for a good reason! I'm definitely going to be reading more of her books.
The Odd Job is the penultimate of one of MacLeod's mystery series, this one starring Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. I didn't get to "meet" Bittersohn, though, since he's off in Argentina throughout the novel. Kelling, on the other hand, is a fascinating lady who I hope to read more about. Set in Boston and its suburbs, Odd follows Kelling as she tries to settle the estate of an acquaintance she knew through the Wilkins Museum. Kelling soon realizes that Dolores didn't die of natural causes, and that the well-meaning woman may have gotten involved in matters going far deeper than she'd known.
Despite walking into an already well-developed series, I never felt lost -- either in the plot or about Kelling's life. Odd was well written and well paced, truly a joy to read. I hadn't expected much when I picked the book up -- a cozy set among Boston's upper crust hadn't sounded all that appealing -- but I'm glad I did. Apparently MacLeod won all those awards for a good reason! I'm definitely going to be reading more of her books.
February 4, 2017
This was also a very good title in the series. More of a 3.5 star. This one was all Sarah, no Max, as detective. It goes back to one of the earliest titles, and takes off from that title as a basis for this one. This is also the only book that seems to actually recapitulate an earlier title, The Palace Guard. It definitely helped to have read that title in the last few days. I had not figured out whodunit, although I should have. The hints were fairly obvious in many ways. Probably some of the best parts was Sarah enjoying being a Mama to her 3 year old boy, Davy. This is the last of the series that I own, so unless I come across other titles I doubt I'll follow up on Sarah and Max's adventures any further. As with the others, I am tossing this title. While I liked it, I didn't like it enough to have it taking up space in my house. Darn, just realized I have 4 more of the series, in paperback. I guess I'll stay with the Bittersohns for a while longer....
September 21, 2021
Wow! Sarah had her hands full with this one. Max is in Argentina and cousin Percy drags her to meet the new head Trustee of the Wilkins Museum who turns out to be a blustery and rude man. Poor Sarah has to hunt a murderer from the past as well as the present. Love these twisty mysteries.
January 1, 2020
A museum administrator/talented art forger is found stabbed with an antique hairpin. Sarah and Max have been investigating the theft of art from the museum. How are the crimes connected?
March 21, 2018
Early Bird Book Deal | Sadly evident of a good author's decline | It's hard to be critical, knowing that MacLeod was probably already dealing with signs of Alzheimer's at this point, but this just wasn't very good. After a full series that never bothered to explain the past, expecting readers to read the earlier books if they wanted to understand the characters, this one alternates between fully retelling an earlier book and not explaining more useful things. In several places it felt as though the setting and victim were chosen just to make it easier on the author--instead of having to build something new, she could just fall back on work already done. Max is absent, which I'm not a fan of, and I find myself unsure why the author gave the couple a child at all if he was just going to be shunted to one side (still, better than Ramses Peabody syndrome!). Worse yet, there are long detailed and totally pointless asides throughout the book. More words are spent explaining every aspect of how Sarah does bookkeeping for the business, why, and where the actual ledgers are kept, than in explaining the motive for the murder. The motive, by the way, is thin at best, and in several ways sends to be an afterthought. I'm not convinced it actually holds up with the rest of the book as written. I'm also always scornful of the concept that someone is a murderer because they're completely insane, have been for years, but are perfectly functional until the moment they're caught, at which point they become a howling, spitting, relic of their former self, unable to differentiate between their imagined world and reality and therefore unable to stand trial because they're so totally unhinged. MacLeod used this device several times, and it's not only unrealistic, it's too easy. Things don't make sense? Crazy culprit! Loose ends? Crazy culprit! Rule of law not properly followed, so conviction uncertain? Crazy culprit! Don't ever want to have to allude to the mess and trauma of a trial? Crazy culprit! Not how mental illness works.
May 20, 2017
Not one of Ms MacLeod's better works, it takes nearly half of the book to get to the meat of the mystery. Once the half way point is passed, the book does pick up the pace and bluster forward to a somewhat satisfying conclusion. The Wicked Widows were sadly an underdeveloped device and their reason to exist fell rather flat after the build up and mystique surrounding them. Ultimately the reason for the murder is slightly at odds with the information given in the book, information that a good copy editor should have picked up.
August 9, 2018
Meh - overly explained parts in the beginning go on too long. Sarah by herself (well, as much as any Kelling is by themself) is not as good as with Max in this one.
It felt like rehashing of a lot of old plots, and too contrived to be real. It's got some Wicked Widows, and the art museum, and lots of Kellings and Bittersohns running around. On the other hand, part of the charm of these books is that they really don't have much "reality".
It felt like rehashing of a lot of old plots, and too contrived to be real. It's got some Wicked Widows, and the art museum, and lots of Kellings and Bittersohns running around. On the other hand, part of the charm of these books is that they really don't have much "reality".
June 28, 2025
Ladies hat pins. A charming reminder of a more gracious era or a deadly weapon?
I remember reading about one of the first female physicians in America, who trained in the early 1900’s. She and her nurse had to go into dangerous neighborhoods and their protection was their hat pins. Those 8-9” of steel had to be sturdy to hold the huge cartwheel hats in the elaborate hairstyles. AND they were SHARP.
I find a series of books more meaningful if I read it in order. For this one, I think it's a must. MacLeod developed her characters and their histories as she went along and there are recurring characters in addition to the main ones. Sometimes a story line is continued or updated. In this one we revisit the Wilkins Museum that was the center of action in “The Palace Guards.”
The late Madam Wilkins wasn’t so much an art lover as a social climber whose main goal was to have the most impressive of everything. Her art collection was gathered willy-nilly, although there were some fine pieces. In the previous book, it was discovered that the best ones were being copied and the originals sold. Now the museum must try to recover the stolen art.
Other agencies are refusing a job for which the profits are marginal, so the Max Bittersohn Detective Agency gets stuck with it. Sarah Kelling Bittersohn feels a responsibility and her husband wants to keep her happy.
The ancient trustees of the Wilkins Museum are dying off. The new head is a successful businessman named Turbot. A turbot isn't an attractive fish, but if Elwyn Fleesom Turbot resembled one, it would be an improvement. He knows nothing about art and cares less, but hopes to use the position to move up the social ladder.
Thanks to Cousin Percy Kelling, Sarah gets sucked into going to lunch at the Turbot cattle breeding farm. The prize-winning cattle are fine, but a few hours of their loud-mouthed, bullying owner and his over-dressed wife is plenty for Sarah. She wonders how the long-term employees of the museum will fare during this bozo’s regime.
The powerhouse of the staff is Delores Tawne. She’s not a stupid woman and no one doubts her devotion to the museum, but her brash, over-bearing personality wins her no friends and she’s a sucker for a good flatterer.
Now Delores is dead. It was assumed she died of natural causes, until Sarah suggests the police check for a small hole at the base of her neck. Sure enough, she was murdered. Delores knew something that made her dangerous and had to die. Unfortunately, she named Sarah her executor and now Sarah is the murderer’s target.
She ignores the first incident with the grey Toyota as a couple of kids having “redneck fun.” Then the same car tries to run her down on a Boston street and almost succeeds. Only the quick reflexes of a Boston cop saves her life. Unless you’re a member of the Mafia, it’s hard to believe that someone is trying to kill you, but Sarah is convinced and so is the BPD.
It’s a bad time for an emergency. Max is in Argentina with the phone lines down due to one of their famous “bloodless coups.” (Meaning no one important was shot.) Cousin Brooks and his wife Theonia are out of town searching for stolen art and jewelry and have taken young apprentice Jesse Kelling with them. Sarah has no one to depend on but butler Charles. Thank God he knows all about disguises. Dressed as a frumpish crone, she manages to stay alive, but how long can she keep it up?
The secret obviously lies in Delores’s studio and in the two bank security boxes she’s maintained. There are pictures of seven women (or men in drag) doing a routine as “The Wicked Widows.” And there are a number of hat pins with suspicious stains. Cousin Jem Kelling remembers the stir the Wicked Widows made in Boston three decades before. At first they were just a joke, then a bunch of cops put them in a paddy wagon and the joke was over.
What could Delores Tawne have had to do with the long-ago crime? Who’s desperate enough to cover it up to kill multiple times? Are those stains on the hat pins what Sarah thinks they are?
MacLeod was in her seventies when she wrote this book. I think she wanted to please the fans who were clamouring for another Kelling-Bittersohn book, but she wasn’t taking things too seriously by then. Which is another way of saying that this one is outrageously unrealistic. If you can relax and enjoy the ride, fine. I did.
I remember reading about one of the first female physicians in America, who trained in the early 1900’s. She and her nurse had to go into dangerous neighborhoods and their protection was their hat pins. Those 8-9” of steel had to be sturdy to hold the huge cartwheel hats in the elaborate hairstyles. AND they were SHARP.
I find a series of books more meaningful if I read it in order. For this one, I think it's a must. MacLeod developed her characters and their histories as she went along and there are recurring characters in addition to the main ones. Sometimes a story line is continued or updated. In this one we revisit the Wilkins Museum that was the center of action in “The Palace Guards.”
The late Madam Wilkins wasn’t so much an art lover as a social climber whose main goal was to have the most impressive of everything. Her art collection was gathered willy-nilly, although there were some fine pieces. In the previous book, it was discovered that the best ones were being copied and the originals sold. Now the museum must try to recover the stolen art.
Other agencies are refusing a job for which the profits are marginal, so the Max Bittersohn Detective Agency gets stuck with it. Sarah Kelling Bittersohn feels a responsibility and her husband wants to keep her happy.
The ancient trustees of the Wilkins Museum are dying off. The new head is a successful businessman named Turbot. A turbot isn't an attractive fish, but if Elwyn Fleesom Turbot resembled one, it would be an improvement. He knows nothing about art and cares less, but hopes to use the position to move up the social ladder.
Thanks to Cousin Percy Kelling, Sarah gets sucked into going to lunch at the Turbot cattle breeding farm. The prize-winning cattle are fine, but a few hours of their loud-mouthed, bullying owner and his over-dressed wife is plenty for Sarah. She wonders how the long-term employees of the museum will fare during this bozo’s regime.
The powerhouse of the staff is Delores Tawne. She’s not a stupid woman and no one doubts her devotion to the museum, but her brash, over-bearing personality wins her no friends and she’s a sucker for a good flatterer.
Now Delores is dead. It was assumed she died of natural causes, until Sarah suggests the police check for a small hole at the base of her neck. Sure enough, she was murdered. Delores knew something that made her dangerous and had to die. Unfortunately, she named Sarah her executor and now Sarah is the murderer’s target.
She ignores the first incident with the grey Toyota as a couple of kids having “redneck fun.” Then the same car tries to run her down on a Boston street and almost succeeds. Only the quick reflexes of a Boston cop saves her life. Unless you’re a member of the Mafia, it’s hard to believe that someone is trying to kill you, but Sarah is convinced and so is the BPD.
It’s a bad time for an emergency. Max is in Argentina with the phone lines down due to one of their famous “bloodless coups.” (Meaning no one important was shot.) Cousin Brooks and his wife Theonia are out of town searching for stolen art and jewelry and have taken young apprentice Jesse Kelling with them. Sarah has no one to depend on but butler Charles. Thank God he knows all about disguises. Dressed as a frumpish crone, she manages to stay alive, but how long can she keep it up?
The secret obviously lies in Delores’s studio and in the two bank security boxes she’s maintained. There are pictures of seven women (or men in drag) doing a routine as “The Wicked Widows.” And there are a number of hat pins with suspicious stains. Cousin Jem Kelling remembers the stir the Wicked Widows made in Boston three decades before. At first they were just a joke, then a bunch of cops put them in a paddy wagon and the joke was over.
What could Delores Tawne have had to do with the long-ago crime? Who’s desperate enough to cover it up to kill multiple times? Are those stains on the hat pins what Sarah thinks they are?
MacLeod was in her seventies when she wrote this book. I think she wanted to please the fans who were clamouring for another Kelling-Bittersohn book, but she wasn’t taking things too seriously by then. Which is another way of saying that this one is outrageously unrealistic. If you can relax and enjoy the ride, fine. I did.
February 1, 2018
The 11th in the series starring Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn finds Sarah all on her own. With Max off in Argentina chasing missing artwork, her son staying at a beach house with relatives, and the rest of the Bittersohn agency personnel out of town, Sarah has been left to hold everything together. She is surprised to be named the executrix for the estate of Dolores Tawne, the domineering unofficial administrator of the Wilkins Museum in Boston, who was expected at her house for tea. She failed to turn up, probably because she was face down in the courtyard of the Museum, stabbed to death with a hat pin. Her duties as an executrix don't seem that bad, until she realizes that those duties seem to have marked her for death. Besides various attempts on her life, she tries to discover what the contents of a safe deposit box, unopened for 30 years has to do with pictures of the Wicked Widows, street performers who are wanted for murdering four police officers years ago. Added fun comes from the nod to author Elizabeth Peters, when Sarah refers to the "famous female archaeologist Amelia Peabody Emerson."
This isn't the best of the series. It falls a little flat with the absence of Max and the witty dialog between the couple. Charles, an actor with delusions of butlerism, has to take up the slack, and adds a touch of the absurd to the mix. Still the ending seems rushed, the perpetrators a bit obvious. Still well worth reading, because MacLeod is incapable of writing a bad book.
This isn't the best of the series. It falls a little flat with the absence of Max and the witty dialog between the couple. Charles, an actor with delusions of butlerism, has to take up the slack, and adds a touch of the absurd to the mix. Still the ending seems rushed, the perpetrators a bit obvious. Still well worth reading, because MacLeod is incapable of writing a bad book.
April 9, 2023
Sarah Kelling Bittersohn is not pleased when her cousin Percy and his wife Anne ask her to accompany them to a luncheon at the home of Percy’s clients, Elwyn Fleesom Turbot and his wife Lala. She is even less pleased when Turbot turns out to be the new head of the board of directors of the Wilkins Museum, particularly when he also turns out to be a bully who thinks he can browbeat Sarah into submission. However, when long-time employee of the Wilkins, Dolores Tawne, is murdered, Sarah begins to realize that her fit of pique with the Turbots is just the beginning of her troubles with the Turbots…. This eleventh novel in the Sarah Kelling series harks back to the third book, “The Palace Guard,” in which various shenanigans take place at the Wilkins Museum, and Sarah and Max are in the thick of it. There are nicely done digressions back to 1960s-era “happenings” in Boston here, complete with a mysterious group of women who sort of slither in and out of focus throughout, and, of course, some of Sarah’s many relatives put in their eccentric appearances here and there. Max is off in Argentina, though, and I missed his presence in this book. Overall, this is another charming piece of fiction with which to while away an afternoon; recommended!
October 26, 2024
Sad tale of death and destruction. Widows??? Killing folks? Museum staff murdered and accused? OMG
probably would not have mourned the character first murdered in this obe, though I did feel a twinge of guilt since we'd met her before...
Ah, well. I try not to kook to closely at Murder Mysteries and why they are so very popular and Why, in fact, I am so addicted to them. Probably nor a great idea to probe too far...
This book was a bit, well, inconceivable.
I have to put logic aside when I read Charlotte MacLeod's books. She builds such complex and challenging plots...one must stay on one's toes and put aside some of one's natural skepticism to buy everything that happens in these stories.
There are many layers, many players and many scenarios in each novek.
I enjoy the complexity of the various puzzles and though often a bit confused (I read many passages aloud to my husband to share the laugh, the scene or the confusion ...to get his opinion added to mine).
She manages each time to work it all out and mesh all the disparate elements in each part of the whole to an almost invariably clear solution or series of solutions by the end of the book.
Thank goodness for that!
I recommend these books. I enjoy each one. I really do.
probably would not have mourned the character first murdered in this obe, though I did feel a twinge of guilt since we'd met her before...
Ah, well. I try not to kook to closely at Murder Mysteries and why they are so very popular and Why, in fact, I am so addicted to them. Probably nor a great idea to probe too far...
This book was a bit, well, inconceivable.
I have to put logic aside when I read Charlotte MacLeod's books. She builds such complex and challenging plots...one must stay on one's toes and put aside some of one's natural skepticism to buy everything that happens in these stories.
There are many layers, many players and many scenarios in each novek.
I enjoy the complexity of the various puzzles and though often a bit confused (I read many passages aloud to my husband to share the laugh, the scene or the confusion ...to get his opinion added to mine).
She manages each time to work it all out and mesh all the disparate elements in each part of the whole to an almost invariably clear solution or series of solutions by the end of the book.
Thank goodness for that!
I recommend these books. I enjoy each one. I really do.
July 9, 2023
Another book in the series where we don't see much of Max since he is away on a trip to Argentina. Instead, Sarah is left at home to uncover what happened to Dolores Tawne. In life, she was (unofficially) the person who ran the Wilkins Museum. She was also a former art forger who Max had uncovered. In fact, the Bittersohn/Kelling family has had many ties with the Wilkins over the years which allow Sarah to find out what actually happened to Dolores which she feels some urge to do because Dolores set Sarah up as her executrix. Sarah didn't think Dolores had much but she finds the keys to two bank boxes, one of which has six hat pins which look startlingly familiar, mostly because Dolores was killed by a similar object, one that was mailed to Sarah. And it seems that the hatpins have a history of their own, one linked to the Wicket Widows.
This book was a wild ride. This death was rooted in the past which allowed MacLeod to bring back Uncle Jeremy but the timelines didn't quite make sense and I couldn't figure out the ages of some of the characters which would have made this story a little more fairly clued.
This book was a wild ride. This death was rooted in the past which allowed MacLeod to bring back Uncle Jeremy but the timelines didn't quite make sense and I couldn't figure out the ages of some of the characters which would have made this story a little more fairly clued.
May 21, 2020
I like this series of "cozies" very much. This one was perfect for a weekend when I had to sit in front of a video camera as part of a medical test - no phone, no computer, no iPad, but all the books and television that I wanted. Sarah and her husband Max run a business chasing down stolen art work, except Max is in Argentina pursuing lost Watteaus during a revolution, so Sarah has to deal with a murder and a collection of stickpins worth megabucks on her own, with an assortment of assistants that she drafts as needed. The book has a date of 1995, and the author has an apology in the front for not quite keeping up with all the changes in the geography of Boston and environs that were taking place at that time. It tickled me because I lived in Boston, near Beacon Hill and Mass General Hospital in 1962 and 1963, and have been back many times since, so i know exactly what she is talking about!
January 22, 2021
The Odd Job — Charlotte MacLeod (25 chapters) Jan 10-15, 2021
This book brings back characters from the third book, “The Palace Guard.” A dead Dolores Tawne, the Wicked Widows, and gems reappearing…oh my!
When the previously named is found dead and Sarah finds it was done with a sneaking weapon, it takes all her observation and memory skills to figure out who-dun-it. With only her sidekick/Tulip House butler Charles by her side (Max is off in Argentine looking for another missing artifact,) Sarah needs to figure out why Dolores had two safe box keys with odd contents, and how they are in some way connected to her death.
The conclusion felt a little shaky. Not sure I missed some reading or missed a concept presented, but the Wicked Widows involvement seems to be sprung up out of nowhere. [There is a logic to it, but it felt abrupt.]
Also, the story got a bit draggy inlaces, where descriptions seem to overtake actually plot.
Three stars.
This book brings back characters from the third book, “The Palace Guard.” A dead Dolores Tawne, the Wicked Widows, and gems reappearing…oh my!
When the previously named is found dead and Sarah finds it was done with a sneaking weapon, it takes all her observation and memory skills to figure out who-dun-it. With only her sidekick/Tulip House butler Charles by her side (Max is off in Argentine looking for another missing artifact,) Sarah needs to figure out why Dolores had two safe box keys with odd contents, and how they are in some way connected to her death.
The conclusion felt a little shaky. Not sure I missed some reading or missed a concept presented, but the Wicked Widows involvement seems to be sprung up out of nowhere. [There is a logic to it, but it felt abrupt.]
Also, the story got a bit draggy inlaces, where descriptions seem to overtake actually plot.
Three stars.
February 18, 2017
In <4>The Odd Job by Charlotte MacLeod, the eleventh in the Sarah Kelling/ Max Bittersohn series, someone seems to want Sarah dead! First, two young men attempt to drive Sarah off the road. Then, Sarah gets word that Dolores Tawne, the real mover and shaker of the Wilkins Museum, has died and left Sarah executrix of her estate. Next, someone sends Sarah a rusty looking old hat pin the next day. Thus when Sarah learns that the medical examiner thinks Dolores has died of some kind of brain damage, Sarah realizes that someone has killed Dolores with the very hat pin mailed to Sarah.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
January 28, 2021
Charlotte MacLeod is such a refreshing read, light, but not dumb, moves quickly, good story, tin this case a not obvious murderer, perhaps not obvious enough, but fun, and surprising. Often I am reading something like this between books of more impact, and just want a break from too much thinking. I am of the belief that literature, or reading, should fill lots of roles. And I learned a bit about small art museums and forgery vs copying.
July 20, 2021
Revolving around the unlikely use of a hatpin as a murder weapon; a long-unopened safe deposit box; and an also unlikely quartet of ladies presented as murderers-in-disguise, this cozy mystery gives much entertainment as it pushes against the envelope of probable reality. Use of a stern-no-nonsense-in-your-face-given-to-insults boss lady is kind of a cliché of the sub-genre, and the motive is thin. But that’s also an expected hallmark of this sub-genre.
December 10, 2025
This was one mystery that remains a puzzle, even after the Great Reveal. There's also the conviction that the author hasn't been playing fair. There's nothing for the reader to worry and work out: it's all laid out neatly : a series of baffling events, several murderous attempts on the life of the detective, but no path to follow.
More of a cosy than a traditional crime-and-detective novel.
More of a cosy than a traditional crime-and-detective novel.
September 30, 2025
Over full of repeated explanations
This entry into the Max and Sarah Chronicles lacks Max, Theonia, Brooks, and most of the rest of the merry band. Sarah tries to hold up the p!ot, but without her cohorts it falls flat. And there are far too many "this is what happened" pages that the reader can skip. Not my favorite.
This entry into the Max and Sarah Chronicles lacks Max, Theonia, Brooks, and most of the rest of the merry band. Sarah tries to hold up the p!ot, but without her cohorts it falls flat. And there are far too many "this is what happened" pages that the reader can skip. Not my favorite.
June 5, 2023
Of all of Charlotte MacLeod’s Sarah Kelling mysteries, this one is the oddest, in my opinion. MacLeod is the master of the zany mystery, especially in the Peter Shandy series, but this is the zaniest of the Sarah Kelling’s.
A fun read.
A fun read.
April 21, 2024
Wonderful Read
Charlotte MacLeod never fails to give us great humor and entertainment. Sarah really ran the show in this novel while Max was in Argentina recovering artworks. She did a splendid job.
Charlotte MacLeod never fails to give us great humor and entertainment. Sarah really ran the show in this novel while Max was in Argentina recovering artworks. She did a splendid job.
August 6, 2019
Great series...this installment had me guessing til the reveal!
January 28, 2020
Challenging to finish.
March 21, 2020
Oooh yeah!!
July 5, 2020
So entertaining. So funny.
August 27, 2020
Not one of the series' best, but a nice look into Sarah's current life. Plus we get several visits with Max's relatives, which is always nice.
December 12, 2020
OK for a covid speed read through the series.
January 3, 2021
This one is just Sarah but I enjoyed it
June 18, 2021
Interesting
Twisted plotline, funny cast of characters. First of this series I've read and I'm encouraged to go further. The Killings seem like an interesting bunch.
Twisted plotline, funny cast of characters. First of this series I've read and I'm encouraged to go further. The Killings seem like an interesting bunch.
July 1, 2021
This is the one in which Sarah Kelling has to deal with a mystery by herself, lacking most of the supporting characters. And that’s fine, only I missed all the rest of them too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews