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The Ruthless Realtor Murders
In the third mystery in the series reminiscent of the work of Agatha Christie, Wyn Lewis reluctantly agrees to act as bait to catch a killer preying on her fellow realtors in Waggs Neck Harbor. Reprint.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 7, 2024
It was ok, took me over a year to read it. It tried for red herings and at first I fell for it, but I saw who the killer was once the cops started to tail their ideas.
So very many characters to keep straight. I think this was book # 3, so they might have been introduced in the other books. But I got a good sense of who they all were.
Lots of tropes, the extremely rude NY detective cop jerk who sleeps with everyone but wants the married woman he can't have and is horribly racially prejudice, the great, kind, home town head of police, working class locals vs wealthy influx, decent realtors (main character) vs unscrupulous ones, the ex's family of jerks vs amazing new husband.
It was published in 1997, so maybe that's why it was meh.
So very many characters to keep straight. I think this was book # 3, so they might have been introduced in the other books. But I got a good sense of who they all were.
Lots of tropes, the extremely rude NY detective cop jerk who sleeps with everyone but wants the married woman he can't have and is horribly racially prejudice, the great, kind, home town head of police, working class locals vs wealthy influx, decent realtors (main character) vs unscrupulous ones, the ex's family of jerks vs amazing new husband.
It was published in 1997, so maybe that's why it was meh.
July 22, 2017
i am sorry folks but i just couldn't give this book a high rating
it was just o.k. and i found it hard to stay interested in it.
the story was long and unexciting to hold my interest. it is o.k.
for those of you who like slow story , what i call a gentle put me to
sleep book. the story line would have been good if it wasn't filled with
so much trival information. as trival as i thought of it.
it was just o.k. and i found it hard to stay interested in it.
the story was long and unexciting to hold my interest. it is o.k.
for those of you who like slow story , what i call a gentle put me to
sleep book. the story line would have been good if it wasn't filled with
so much trival information. as trival as i thought of it.
August 14, 2022
This is an interesting cozy mystery, set on Long Island. It follows a realtor and amateur sleuth Wynsome "Wyn" Lewis. One of her colleagues is murdered and more bodies follow, as well as a few attempts on her life.
July 6, 2016
Summary
Wynsome Lewis is a thirtysomething realtor in fictional Waggs Neck Harbor, New York, where realty and money are on everyone's minds. Some shady property deals have led to two women being strangled to death with pantyhose years earlier; now another realtor is dead, and the killer is still at large. As one of the "Ruthless Realtors" connected to a particularly questionable real estate venture, Wyn discovers that she is very likely on the vengeful murderer's list. Lecherous big city Detective Pasko, in an attempt to reclaim public reputation, investigates the town's curious characters to narrow down the potential suspects. His plan leads to using Wyn as bait, but she would rather try to figure out the case herself.
My Reaction
It took me a long time to get into this book. Out of the 29 chapters, I didn't really get interested in solving the mystery until about Chapter 16. Before then, I could barely read two chapters at a time. I really never warmed up to the main character, Wyn Lewis. Since this was the third in the series of Kaufelt's Wyn Lewis series, I wonder if perhaps I missed some character development in the previous two books. By the end of the book, though, I did finally warm up to her. I really liked her husband more, even though he was basically a male paragon, but the book was not about him.
Pasko had no redeeming qualities about him, and he was one of the "good guys." The necessary "bad cop" and tough guy from the streets, Pasko was to me more of a bother to have to read. His diametric opposite, Captain Homer Price, was another character I enjoyed and would have loved to read more about. Unfortunately, his role in the story fizzled out in the end. I did find a few of the other characters mildly endurable, but that's about it.
My least favorite part of the book was the way a few of the characters would say "like" as in "Like I need this inconvenience!" It may be a way of talking in New York, or perhaps I was reading it with the wrong intonation in my head. But it always seemed to me that the multiple times Kaufelt used that idiom was like hearing your grandmother say "cool" or "internet" with an awkward, not contextually accurate word placement.
I was satisfied with the ending, partly because it did end, but also because Kaufelt did keep the mystery pretty suspenseful throughout, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. All in all, it was not a total waste of time to read. If I could go back, I think I might have read the beginning of the series first.
This review originally found at http://levisamjuno.blogspot.com/2010/...
Wynsome Lewis is a thirtysomething realtor in fictional Waggs Neck Harbor, New York, where realty and money are on everyone's minds. Some shady property deals have led to two women being strangled to death with pantyhose years earlier; now another realtor is dead, and the killer is still at large. As one of the "Ruthless Realtors" connected to a particularly questionable real estate venture, Wyn discovers that she is very likely on the vengeful murderer's list. Lecherous big city Detective Pasko, in an attempt to reclaim public reputation, investigates the town's curious characters to narrow down the potential suspects. His plan leads to using Wyn as bait, but she would rather try to figure out the case herself.
My Reaction
It took me a long time to get into this book. Out of the 29 chapters, I didn't really get interested in solving the mystery until about Chapter 16. Before then, I could barely read two chapters at a time. I really never warmed up to the main character, Wyn Lewis. Since this was the third in the series of Kaufelt's Wyn Lewis series, I wonder if perhaps I missed some character development in the previous two books. By the end of the book, though, I did finally warm up to her. I really liked her husband more, even though he was basically a male paragon, but the book was not about him.
Pasko had no redeeming qualities about him, and he was one of the "good guys." The necessary "bad cop" and tough guy from the streets, Pasko was to me more of a bother to have to read. His diametric opposite, Captain Homer Price, was another character I enjoyed and would have loved to read more about. Unfortunately, his role in the story fizzled out in the end. I did find a few of the other characters mildly endurable, but that's about it.
My least favorite part of the book was the way a few of the characters would say "like" as in "Like I need this inconvenience!" It may be a way of talking in New York, or perhaps I was reading it with the wrong intonation in my head. But it always seemed to me that the multiple times Kaufelt used that idiom was like hearing your grandmother say "cool" or "internet" with an awkward, not contextually accurate word placement.
I was satisfied with the ending, partly because it did end, but also because Kaufelt did keep the mystery pretty suspenseful throughout, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. All in all, it was not a total waste of time to read. If I could go back, I think I might have read the beginning of the series first.
This review originally found at http://levisamjuno.blogspot.com/2010/...
August 23, 2010
This was an okay mystery story. It was 244 pages long--more interesting in some parts than others--rather uneven I thought. It seemed to drag toward the end. Some of the characters were interesting, others not at all. It is a Wyn Lewis mystery, which refers to a woman realtor. Apparently there is at least one previous book in the series.
January 24, 2016
Wyn lewis is a real estate agent in Wags Island. When the other two top real estates agents in the area are murdered Wyn fears she's next. This is part of a series and I haven't read the rest of the books but I really wasn't sure if Wyn was supposed to be likable.
October 23, 2009
This story was definitely a page turner. All the characters have strong personalities that are easy to follow.
January 14, 2011
Pretty simple plot.
September 6, 2012
It took me forever to finish this book. It just couldn't keep my interest.
February 8, 2009
loved this book gives you plenty of suspects.
April 26, 2017
This book is a great comedic whodunit!
May 7, 2019
This is a unique book; the written word is magically humorous and delightful, but the story lacks heart. What do I mean? I didn't care about any of the characters and I really didn't care who the perp was. I kept reading because of the amazing humor -- the word pictures were delicious.
Wyn Lewis Mystery
1. The Fat Boy Murders (1993)
2. The Winter Women Murders (1994)
** 3. The Ruthless Realtor Murders (1997)
Wyn Lewis Mystery
1. The Fat Boy Murders (1993)
2. The Winter Women Murders (1994)
** 3. The Ruthless Realtor Murders (1997)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews