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Cirak's Daughter
An unexpected legacy from the father who deserted her as a baby starts Jenny on a dangerous search for answers to questions concerning her father, his death, and her own future.
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
31 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte MacLeod
94 books260 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 31, 2019
New Brunswick-born Charlotte MacLeod was a great authoress, whose individual stories are gems. There are still a few for me to have the thrill of obtaining. I scored a first edition of “Cirak’s Daughter”, 1982, a few years ago and should have known better than to hesitate to read it. I ignore reviews that whine about a novel being dissimilar from an author’s famous series. I settled upon four stars for a minor critique or two. Mainly, I found it hard to believe this Father would not connect with his Daughter, despite disliking his ex-wife’s family. It is a pity the Mother was weak, too but neither of them entered this book. I enjoyed every page. The denouement scarcely mattered but I loved the poignancy of a mystery about one’s self, over the usual, mundane, crime mystery!
The pleasure of Charlotte’s novels is easy, fun dialogue, the most colourful characters imaginable, and such original stories that achieve a preposterously relatable bond with readers; no matter how bonkers they sound. Her women are always sharply intelligent and witty and her protagonists always frankly speak their minds. Thus, you can imagine that the inner thoughts that are kept quiet to all but us readers, are hilarious and delicious!
Jenny was born to once-famous film director, Jason Cirak, who married late. When she was small, he could no longer stand his bossy, stingy in-laws; which she could relate to wholeheartedly, having been left with them! She was puzzled about inheriting his house in Rhode Island and money. He was thought to have irresponsibly spent everything he made. Seizing the instant exit from her Mother, Uncle, and Aunt; Jenny accepted the house. Under a false name, she interviewed neighbours about his unknown income and death. There, she gained a memorable cohort and lifetime friend.
The pleasure of Charlotte’s novels is easy, fun dialogue, the most colourful characters imaginable, and such original stories that achieve a preposterously relatable bond with readers; no matter how bonkers they sound. Her women are always sharply intelligent and witty and her protagonists always frankly speak their minds. Thus, you can imagine that the inner thoughts that are kept quiet to all but us readers, are hilarious and delicious!
Jenny was born to once-famous film director, Jason Cirak, who married late. When she was small, he could no longer stand his bossy, stingy in-laws; which she could relate to wholeheartedly, having been left with them! She was puzzled about inheriting his house in Rhode Island and money. He was thought to have irresponsibly spent everything he made. Seizing the instant exit from her Mother, Uncle, and Aunt; Jenny accepted the house. Under a false name, she interviewed neighbours about his unknown income and death. There, she gained a memorable cohort and lifetime friend.
June 14, 2017
Genre: Mystery
POVs: Singular, 3rd person
A nineteen year-old girl leaves the care of her aunt and uncle in order to find out more about her deceased father's double life in a small town.
Issues?
There were about a dozen characters (and their background information) thrust forward within the first few pages and it set the tone for a good mystery, but the protagonist was difficult to relate to and the story quickly fizzled out. After Jenny allowed a complete stranger (Harriet Compton) to move in with her, my interest in this book sort of declined. From Jenny's ridiculous palm-reading act to Harriet's confession that should've been mind-blowing but was met with a tame reaction from Jenny, this book was primarily dull. I continued reading on because I genuinely wanted to know what happened to Jason Cirak, but just like the rest of the book, that revelation was pretty flat and unexciting as well.
**ARC provided by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
POVs: Singular, 3rd person
A nineteen year-old girl leaves the care of her aunt and uncle in order to find out more about her deceased father's double life in a small town.
Issues?
There were about a dozen characters (and their background information) thrust forward within the first few pages and it set the tone for a good mystery, but the protagonist was difficult to relate to and the story quickly fizzled out. After Jenny allowed a complete stranger (Harriet Compton) to move in with her, my interest in this book sort of declined. From Jenny's ridiculous palm-reading act to Harriet's confession that should've been mind-blowing but was met with a tame reaction from Jenny, this book was primarily dull. I continued reading on because I genuinely wanted to know what happened to Jason Cirak, but just like the rest of the book, that revelation was pretty flat and unexciting as well.
**ARC provided by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyable book about a daughter who has never known her father and comes into an unexpected inheritance from him only to find when she accepts it that he was murdered. This book has some great characters and a reasonably good mystery. Glad I finally stumbled across it.
October 21, 2025
I've read and enjoyed quite a few of the novels from her two series, but this standalone is not as good. There are promising scenes at the beginning - especially the fake fortune telling - but it fizzles out fairly soon, as though MacLeod had herself become rather bored with it, and it feels in places that the characterisation is rather inconsistent.
June 26, 2017
Semi-obscure MacLeod! I think originally this one was published for teens? It reminded me a fair amount of some of the Barbara Michaels books that I am very fond of. (Were they friends? I really hope that they were and it makes sense that they would be, so it's true as far as I'm concerned.) I didn't like this as much as I like her mysteries, but it was still good times.
September 8, 2012
This 1982 novel is a now obscure Young adult offering from mystery writer Charlotte MacLeod. Jenny Plummer Cirak has inherited a small fortune from her father who had left her mother when she was a toddler. Part of the inheritance was a small house in tiny Meldrum, RI, and she decides to leave her mother and the domineering Plummer clan and go to Meldrum as an aspiring writer to find out about her father. (My first reaction was that this was pretty precocious for a nineteen year old until I realized that at that age I was in the Army and stationed in Germany and Lauren Bacall was making her movie debut opposite Humphrey Bogart.) She gets a mysterious visit from a woman who she will invite to stay with her as "Aunt" Harriet. She meets Larry MacRae and instantly strikes antagonistic sparks - to be explained. Her home is the former carriage house of the socially dominant Firbelle family, headed by doyenne Marguerite who is said to have been romantically attached to her late father. Not deep literature, but an enjoyable quick read.
Non-series - YA - An unexpected legacy from the father who deserted her as a baby starts Jenny on a dangerous search for answers to questions concerning her father, his death, and her own future.
Non-series - YA - An unexpected legacy from the father who deserted her as a baby starts Jenny on a dangerous search for answers to questions concerning her father, his death, and her own future.
January 6, 2024
It was fine, I don’t recommend you pick it up since it’s not really worth it in my mind .
The writing style was very smooth, I liked that and the characters were cheesy but not in a frustrating way. The female characters had substance.
The two big surprises in the book fell so flat I almost didn’t believe I was reading them. no impact.
Very little response from the characters during revelations too.
But I kept reading to figure out what happened to cirak.
It was YA book so might be more simple for that reason.
I would like to try another book by this author.
The writing style was very smooth, I liked that and the characters were cheesy but not in a frustrating way. The female characters had substance.
The two big surprises in the book fell so flat I almost didn’t believe I was reading them. no impact.
Very little response from the characters during revelations too.
But I kept reading to figure out what happened to cirak.
It was YA book so might be more simple for that reason.
I would like to try another book by this author.
February 19, 2015
Daft.
Also flimsy.
But there's a certain entertainment value, and one relationship (not romantic) that appeals to me, so put me down for liking it.
Even if I am not going to re-read it and hope fervently that the heroine gives the romantic lead a pass. (Dingbat. The lead, not the heroine, who is unusually independent for her age and background despise doing rather daft things.)
Also flimsy.
But there's a certain entertainment value, and one relationship (not romantic) that appeals to me, so put me down for liking it.
Even if I am not going to re-read it and hope fervently that the heroine gives the romantic lead a pass. (Dingbat. The lead, not the heroine, who is unusually independent for her age and background despise doing rather daft things.)
October 24, 2017
I just finished the book. I have to admit that I must be a tad older than the target reader. *laughs* Still, I enjoyed it. Not quite a cozy mystery but a mystery nonetheless.
A daughter goes to research her father's recent death and finds several mysteries that compel her to dig into. Questions, tensions, and some hilarity ensue. Having dinner while a phonograph blares out "You're sweet an' petite but I'm 7'2", so I gotta find me more woman than you." Or coming across a song titled "I've Got Tears in My Ears Lying Flat on My Back in Bed Cryin' over You." Even "You stepped n the Corns of My heart" had me giggling for several pages beyond that.
Reading this book made me curious as to what other gems Ms. MacLeod's books might hold for me.
Remember, I -AM- a weird Old Bat.
A daughter goes to research her father's recent death and finds several mysteries that compel her to dig into. Questions, tensions, and some hilarity ensue. Having dinner while a phonograph blares out "You're sweet an' petite but I'm 7'2", so I gotta find me more woman than you." Or coming across a song titled "I've Got Tears in My Ears Lying Flat on My Back in Bed Cryin' over You." Even "You stepped n the Corns of My heart" had me giggling for several pages beyond that.
Reading this book made me curious as to what other gems Ms. MacLeod's books might hold for me.
Remember, I -AM- a weird Old Bat.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews