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Hemlock Falls Mysteries #11
A Puree of Poison
While preparing for the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of Hemlock Falls, sisters, Sarah and Meg Quilliam, proprietors of the Inn at Hemlock Falls, find themselves faced with murder when patrons of their establishment begin dying and a Civil War reenactor exposes the real history of the town. Original.
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 2, 2003
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About the author
Claudia Bishop
51 books117 followersClaudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 23, 2012
This small-town cozy comes with two squabbling sisters, one a gourmand cook, the other an established painter. They collide in a little upstate New York town called Hemlock Falls. Aptly named. Together the sisters Sarah, called Quill, and Meg, own and operate an inn on a perfect plot of property overlooking the namesake falls. The novel comes with a list of the huge number of characters at the front and an unremarkable recipe at the back.
The 133rd anniversary of a minor Civil War skirmish is approaching and the town is planning big doings. Things get rapidly complicated. Re-enactors are arriving to stage the battle, a poisonous couple of independent film-makers appear, and Quill, who cannot manage a business to save her soul, is trying out various practices on the Inn’s employees she is picking up from a business course at Cornell. Cornell ought to sue.
Then people start dying. They are old and not exactly in the best of health, but they weren’t at death’s door, either. The one thing they had in common was the Inn. All three victims had had meals at the Inn on the same day. The town doctor, who’s in love with Meg, the aforementioned sister, is mightily distressed. He asks Meg’s sister, Quill, to investigate. This of course adds to the number of subjects over which the two sisters can disagree. As one might imagine, there’s a great amount of shouting, stomping about and door slamming.
Quill, of course, agrees to look into the deaths, if only to protect the reputation of the Inn and her sister. It isn’t like she hasn’t enough to occupy her. She has to deal with a twit of a receptionist who’s trying to finish a PhD and her own inept efforts to force worrisome new business practices on her employees without any preparation.
All of this is handled with a light touch and there are several clever scenes, helped by some imaginative and interesting characters, but it all never quite comes off. The sisters’ constant squabbling, the irritating front office receptionist who should have been fired for insubordination, and half a dozen other offenses, overshadow some strong writing and clever plotting.
The 133rd anniversary of a minor Civil War skirmish is approaching and the town is planning big doings. Things get rapidly complicated. Re-enactors are arriving to stage the battle, a poisonous couple of independent film-makers appear, and Quill, who cannot manage a business to save her soul, is trying out various practices on the Inn’s employees she is picking up from a business course at Cornell. Cornell ought to sue.
Then people start dying. They are old and not exactly in the best of health, but they weren’t at death’s door, either. The one thing they had in common was the Inn. All three victims had had meals at the Inn on the same day. The town doctor, who’s in love with Meg, the aforementioned sister, is mightily distressed. He asks Meg’s sister, Quill, to investigate. This of course adds to the number of subjects over which the two sisters can disagree. As one might imagine, there’s a great amount of shouting, stomping about and door slamming.
Quill, of course, agrees to look into the deaths, if only to protect the reputation of the Inn and her sister. It isn’t like she hasn’t enough to occupy her. She has to deal with a twit of a receptionist who’s trying to finish a PhD and her own inept efforts to force worrisome new business practices on her employees without any preparation.
All of this is handled with a light touch and there are several clever scenes, helped by some imaginative and interesting characters, but it all never quite comes off. The sisters’ constant squabbling, the irritating front office receptionist who should have been fired for insubordination, and half a dozen other offenses, overshadow some strong writing and clever plotting.
September 27, 2010
First Claudia Bishop book I've read. I liked it. Will probably read more as I have time. Need tofind a list of her books so that I could read them in order! lol!
October 11, 2024
I read this first and really enjoyed it. A fun vacation/weekend read set in a small town close to where I live. I did like the characters but wish it was not the 11th in the series. I have a lot of catching up to do.
January 16, 2019
A laugh out loud mystery. Kept me guessing until the end
August 9, 2019
A great read with lots of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what’s going to happen next.
September 8, 2023
Love this series!
July 28, 2024
A good cozy little mystery, but I didn't feel I had enough clues to solve the mystery. Maybe you can do better? Happy reading!
June 24, 2009
AKA - Mary Stanton
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews