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A Lizzie Stuart Mystery #1
Death's Favorite Child
African-American, 38, a crime historian, Lizzie Stuart has spent most of her life in Drucilla, Kentucky. When her grandmother dies, Lizzie decides it is time for a vacation. She joins her best friend, Tess, a travel writer, for a week in Cornwall, England, in the resort town of St. Regis. Lizzie finds her vacation anything but restful when she becomes an eyewitness to murder and the probable next victim.
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
11 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Frankie Y. Bailey
34 books69 followersWhere did you grow up?
I grew up in the country (now suburbs) about five miles outside Danville, Virginia, the "Last Capital of the Confederacy," also famous as "the bright leaf tobacco market of the world" and the home of Dan River Cotton Mills. As you might imagine, Southern history and tradition played important roles in my upbringing. The first history book I remember reading in school was about Virginia history not U.S. The first speech I ever memorized was Patrick Henry's fiery "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" - which I later recalled with some irony when I learned the truth about the founding fathers and slavery. However, I am still a proud Virginian.
I was the oldest of two children, one girl and one boy. My parents were Danville natives. When I was a child, my maternal grandmother lived with us and provided supervision while my parents were at work. My mother came from a large family, so I had a bunch of aunts, uncles, and cousins on her side. Some of my favorite family photos were taken at my Uncle Jimmy's house when we all gathered there on Christmas evening. My father was an only child. His father was a farmer, and even though my father worked in Dan River Mills all his life, in summers he lived for his garden and sold what he grew. (But it has still taken me years and years to learn to love collard greens. Corn bread, yes. Collard greens only recently.)
As the oldest child, I learned to be properly bossy when dealing with my younger brother. Now that we're both grown-ups (most of the time), we are able to carry on intelligent conversations and even view each other with some affection. But, as he will tell you, the nickname that I gave him when he was a toddler - and that nobody else in the world calls him - still automatically pops out of my mouth. Luckily, his wife has figured out who I mean when I call and ask to speak to "Head."
Enough about family. When did you start to write?
I don't remember when I didn't write. I was a shy child, and it was one of those things that I could do alone. In my teens, I discovered mysteries and wrote my first fan letter to a writer -- Richard Martin Stern -- who thrilled me to my toes by writing back. I even persuaded my parents to sign me up for the Famous Writers course on short stories. I never finished the course, but I did read the books they sent me on writing. I even have my graded short stories stashed away somewhere.
My "career" as a mystery writer didn't begin until after I had attended Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!!! At Tech, I started out intending to be a veterinarian, but ended up with a double major in Psychology and English. It was while I was living in Seattle and serving in the U.S. Army as a food inspector, that I began to write fiction again. My first book was a romantic suspense novel. The second was a mystery. Both went into my desk drawer, but I still have the drafts (badly typed and covered in red ink). My third book was non-fiction, and I wrote it after I had finally finished my dissertation in criminal justice a U Albany. The research for that third book, Out of the Woodpile: Black Characters in Crime and Detective Fiction, led me to mystery workshops and conferences. I begin to think again about writing mysteries. When I moved from Frankfort, Kentucky, where I was teaching, back to Albany, I joined a writing group. That was when I began to make a serious effort to write a mystery that I hoped might eventually be published.
What else do you do for fun?
Read, travel - travel every chance I get - go to movies, see friends, plan my dream house...all the usual stuff. One of these days, I intend to learn French and actually get that black belt I've always wanted in karate (if only I can find the discipline to start lessons again and this time stick with it).
I grew up in the country (now suburbs) about five miles outside Danville, Virginia, the "Last Capital of the Confederacy," also famous as "the bright leaf tobacco market of the world" and the home of Dan River Cotton Mills. As you might imagine, Southern history and tradition played important roles in my upbringing. The first history book I remember reading in school was about Virginia history not U.S. The first speech I ever memorized was Patrick Henry's fiery "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" - which I later recalled with some irony when I learned the truth about the founding fathers and slavery. However, I am still a proud Virginian.
I was the oldest of two children, one girl and one boy. My parents were Danville natives. When I was a child, my maternal grandmother lived with us and provided supervision while my parents were at work. My mother came from a large family, so I had a bunch of aunts, uncles, and cousins on her side. Some of my favorite family photos were taken at my Uncle Jimmy's house when we all gathered there on Christmas evening. My father was an only child. His father was a farmer, and even though my father worked in Dan River Mills all his life, in summers he lived for his garden and sold what he grew. (But it has still taken me years and years to learn to love collard greens. Corn bread, yes. Collard greens only recently.)
As the oldest child, I learned to be properly bossy when dealing with my younger brother. Now that we're both grown-ups (most of the time), we are able to carry on intelligent conversations and even view each other with some affection. But, as he will tell you, the nickname that I gave him when he was a toddler - and that nobody else in the world calls him - still automatically pops out of my mouth. Luckily, his wife has figured out who I mean when I call and ask to speak to "Head."
Enough about family. When did you start to write?
I don't remember when I didn't write. I was a shy child, and it was one of those things that I could do alone. In my teens, I discovered mysteries and wrote my first fan letter to a writer -- Richard Martin Stern -- who thrilled me to my toes by writing back. I even persuaded my parents to sign me up for the Famous Writers course on short stories. I never finished the course, but I did read the books they sent me on writing. I even have my graded short stories stashed away somewhere.
My "career" as a mystery writer didn't begin until after I had attended Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!!! At Tech, I started out intending to be a veterinarian, but ended up with a double major in Psychology and English. It was while I was living in Seattle and serving in the U.S. Army as a food inspector, that I began to write fiction again. My first book was a romantic suspense novel. The second was a mystery. Both went into my desk drawer, but I still have the drafts (badly typed and covered in red ink). My third book was non-fiction, and I wrote it after I had finally finished my dissertation in criminal justice a U Albany. The research for that third book, Out of the Woodpile: Black Characters in Crime and Detective Fiction, led me to mystery workshops and conferences. I begin to think again about writing mysteries. When I moved from Frankfort, Kentucky, where I was teaching, back to Albany, I joined a writing group. That was when I began to make a serious effort to write a mystery that I hoped might eventually be published.
What else do you do for fun?
Read, travel - travel every chance I get - go to movies, see friends, plan my dream house...all the usual stuff. One of these days, I intend to learn French and actually get that black belt I've always wanted in karate (if only I can find the discipline to start lessons again and this time stick with it).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 11, 2020
An enjoyable read with a fun main character. The mystery was a little clunky, but I've seen worse.
August 3, 2019
I like Lizzie Stuart. She's feisty, independent, curious, and can take care of herself.
She's on a trip to England to visit with a prickly best friend when a death occurs. Lizzie is quick to realize things aren't just a tragic accident. Eventually, a previous attack on Lizzie, more events in the little town of St. Regis, and a couple cops who recognize intuition (but insist on evidence to back it up) end up tied together in a very emotionally complicated solution.
Okay, I am not good at praising stuff when I can't give away details, but this is a good mystery. I just wish I'd found the author sooner,because I'm having trouble locating copies of her books. Well worth the search though!
She's on a trip to England to visit with a prickly best friend when a death occurs. Lizzie is quick to realize things aren't just a tragic accident. Eventually, a previous attack on Lizzie, more events in the little town of St. Regis, and a couple cops who recognize intuition (but insist on evidence to back it up) end up tied together in a very emotionally complicated solution.
Okay, I am not good at praising stuff when I can't give away details, but this is a good mystery. I just wish I'd found the author sooner,because I'm having trouble locating copies of her books. Well worth the search though!
August 23, 2018
A pretty good read for a first novel. It is the first novel I have read by an African American woman in the mystery genre, and I really enjoy the perspective. Her characters are well drawn and believable, and the writing fairly sharp.
The book, however, did not quite suit my tastes, as it was a bit too much like a cozy and, while it starts out very good, it quickly falls into about 50 pages of humdrum about the tourist sites of St. Regis and Cornwall, and seems to take forever to get to the actual mystery. Once the mystery begins, however, the book becomes engaging.
I will definitely read her next book. The subject looks promising and her writing skill can only get better.
The book, however, did not quite suit my tastes, as it was a bit too much like a cozy and, while it starts out very good, it quickly falls into about 50 pages of humdrum about the tourist sites of St. Regis and Cornwall, and seems to take forever to get to the actual mystery. Once the mystery begins, however, the book becomes engaging.
I will definitely read her next book. The subject looks promising and her writing skill can only get better.
October 8, 2018
Great read
Death's Favorite Child is the first book I've read of Bailey's but it won't be my last. I enjoyed this story, as it showed a great story. Bailey definitely writes well, and creates great chemistry-driven characters. The story had a great pace, that was perfect for this read, not too fast and definitely not too slow. The reader got to know the characters, and enjoy Lizzie. I liked that there was chaos and complications, and things never went as planned for the characters, and it was an unpredictable story. There was a great build up of suspense, as well as a new romance between Lizzie and John.
Death's Favorite Child is the first book I've read of Bailey's but it won't be my last. I enjoyed this story, as it showed a great story. Bailey definitely writes well, and creates great chemistry-driven characters. The story had a great pace, that was perfect for this read, not too fast and definitely not too slow. The reader got to know the characters, and enjoy Lizzie. I liked that there was chaos and complications, and things never went as planned for the characters, and it was an unpredictable story. There was a great build up of suspense, as well as a new romance between Lizzie and John.
January 23, 2019
Good mystery with strong characters
I enjoyed this book. The characters where flushed out with strong points of view. The mystery was compelling and included the whole cast of characters. My only complaint is that the book lacked transitions. It would jump from scene to scene without any notice and it would take a second to figure out how we got to a certain place and time.
I enjoyed this book. The characters where flushed out with strong points of view. The mystery was compelling and included the whole cast of characters. My only complaint is that the book lacked transitions. It would jump from scene to scene without any notice and it would take a second to figure out how we got to a certain place and time.
June 30, 2021
A little too pat, but the setting in Cornwall is as refreshing as a vacation there would be. The most daunting aspect of this book was all the words crammed onto each page: I felt like it was set in 9.5 type with extra narrow margins. But worth the effort, nonetheless.
September 24, 2018
Second time around read after several years still enjoyable. I will say for the first time reader, it starts slowly but definitely holds your attention. I recommend this series.
February 27, 2019
What a great book! Wonderful characters, lots of twists and turns, and best of all - excellent writing.
May 13, 2019
I totally enjoyed the characters in this book. It kept my interest all the way through and surprised me at the end. Can't ask for anything better. Highly recommended.
February 16, 2021
It was an enjoyable story, I didn't see those twists coming. The author did a great job setting Cornwall and made me want to travel to a similar place. I put 3 stars because I felt there were too much coincidences facilitating Lizzie's investigation. For example, the other characters were revealing to her the right information at the right time and it wasn't natural at all, also she (and the others) had this capacity to only overhear relevant conversations helping her with the case.
I still would like to continue the other books in the series, Lizzie is interesting and want to know what will happen to Tess.
I still would like to continue the other books in the series, Lizzie is interesting and want to know what will happen to Tess.
November 19, 2007
Lizzie Stuart goes to Cornwall on a vacation with her best friend and ends up the witness to a murder. A young woman is cleverly murdered, obviously by someone who is staying at the charming little inn run by her aunts. Since Lizzie is also a guest at the inn, she is somewhat disturbed by the fact that she not only witnessed a murder but is sharing living space with the possible murderer. Meanwhile her best friend's ne'er do well ex-husband has also arrived and is trying to patch things up. Lizzie dislikes him and wonders if it is wishful thinking that he may be involved. And then there is the attractive American detective that Lizzie keeps running into. John Quinn is determined that Lizzie keep her nose out of a bona fide murder mystery before she gets herself killed.
This was a lovely story. It had the true feel of one of those nice cozy little mysteries. The book is excellently written and I like the idea of the budding romance between Lizzie and John. I do wish that the author was a bit more descriptive of Lizzie. I can't get a picture of her in my head. And I thought the connections between all the people were a little too neat. Also I found the way the murder was solved somewhat implausible, but I give that a pass.
Overall, this was a good story. I can't wait to read the next ones.
This was a lovely story. It had the true feel of one of those nice cozy little mysteries. The book is excellently written and I like the idea of the budding romance between Lizzie and John. I do wish that the author was a bit more descriptive of Lizzie. I can't get a picture of her in my head. And I thought the connections between all the people were a little too neat. Also I found the way the murder was solved somewhat implausible, but I give that a pass.
Overall, this was a good story. I can't wait to read the next ones.
December 1, 2020
This book deserved better editing. There were so many outright typos and incorrect words it was distracting. And the name of the particular murder weapon is so unfortunate, especially since it gets repeated over and over.
The book could have been a lot tighter. There was a lot of unnecessary dialogue that was probably meant to make everything seem realistic but, instead, made it feel awkward and, at times, boring with a lot of repetition and explanations of things that don’t need to be explained.
But the good? The good was the main character. She’s great. She’s smart and stubborn and funny. She’s also relatable. It’s refreshing to read a murder mystery with a black woman as the protagonist as well as the author.
The book could have been a lot tighter. There was a lot of unnecessary dialogue that was probably meant to make everything seem realistic but, instead, made it feel awkward and, at times, boring with a lot of repetition and explanations of things that don’t need to be explained.
But the good? The good was the main character. She’s great. She’s smart and stubborn and funny. She’s also relatable. It’s refreshing to read a murder mystery with a black woman as the protagonist as well as the author.
June 22, 2013
This Lizzie Stuart mystery takes places in England and follows Lizzie to a quaint Bed and Breakfast where lies, secrets and murder gather. I really enjoyed this and felt that I was travelling along with Lizzie on her vacation.
January 26, 2016
I read about Bailey in Publisher's Weekly and bought all four of her books in the series. It was money well spent.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews