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Claire Malloy #3
Dear Miss Demeanor
PAgatha Award-winning author Joan Hess, the prolific creator of the Claire Malloy and Maggody mysteries, is beloved for her clever sleuths, quirky characters, and her ingenious plotting. We invite you to enjoy this delightful Claire Malloy mystery, and to discover why Sharyn McCrumb calls Joan Hess "the patron saint of comic mystery." PAt Farberville High, it's reading, writing...and murder.PWho knows what evil lurks in the halls of Farbervilles' high school-or what blackmail is hidden in Miss Demeanor's iFalcon Crier /iadvice column? Certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy-until her daughter Caron persuades her to substitute for disgraced column editor and journalism teacher Emily Parchester. Surely Miss Parchester cannot be guilty of embezzlement. But the petty charges graduate to murder when Principal Weiss gets his last licks from Miss Parchester's peach compote. Miss Parchester herself, last seen at a local sanitarium, is suddenly missing. And now it's up to Claire to find someone who's been schooled in the fine art of murder...
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
49 people are currently reading
393 people want to read
About the author
Joan Hess
115 books338 followersJoan 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 28, 2018
While, so far, the better of her books, it still needs to tone down the snark and dial up the general story.
Bookstore owner, Claire Malloy, is manipulated into being a substitute teacher to solve a purported embezzlement charge against a favorite teacher by her daughter & her bestie. Given that there is jackhammer construction outside her bookstore and nary a deaf customer, she agrees to give it a go. But then staff start to drop dead and blackmail, peach capote, and swapping dalliances, and fuzzy pink slippers start to paint a bigger picture.
Once again seeking to out sleuth her detective beau, Claire quickly forms a posse of trusted crew to sneak about for evidence to vindicate the ousted teacher, solve the murders, and appease the unease of Lt Rosen.
Still, the biggest mystery is why Hess feels such a need drag on and on with the funny.
Bookstore owner, Claire Malloy, is manipulated into being a substitute teacher to solve a purported embezzlement charge against a favorite teacher by her daughter & her bestie. Given that there is jackhammer construction outside her bookstore and nary a deaf customer, she agrees to give it a go. But then staff start to drop dead and blackmail, peach capote, and swapping dalliances, and fuzzy pink slippers start to paint a bigger picture.
Once again seeking to out sleuth her detective beau, Claire quickly forms a posse of trusted crew to sneak about for evidence to vindicate the ousted teacher, solve the murders, and appease the unease of Lt Rosen.
Still, the biggest mystery is why Hess feels such a need drag on and on with the funny.
May 15, 2016
SUMMARY: At Farberville High, it's reading, writing...and murder.
Who knows what evil lurks in the halls of Farbervilles' high school-or what blackmail is hidden in Miss Demeanor's Falcon Crier advice column? Certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy-until her daughter Caron persuades her to substitute for disgraced column editor and journalism teacher Emily Parchester. Surely Miss Parchester cannot be guilty of embezzlement. But the petty charges graduate to murder when Principal Weiss gets his last licks from Miss Parchester's peach compote. Miss Parchester herself, last seen at a local sanitarium, is suddenly missing. And now it's up to Claire to find someone who's been schooled in the fine art of murder...
REVIEW: I have to begin by saying I attempted to read the first book in this series and stopped after a few chapters. I couldn't like the premise for the mystery which was the murder of a porn author. Just enough of her writing was described to turn me off before the murder even occurred. The books in this series can be read as stand alones. Since I had others in the series, I decided to give the author a second chance. This book was not great but I did enjoy it.
The main character/mystery sleuth is a bookstore owner with an acerbic wit and sharp tongue. She is a single parent with a very typical, drama prone 14 year old daughter. I loved the high school setting as it sounded so much like high school in my younger years with teachers who were older than Methusalah (at least in the students' eyes), all the teacher lounge drama and petty problems, and the overzealous administration. The homecoming dance and the jobs for the teachers in preventing or stopping various problems was hilarious. I loved the group of elderly teachers who all supported one another and somewhat ruled the roost. Enough red herrings to keep me guessing as to who the murderer was and how the second murder was accomplished.
Who knows what evil lurks in the halls of Farbervilles' high school-or what blackmail is hidden in Miss Demeanor's Falcon Crier advice column? Certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy-until her daughter Caron persuades her to substitute for disgraced column editor and journalism teacher Emily Parchester. Surely Miss Parchester cannot be guilty of embezzlement. But the petty charges graduate to murder when Principal Weiss gets his last licks from Miss Parchester's peach compote. Miss Parchester herself, last seen at a local sanitarium, is suddenly missing. And now it's up to Claire to find someone who's been schooled in the fine art of murder...
REVIEW: I have to begin by saying I attempted to read the first book in this series and stopped after a few chapters. I couldn't like the premise for the mystery which was the murder of a porn author. Just enough of her writing was described to turn me off before the murder even occurred. The books in this series can be read as stand alones. Since I had others in the series, I decided to give the author a second chance. This book was not great but I did enjoy it.
The main character/mystery sleuth is a bookstore owner with an acerbic wit and sharp tongue. She is a single parent with a very typical, drama prone 14 year old daughter. I loved the high school setting as it sounded so much like high school in my younger years with teachers who were older than Methusalah (at least in the students' eyes), all the teacher lounge drama and petty problems, and the overzealous administration. The homecoming dance and the jobs for the teachers in preventing or stopping various problems was hilarious. I loved the group of elderly teachers who all supported one another and somewhat ruled the roost. Enough red herrings to keep me guessing as to who the murderer was and how the second murder was accomplished.
July 25, 2016
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.
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.
November 30, 2010
Her plotting was fine but I couldn't warm to her flippant writing. Also, I felt like her writing was stilted and that she used words almost inappropriately, like she didn't really understand the meaning of the words. Very odd writing to me.
November 5, 2018
Claire Malloy finds herself accepting a position of substitute teacher for journalism in her daughter’s high school when the regular teacher (a 40 year veteran teacher) is accused of misusing student funds. A qualified teacher couldn’t be found and if Claire wouldn’t step in, the classes would be cancelled. Of course, the school is horrible, the custodian doesn’t do any cleaning, the principal is vindictive, few teachers really cared. When the principal is poisoned and the chief suspect is the now-missing former journalism teacher, Claire finds she must help prove her predecessor innocent or be stuck teaching for the rest of the year. – I didn’t like any of the characters. The teachers were pathetic.
July 21, 2021
Having been recently introduced to the "cozy mystery" series written by Joan Hess, I am making my way through them. For the Claire Malloy series, this is my favorite so far. The setting, a high school, is populated by a wide range of characters: the pushy principal, the overly officious vice-principal, the journalism teacher devoted to the free press, the pretentious latin teacher who can't help but through bits of the ancient language into every conversation, the over-educated football coach, the janitor of questionable character, and "the furies" (a small group of nerdy teachers who probably aspired to be the "mean girls" when they were in school). So, yes, this was a fun one. And the ending did surprise me.
April 14, 2022
When Caron’s journalism teacher is suspended for alleged embezzlement of school club funds she guilts her mother, Claire into substituting as a Aron has just been allowed to do the Miss Demeanor column, a “Dear Abby” for the middle school set. The plan is for Claire to look at the books and see if the charges are true and get the regular teacher back in. But then the principal is murdered with cyanide laced peach compote and Claire’s mission changes. The school teacher lounges are full of intrigue and innuendo. Claire is a snarky and witty MC and the plot, whilst hopeful not likely, is twisty and clever. An excellent read.
August 21, 2019
Coerced by her teenager Claire ends up entangled in the mysteries of high school again. She is asked to clear the journalism teacher from the scandal of missing petty cash. Then goes so far to have Claire becoming a substitute teacher, trying to find the murder of the principal and having to chaperone the high school dance.
September 2, 2020
A pleasant read, funny as all the Claire Malloy books are. And speaking as a parent of a daughter, there are depths she touches that the rest of you believe are merely fiction. I’ve got to say that Hess here pushes the least-likely-suspect trope to new extremes. (No, you Ackroyd-heads; Claire didn’t do it.)
October 23, 2019
Ein Fund aus dem offenen Bücherregal der sich gelohnt hat. Eine Buchhändler die als Hobbydetektivin zwei Mordfälle aufklärt hat mich eine Woche lang begleitet. Das Buch wurde von mir sehr gerne gelesen und auch nur ungern weggelegt.
September 20, 2021
I like Claire and her bookshop and her cast of goofy fellow characters....this one did not include them so much as the mystery took place out of her store and town really.
Two murders were solved but no one will be punished....not sure I am okay with that.
Two murders were solved but no one will be punished....not sure I am okay with that.
May 24, 2022
Couldn’t finish. Not a fan of snarky attitude and hyperbole. Characters felt like caricatures and I just couldn’t relate.
Now I remember who finished Elizabeth Peters final Amelia Peabody book, which I didn’t like for much the same reasons…
Now I remember who finished Elizabeth Peters final Amelia Peabody book, which I didn’t like for much the same reasons…
November 2, 2024
You can tell how much I like a book by how fast I read it. It took me awhile to get through this one. I am just not a Claire Malloy fan. I find the lead character very off putting. She is just not a likeable character. Caron needs a spanking or at least grounding. This series is not for me.
August 3, 2017
Good light hearted read. I love the authors dry humor and wit.
November 28, 2017
Absolutely wonderful slapstick, entertainingly outré high school drama, delicious purple prose that is diverting on a rainy afternoon.
June 9, 2018
Kind of slow-moving at the beginning, but it picks up in the middle.
June 19, 2018
This was a fun and fast read.
January 14, 2019
This was a quick, fun read. It was good entertainment.
May 31, 2019
Great read. I am enjoying this series. Love the characters.
July 17, 2020
Too much snark, too little common sense, even for 1987.
May 25, 2023
Much better!!!
The wit is back. I loved the first Claire novel, but the second severely soured her for me. After a long break I tried again and loved it. Enjoy!
The wit is back. I loved the first Claire novel, but the second severely soured her for me. After a long break I tried again and loved it. Enjoy!
June 2, 2025
whoa. here is some fun cavaliering
September 22, 2025
I just love these books! This one might be my favorite so far!
November 30, 2025
3 1/2 Stars
May 5, 2019
I had read this one a while ago. In re-reading, I realized why I had never followed the series. It is terrible!
This is one of those books where the author adds scenes not because they contribute to the plot but so that the main character may have additional opportunities to make snide and nasty comments about everyone and everything around her. The main character, Claire Malloy, spends the entire* book sniping at people and making rude comments to those around her. Most disturbing were the sarcastic, often outright nasty comments that this character makes to and about her teenaged daughter. I realize that I am supposed to laugh and call this humour. However, making horrible comments and pretending they are 'jokes' can never be called humour. Really this type of passive-aggressive communication is not funny; it is just a sign of the cowardice and lack of maturity in someone who is unable to own or constructively express their feelings. The error is compounded in this case as Claire's sense of superiority over everyone is hardly merited as she has few or no redeeming qualities herself.
On top of that Claire then tries to play the poor victim hard done by by everyone else. For example, on her first day at the school she has three classes where she essentially ignores the students, not even learning their names instead insulting them with labels such as 'pudgy' and 'weedy'. She even tells one class in so many words (while purposefully glaring at her daughter, a student in that class) that she cares not at all abut them, their lives, or their class, and that they ought to do whatever they want to do so long as it does not bother her. In the next scene she plays the hurt victim when a staff person at the school implies that Claire's teaching style might not be as inspiring as that of the regular teacher. Seriously?!? The only insult is to educators everywhere that anyone implied that Claire even has a teaching style to begin with.
*OK, I admit it, I cannot attest to the 'entire book'. According to my trusty Kobo, the plot only pretended to start at about 20% of the way into the book. At about 30% I gave up and skimmed to the end. I only did that because I sort of liked the accused character and wanted to see how things turned out.
Yes, there was a reason that I never pursued this series. Next time, I will remember to not try it again.
This is one of those books where the author adds scenes not because they contribute to the plot but so that the main character may have additional opportunities to make snide and nasty comments about everyone and everything around her. The main character, Claire Malloy, spends the entire* book sniping at people and making rude comments to those around her. Most disturbing were the sarcastic, often outright nasty comments that this character makes to and about her teenaged daughter. I realize that I am supposed to laugh and call this humour. However, making horrible comments and pretending they are 'jokes' can never be called humour. Really this type of passive-aggressive communication is not funny; it is just a sign of the cowardice and lack of maturity in someone who is unable to own or constructively express their feelings. The error is compounded in this case as Claire's sense of superiority over everyone is hardly merited as she has few or no redeeming qualities herself.
On top of that Claire then tries to play the poor victim hard done by by everyone else. For example, on her first day at the school she has three classes where she essentially ignores the students, not even learning their names instead insulting them with labels such as 'pudgy' and 'weedy'. She even tells one class in so many words (while purposefully glaring at her daughter, a student in that class) that she cares not at all abut them, their lives, or their class, and that they ought to do whatever they want to do so long as it does not bother her. In the next scene she plays the hurt victim when a staff person at the school implies that Claire's teaching style might not be as inspiring as that of the regular teacher. Seriously?!? The only insult is to educators everywhere that anyone implied that Claire even has a teaching style to begin with.
*OK, I admit it, I cannot attest to the 'entire book'. According to my trusty Kobo, the plot only pretended to start at about 20% of the way into the book. At about 30% I gave up and skimmed to the end. I only did that because I sort of liked the accused character and wanted to see how things turned out.
Yes, there was a reason that I never pursued this series. Next time, I will remember to not try it again.
September 7, 2014
Claire Molloy, bookstore owner, is volunteered by her teenage daughter to substitute at the high school after the journalism teacher is suspended under suspicion of having embezzled club money. The idea seems to be that Miss Parchester was framed, and that Claire would do some sleuthing inbetween her class periods. Claire delves into the microcosm of a high school (anno 1987 or so). I liked the various characters that she encountered, such as the hyper-efficient Miss Dort, the slimy janitor, the Latin teacher quoting liberally in his favorite language, and Miss Parchester herself, a dignified old lady with a penchant for something stronger than tea. When the hated school principal keels over dead after having tasted Miss Parchester's peach compote, the search is on for the killer. Miss Parchester develops an uncanny ability to disappear and reappear, always babbling on about what her late father, a Supreme Court Judge, would have done.
I would recommend this book to mystery readers who like a dose of snarky with their cozy. Claire is not a dewy-eyed mother; she often wishes her drama-prone teenaged daughter would live in Alaska. She is unabashedly negligent about her temporary teaching duties. Every once in a while she became too arch, for instance when describing her romance with the local police chief, but mostly I enjoyed the humor.
I would recommend this book to mystery readers who like a dose of snarky with their cozy. Claire is not a dewy-eyed mother; she often wishes her drama-prone teenaged daughter would live in Alaska. She is unabashedly negligent about her temporary teaching duties. Every once in a while she became too arch, for instance when describing her romance with the local police chief, but mostly I enjoyed the humor.
September 10, 2013
Claire Malloy’s daughter, Caron, is devastated when a teacher at here high school is removed after being accused of petty thievery. Miss Parchester was in charge of the school newspaper and, without her, the Dear Miss Demeanor column will not be published. An aspiring journalist, Caron had a chance to actually write for the column when the current “Miss Demeanor” is out of school with mono. Taking a decided course of action, Caron volunteers her mom as a substitute teacher and convinces her to investigate the pilfering. With major misgivings, Claire accepts only to find that the petty theft has escalated into murder!
July 3, 2008
Joan Hess is one of the few murder mystery writers I unreservedly adore. Her Clair Malloy mysteries have a perfect sense of humor about them--in this one, Claire is stuck substituting at her daughter's school where someone is murdered via some horrible sounding peach thing. [The poor former journalism teacher is particularly memorable.] My mother introduced me to the series and I was hooked. The daughter is spot on and perfectly annoying as she deals with the high school drama of her mother as a teacher. The love interest is pretty standard murder mystery fare but nonetheless charming.
August 22, 2015
I normally don't read Cosy mysteries, but I was drawn to this one because the deaths occur in a school. So I was unfamiliar with Hess's voice and her bookseller detective Claire Malloy. At first I found her humor cloying, but kept on to discover the fun of her high school teaching characters. They had me reminisce on the more eccentric teachers I encountered. I enjoyed Claire's acerbic personality, not a perfect mother or sleuth. She tricked me with the solution as well. I think I have found a Cosy writer to pursue further!
August 15, 2009
Claire Malloy out of mistaken loyalty to her daughter volunteers as a substitute teacher for journalism when the teacher is accused of embezzlement. After the murder, Claire has two mysteries to solve in order to escape the detention of high school a second time.
Ms. Malloy is northeast tart and world weary. At times a tad too clever and arch, however, a definite change of pace.
Ms. Malloy is northeast tart and world weary. At times a tad too clever and arch, however, a definite change of pace.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews