Murder, Eh?

Belle Palmer #4

by Lou Allin

Northern Ontario realtor Belle Palmer is showing the lakefront mansion of a prominent businesswoman when she discovers the lady strangled in her bathtub. Could this third break-and-enter death reveal a serial killer at large in the Nickel Capital? The womans only child, a precocious twelve-year-old, comes to stay with Belles neighbours and wins her heart and theirs. Then after an argument, the boy disappears, riding off into the cold September night on his bicycle. Racing against time as fall temperatures plummet, Belle hooks up with a bumbling PI and joins the search. Belle must flee into the bush, where she has every chance of becoming lost and disoriented, chased by murderers who will stop at nothing to protect a multi-million-dollar criminal empire.

Genres: Mystery

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lou sings two anthems, born in Toronto, Canada, but raised in Ohio. Her father followed the film business to Cleveland in 1948. His profession explains her passion for classic films and debt to Ted Turner.

Reviews

[Coralee Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial killer has come to Greater Sudbury in Book 4 of the Belle Palmer series. Belle experiences the realtor's nightmare when she discovers the remains of the homeowner while showing one of her listings. The sale is over, the hunt begins. The victim, Helene's cousin, was the proprietor of Bumble Bea Bakeries, a long time much loved bakery. She had decided to down size from a luxurious historical home, moving to something better suited to her new husband and son.

Now Michael Junior, aka Micro is left without a mother. The boy's father and sister died in a boating accident a few years back. His new step father, a fund raiser, adopted him. Fund-raising means continuous travel so Micro has come to stay with Belle's neighbors while the death arrangements are being made.

Ever protective of her backwoods domain, Belle bristles when she encounters a trapper. Our sleuth is feisty, and she springs the traps intended for martens. Will this deed come back to bite her? (pun intended). Then her backwoods skills are in high demand when Micro disappears after an argument.

The body of the book is a cat and mouse chase and tale of survival. A reader can benefit from the savvy knowledge shared as Belle hunts Micro and in turn is hunted by the bad guys. Allin always had a way with a story. Murder, Eh? showed her in top form.

Highly recommended.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am having a difficult time rating and reviewing this one. On the one hand, it is a decent book. On the other, Belle was starting to annoy the living daylights out of me. I found her constant criticisms and snarky remarks to be really tiresome and tedious. That said, even though I guessed 'who dunnit' early on, I did still think that there was a good storyline. Plus, I do enjoy the Northern Ontario setting. Finally, I think I am a glutton for punishment as I will likely read the next (and perhaps last?) book of the series.

Yup, I am all over the place on how I feel about this book. So, I am putting down and mid-line three stars and moving on to my next book.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is a serial killer loose in Sudbury, Ontario? It certainly appears so when real estate agent Belle Palmer discovers her client’s strangled body in a bathtub. She is the third woman to die this way, and the community is nervous. The victim leaves behind a twelve-year-old son nicknamed Micro, who winds up staying with Belle for a short while. Micro doesn’t want to stay in the house with his step father, and when the boy goes missing, friends and family fear he’s been lured away by a pedophile.

Murder, Eh? is the fourth installment in a terrific series that captures the culture and geography of this area of Canada very well. Forty-something Belle Palmer is a strong, colorful character; an interesting blend of confidence and doubt, practicality and curiosity. These traits battle it out whenever she sets out to help someone, or do what is right, or simply make a living. A word of advice: as the days and nights grow colder in the story, you’ll want to cozy up with a blanket and a warm drink. Enjoy!

[Robin Spano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I was so wrong about who the killer was. Wrong by a landslide. But it worked. It was totally play-fair crime fiction. A great puzzle.

I liked the Northern Ontario setting. Lou captures both the scenery and the no-nonsense approach to life that characterize northern cities like Sudbury. I lived in Muskoka for a year, and this book felt really true to that kind of setting.

The characters were great. Complicated, scratchy, kind...very real. Particularly this sweet, quirky kid called Micro - he's still in my head and I read this book months ago.

I'm looking forward to reading about Holly Martin - Lou Allin's new protagonist, based in British Columbia.

I also really enjoyed this blog post, where Lou's dog, who is NOT a bush poodle, is interviewed http://petsandauthors.blogspot.com/20...

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very simple ... I choose this book because of two factors: (i) it was written by a Canadian, and (ii) it was set in Sudbury, Ontario.
I was really put-off at first by Lou Allin's writing style which was so heavily descriptive that it was almost like reading commercial copy. She must have described every nook and cranny of Sudbury within the first 40 pages of her book ... as well as finding ways to make mention of Canadian Tire, Tim Horton's, etc.

Somewhere towards the middle of the book, as I plodded through, not wanting to give the kiss of death to a Canadian author ... the story got to me and I stopped being interrupted by "commercial" messaging.

Not bad ... I just might pick up another of her books to give her a second chance!

[Alison E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lou Allin really knows how to set a scene and she can be creepy and quirky at the same time.

Anyway, how can a Canadian not love a title like "Murder, Eh?"