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Barrett Lake Mystery #1
Following Jane
The debut of an entertaining new series in the tradition of Joan Hess' successful Maggody novels. Schoolteacher Barrett Lake is not your typical sleuth. But when one of her students goes missing, she's all business, teaming up with the perfect foil--gruff, but highly experienced P.I. Francis Boz--to solve the mystery.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1993
11 people want to read
About the author
Shelley Singer
31 books18 followersAka Lee Singer.
Shelley Singer is the author of a dozen published novels and many short stories. One of her mysteries was nominated for the prestigious Shamus Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. She has written mysteries, science fiction, and mainstream fiction. Singer began her working life as a reporter with UPI in Chicago. During a checkered and mercifully brief journalism career, she met such luminaries as Nikita Khrushchev, Jimmy Hoffa, Xavier Cugat, Mrs. Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a condemned killer on death row. She never met Joseph Stalin. She teaches fiction writing classes and does manuscript consulting.
Shelley Singer is the author of a dozen published novels and many short stories. One of her mysteries was nominated for the prestigious Shamus Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. She has written mysteries, science fiction, and mainstream fiction. Singer began her working life as a reporter with UPI in Chicago. During a checkered and mercifully brief journalism career, she met such luminaries as Nikita Khrushchev, Jimmy Hoffa, Xavier Cugat, Mrs. Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a condemned killer on death row. She never met Joseph Stalin. She teaches fiction writing classes and does manuscript consulting.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 27, 2018
Neat little story.
July 6, 2008
FOLLOWING JANE - G+
Singer, Shelly - 1st in series
In the uproar over the murder of teacher William Anderson, the folks at Berkeley Technical High hardly notice when student Jane Wahlman runs away two weeks later. But when PI Francis "Tito" Broz, hired by Jane's father, Andrew, shows up on the doorstep of history teacher Barrett Lake with a few questions, Barrett decides she wants to learn his trade and help find Jane. Since Tito has other pressing cases, Barrett convinces him to coach her through the case. She knows some of Jane's school acquaintances (friend Lorene Johnson, boyfriend Mark Hanlon and drama club advisor Rob Harwood), but discovers it is even tougher to wheedle answers out of people as an investigator than as a teacher. After chatting with Roberta Clapton, Jane's mother, Barrett finds the questioning goes beyond slippery to slimy--Neil Clapton, Jane's stepfather, sexually abused her until Roberta threw him out. Singer ( Suicide King ) convincingly leads her novice sleuth--armed with only common sense, tenacity and Tito's help--through a maze of reluctant witnesses.
Light but enjoyable.
Singer, Shelly - 1st in series
In the uproar over the murder of teacher William Anderson, the folks at Berkeley Technical High hardly notice when student Jane Wahlman runs away two weeks later. But when PI Francis "Tito" Broz, hired by Jane's father, Andrew, shows up on the doorstep of history teacher Barrett Lake with a few questions, Barrett decides she wants to learn his trade and help find Jane. Since Tito has other pressing cases, Barrett convinces him to coach her through the case. She knows some of Jane's school acquaintances (friend Lorene Johnson, boyfriend Mark Hanlon and drama club advisor Rob Harwood), but discovers it is even tougher to wheedle answers out of people as an investigator than as a teacher. After chatting with Roberta Clapton, Jane's mother, Barrett finds the questioning goes beyond slippery to slimy--Neil Clapton, Jane's stepfather, sexually abused her until Roberta threw him out. Singer ( Suicide King ) convincingly leads her novice sleuth--armed with only common sense, tenacity and Tito's help--through a maze of reluctant witnesses.
Light but enjoyable.
March 21, 2011
With quite a number of mystery novels waiting to be read I recently dug into the world of crime solving business. Shelley Singer's book is one of those books and it turned out to be rather disappoining and not really recommendable to anyone who likes this genre. While it doesn't quite qualify for a cheap dime novel, because it's not, my expectation when it comes to mystery novels weren't met at all and boredom soon reigned.
The story follows history teacher Barrett Lake who teams up with a PI to find out where one of her students disappeared to. Add the death of another teacher at her school which happend at the supermarket the missing girl worked at. While the premise was actually not bad, the story simply didn't manage to engage me and the characters weren't anywhere close to making the book worthwhile.
Though I have to say, it was a smooth reading experience if only it had proven to be of a memorable kind.
In short: A fast paced who-dunnit novel with an ok plot, but boring execution.
The story follows history teacher Barrett Lake who teams up with a PI to find out where one of her students disappeared to. Add the death of another teacher at her school which happend at the supermarket the missing girl worked at. While the premise was actually not bad, the story simply didn't manage to engage me and the characters weren't anywhere close to making the book worthwhile.
Though I have to say, it was a smooth reading experience if only it had proven to be of a memorable kind.
In short: A fast paced who-dunnit novel with an ok plot, but boring execution.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews