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Hemlock Falls Mysteries #5
Death Dines Out
Sarah and Meg Quilliam, operators of upstate New York's Inn at Hemlock Falls, agree to help socialite Tiffany Taylor with her charity work in Florida, only to become caught in the middle of a murderous fight between Tiffany and her ex-husband. Original.
237 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
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344 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Bishop
51 books117 followersClaudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 17, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up
This series was recommended to me by a friend whose reading tastes are eerily similar to my own, and I’ve enjoyed the first few books. I wasn’t quite as enamored with this book, though, and I’m not quite sure why.
Instead of upstate New York, where the series is usually based, this book takes place in ritzy southern Florida, so the sisters don’t have their usual cast of characters to help them – or to talk them down off the ledge – and I missed those characters. Maybe because these people were missing from the story and more emphasis was placed on Meg and Quill, but the squabbling between the two sisters got to be really annoying. Meg came off as a diva, concerned only with earning her third star no matter what, while Quill acted like the put-upon older sister. The people they interact with are almost all as shallow as the rich and famous stereotype would indicate, so there weren’t many people to like in this book.
It takes a while to get to the mystery part of the book, and even longer to figure out if this was a murder or just a disappearance. In fact, it’s not until very near the end of the book that this question is answered. Given the victim’s abrasive personality and business practices, there were plenty of suspects, for either the killing or the kidnapping. The person ultimately revealed as being responsible was near the bottom of my list, so the motive took me by surprise as well.
I bought the next several books in this sale during a recent audiobook sale, so I’ll be listening to those... and I hope that getting the sisters back in familiar surroundings will temper their bickering, at least a little.
This series was recommended to me by a friend whose reading tastes are eerily similar to my own, and I’ve enjoyed the first few books. I wasn’t quite as enamored with this book, though, and I’m not quite sure why.
Instead of upstate New York, where the series is usually based, this book takes place in ritzy southern Florida, so the sisters don’t have their usual cast of characters to help them – or to talk them down off the ledge – and I missed those characters. Maybe because these people were missing from the story and more emphasis was placed on Meg and Quill, but the squabbling between the two sisters got to be really annoying. Meg came off as a diva, concerned only with earning her third star no matter what, while Quill acted like the put-upon older sister. The people they interact with are almost all as shallow as the rich and famous stereotype would indicate, so there weren’t many people to like in this book.
It takes a while to get to the mystery part of the book, and even longer to figure out if this was a murder or just a disappearance. In fact, it’s not until very near the end of the book that this question is answered. Given the victim’s abrasive personality and business practices, there were plenty of suspects, for either the killing or the kidnapping. The person ultimately revealed as being responsible was near the bottom of my list, so the motive took me by surprise as well.
I bought the next several books in this sale during a recent audiobook sale, so I’ll be listening to those... and I hope that getting the sisters back in familiar surroundings will temper their bickering, at least a little.
March 20, 2019
Nice entry in this continuously entertaining mystery series
February 11, 2020
3 - Good
January 29, 2023
Great series and easy read.
June 15, 2023
Nice easy, fun read.
February 19, 2013
Mary Stanton’s peculiar book covers of a lawyer for angels and ghosts, caught my attention. Next I encountered “Death Dines Out” for $1.00 and acquired its four ‘Claudia Bishop’ prequels. I’d never read food themes but noticed they’re from the 1990s and thought to begin there. They sat. There doesn’t need to be anything paranormal for a book to be exceptional but little about the synopsises enticed me. It was a case of thinking: wouldn’t I like all her stuff, if the angel lawyer sounds exciting? I dug in with volume five by mistake ~ literally. I regret to publicize, I found it horrible and forced myself to proceed.
I’ll grant this popular author, a smiling horsewoman, that I might be more attached to Sarah/‘Quill’ and Meg if I tried the first of the other four mysteries. Perhaps I’ve gotten the worst out of the way and if I like it better, I might manage the other three that were bought as well. At the moment there’s a twinkling of apprehension, hoping the Mary Stanton titles aren’t a letdown either. The guest characters on the business trip to Florida were rich divorcés, screaming at each other in public. Unfortunately the protagonists bugged me too.
We know immediate family can provoke discord but no one says ‘stupid’ or ‘shut up’ past our teens. This was incessant. ‘Claudia’ was writing the story of immature siblings more than a mystery. More emphasis went on driving to one location than to the plot, which took 110+ pages to appear. Brief moments of action raised the book’s tone. But a completely mismatched, gory outcome failed to profile those involved. They would legally earn more than one million dollars in their circle. Above all, such a renowned chef and painter didn’t at all translate as professionals.
I’ll grant this popular author, a smiling horsewoman, that I might be more attached to Sarah/‘Quill’ and Meg if I tried the first of the other four mysteries. Perhaps I’ve gotten the worst out of the way and if I like it better, I might manage the other three that were bought as well. At the moment there’s a twinkling of apprehension, hoping the Mary Stanton titles aren’t a letdown either. The guest characters on the business trip to Florida were rich divorcés, screaming at each other in public. Unfortunately the protagonists bugged me too.
We know immediate family can provoke discord but no one says ‘stupid’ or ‘shut up’ past our teens. This was incessant. ‘Claudia’ was writing the story of immature siblings more than a mystery. More emphasis went on driving to one location than to the plot, which took 110+ pages to appear. Brief moments of action raised the book’s tone. But a completely mismatched, gory outcome failed to profile those involved. They would legally earn more than one million dollars in their circle. Above all, such a renowned chef and painter didn’t at all translate as professionals.
September 5, 2016
Another unbelievable cozy plot involving the Quilliam sisters. They are asked to participate in a charity event in West Palm Beach and accept strictly to get away from the cold winter weather without checking into anything first. Meg signs on to giving cooking classes in order to create a specialty dish at the end of the event where a gourmet judge could award her her third star. Sarah is to teach one class in Inn Keeping Management (a stretch to get her involved). All expenses are paid! Of course, when they get there they find that the charity is a cover for a divorced wife to embarrass her wealthy ex-husband. The bombastic ex and the drama queen wife have many public fights. All the people associated with both get threatened in some way including the sisters, who then try to straighten everything out. Just too over the top!
December 5, 2011
OK, I jumped into the middle of a series. But still...I was over 100 pages into the book before there was any mystery to solve. Picked it up because I'm from upstate NY, was looking forward to the setting, and this is the one book where the main characters spend most of it in FLA. But 100 pages in, and very little action, nothing to attach me to these characters, and absolutely nothing to make me care at all about the man who is missing.
I also could not accept that a police officer in FL would say to a tourist, "Oh, you're engaged to a cop in NY? Please, feel free to walk freely around a crime scene and ask questions." That's where I stopped reading.
I also could not accept that a police officer in FL would say to a tourist, "Oh, you're engaged to a cop in NY? Please, feel free to walk freely around a crime scene and ask questions." That's where I stopped reading.
January 21, 2015
The girls didn't really have a part in this mystery. The entire time they were just trying to get themselves out of someone else's mess. The people of Florida were way out of their league and most of the time they were just being pulled from one direction to the other. And My God! does Quill ever do actual work?! Apologies do not fix anything.
May 2, 2016
Innkeepers Sarah and Meg Quilliam think a Palm Beach working vacation for charity sounds great - until they get down there and find out the so called charity is nothing more than a way for wealthy socialite Tiffany Taylor to get back at her nasty ex-husband. It was nice to see "Quill" and Meg out of the inn. This is a cute cozy mystery series and I plan to read the next one.
October 8, 2010
Good book,great 'cozy mystery; Probably would have liked it even better if Sarah Quilliam wasn't called Quill- isn't there a Qwill in another mystery series...The Cat Who...? I think I've read at least one of these before and I got more at the library today :)
March 29, 2015
I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous Hemlock Falls books, although I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because it was away from the usual setting, and it wasn't helped by the fact that the ending was hurried.
March 7, 2015
Nice change of pace with Meg and Quill in Florida doing some work at the Food Institute and of course getting involved in a case. I liked that Meg seemed to be more involved can than in some of the books.
September 29, 2010
I gave both this and Pinch of Poison 3 stars, but I actually liked Pinch of Poison a bit more. Unfortunately I have no idea why.
February 17, 2013
A nice series, a little hard to find because it's a little old, but the characters are fun and funny, sometimes, too.
January 22, 2016
Number 5 in the Hemlock Falls culinary mystery cozy, this a great series. The characters are well written and quirky and the murders are well done.
May 20, 2016
I didn't like this one as much. They were in Florida, they hated it, I hated it, and the mystery got wrapped up in a matter of seconds. Rather unsatisfying.
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October 16, 2016It was horrible. I couldn't stand it.
November 6, 2016
A Hemlock Falls mystery. Cute. Ends suddenly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2010
First I've read in this series, and I'm looking forward to others.
July 18, 2013
Fun series with recipes
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews