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Kelling & Bittersohn #4
The Bilbao Looking Glass
Sarah Kelling and her art detective friend, Max Bittersohn, arrive at her Cape Cod summer home, to find a strange addition, a lovely old Bilbao looking glass. Appie Kelling brings her son, Lionel, and her four grandsons - chaos creators, but not killers. Sarah and Max battle through social prejudice and conflicting clues to again solve murder.
192 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1983
427 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte MacLeod
92 books257 followersNaturalized US Citizen
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 5, 2017
I remember noticing my main objection years ago and making excuses and rationalizations for it. No longer. The casual anti-Semitism in this book among the well to do crowd of Boston was undoubtedly accurate. However, there was no particular need for it and I definitely find it offensive now. I'll admit that McLeod's aim may have been to show the anti-Semitism to condemn it. I'm not keeping this book. The mystery was better than the last one in the series, and the characterization was much better done. I'd have given this 3 stars if I hadn't found the snobbery and disdain for anyone not "of our crowd" too much to tolerate. Sarah and Max come down to Sarah's main house and discover a mirror that is worth a lot of money in the rarely used entrance to the house. This started a chain of events that led to murder and burglary and boat trips. However, Sarah and Max finally come out of it having solved the murder and at the end Max is taking Sarah to meet his mother. I only have a couple more of the series and I rather doubt I'll keep them since I have tossed the other two I own...but we will see.
November 27, 2019
Book 4 of this series takes us to Sarah Kellings beach house (currently in the midst of foreclosure) and introduces to a whole host of different characters, only Sarah and Max remain as main characters from the authors first three books. I applaud the author for adapting to changing plots with the new people, but on the whole the book gets a bit boring as we deal with the rich Yachting crowd, and most characters are rather flat and not really interesting. I long for the Boardinghouse crew who were a lot more fun and quirky. Let us hope that Book 5 is better. Still a good effort but if this is your first intro to MacLeods work I would suggest you start from Book 1 and get a better feel for her work.
October 16, 2022
Delightfully fun series to reread when I feel like a whimsical, literate but light mystery - great characters, well-plotted puzzles, but the endings sometimes turn into a little too much "telling" - long, drawn-out explanations of the crime and motivations. Ah, well, MacLeod still manages to make me chuckle out loud and entertain me, so I can skim the very few boring bits!
March 12, 2018
Early Bird Book Deal | This one made me feel sick. | I enjoy MacLeod's Peter Shandy series because they're fun and funny. This series is usually equally fun, but this entry was not. Sarah started out getting jealous and bitchy because a man in his mid30s had been in a relationship 12 years prior and not given her all the gory details of the painful breakup. Apparently I was meant to sympathize with her, which is ridiculous, but she got even less sympathetic as the book went on. I don't care how long you've known people, or what their position in society is, there are things you don't ignore. When someone you actively dislike dies, and you know the funeral will be attended only by a group of rude, malicious, anti-Semitic drunks, you don't go to the funeral, and you don't make your Jewish boyfriend--who only met these people a couple times at best--go either. The boyfriend is literally hogtied and shouted at with slurs in one scene, and a character actually says "Wanted to plant the stuff on Sarah’s Jew boy friend. Send him to the gas chamber. Where they all belong." Considering that the culprit was obvious as soon as they were introduced, and Sarah kept on associating with these absolutely terrible examples of humanity just because she was "expected" to, I can't find anything redeeming here. Second star only because MacLeod was a good writer, so a single star seems mildly unfair to her.
September 16, 2025
This book approaches peak satire as Sarah gets involved in a murder amongst her late husband’s yacht club friends. There are women named Lassie, Pussy, and Miffy, who are all constantly drinking themselves silly and complaining about Sarah’s Jewish boyfriend..
The actual mystery isn’t that great, and takes second place to the comedy of manners. But overall it’s still a fun read.
The actual mystery isn’t that great, and takes second place to the comedy of manners. But overall it’s still a fun read.
December 28, 2020
Sarah and Max are on their way to getting engaged, Max is framed for murder and theft, and Sarah is plagued by family and friends of the family. Situation normal, right? Thank goodness the police don't fall for the frame job. Now the happy couple just has to steer through the family shoals...
April 7, 2019
Sarah is more patient than I would be (or anyone should be) with her maddening, bigoted relatives and family friends. This is a quick and easy read.
September 16, 2021
I am really enjoying reading this cozy series. Set in the 1970's it's been fun to look back in time with Sarah and Max and the Kelling family. Another perfectly orchestrated mystery with plenty of twists.
December 2, 2009
Sarah and Max deal with Sarah's Yacht club friends or rather Alexander's friends who wish to protect her from that Jewish fellow Bittersohn. Instead they decide who would be most suitable for Sarah to marry from among their number to keep her in her proper social milieu. Meanwhile Max's family are having their own difficulties with accepting Sarah.
Lionel and Appie Kelling began as very simple flat characters but showed up with Lionel being more interesting and his children being better than the first meeting implied. I do dislike it when background characters are excessively simplistic and these were an interesting variant on the typical hoard of unruly children.
Lionel and Appie Kelling began as very simple flat characters but showed up with Lionel being more interesting and his children being better than the first meeting implied. I do dislike it when background characters are excessively simplistic and these were an interesting variant on the typical hoard of unruly children.
August 30, 2020
I read and enjoyed the first three books in this series (The Family Vault, The Withdrawing Room, and
The Palace Guard) but I was quite disappointed in this one. It's almost like a different author wrote the book. Instead of a strong, intelligent heroine Sarah Kelling was almost a blathering idiot, spouting one ridiculous theory after another about who the killer was. The entire book was filled with tedious dialog and internal thought processes. Because I liked the first three I bought nearly all of them (on sale for $1.99 each). I hope I don't regret that!
The Palace Guard) but I was quite disappointed in this one. It's almost like a different author wrote the book. Instead of a strong, intelligent heroine Sarah Kelling was almost a blathering idiot, spouting one ridiculous theory after another about who the killer was. The entire book was filled with tedious dialog and internal thought processes. Because I liked the first three I bought nearly all of them (on sale for $1.99 each). I hope I don't regret that!
May 13, 2025
Sarah and Max are getting married. But first they have to get Max out of jail.
Sarah Kelling has decided to spend a quiet, peaceful summer at the traditional Kelling summer place. If the bank wins its lawsuit, it will be the last chance she has to enjoy the property which holds so many memories for her. She's looking forward to time alone with Max to help make up her mind if she's ready to bury her late husband and move on.
But Sarah has relatives. Lots of them, mostly eccentric and many obnoxious. They all want a look at that Jew that Sarah is crazy enough to be thinking about marrying. And they want a chance to put a halt to it. No Jew is marrying into the Kelling-Larrington-Beaxitt clan if they can help it. A rich Jew would be different since money covers a multitude of sins even with snooty Boston Brahmins. But a Jew whose brother-in-law runs the local gas station? Not likely.
First sweet, but ditzy Aunt Appie shows up early. Then there's a cocktail party at the home of Miffy and Alice B, two harpies who love to stir up trouble. They start by reminding Max of an old girlfriend whom Sarah knows nothing about. Things go downhill from there.
The yacht club crowd still considers Sarah one of them, although it's been years since she's belonged. Dinners, drinking, and feuds are standard fare and they figure she won't want to miss a minute of it. The bad news is that there've been lots of burglaries from the empty houses of the summer folks. The burglar is taking expensive art works and leaving other items (such as silver) that would seem more salable. This burglar is an expert on art and its value.
Sarah has left little in her summer home to be stolen. Instead, someone has left her a present, a lovely Bilbao mirror that wasn't there before. Is someone setting her up to take the blame for the burglaries?
Aunt Appie's idiot son Lionel and his four sons have invited themselves to camp on Sarah's property for the summer. Lionel's wife has gone off to be a lesbian and he's looking for someone to dump the kids with. Sarah is determined it won't be her. And that's before the boys set fire to her boathouse.
Then there's not just a burglary, but a murder. Miffy's companion Alice B has been attacked by an ax and murdered. Shades of Lizzie Borden! Did Alice B interrupt a burglary in progress or did someone want her dead for another reason? How much money did the old girl have and who inherits it? In old-money families, that's always a consideration.
Meanwhile, Sarah's cousin Bradley Rovedock shows back up. He's the same age as her late husband Alexander with the same good looks and gentle manner. She remembers him fondly from childhood, but now he's determined to get her away from the evil influence of Max Bittersohn and back into the family fold. He thinks a marriage between them would be perfect. Sarah doesn't, but she has a hard time standing up to the people who've bullied her for so many years.
Bradley is the same age as her husband and she's comfortable with that. Sarah went from being a child in her parents' house to being a child in her husband's house. She's never been treated as an adult and it's tempting to crawl back to the known and let someone else make the decisions for her. Bradley is a nice guy and he's part of the world she grew up in. Max is an exotic stranger, exciting, but scary, too.
Sarah's met Max's sister and brother-in-law and likes their informal warmth, but she's too sensitive not to be aware that they're not thrilled by the prospect of Max marrying out of his clan. In proper Boston society, men from different social/religious groups know each other from business deals, but after-hours intermingling is nonexistent. Max understands the problems of a Boston Brahmin marrying a Jew and he wants to make sure Sarah understands them, too.
Sarah's family gathers to discuss the murder and the burglaries. As they start to connect the dots, they're convinced that the burglar must be someone who's an art expert because of the items selected to steal. From there, it's a quick jump to the outsider (Max) who showed up just as the burglaries started and poor Alice B was murdered. As Sarah looks on in horror, her relatives make a citizen's arrest. Max is tried and found guilty. Now there's no question of Sarah marrying him because he'll be in prison.
The sheriff (like most of the year-rounders) resents the snooty summer folks, but he's also intimidated by them. After all, they ARE rich, well-educated, and sophisticated. Can he afford for them to be mad at him? When one of the stolen items and the bloody ax are found hidden in the carriage house where Max is spending the summer, it looks like the case is closed. And satisfactorily for the Kelling-Larrington-Beaxitt clan, who would much rather accuse an outsider than a friend or relative.
Fortunately, Max's uncle is a lawyer and he's able to slow down the train until Max's friend Sargeant Jofferty can investigate. Also fortunately, Max (who specializes in thiefs of valuable art works) knows something about one of Sarah's relatives. Maybe the burglar/murderer wasn't an outsider after all.
The only objection I have to MacLeod's books is her habit of letting her amateur detective mull over the possible guilty parties and the pros and cons of each one. It takes time away from the action. Still, her mysteries are funny and smart and few writers have her talent for creating loony characters.
Sarah Kelling has decided to spend a quiet, peaceful summer at the traditional Kelling summer place. If the bank wins its lawsuit, it will be the last chance she has to enjoy the property which holds so many memories for her. She's looking forward to time alone with Max to help make up her mind if she's ready to bury her late husband and move on.
But Sarah has relatives. Lots of them, mostly eccentric and many obnoxious. They all want a look at that Jew that Sarah is crazy enough to be thinking about marrying. And they want a chance to put a halt to it. No Jew is marrying into the Kelling-Larrington-Beaxitt clan if they can help it. A rich Jew would be different since money covers a multitude of sins even with snooty Boston Brahmins. But a Jew whose brother-in-law runs the local gas station? Not likely.
First sweet, but ditzy Aunt Appie shows up early. Then there's a cocktail party at the home of Miffy and Alice B, two harpies who love to stir up trouble. They start by reminding Max of an old girlfriend whom Sarah knows nothing about. Things go downhill from there.
The yacht club crowd still considers Sarah one of them, although it's been years since she's belonged. Dinners, drinking, and feuds are standard fare and they figure she won't want to miss a minute of it. The bad news is that there've been lots of burglaries from the empty houses of the summer folks. The burglar is taking expensive art works and leaving other items (such as silver) that would seem more salable. This burglar is an expert on art and its value.
Sarah has left little in her summer home to be stolen. Instead, someone has left her a present, a lovely Bilbao mirror that wasn't there before. Is someone setting her up to take the blame for the burglaries?
Aunt Appie's idiot son Lionel and his four sons have invited themselves to camp on Sarah's property for the summer. Lionel's wife has gone off to be a lesbian and he's looking for someone to dump the kids with. Sarah is determined it won't be her. And that's before the boys set fire to her boathouse.
Then there's not just a burglary, but a murder. Miffy's companion Alice B has been attacked by an ax and murdered. Shades of Lizzie Borden! Did Alice B interrupt a burglary in progress or did someone want her dead for another reason? How much money did the old girl have and who inherits it? In old-money families, that's always a consideration.
Meanwhile, Sarah's cousin Bradley Rovedock shows back up. He's the same age as her late husband Alexander with the same good looks and gentle manner. She remembers him fondly from childhood, but now he's determined to get her away from the evil influence of Max Bittersohn and back into the family fold. He thinks a marriage between them would be perfect. Sarah doesn't, but she has a hard time standing up to the people who've bullied her for so many years.
Bradley is the same age as her husband and she's comfortable with that. Sarah went from being a child in her parents' house to being a child in her husband's house. She's never been treated as an adult and it's tempting to crawl back to the known and let someone else make the decisions for her. Bradley is a nice guy and he's part of the world she grew up in. Max is an exotic stranger, exciting, but scary, too.
Sarah's met Max's sister and brother-in-law and likes their informal warmth, but she's too sensitive not to be aware that they're not thrilled by the prospect of Max marrying out of his clan. In proper Boston society, men from different social/religious groups know each other from business deals, but after-hours intermingling is nonexistent. Max understands the problems of a Boston Brahmin marrying a Jew and he wants to make sure Sarah understands them, too.
Sarah's family gathers to discuss the murder and the burglaries. As they start to connect the dots, they're convinced that the burglar must be someone who's an art expert because of the items selected to steal. From there, it's a quick jump to the outsider (Max) who showed up just as the burglaries started and poor Alice B was murdered. As Sarah looks on in horror, her relatives make a citizen's arrest. Max is tried and found guilty. Now there's no question of Sarah marrying him because he'll be in prison.
The sheriff (like most of the year-rounders) resents the snooty summer folks, but he's also intimidated by them. After all, they ARE rich, well-educated, and sophisticated. Can he afford for them to be mad at him? When one of the stolen items and the bloody ax are found hidden in the carriage house where Max is spending the summer, it looks like the case is closed. And satisfactorily for the Kelling-Larrington-Beaxitt clan, who would much rather accuse an outsider than a friend or relative.
Fortunately, Max's uncle is a lawyer and he's able to slow down the train until Max's friend Sargeant Jofferty can investigate. Also fortunately, Max (who specializes in thiefs of valuable art works) knows something about one of Sarah's relatives. Maybe the burglar/murderer wasn't an outsider after all.
The only objection I have to MacLeod's books is her habit of letting her amateur detective mull over the possible guilty parties and the pros and cons of each one. It takes time away from the action. Still, her mysteries are funny and smart and few writers have her talent for creating loony characters.
November 20, 2019
Unusual story
Humor, murder and class snobbery set in a different time. Loved Sarah and Max. There were lots of twists and turns. I figured out one of the villains...but there were more surprises in store. A bit like an Agatha Christie. Lots of suspects and motives. Then all becomes clear.
Humor, murder and class snobbery set in a different time. Loved Sarah and Max. There were lots of twists and turns. I figured out one of the villains...but there were more surprises in store. A bit like an Agatha Christie. Lots of suspects and motives. Then all becomes clear.
August 22, 2025
"The Bilbao Looking Glass" is book #4 in the "Kelling & Bittershon" series by Charlotte MacLeod.
Sarah Kelling and Max Bittershon have been looking forward to spending the summer at her families home on Cape Cod, but of course things don't run smoothly. From the moment they arrive and discover the looking glass in the foyer, to an early arrival of Aunt Appie to a horrid cocktail party at Miffy's, things go downhill. There had been robberies in the area in recent weeks, then a murder just after the cocktail party. The distant relatives as well as the local yacht club gang are all pretty much tightwads and think nothing of walking into each others homes and helping themselves to a drink - or 4. Not to mention they are all up in arms and quick to assign blame to Max - an outsider and a Jew. They think Sarah has lost her mind being with Max and that she has been hoodwinked by him and that they know better what her life should be like than Sarah knows for herself.
It is all a mess but Sarah is learning to stand up for herself and stand up to the busybodies trying to run her life. I cheered her on every time she took a stand and tried to get through their thick skulls but also got ticked off at how easily they believed it was to override her. Some were in for a nasty surprise and comeuppance!
I did have a hunch who was behind the robberies and the murder but it did get more complicated.
As always, Charlotte MacLeod tells a thoroughly engaging story - even when you want to scream at the audacity of some of the characters!
Sarah Kelling and Max Bittershon have been looking forward to spending the summer at her families home on Cape Cod, but of course things don't run smoothly. From the moment they arrive and discover the looking glass in the foyer, to an early arrival of Aunt Appie to a horrid cocktail party at Miffy's, things go downhill. There had been robberies in the area in recent weeks, then a murder just after the cocktail party. The distant relatives as well as the local yacht club gang are all pretty much tightwads and think nothing of walking into each others homes and helping themselves to a drink - or 4. Not to mention they are all up in arms and quick to assign blame to Max - an outsider and a Jew. They think Sarah has lost her mind being with Max and that she has been hoodwinked by him and that they know better what her life should be like than Sarah knows for herself.
It is all a mess but Sarah is learning to stand up for herself and stand up to the busybodies trying to run her life. I cheered her on every time she took a stand and tried to get through their thick skulls but also got ticked off at how easily they believed it was to override her. Some were in for a nasty surprise and comeuppance!
I did have a hunch who was behind the robberies and the murder but it did get more complicated.
As always, Charlotte MacLeod tells a thoroughly engaging story - even when you want to scream at the audacity of some of the characters!
September 11, 2020
Sarah and Max are still trying to finalize their relationship. Sarah's cousin and his new wife have taken over running her boarding house so she's at the summer home and Max has come with her (but he is staying circumspectly in the carriage house.) Too bad the "summer folks" have decied to stick their noses in Sarah's business even to the point of convincing her rather flighty and flittering aunt to show up early so the pair don't get the alone time they were hoping for.
Max and Sarah go to a party where Alice B., the companion of one of the wealthiest women, drops a remark designed to put a wedge between Max and Sarah. And it works, temporarily, but then Alice B. is found dead, killed by an ax, and a Kelling & Bittersohn mystery starts in earnest.
There is a LOT of anti-Semitism from the "summer folks" in this book; it was in line with the characters that MacLeod created and starts off slow but builds to some truly reprehensible remarks. If you are a regular reader of classic mysteries, the "bad guy" isn't hard to guess but MacLeod does drop in some really good red herrings. And for such a short book, the characters, including those we may never see again (flight Aunt Appie, her grasping son Lionel and his four wild sons, Lionel's wife Vaney who is experimenting with lesbianism (a slur about this is also used by one of the sons), the groundskeeper Lomax and his shiftless nephew Peter.)
Max and Sarah go to a party where Alice B., the companion of one of the wealthiest women, drops a remark designed to put a wedge between Max and Sarah. And it works, temporarily, but then Alice B. is found dead, killed by an ax, and a Kelling & Bittersohn mystery starts in earnest.
There is a LOT of anti-Semitism from the "summer folks" in this book; it was in line with the characters that MacLeod created and starts off slow but builds to some truly reprehensible remarks. If you are a regular reader of classic mysteries, the "bad guy" isn't hard to guess but MacLeod does drop in some really good red herrings. And for such a short book, the characters, including those we may never see again (flight Aunt Appie, her grasping son Lionel and his four wild sons, Lionel's wife Vaney who is experimenting with lesbianism (a slur about this is also used by one of the sons), the groundskeeper Lomax and his shiftless nephew Peter.)
February 25, 2023
Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn are spending time at the Kellings country home, Ireson’s Landing, when they discover a new addition to the house: a very old, very valuable looking glass that most certainly has been stolen from elsewhere and placed, for some reason, in the old house. As it happens, there have been a lot of burglaries in the area in recent weeks, so Sarah and Max call upon the local police for advice. In the meantime, members of the local yacht club are clamoring to bring Sarah back into the fold, although only if she drops that disreputable Jew, Max. When first one and then another of the club are murdered, the club members are only too keen to pin the murders, and the robberies, on Max himself….The fourth of the 12-book Sarah Kelling series, “The Bilbao Looking Glass” sees our heroes moving away from Boston and the boarding house that Sarah had established in her family home on Beacon Hill, and into the countryside, a place with its own rich cast of eccentric characters (many, of course, related to Sarah in one way or another). I found this entry a little less pleasing than the previous books, I think because there is just a bit too much of the Keystone-Kops type of looniness for my taste; however, I continue to enjoy the series and look forward to Sarah and Max’s next adventures - hopefully, a little less madcap next time! Recommended.
February 21, 2018
Another wonderful installment of a great mystery series. I love the characters she creates. I forget about the timeline in the books sometimes as they came out about every year or so at the beginning, but the events take place over only a stretch of a few months. It's quite the hopping place Sarah is running, with a bunch of murderous events happening in a short amount of time.
While somewhat predictable, I pegged the main culprit straight off, the culmination was a rather exciting buildup. Max even got arrested! And Sarah finally made her decision on Max public. We got to meet some of Max's family this time, though not enough other than to say "they're my kind of people" as they behave much like my family. As opposed to the Yacht Club set that Sarah grew up around, with their hoity-toity gatherings and looking down their noses at blue collar types.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.
The eBook was formatted well with no obvious spelling or punctuation errors.
While somewhat predictable, I pegged the main culprit straight off, the culmination was a rather exciting buildup. Max even got arrested! And Sarah finally made her decision on Max public. We got to meet some of Max's family this time, though not enough other than to say "they're my kind of people" as they behave much like my family. As opposed to the Yacht Club set that Sarah grew up around, with their hoity-toity gatherings and looking down their noses at blue collar types.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.
The eBook was formatted well with no obvious spelling or punctuation errors.
October 6, 2020
The Bilbao Looking Glass (#4) — Charlotte MacLeod (23 chapters) September 29-Oct. 6, 2020
This is the fourth book in Sarah Kelling's cozy mystery set, and it’s the first one where Sarah and Max might hear wedding bells in the near future, as long as they can convince their respective relatives while solving a mystery of disappearing paintings.
Sarah and Max have left Tulip Street for a getaway vacation that also immediately turns into a family gathering, complete with a (shocking!) murder.
There are no characters present from Tulip Street aside from Max and the author fills in some space explaining that some of those guests have moved out.
This book took longer to read than I originally thought. In the end, I ended up hunkering down to get through it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as funny and lighthearted as the last.
There are dated scenes since this is set in the late 70’s early 80’s, but the plot is timeless and well written.
Three stars.
This is the fourth book in Sarah Kelling's cozy mystery set, and it’s the first one where Sarah and Max might hear wedding bells in the near future, as long as they can convince their respective relatives while solving a mystery of disappearing paintings.
Sarah and Max have left Tulip Street for a getaway vacation that also immediately turns into a family gathering, complete with a (shocking!) murder.
There are no characters present from Tulip Street aside from Max and the author fills in some space explaining that some of those guests have moved out.
This book took longer to read than I originally thought. In the end, I ended up hunkering down to get through it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as funny and lighthearted as the last.
There are dated scenes since this is set in the late 70’s early 80’s, but the plot is timeless and well written.
Three stars.
March 19, 2025
Sigh…
In this forth entry, the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn series takes a detour into treacle and absurbity; the characters are beyond quirky into silly tropes, the plot is less than interesting, and the Kelling/Bittersohn romance is definitely much too cloying. Well, every writer has a clunker, I hope this is MacLeod’s, and she rights the ship.
Here, Max and Sarah arrive at her “summer home” (a run down old mansion on the Massachusetts coast south of Boston) for a summer of relaxation together and planning for a wedding in the near future. Unfortunately, the extensive and oddball Kelling relatives see a perfect opportunity to visit “dear Sarah” and get free lodging down the shore at the same time…certainly not part of the plans. Then there’s the theft of artworks, one of which is found at the mansion, and then there’s murder. I’ll gloss right over the less salubrious aspects of this tale and say all’s well that ends well…if this series gets back on solid ground going forward.
In this forth entry, the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn series takes a detour into treacle and absurbity; the characters are beyond quirky into silly tropes, the plot is less than interesting, and the Kelling/Bittersohn romance is definitely much too cloying. Well, every writer has a clunker, I hope this is MacLeod’s, and she rights the ship.
Here, Max and Sarah arrive at her “summer home” (a run down old mansion on the Massachusetts coast south of Boston) for a summer of relaxation together and planning for a wedding in the near future. Unfortunately, the extensive and oddball Kelling relatives see a perfect opportunity to visit “dear Sarah” and get free lodging down the shore at the same time…certainly not part of the plans. Then there’s the theft of artworks, one of which is found at the mansion, and then there’s murder. I’ll gloss right over the less salubrious aspects of this tale and say all’s well that ends well…if this series gets back on solid ground going forward.
December 20, 2024
Max and Sarah arrive at Sarah's Cape Cod home to spend the summer. Sarah is surprised to find an antique Bilbao looking glass in the house. She has no idea where it came from. They call the police and let them take charge of the rich artifact.
The summer is filled with murder, love, and crazy family. I like how Max and Sarah's relationship is developing. The mystery was a fun one. Sarah's family can sometimes be annoying, but their eccentricity keeps things fresh.
Will keep reading this series.
The summer is filled with murder, love, and crazy family. I like how Max and Sarah's relationship is developing. The mystery was a fun one. Sarah's family can sometimes be annoying, but their eccentricity keeps things fresh.
Will keep reading this series.
October 16, 2024
Quite a romp. Ireson's Landing, Sarah Max, Max's Family, Sara.h's ,too. What could go wrong??
Liked this one.
Developing and renewed romance. Death and secrets revealed. Revenge and resolution. Fun and games. Love and Reconciliation. Boy children and antics. Burning boat house and destruction. Planting and harvesting. Lettuce and Chicken noodle casserole. Proposal and acceptance. Cops and Robbers.
What more could one ask for?
Recommended.
Liked this one.
Developing and renewed romance. Death and secrets revealed. Revenge and resolution. Fun and games. Love and Reconciliation. Boy children and antics. Burning boat house and destruction. Planting and harvesting. Lettuce and Chicken noodle casserole. Proposal and acceptance. Cops and Robbers.
What more could one ask for?
Recommended.
September 22, 2025
Another fun mystery
Sarah Kelling has left her boardinghouse for the summer to spend time at her country house to plane a garden. Max Bittersohn arrives with her as her summer tenant when everything falls apart. Two murders, off relatives, and snooty members of the yacht club make Sarah’s life very hectic, not at all she envisioned her summer to be.
The mixture of the old, the expected, secrets and ulterior motives keeps the story’s secret until the end.
Sarah Kelling has left her boardinghouse for the summer to spend time at her country house to plane a garden. Max Bittersohn arrives with her as her summer tenant when everything falls apart. Two murders, off relatives, and snooty members of the yacht club make Sarah’s life very hectic, not at all she envisioned her summer to be.
The mixture of the old, the expected, secrets and ulterior motives keeps the story’s secret until the end.
November 8, 2025
Charlotte MacLeod's humour based around the idle rich American gets bite in this instalment, with the addition of Max Bittersohn - considered unforgivably Jewish, and certainly not thought to be a genuine character for marriage. The detective story side of it is interesting, but is perhaps less prominent than in usual, having something to say about anti-Semitism and the approaching scandalous marriage.
November 11, 2017
Sarah has fallen in love with Max, and grown a backbone. She's certainly standing up to her relatives, no matter how opportunistic, or dense they may be.
This one is fast, acerbic, and an interesting look at class prejudices from both sides.
I liked that I didn't figure out the murderer until Sarah did.
This one is fast, acerbic, and an interesting look at class prejudices from both sides.
I liked that I didn't figure out the murderer until Sarah did.
March 24, 2022
Usually Sarah's family is irritating in an endearing way, and I love getting to know a new batch of them in each book. Unfortunately I wanted to strangle them all in this installment - yes, even Aunt Appie! The yacht club in particular were hateful people, and I find it maddening that many of them got away with it.
May 9, 2024
New England Uppercrust Summer Beach Murders
Max and Sarah have to put up with her crazy greedy relatives, an ax murder, poison, her decaying old Beach mansion, yacht racing, art thefts and lazy yard maintenance staff, all while romancing the Summer away in another of Charlotte Macleod's hilarious mysteries. A fun read!
Max and Sarah have to put up with her crazy greedy relatives, an ax murder, poison, her decaying old Beach mansion, yacht racing, art thefts and lazy yard maintenance staff, all while romancing the Summer away in another of Charlotte Macleod's hilarious mysteries. A fun read!
July 8, 2024
I do like this series, but I feel like I missed the step from when they were just friends to now. That said, I don't hate it.
I do hate everyone Sarah knows. Why are they all terrible? Why doesn't she have any actual friends? I mean, I've read the series and its explanation, I just think it doesn't make sense. She's too cool to hang out with only losers!
I do hate everyone Sarah knows. Why are they all terrible? Why doesn't she have any actual friends? I mean, I've read the series and its explanation, I just think it doesn't make sense. She's too cool to hang out with only losers!
December 8, 2019
I found the story confusing. Too many silly character names and no true plot definition. Most of the characters including the lead character, Sarah, were not likable and the conversations were trite. Not sure I would read another from the series.
April 21, 2020
A different sort of entry in the series. MacLeod finally confronts head on the differences in Max and Sarah's backgrounds and friends and family's reactions to the relationship. Not at all a comfortable book or as much fun as others.
June 5, 2022
I read Charlotte MacLeod years ago! I found this old paperback on my shelf and decided to read it. Just so much fun. I forgot how much I enjoyed her. If you like cozy and a bit old fashioned this writer is for you!
June 20, 2023
The thought of having your Jewish boyfriend / fiancé put up with a bunch of drunk anti Semitic people you personally can’t stand & are related to is just wrong. No matter how good the writer is - it’s still wrong!
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