Foiled Again

Sarah Deane Mystery #13

by J.S. Borthwick

The Drama School at Bowmouth College is staging its annual Halloween masquerade, known for being a little unusual. This year it's Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a twist---Romiette and Julio instead. English professor and sometime amateur sleuth Sarah Deane has been recruited to assist backstage with the complicated costume changes.
Drama students are known for being mischievous and high-strung, but this year things are a little more serious: During rehearsals a couple of the student actors pass the time by taking whacks at each other with the stage props, and their horseplay leaves Todd Mancuso, the brilliant actor playing Mercutio, wounded. And when Sarah stumbles upon a badly injured student hidden away in a stockroom on Halloween night, events take a turn for the worse. By the time the production is finally staged, a member of the faculty has been badly injured and a student has been killed. Talk about drama!
Sarah gets involved, of course, to sort out a mess that involves academic politics, angry actors, and student activities gone horribly wrong.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

350 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 2007

About the author

J. S. Borthwick is the pseudonym of Jean Scott Creighton. She lives on the Maine coast. She is the creator of 'Sarah Deane', a professor of English and amateur sleuth.

Series:
* Sarah Deane Mystery

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last in the Sarah Deane series. I've mostly enjoyed the series, but this is my least favorite. Also, this was the worst edited/proof-read book I've ever read. There were added/missing words in sentences, so that some sentences made no sense. Names of characters were mixed up. Not sure what the word count for this book was, but she achieved it by repeating the same information several times and by using the full name of characters, such as Sarah Deane, Deputy Mike Laaka, Sergeant George Fitts, Dr. Alex McKenzie, Mary Donelli, Danton McGraw, etc. Their first name would have been sufficient, after introducing them to the story line. This book could have and should have been about 100 pages shorter.

[Bells Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the series finds Sarah involved w/the campus drama group. Lots of college student angst and convoluted relationships. For some reason this one was a bit more a slog to get through and a little less light hearted than her other books.

[Vjera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flat ending to the series. Back on campus and centered around a very confusing play. Lots of gender swapping; handled a bit dated. Some language.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

JS Borthwick's Sarah Deane series is my guilty pleasure, along with Diana Killian's Mantra for Murder series. They're not particularly well-written, but they're usually amusing stories. Can't wait to read this.

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I take it back. The Sarah Deane series is no longer my guilty pleasure. The pacing in this book is way off. There are too many characters, and one pair takes on a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-like quality by the end. Everyone else just sort of blends in. The book reads like the manuscript was written in the mid- to late-90s (a police officer looks up stuff on "the Net"), despite being published in 2007. In fact, almost all the references to pop culture were dated (or, alternatively, not enduring). And most odd to me is that the women do not sound like women. Yeah, I know it takes place in Maine, but college women in Maine who [SPOILER] take a stand against sexual harassment do not go around using the word "female" as a noun, as in "We females stand together" or "The females may have something to say about that." Moreover, it's *weird* that the only person who swears is assistant professor Sarah Deane. When a college guy is accused of a crime, he says, "I really fouled it up this time," yet the amateur sleuth with a Ph.D. is the one with the occasional dammit and s-word. Very incongruous.

I really wanted to like this book. Really, I did. The best part about the book were the references to Moxie soda and Subaru.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved the Sarah Deane mysteries ever since I discovered The Student Body on the shelf of the local library. This particular addition to the series returns to the campus of Bowmouth College in Maine, where Drama professor Vera Pruczak is putting on a Halloween production of Romiette and Julio. Murder ensues, and Sarah can't resist meddling.

[Karlie]

Here we go with another book that is part of a series... man I need to start noticing that prior to checking out books. I guess the "again" in the title should have been a clue...

[Susan Beecher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining light-weight mystery.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah #13