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Madoc and Janet Rhys #1
A Pint of Murder
Agatha Treadway has done her own preserving ever since the day her husband was done in by a can of supermarket tomatoes. And after four vigilant decades canning everything from peaches to spinach, it is her own green beans that kill her. Inspecting the fatal jar, Janet Wadman finds it has been tampered with, so that toxic botulism was allowed to seep in. But before she can tell the town doctor that Mrs. Treadway was murdered, the doctor joins the widow in untimely death.
To investigate, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sends Madoc Rhys, a Mountie who doesn’t look the part. Masquerading as a relative, this squat Welshman helps Janet dig into the town’s dark side. And what they find is a deadly secret that proves even more poisonous than botulism.
To investigate, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sends Madoc Rhys, a Mountie who doesn’t look the part. Masquerading as a relative, this squat Welshman helps Janet dig into the town’s dark side. And what they find is a deadly secret that proves even more poisonous than botulism.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
March 9, 2020
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Language: English
ASIN: B0099IHPBG
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 43151
318 pages
Published under the pen name Alisa Craig, this novel lacks the wit and liveliness of MacCleod's Peter Shandy mysteries. Too many pages spent in endless, frequently redundant, mostly pointless internal speculation by Mountie Madoc. Of course real investigators sometimes do that but the detailed recounting of it was boring. Many unpleasant characters and few really likeable ones contribute to the overall sense that this just isn't up to the standards MacCleod set in many of her other books. It is still fairly good compared to the general run of the mill mystery novels. Just not as good as what I expected from Charlotte MacCleod.
For those interested in the series, this volume does relate the initial meeting of Madoc and Janet Rhys.
Publication date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Language: English
ASIN: B0099IHPBG
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 43151
318 pages
Published under the pen name Alisa Craig, this novel lacks the wit and liveliness of MacCleod's Peter Shandy mysteries. Too many pages spent in endless, frequently redundant, mostly pointless internal speculation by Mountie Madoc. Of course real investigators sometimes do that but the detailed recounting of it was boring. Many unpleasant characters and few really likeable ones contribute to the overall sense that this just isn't up to the standards MacCleod set in many of her other books. It is still fairly good compared to the general run of the mill mystery novels. Just not as good as what I expected from Charlotte MacCleod.
For those interested in the series, this volume does relate the initial meeting of Madoc and Janet Rhys.
April 17, 2023
This murder mystery was pleasant to read, so a solid three stars for "I liked it" in Goodreads's code. It's told in close third person centering on two characters, but be warned: the second one, Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the series title, doesn't appear until halfway through the novel.
Until then, our main character is Janet Wadman, who appears in the next novel in this series as Janet Rhys, so we know where one part of the plot is going. In this book, however, romance fans should also be warned: it doesn't progress past a growing fondness and an agreement for Madoc to visit Janet after his next assignment. Both Janet (pronounced "Jennet") and Madoc are quite likeable, and it was good of the author to let us see into their thoughts and feelings.
The setting is Pitcherville, a very small town in the Saint John Valley of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. That's the Maritime province that, seen on the map, sits to the right of the state of Maine and looks something like it in size and shape. I've never been there, in fiction or in real life, so I was quite curious to get hold of this novel. The small-town characters and their relationships are well described indeed, with lots of dialogue that let me get to know half a dozen of the suspects as real people. Kudos to the author (Charlotte MacLeod using the penname Alisa Craig) for that.
The murders, though, were something else. As the story goes along, it becomes increasingly hard to imagine this person or that as the killer, given the ways in which the deeds were done. And when Madoc Rhys, with a Poirot-like genius for mysteries, solves the case with a full explanation of each criminal act, it wasn't a very big surprise to me but it left me scratching my head over motives and outcome.
Although this probably fits into the category of cozy mysteries, it didn't feel too cozy once the facts were all out. So if you don't mind a very slow start, with lots of character development--and two early deaths that appear to be accidental but we know with Janet that they aren't--I think you may well enjoy this peek into New Brunswick village life.
Until then, our main character is Janet Wadman, who appears in the next novel in this series as Janet Rhys, so we know where one part of the plot is going. In this book, however, romance fans should also be warned: it doesn't progress past a growing fondness and an agreement for Madoc to visit Janet after his next assignment. Both Janet (pronounced "Jennet") and Madoc are quite likeable, and it was good of the author to let us see into their thoughts and feelings.
The setting is Pitcherville, a very small town in the Saint John Valley of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. That's the Maritime province that, seen on the map, sits to the right of the state of Maine and looks something like it in size and shape. I've never been there, in fiction or in real life, so I was quite curious to get hold of this novel. The small-town characters and their relationships are well described indeed, with lots of dialogue that let me get to know half a dozen of the suspects as real people. Kudos to the author (Charlotte MacLeod using the penname Alisa Craig) for that.
The murders, though, were something else. As the story goes along, it becomes increasingly hard to imagine this person or that as the killer, given the ways in which the deeds were done. And when Madoc Rhys, with a Poirot-like genius for mysteries, solves the case with a full explanation of each criminal act, it wasn't a very big surprise to me but it left me scratching my head over motives and outcome.
Although this probably fits into the category of cozy mysteries, it didn't feel too cozy once the facts were all out. So if you don't mind a very slow start, with lots of character development--and two early deaths that appear to be accidental but we know with Janet that they aren't--I think you may well enjoy this peek into New Brunswick village life.
December 27, 2016
I adored the late Charlotte MacLeod’s cozy mystery series featuring Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn and all of Sarah’s eccentric extended family — enough to have read every single book in the series and been sorry to see it end! Thanks to my Great Escape sisters, I launched into MacLeod’s Peter Shandy series, which I love, as well. Unfortunately, I’m having to wait for the library to send me the fourth in the Shandy series, Something The Cat Dragged In. So, to tide myself over, I turned to yet another of MacLeod’s series, this one written under the pseudonym of Alisa Craig. This series features Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
I love Canada (hey! I can sing the entirety of the Canadian national anthem by heart, OK?), but I knew absolutely nothing about the RCMP except for what I learned from Dudley Do-Right. I’ve never even seen the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald movies. I suspect I still don’t know anything about the real workings of the RCMP, but I like Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys and his love interest Janet Wadman. I don’t like this series as much as I do the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn and Peter Shandy series, which are a bit more humorous if a bit more over the top, but I liked Rhys well enough that I want to read the rest of the novels.
I love Canada (hey! I can sing the entirety of the Canadian national anthem by heart, OK?), but I knew absolutely nothing about the RCMP except for what I learned from Dudley Do-Right. I’ve never even seen the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald movies. I suspect I still don’t know anything about the real workings of the RCMP, but I like Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys and his love interest Janet Wadman. I don’t like this series as much as I do the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn and Peter Shandy series, which are a bit more humorous if a bit more over the top, but I liked Rhys well enough that I want to read the rest of the novels.
November 7, 2024
I should have checked GR before I started rereading this one. I like this author a lot, but this book is slow as molasses in January and the characters never come alive. Fortunately they get better as the series goes on, thoush this is never her best. My original review stands below.
Started out slow. Really slow. It finally picked up once the Mountie arrived, but that took way too long. I like Rhys and Janet, I think. They're not glamorous, but feel like fairly real people who might reasonably be expected to be interested in each other. I'd have liked to spend more time with them together. The solution to the murders came out of left field. I read lots of these, but I had to stop and think, "Now, what?" That's a good thing, of course, being surprised like that in a mystery. :)
I do like the small town setting, the characters who aren't too nice but also not unreasonable nasty or eccentric. And the method of the murder. Death by botulism. Not written about often but it can definitely happen, in fact a friend of my grandmother died from home canned green beans. I'll probably read another one of these some time. I definitely prefer all of the author's other series to this first book, though. The characters are more strongly drawn than they are here.
Started out slow. Really slow. It finally picked up once the Mountie arrived, but that took way too long. I like Rhys and Janet, I think. They're not glamorous, but feel like fairly real people who might reasonably be expected to be interested in each other. I'd have liked to spend more time with them together. The solution to the murders came out of left field. I read lots of these, but I had to stop and think, "Now, what?" That's a good thing, of course, being surprised like that in a mystery. :)
I do like the small town setting, the characters who aren't too nice but also not unreasonable nasty or eccentric. And the method of the murder. Death by botulism. Not written about often but it can definitely happen, in fact a friend of my grandmother died from home canned green beans. I'll probably read another one of these some time. I definitely prefer all of the author's other series to this first book, though. The characters are more strongly drawn than they are here.
July 23, 2017
3 stars, or ok on my personal scale. I thought I had read this years ago after I read Charlotte MacLeod's Max Bittersohn/Sarah Kelling and Peter Shandy mysteries years ago; didn't seem familiar, though. Maybe I tried her Grub and Stakers mysteries! I just remember thinking the books were too whimsically cute for me.
Not so here. While not as sharp and witty as the Kelling and Shandy mysteries, this debut mystery in the Maddoc Rhys series did have some flashes of the earthy, snarky humor MacLeod displayed through some of the characters and dialogue in those very enjoyable books.
I am currently somewhat at the mercy of e-books so I can blow up the fonts post-surgery to read, so I may try the next in the series.
Not so here. While not as sharp and witty as the Kelling and Shandy mysteries, this debut mystery in the Maddoc Rhys series did have some flashes of the earthy, snarky humor MacLeod displayed through some of the characters and dialogue in those very enjoyable books.
I am currently somewhat at the mercy of e-books so I can blow up the fonts post-surgery to read, so I may try the next in the series.
November 14, 2018
I enjoyed this read. It was a solid introduction to the series.
I found that I liked the characters, who were generally well-developed and distinct in their personalities without being over the top. I also liked protagonists Janet Wadman and Madoc Rhys. I found that Craig/MacLeod got the family dynamics between the characters dead on, including those of the dysfunctional/abusive family members. I also appreciated seeing the growth of the characters in what is ultimately a fairly short book with a plot that takes place over a fairly short period of time.
I found that the plot was interesting. The author added enough details about what was happening in the characters' lives and in the town without getting bogged down in too much detail, with elements of romance along the way that still remember that this is a mystery novel.
One bonus is that I have often in GR reviews bemoaned the cozy mysteries where female protagonists spend moaning and mooning about a man. Often I have noted it would be interesting to finally have a cozy where the male character spends the book moaning and mooning about a woman instead. Here, Madoc does actually some time moaning and mooning about Janet, which I appreciated not just for the gender-role reversal, but also because he was quite charming about it, remaining completely respectful to Janet and her feelings along the way.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I will look up others in the series and will likely look up books in this author's other series.
Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Mysterious Press/Open Road.
I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.
I found that I liked the characters, who were generally well-developed and distinct in their personalities without being over the top. I also liked protagonists Janet Wadman and Madoc Rhys. I found that Craig/MacLeod got the family dynamics between the characters dead on, including those of the dysfunctional/abusive family members. I also appreciated seeing the growth of the characters in what is ultimately a fairly short book with a plot that takes place over a fairly short period of time.
I found that the plot was interesting. The author added enough details about what was happening in the characters' lives and in the town without getting bogged down in too much detail, with elements of romance along the way that still remember that this is a mystery novel.
One bonus is that I have often in GR reviews bemoaned the cozy mysteries where female protagonists spend moaning and mooning about a man. Often I have noted it would be interesting to finally have a cozy where the male character spends the book moaning and mooning about a woman instead. Here, Madoc does actually some time moaning and mooning about Janet, which I appreciated not just for the gender-role reversal, but also because he was quite charming about it, remaining completely respectful to Janet and her feelings along the way.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I will look up others in the series and will likely look up books in this author's other series.
Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Mysterious Press/Open Road.
I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.
November 29, 2014
Another amusing cozy by Charlotte MacLeod (under her pen name of Alisa Craig), this one is set in Canada and features Madog Rhys of the RCMP (a/k/a the Mounties). She was born in Canada in 1922, but emigrated to the US in 1923. She became a US citizen in 1951. Unfortunately, there are only five Rhys mysteries, of which this is the first.
Elderly Agatha Treadway has died of food poisoning - supposedly from the food that she had herself canned. Her neighbor and friend, Janet Wadman, doesn't believe it for an instant. Despite her age, Mrs Treadway was remarkably self-sufficient and independent, and was well-known for her canning skills. The idea that anything Agatha canned would develop botulism is absurd to Janet and she says so. When the doctor who tended to Agatha - and who is also her nephew by marriage - dies suddenly from "a fall" after obtaining a sample of the tainted food, Janet suspects the same person who killed Agatha killed him as well. Eventually, things get to the point where the Mounties are summoned, which is when Madog Rhys enters the picture in one of MacLeod's more amusing passages:
"EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT A Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman looks like. He is lean, bronzed, straight-backed, steel-jawed, handsome as all getout, and stands six-foot-four in his socks. He wears a dashing red tunic, shiny boots, and blue jodhpurs with yellow stripes up the sides. Mounties are most apt to be found either astride magnificent stallions, singing, “Rose Marie, I Love You,” or else driving strings of huskies across frozen wastes of snow with the aurora borealis flashing behind them and repentant renegades lashed to their sleds.
Janet Wadman had no trouble whatever passing off Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys of the RCMP as Annabelle’s cousin from Winnipeg. He looked like an unemployed plumber’s helper."
Poor Madog!
Despite his looks - or lack of them - Madog is an excellent investigator with an eye for detail. His only problem is that he is increasingly distracted by Janet - not that he minds, of course. There is one more murder before Madog, with Janet's help, catches the killer.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Charlotte MacLeod is excellent at creating very interesting characters, most of whom are very likable (with the possible exception of Jason Bain and the doctor's widow (and Agatha's niece) Elizabeth. Initially, I disliked Agatha's niece Marion, but by the end of the book, I liked her. Even though the book is set in Canada, the setting seemed very familiar to me and I live in a small town in Texas. Some things are universal.
Very recommended.
Elderly Agatha Treadway has died of food poisoning - supposedly from the food that she had herself canned. Her neighbor and friend, Janet Wadman, doesn't believe it for an instant. Despite her age, Mrs Treadway was remarkably self-sufficient and independent, and was well-known for her canning skills. The idea that anything Agatha canned would develop botulism is absurd to Janet and she says so. When the doctor who tended to Agatha - and who is also her nephew by marriage - dies suddenly from "a fall" after obtaining a sample of the tainted food, Janet suspects the same person who killed Agatha killed him as well. Eventually, things get to the point where the Mounties are summoned, which is when Madog Rhys enters the picture in one of MacLeod's more amusing passages:
"EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT A Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman looks like. He is lean, bronzed, straight-backed, steel-jawed, handsome as all getout, and stands six-foot-four in his socks. He wears a dashing red tunic, shiny boots, and blue jodhpurs with yellow stripes up the sides. Mounties are most apt to be found either astride magnificent stallions, singing, “Rose Marie, I Love You,” or else driving strings of huskies across frozen wastes of snow with the aurora borealis flashing behind them and repentant renegades lashed to their sleds.
Janet Wadman had no trouble whatever passing off Detective Inspector Madoc Rhys of the RCMP as Annabelle’s cousin from Winnipeg. He looked like an unemployed plumber’s helper."
Poor Madog!
Despite his looks - or lack of them - Madog is an excellent investigator with an eye for detail. His only problem is that he is increasingly distracted by Janet - not that he minds, of course. There is one more murder before Madog, with Janet's help, catches the killer.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Charlotte MacLeod is excellent at creating very interesting characters, most of whom are very likable (with the possible exception of Jason Bain and the doctor's widow (and Agatha's niece) Elizabeth. Initially, I disliked Agatha's niece Marion, but by the end of the book, I liked her. Even though the book is set in Canada, the setting seemed very familiar to me and I live in a small town in Texas. Some things are universal.
Very recommended.
April 2, 2013
I am so glad Charlotte MacLeod's books are finally out in ebooks. I have been keeping an eye out and finally decided to check again after being disappointed so often. Yay!
I had not read this series before but am very pleased with it - it is good fun.
Janet is suffering from a bruised heart and a ruptured appendix and has come home to her brother's farm to recuperate. His wife is having an operation for "female troubles" and their kids are at her parents so Janet doesn't have a lot to do. Hearing a commotion at their only neighbors she finds the doctor there and his sister-in-law, Aggie's niece there on a visit, looking at the dead woman lying on her kitchen floor, having apparently been poisoned by home canned string beans. Janet is suspicious because Aggie had always been so careful. Then the doctor is killed when Janet goes to see him about the jar of green beans.
She talks to the local marshall about the situation and agrees to check on the second jar she found before they call in the Mounties. But a fire burns down the house where Gilly Bascom lives nearly killing her, her son Bobby and their dogs. So the mounties are called and Madoc Rhys arrives. Not your typical Mounty in looks. He is 5'8" and soft spoken - and Welsh, with an amazing resolution record.
He is instantly attracted to Janet and keeps reminding himself he is on a case and she's a suspect.
There are many more quirky characters with their own idiosyncracies as in any small town. Jason Bain is one, with jis penchant for suing at the drop of a hat. And for some reason he is after a patent for one of Aggie's husbands useless inventions.
Lovely, warm fun mystery. Now I will have to read the rest. A quick read, too.
I had not read this series before but am very pleased with it - it is good fun.
Janet is suffering from a bruised heart and a ruptured appendix and has come home to her brother's farm to recuperate. His wife is having an operation for "female troubles" and their kids are at her parents so Janet doesn't have a lot to do. Hearing a commotion at their only neighbors she finds the doctor there and his sister-in-law, Aggie's niece there on a visit, looking at the dead woman lying on her kitchen floor, having apparently been poisoned by home canned string beans. Janet is suspicious because Aggie had always been so careful. Then the doctor is killed when Janet goes to see him about the jar of green beans.
She talks to the local marshall about the situation and agrees to check on the second jar she found before they call in the Mounties. But a fire burns down the house where Gilly Bascom lives nearly killing her, her son Bobby and their dogs. So the mounties are called and Madoc Rhys arrives. Not your typical Mounty in looks. He is 5'8" and soft spoken - and Welsh, with an amazing resolution record.
He is instantly attracted to Janet and keeps reminding himself he is on a case and she's a suspect.
There are many more quirky characters with their own idiosyncracies as in any small town. Jason Bain is one, with jis penchant for suing at the drop of a hat. And for some reason he is after a patent for one of Aggie's husbands useless inventions.
Lovely, warm fun mystery. Now I will have to read the rest. A quick read, too.
December 31, 2019
Early Bird Book Deal | Exactly one year and three weeks ago, I wrote the following in a review of one of the books in another of the author's series: "My main complaint about MacLeod has been that she always includes these several-page rambling interludes in which her amateur sleuth muses about possible solutions that are so obviously not correct. They're put in way too early, are ridiculous, go on too long, and serve only to confirm that the person being suspected in that moment is innocent. They don't even provide new information. Once the reader gets into the habit of skimming those bits instead of reading them closely, the books become more enjoyable. Too bad her editors couldn't have cured her of the habit back when she was writing them."
That is all just as true in this book as it was in that one. The book was fine, but could have been about 25% shorter if those mental "what ifs", which didn't provide anything to the narrative, had been edited out.
That is all just as true in this book as it was in that one. The book was fine, but could have been about 25% shorter if those mental "what ifs", which didn't provide anything to the narrative, had been edited out.
August 9, 2015
Alisa Craig is also known as Charlotte MacLeod. I've read the Peter Shandy and Kelling/Bittershon series by Charlotte MacLeod and have loved her characters and wit. I felt A Pint of Murder was written by a different person...characters were flat and the plot was sub-par.
June 27, 2021
I was so happy to find another Charlotte MacLeod series! While this first book in the series suffers a little bit from the introducing characters syndrome, Charlotte MacLeod’s characteristic quirky humor and eccentric characters are there.
June 17, 2024
A brisk, easy read. I'm not sure the murder methods make a ton of sense, but it also didn't really matter. The entertainment is more just about watching the plot get set in motion and going along for the ride.
October 18, 2020
Nice introduction to what will no doubt be a nicely quirky series. This mystery had lots of fun characters, reminded me a lot of the type one finds in various rural parts of the US. I did not picture Janet being in her early twenties. Her character definitely felt older but this was published in 1980. The mystery wasn't particularly compelling but the characters kept it interesting. Looking forward to the next book.
August 22, 2017
Decent cozy. It took me awhile to get into it. The characters weren't all that interesting in the beginning, but the mystery was good.
May 12, 2022
cozy series with a lot of potential ~
June 10, 2024
This book is about a bunch of crazy people, the Mountie Rhys McDoc is called in about some murders.
January 3, 2015
Angela Treadway, an elderly widow in a small Canadian town, is poisoned by botulism in some canned green beans that she ate and Janet Wadman is instantly suspicious because Mrs. Treadway was known in the community for being fanatically careful with the fruits and vegetables that she canned. Before Janet could alert the local doctor about her suspicions, he is also killed. Before the murderer is unmasked, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are involved and then things get really interesting. An attention-grabbing plot, but, unfortunately, the story moved a little slowly for me.
December 28, 2023
This book had an uninteresting plot with unlikeable characters. The story was mostly dialogue with quite a bit of taking God’s name in vain. The sleuthing consisted mostly of repetitive thoughts of the possible suspects rather than actual clue gathering. This is nothing compared to Agatha Christie.
October 31, 2017
A delightful Whodunit set in a remote village in Canada, A Pint of Murder was published originally in 1980, but has been recently resurrected by mystery lovers who now offer it digitally through Open Road Media, which is how I came across it.
Janet Wadman has temporarily returned to the family farm in Pitcherville, New Brunswick, Canada to help out while her sister-in-law is recovering from surgery. One sleepless night she sees the doctor's car at the neighboring farm and goes to check on her elderly neighbor, Agatha Treadway. But Agatha is already dead on the floor and the doctor says he is sure it is food poisoning...the deadly botulism, as a matter of fact.
Ms. Treadway had been canning and eating her own food from her own cellar for decades, and Janet does not believe Ms. Treadway, even at age 87, would have made a careless mistake in the canning process. Her visiting niece Marion Emery had eaten supper with Ms. Treadway, but had not shared the green beans. The doctor left with the jar, saying he would send the jar to the lab for processing. The next day Janet was back helping Marion and was down in the cellar where she observes a second jar of green beans which had been cut, not snapped, as Ms. Treadway had always prepared them.
She quickly calls the doctor's home to find out if the jar he was sending to the lab had cut or snapped beans in it, but Janet only gets to make an appointment to visit later that day, as she did not want to leave a message which might be overheard on the party line in their small gossipy town.
But Janet was never going to get to ask the doctor that question. When she enters his office, she discovers his body where he apparently slipped on a rug and hit his head on the edge of the desk.
But is that really what happened? Janet notices that his head has a rounded indention at the site of the mortal wound, not an angular one which the desk would have made. Sleepy little Pitcherville may have a murderer in their midst...is it time to call in the Mounties?
There are several books in this series, so look for them in your bookstore or library, or check out mysteriouspress.com, mysteriousbookshop.com, or openroadmedia.com.
July 7, 2025
The first thing I want to say is that this is not a Peter Shandy novel. Had Margaret MacLeod wanted to write this as a Peter Shandy novel, she'd have used her own name and set the story in Balaclava Junction.
That being said, I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. I'm always suspicious when an author uses a pseudonym to write novels. Agatha Christie wrote as Mary Westmacott. I didn't like the Mary Westmacott novels.
A Pint of Murder is good. It doesn't have the humor that the Peter Shandy novels have, but I like the way Madoc Rhys did his detecting. The characters in this book remind me of my own family and all the gossiping that goes on - everyone knows everyone else's business. This gossip helps Rhys conduct his investigation. As a Canadian, I also like that this series is set in Canada.
Here's an interesting play on words: Michael Portillo has a series of train journeys through the UK. One of those journeys takes place in Scotland. Ailsa Craig is an island off the coast of Scotland where the granite comes from to make curling stones. Alisa Craig writes this particular series. Inspector Rhys is of Welsh origin, but there are a lot of people of Scottish descent living in New Brunswick - the province where this series takes place.
That being said, I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. I'm always suspicious when an author uses a pseudonym to write novels. Agatha Christie wrote as Mary Westmacott. I didn't like the Mary Westmacott novels.
A Pint of Murder is good. It doesn't have the humor that the Peter Shandy novels have, but I like the way Madoc Rhys did his detecting. The characters in this book remind me of my own family and all the gossiping that goes on - everyone knows everyone else's business. This gossip helps Rhys conduct his investigation. As a Canadian, I also like that this series is set in Canada.
Here's an interesting play on words: Michael Portillo has a series of train journeys through the UK. One of those journeys takes place in Scotland. Ailsa Craig is an island off the coast of Scotland where the granite comes from to make curling stones. Alisa Craig writes this particular series. Inspector Rhys is of Welsh origin, but there are a lot of people of Scottish descent living in New Brunswick - the province where this series takes place.
October 8, 2024
Have not read this series of Alicia Craig/Charlotte MacLeod's and have read everything of hers ...
So happy to be recommended Charlotte MacLeod's books after decades since I read everything I could find of hers.
She is quippy, funny, Soooo funny, smart, tongue-in-cheek, witty, dry, brilliant.
I read most of her books decades ago and am glad to find Alicia Craig just as wonderful as I remember Charlotte!
I truly enjoyed the writing , the characters, the blossoming love story, the plotting, the movement, the scenes, the situations... All except the futility and sad waste of life of the murders And the murdered...
Some indications of who the murderer might be but as death is always a real surprise when it occurs no matter the reasons or circumstances, found it to be a surprise in the end.Madoc Rhys is quite the detective.
What a canny, smart, understated and melt into the background kind of not what you expect Mountie!
I really loved the fast pace, the vernacular speech of many of the characters, the down home feel, the commonality of the setting and scenes to people all over Canada and the U.S. and elsewhere....all of it.
Highly recommended.
So happy to be recommended Charlotte MacLeod's books after decades since I read everything I could find of hers.
She is quippy, funny, Soooo funny, smart, tongue-in-cheek, witty, dry, brilliant.
I read most of her books decades ago and am glad to find Alicia Craig just as wonderful as I remember Charlotte!
I truly enjoyed the writing , the characters, the blossoming love story, the plotting, the movement, the scenes, the situations... All except the futility and sad waste of life of the murders And the murdered...
Some indications of who the murderer might be but as death is always a real surprise when it occurs no matter the reasons or circumstances, found it to be a surprise in the end.Madoc Rhys is quite the detective.
What a canny, smart, understated and melt into the background kind of not what you expect Mountie!
I really loved the fast pace, the vernacular speech of many of the characters, the down home feel, the commonality of the setting and scenes to people all over Canada and the U.S. and elsewhere....all of it.
Highly recommended.
November 20, 2022
Charlotte McLeod doing what she did best [albeit under a surname] - a cozy, set in a tight knit community in Canada. An old woman dies of 'botulism' according to the not-so-good doc. The doc dies. The young gal, returned to her old homestead to nurse appendix and an appalling break up, gets suspicious. Enter the Mounties (well, one rather shy and definitely gentlemanly Mountie). The joint detecting begins, a chaste and discreet romance is hinted at, more murders occur, and there is a satisfying dénouement.
No sex, absolute minimum of violence [I have to accept that murder of itself is violent :0)]
No sex, absolute minimum of violence [I have to accept that murder of itself is violent :0)]
October 11, 2024
A pleasant enough read with a few laugh out loud moments, but I stopped reading about 80% of the way and had to really force myself to finish that last 20%. Of all the genres for that to happen, it surprised me that it was a mystery.
I was not expecting as much CanCon (Canadian Content) as I got from this book. I counted two references to Trudeau (the elder), not to mention the RCMP, French pronunciations of names, etc. It was kind of fun to read a cozy mystery with a Maritime setting. Even the murder weapon felt very Canadian.
I think I liked The Family Vault better, but I may read more of either series if I'm in the mood for another mystery.
I was not expecting as much CanCon (Canadian Content) as I got from this book. I counted two references to Trudeau (the elder), not to mention the RCMP, French pronunciations of names, etc. It was kind of fun to read a cozy mystery with a Maritime setting. Even the murder weapon felt very Canadian.
I think I liked The Family Vault better, but I may read more of either series if I'm in the mood for another mystery.
September 29, 2024
I'd first read this book over 10 years ago but had forgotten the the story so fair game when it showed up included on kindle.
Set in small town New Brunswick, it uses the language of the area. The book feels like it is set in maybe the 1930s to 1950s and it came as a surprise when someone mentions a 1976 car (the book was written in 1980).
The mystery is interesting, there are a lot of unlikable characters and as it's a set up for the main characters to get married, there is some low key romance mainly on the man's side (unusual!)
Set in small town New Brunswick, it uses the language of the area. The book feels like it is set in maybe the 1930s to 1950s and it came as a surprise when someone mentions a 1976 car (the book was written in 1980).
The mystery is interesting, there are a lot of unlikable characters and as it's a set up for the main characters to get married, there is some low key romance mainly on the man's side (unusual!)
December 24, 2022
Janet Rhys has come home to help her brother. She soon finds things are not simple in the village
An old woman dies and Janet suspects foul play. The village cop is way over his head as is the coroner. Things get weird and sticky when tongues wag, ears easedrop, old feuds flourish and fingers point.
Enter the Canadian County who looks and acts the exact opposite of the Mounty image . But he is good at his job.
An old woman dies and Janet suspects foul play. The village cop is way over his head as is the coroner. Things get weird and sticky when tongues wag, ears easedrop, old feuds flourish and fingers point.
Enter the Canadian County who looks and acts the exact opposite of the Mounty image . But he is good at his job.
September 1, 2023
If you, like me, have mostly read the Sarah Kelling books by Charlotte MacLeod, and not any under her pseudonym of Alisa Craig, you are in for a treat! There is a newly recorded audio version of this fabulous book (2021) and it was a pleasure to listen to William Dufris tell this story.
William is a great reader (see Old Man's War) and gets the mental processes of our Canadian Mountie done beautifully.
William is a great reader (see Old Man's War) and gets the mental processes of our Canadian Mountie done beautifully.
July 4, 2017
The 3 books in the Madoc and Janet Rhys series were on sale as ebooks, so I decided to buy them on a whim. I'm glad I did. The main characters are a delightful husband and wife detective team who put me in mind of Amelia Peadboy/Radcliffe Emerson, though definitely with different settings. Anyway, it was a delightful and easy read.
September 15, 2024
The library has a table with books about beer and I spotted this mystery. Turns out the “Pint” in the title has nothing to do with beer.
This is a pretty good cozy and I did not figure out the solution. The motive and actions of the murderer were a bit of a stretch, but there was an explanation for it.
Short at 186 pages but the author fit a lot of story in there.
This is a pretty good cozy and I did not figure out the solution. The motive and actions of the murderer were a bit of a stretch, but there was an explanation for it.
Short at 186 pages but the author fit a lot of story in there.
August 14, 2017
I liked the setting, the story and both Janet and Madoc... some of the other characters, I could have done without...
And although I correctly guessed the identity of the killer at one point, I dismissed it as other things happened.
And although I correctly guessed the identity of the killer at one point, I dismissed it as other things happened.
September 16, 2017
This series is more probable and less silly than the Sarah & Max Bittersohn books, however it is still populated by quirky characters who are interesting and move the plot along. It's great escapist fiction and a fun read for a lazy afternoon.
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