Ground to a Halt

Hemlock Falls Mysteries #14

by Claudia Bishop

Sisters and innkeepers Meg and Quill have an inn full of guests who can't stop fighting. Soon, one ends up murdered on a pig farm. And when a psychic correctly predicts a second murder, business grinds to a halt.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Amateur Sleuth

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

About the author

Claudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I have read any of the books in this series, so it was nice to catch up with Quill and Meg. The mystery got a little over-complicated at times, but I enjoyed the twist the case took at the end. This was a nice, light read for sitting outside and enjoying all the various characters and situations taking place in Hemlock Falls.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like this so much at first but did after getting into the book a bit. Very readable, likeable main characters. A bit predictable maybe. I did like how the author dealt with the pet industry.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't much time to sit and read in the past few weeks, otherwise I would have finished sooner.
Not read in order of the series but seemed to stand alone decently. This series seems to be quick to read. This one was a fun read.

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read a few of these mysteries as I can't find most of them. I'll keep looking and try to read them in order.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entertaining story in this cute series

[Stephanie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good addition to this series. Kind of an interesting idea for what the bad guys were into, but it was definitely interesting. On to the next!

[Judy Alter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've recently re-discovered the Claudia Bishop Hemlock Falls Inn series--I think there are fourteen, and I probably read one or two quite some time ago. But now I've immersed myself in that world and read about four in a row--Marinade for Murder, Toast Mortem, A Steak in Murder, and most recently, Ground to a Halt. I'm looking forward to the next one, Dread on Arrival, due out in the fall. This series has what I like best about series--characters you come to know and care about, even with their folly and foolish mistakes. It's culinary in part--one of the sisters who own the Inn is Meg, a well-known chef. There's a bit of art lore since Quill, the other sister, won fame as an artist and then walked away from it. Both sisters are essentially happy with their very old inn in a very small town. The series may suffer a bit from the Cabot Cove-syndrome--how do so many bad things happen in one small town? But there seems to be at least one murder a year, and the Quilliam sisters are relied upon to solve these murders. Their love lives complicate things--Quill is finally married to McHale, former sheriff now an undercover investigator for the government in remote parts of the world; he rarely appears in the books, though his spirit is a constant presence. Meg goes from one romance to another, never sure of what she wants. There's the usual cast of eccentric characters--a Nazi-like dog catcher turned tax assessor (or the other way around), the down-to-earth and unpretentious (read chinos and plaid shirts all the time) restaurant owner worth a fortune who finally snares the farmer she wants, the apparently elected-forever mayor and his domineering wife. The cast is enlivened by various guests who come and go from the inn, usually bringing murder with them. The intrigue is good, the villains usually suprising.
I've been warned against description wich slows down the action but I enjoyed the lush description of the landscape of northern New York--as seen through Quill's artist's eyes.
This is a series best read in order which I, unfortunately, didn't do. But even so, I've enjoyed going back to read some of the earlier titles--before McHale, for instance, and the time the sisters lost the inn temporarily. The murder and suspense are always fresh.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigue and suspense in a small upstate New York town. The owner of a country inn and her sister try to figure out a murder. It involves a pet food company and others associated with the pet food industry. Lots of the local villagers get involved.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun adventure at the Inn at Hemlock Falls. I enjoyed some of the new character dynamics and there was a nice little twist at the end.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly silly the way the sisters solve murders but still a fun occasional read

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book involving the Quilliam sisters, Meg and Sarah (Quill). Quill was subdued in this book, not her usual self, but they murders were solved.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd one I've read. This one was full of pet related people. pet food makers, pet store owners, even a pet psychic!