Confidence Woman

Claire Reynier #3

by Judith Van Gieson

When New Mexico rare book expert Claire Reynier becomes the victim of credit card fraud, she is stunned to discover that her old college friend Evelyn Martin, a con artist, is the culprit, but when Evelyn turns up dead, Claire finds herself the prime suspect in her murder. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Judith Van Gieson is the author of a children’s book, a collection of poetry and short stories, and thirteen mysteries. Her short stories have appeared in several mystery anthologies. In the first mystery series eight books, featuring female Albuquerque attorney/sleuth Neil Hamel, were published by HarperCollins. Neil’s work often involved environmental issues including endangered species and wildfires. Books in this series were published in England, Japan and Germany. It was optioned by CBS. The Lies That Bind was a finalist for the Shamus Award for best detective novel. The series won the Spirit of Magnifico Literary Award.

There were five books in the second series with heroine Claire Reynier published in paperback by Signet, in hardcover by University of New Mexico Press and in a large print edition by Thorndike. Claire works as an archivist and librarian at the Center for Southwest Research at UNM. This series involved rare artifacts and New Mexico history. The Stolen Blue was a finalist for the Reviewer’s Choice Award. The Shadow of Venus was a finalist for the Barry Award and won the Zia Award given by New Mexico Press Women for Best Work of Fiction by a New Mexico woman.

Series:
* Neil Hamel
* Claire Reynier

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for Confidence Woman: Claire Reynier Series, Book 3 (audiobook) by Judith Van Gieson read by Meredith Mitchell.

I’m enjoying this series less and less. I was hoping that the writing would start to flow better. And the narrator mispronounced several words. That really pulls me out of the story.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in the series of Claire Reynier mysteries. It starts with the apparent death of an old sorority sister of Claire’s in Santa Fe. As the story develops, it turns out that Evelyn, the old friend, had visited four of her old “sisters” in turn, spinning them stories and stealing their identities and something they valued as well. Thus the four “sisters” become the primary suspects. Claire is the one without an alibi, and so it falls to her t do her own investigation.
As she is the book lover / rare book curator for the University of New Mexico, it s no surprise that the object stolen from her is in fact a rare book, in this case a signed Herman Melville book. And it turns out that her grumpy boss is interested in said book for his collection, which leads to an interesting side-story.
But I digress…. Claire works out what really happened (no spoiler here) and exonerates herself.
Did I like it? Yes, it was better than the first one in the series. Was it great? Not so much. Maybe I read it too quickly to understand the discussions on identity theft, and how it makes you feel, but I didn’t see that aspect of the book. I did see a certain amount of regret at the destruction of Arizona’s and New Mexico’s environment as more and more people move to the South West, something echoed in other Southwestern fiction. It was a good page-turner for a quite day in autumn.

[Vi Elsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice light mystery aimed at the "middle aged" crowd - over 50.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When Claire Reynier becomes the victim of credit card fraud, she's stunned to discover that Evelyn Martin, an old college friend and sorority sister, is the culprit. She's even more shocked when Evelyn turns up dead. According to the police, Evelyn also swindled three other former classmates. But Claire is the only one without an alibi for the time of Evelyn's murder. And the only one with an extra motive: Evelyn stole her rare signed first edition of Herman Melville's The Confidence Man, which is still missing. Now, dodging danger at every turn, Claire must sift through past grudges and long-buried resentments to uncover the truth -- and clear her name."
~~back cover

Another convoluted plot, which requires to drive through the Southwest, treating the reader to landscapes and travelogues which are the distinctive trademark of this series. Otherwise, the plot is familiar: Claire in trouble, and not being able to trust any of her acquaintances to exonerate her. The solution to the mystery is a very clever, original one . . . and certainly not one I saw coming.

[Ajoyim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent 5 star read!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story with a surprising twist.

[Arizonagirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Reynier series, book #3.

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

AudioBook Review
Stars Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 4
My first introduction to the Claire Reynier series of mysteries, Confidence Woman was cleverly plotted with a slowly developing murder mystery that was engaging and entertaining. Claire is a fifty-something divorced woman, former librarian and living a quiet life. When a detective contacts her and she realizes that her identity was stolen by a sorority sister from university, the sisters start to compare notes about Evelyn, the victim and thief.

Slowly the changes in opportunity lost and taken advantage of each of the women is considered a suspect in the murder: and the stories about the dead woman, as well as the often odd relationships that the women have with one another is revealed, until the killer is unmasked.

Narration provided by Meredith Mitchell is suitably laden with precise diction and inflection to suit the characters and the story, while applying appropriate pitch and speed changes to distinguish characters from one another. Particularly effective is the slightly fatigued and care-worn additions to Claire’s thoughts as she turns over events that only serve to make her feel every one of her years: her ex-husband, the lack of focus that eluded Evelyn in the years since college.

A shorter story, this is perfect for a cozy afternoon listen when the mood strikes for something different.

I received an MP3 download from the audio producer via AudioBook Jukebox for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

[Elly Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* This audiobook is a very low-key, gentle reading, quite different from many mysteries. One thing I enjoy about the Claire Reynier series is the beautiful depictions of the settings. I live in a rain forest, so hearing about deserts is exotic. Good one!

2015. liked this one more than previous one in the series.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was familiar with the Neil Hamel series so I thought I would try this one. It doesn't measure up. This feels like it was written for the "grandmother" murder devotees. When I finished I felt I should bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies for my grandchildren. Not bad, but not much excitement, not much plot, and not much reason to read another in this series. Recommended only to old folks.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost as fab as the others I have read by Judith Van Gieson (The Stolen Blue and The Shadow of Venus); neatly written and easy to read. I wanna be a detective-librarian!

[Namrata · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an engaging read; the author rendered a strong sense of imagery to her writing.
However,I think a few issues/questions in the novel seem unanswered.

[Becky Guess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Passable plot and characters to fill time. For those familiar with New Mexico and Arizona, there is the pleasure picturing the setting.

[Judy Latta · Rating 4 out of 5]

very well written

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - Good