What do you think?
Rate this book
Sam Clair #3
A Cast of Vultures
Listening Length: 9 hours and 30 minutes
There was every possibility that I was dead, and my brain hadn’t got the memo. Or maybe it was that I wished I were dead. On reflection, that was more likely.
Usually sharp-witted editor Sam Clair stumbles through her post-launch-party morning with the hangover to end all hangovers. Before the Nurofen has even kicked in, she finds herself entangled in an elaborate saga of missing neighbours, suspected arson and the odd unidentified body. When the grisly news breaks that the fire has claimed a victim, Sam is already in pursuit. Never has comedy been so deadly as Sam faces down a pair from Thugs ‘R’ Us, aided by nothing more than a CID boyfriend, a stalwart Goth assistant and a seemingly endless supply of purple-sprouting broccoli.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2017
54 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Judith Flanders
18 books544 followersJudith Flanders was born in London, England, in 1959. She moved to Montreal, Canada, when she was two, and spent her childhood there, apart from a year in Israel in 1972, where she signally failed to master Hebrew.
After university, Judith returned to London and began working as an editor for various publishing houses. After this 17-year misstep, she began to write and in 2001 her first book, A Circle of Sisters, the biography of four Victorian sisters, was published to great acclaim, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. In 2003, The Victorian House (2004 in the USA, as Inside the Victorian Home) received widespread praise, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards History Book of the Year. In 2006 Consuming Passions, was published. Her most recent book, The Invention of Murder, was published in 2011.
Judith also contributes articles, features and reviews for a number of newspapers and magazines.
After university, Judith returned to London and began working as an editor for various publishing houses. After this 17-year misstep, she began to write and in 2001 her first book, A Circle of Sisters, the biography of four Victorian sisters, was published to great acclaim, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. In 2003, The Victorian House (2004 in the USA, as Inside the Victorian Home) received widespread praise, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards History Book of the Year. In 2006 Consuming Passions, was published. Her most recent book, The Invention of Murder, was published in 2011.
Judith also contributes articles, features and reviews for a number of newspapers and magazines.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
March 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this! For some reason I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. I'm happy when something can surprise me!
This is actually the 3rd book in this series but I haven't read the first 2. I didn't find that to be a problem. I never felt like I was coming into the middle of something and feeling lost. So I do think this could be read without the benefit of the other two. Although, since I did enjoy this one, I will go back and read from the beginning:)
I really liked Sam as a character. She was a solitary, book loving, sarcastic, dry witted woman. I chuckled several times at the things she said. Somehow she gets herself involved in a murder investigation. That only finds herself into trouble a few times. But thanks to her cop boyfriend, Jake, she'll manage to get herself out of them. I like Jake too but now that I think about it, I mostly enjoyed all the characters. Anyway, I thought the mystery was well done. The whole time I was interested in the "truth".
**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is actually the 3rd book in this series but I haven't read the first 2. I didn't find that to be a problem. I never felt like I was coming into the middle of something and feeling lost. So I do think this could be read without the benefit of the other two. Although, since I did enjoy this one, I will go back and read from the beginning:)
I really liked Sam as a character. She was a solitary, book loving, sarcastic, dry witted woman. I chuckled several times at the things she said. Somehow she gets herself involved in a murder investigation. That only finds herself into trouble a few times. But thanks to her cop boyfriend, Jake, she'll manage to get herself out of them. I like Jake too but now that I think about it, I mostly enjoyed all the characters. Anyway, I thought the mystery was well done. The whole time I was interested in the "truth".
**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
This is an outstanding mystery full of suspense. It is not about birds. The characters are developed, the area descriptions will place you in London and neighborhood. The presentation of how a book is published and the politics involved is delightful. The fact the MC did not do anything too stupid to place herself in danger is pleasing.
Samantha aka Sam is woken one night by the smell of smoke and noise. Going outside she watch the "Empty House" burned to the ground. Sam knew that the house had occupants even if the authorities did not and inform Jake, her live boyfriend who is a police officer of the fact. All got out safely. Therefore, it was a surprise to find a body in the fire ruins. Sam and friends begin to explore what happan and she needs to interact with office policies at work. Sam must find an answer to the fires before she becomes a victim.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
Samantha aka Sam is woken one night by the smell of smoke and noise. Going outside she watch the "Empty House" burned to the ground. Sam knew that the house had occupants even if the authorities did not and inform Jake, her live boyfriend who is a police officer of the fact. All got out safely. Therefore, it was a surprise to find a body in the fire ruins. Sam and friends begin to explore what happan and she needs to interact with office policies at work. Sam must find an answer to the fires before she becomes a victim.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
February 5, 2021
Love, love, love this author. 4.5 stars and even better than books #1 & #2. This time Sam's cadence to the occurrences were altered in timing. We have the crisis come before the hysterical work events, meetings, or awards etc. And Jake isn't the only one who rescues either.
Helena and our upstairs architect are also plotting and inventing together. Where could this go? Probably anywhere, even into Space.
The characters in the neighborhood are being supremely developed in this one. We truly know about 4 or 5 now. Especially Viv, Kay and the other Sam. Not in just the positives but in their faults and fall outs as well.
Best plot too of the three books I've read so far. She gets better. They are all funny and filled with superb and sublime metaphors and similes that one usually thinks but never (well we middle class proper citizens women hardly do) says. And those are NOT filled with fouls and swears either. They are far more specific and illustrating. Judith Flanders has about 3 a page that are quotable. And true too.
But this particular book had two that were priceless. One was about the speeches given at the Book Awards Dinner (say Newbery or Booker etc.) The other was the 4 or 5 page relating of the "reorganization/ structural consults meeting". I've been. Nothing could be more true. This book is worth reading for those sections alone, quite apart from the who-dun-it aspect.
Also, loved to death the Kew Gardens segment. I would adore to spent an entire day there. Without climbing struts or clinging to vertical branches.
These are for people who like and do not at all feel averse to zoning, bureaucracy, property, leasing etc. laws and discussions of their particulars. Quite behind the copyright or authorship principles set in the editing and publishing lines of business. In quite other contexts, I am still and just as disgusted as Sam here (or her new found comrade Ben) at these subjective elements involved being called "product".
Only lost a star in the round down because I thought the reasoning Sam modeled ONCE AGAIN during the upper level platforms with the choices she made? Can even best intent women and men remain that oblivious to walking into danger. This happens about once a book in this series.
Much anticipating book #4! Can't wait to see if the reprogramming functions and business consult people on the job pivot or cave. Will they succeed in their restructuring. How far will the duplicitous schmooze go? And if Miranda will come into full scale Joan of Arc for that process too.
Sam Clair is a top notch protagonist. At 43 she is entirely authentic to me. No less in her skill and ability to nail her job at the same time as knowing her own anti-social tendencies. The only parts of her I find hard to swallow are embedded within the levels of good intent she assumes in such dense urban places. You'd be toast in any I have known within 3 days.
Wit and humor are a 5 star perfection and if I was more ambitious I would list 3 to 7 quotes below.
I'm not.
Helena and our upstairs architect are also plotting and inventing together. Where could this go? Probably anywhere, even into Space.
The characters in the neighborhood are being supremely developed in this one. We truly know about 4 or 5 now. Especially Viv, Kay and the other Sam. Not in just the positives but in their faults and fall outs as well.
Best plot too of the three books I've read so far. She gets better. They are all funny and filled with superb and sublime metaphors and similes that one usually thinks but never (well we middle class proper citizens women hardly do) says. And those are NOT filled with fouls and swears either. They are far more specific and illustrating. Judith Flanders has about 3 a page that are quotable. And true too.
But this particular book had two that were priceless. One was about the speeches given at the Book Awards Dinner (say Newbery or Booker etc.) The other was the 4 or 5 page relating of the "reorganization/ structural consults meeting". I've been. Nothing could be more true. This book is worth reading for those sections alone, quite apart from the who-dun-it aspect.
Also, loved to death the Kew Gardens segment. I would adore to spent an entire day there. Without climbing struts or clinging to vertical branches.
These are for people who like and do not at all feel averse to zoning, bureaucracy, property, leasing etc. laws and discussions of their particulars. Quite behind the copyright or authorship principles set in the editing and publishing lines of business. In quite other contexts, I am still and just as disgusted as Sam here (or her new found comrade Ben) at these subjective elements involved being called "product".
Only lost a star in the round down because I thought the reasoning Sam modeled ONCE AGAIN during the upper level platforms with the choices she made? Can even best intent women and men remain that oblivious to walking into danger. This happens about once a book in this series.
Much anticipating book #4! Can't wait to see if the reprogramming functions and business consult people on the job pivot or cave. Will they succeed in their restructuring. How far will the duplicitous schmooze go? And if Miranda will come into full scale Joan of Arc for that process too.
Sam Clair is a top notch protagonist. At 43 she is entirely authentic to me. No less in her skill and ability to nail her job at the same time as knowing her own anti-social tendencies. The only parts of her I find hard to swallow are embedded within the levels of good intent she assumes in such dense urban places. You'd be toast in any I have known within 3 days.
Wit and humor are a 5 star perfection and if I was more ambitious I would list 3 to 7 quotes below.
I'm not.
March 29, 2017
A Cast of Vultures is the third book in the Sam Clair mystery series. Sam Clair is an editor for a publishing company. She has a sharp wit when observing situations or interacting with characters. It is very interesting to see how life and work is in a publishing company. Right now the company has hired consultants to interview the workers to restructure the company. It is evident that the consultants don't understand what makes the publishing company work. I think many readers probably have had the same experience at past jobs.
Vi , a friend that Sam met in book two, calls her. A neighbor of Vi's was invited to dinner at Vi's and didn't show up. He has not been back to his apartment and she wants help from Sam to locate him. This starts the mystery in motion. There are break ins, fires, a body found in one fire and a several life threatening situations for Sam. The other side takes us to award banquets and publishing meetings.
The best part of the series for me is the wit and the characters. The characters include Jake, Sam's policeman boyfriend, Sam's wonder woman mother Helena , Mr. Rudiger her neighbor, Vi and another Sam a young man that Sam likes and is helping. The mysteries are always good. Sam makes the series shine with her wit and personality. This series is different than many mystery books. I am looking forward to the next book.
Vi , a friend that Sam met in book two, calls her. A neighbor of Vi's was invited to dinner at Vi's and didn't show up. He has not been back to his apartment and she wants help from Sam to locate him. This starts the mystery in motion. There are break ins, fires, a body found in one fire and a several life threatening situations for Sam. The other side takes us to award banquets and publishing meetings.
The best part of the series for me is the wit and the characters. The characters include Jake, Sam's policeman boyfriend, Sam's wonder woman mother Helena , Mr. Rudiger her neighbor, Vi and another Sam a young man that Sam likes and is helping. The mysteries are always good. Sam makes the series shine with her wit and personality. This series is different than many mystery books. I am looking forward to the next book.
July 22, 2016
I have enjoyed the previous two books in this entertaining and well written series and this one is even better. Well written, they feature a narrator with an acid tongue and a tendency to poke her nose into things which might be better left alone. In this book editor, Sam Clair, fears for her job as her employer decides to restructure but there are things going on in her neighbourhood which soon serve to take her mind off her troubles at work.
A series of unexplained fires and a missing neighbour provide food for speculation and Viv, an elderly friend persuades Sam to ask a few questions about the missing man which lead her into more danger than she can ever have imagined. Readers who don't like heights may want to read some scenes with eyes half closed!
I loved the plot of this book and the characters are, as always, memorable. There is Sam's super efficient mother, Helena, her neighbour, Mr Rudiger, who has some surprising talents, her partner, Jake - detective and Sam's fellow employees at T&R. I really enjoyed the spiky dialogue and I could empathise with Sam's desire not to spend too much time with crowds of people as I am much the same. She is a lady after my own heart. These novels can be read as standalone stories but are probably best read as a series.
A series of unexplained fires and a missing neighbour provide food for speculation and Viv, an elderly friend persuades Sam to ask a few questions about the missing man which lead her into more danger than she can ever have imagined. Readers who don't like heights may want to read some scenes with eyes half closed!
I loved the plot of this book and the characters are, as always, memorable. There is Sam's super efficient mother, Helena, her neighbour, Mr Rudiger, who has some surprising talents, her partner, Jake - detective and Sam's fellow employees at T&R. I really enjoyed the spiky dialogue and I could empathise with Sam's desire not to spend too much time with crowds of people as I am much the same. She is a lady after my own heart. These novels can be read as standalone stories but are probably best read as a series.
February 20, 2017
There's no simpler way to put this: I love Judith Flanders' Samantha Clair mysteries! Sam and I agree on meetings, shopping, and socializing. Now if I were only one-tenth as witty as she....
The mystery is a good one in A Cast of Vultures, even though the reader quickly learns the identity of the killer. The trick is in deducing why. In addition, Sam's impromptu investigation has some very scary moments in her home and at Kew Gardens-- and they showed me the importance of having a flashlight app on my smartphone.
Flanders also serves up another brilliant glimpse into the world of publishing. This time Sam's publishing house is restructuring in order to save money. The problem is, the experts that have been brought in have no clue what Sam and her co-workers actually do. Sound familiar?
The author (who is also one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian Era) has served up what is, to me, the perfect blend of mystery, the world of books, characters with whom you want to be best friends, wit, and humor. I don't want her to ever stop writing them. They are a delight, and if you haven't read any of them, I urge you to do so as quickly as possible.
The mystery is a good one in A Cast of Vultures, even though the reader quickly learns the identity of the killer. The trick is in deducing why. In addition, Sam's impromptu investigation has some very scary moments in her home and at Kew Gardens-- and they showed me the importance of having a flashlight app on my smartphone.
Flanders also serves up another brilliant glimpse into the world of publishing. This time Sam's publishing house is restructuring in order to save money. The problem is, the experts that have been brought in have no clue what Sam and her co-workers actually do. Sound familiar?
The author (who is also one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian Era) has served up what is, to me, the perfect blend of mystery, the world of books, characters with whom you want to be best friends, wit, and humor. I don't want her to ever stop writing them. They are a delight, and if you haven't read any of them, I urge you to do so as quickly as possible.
April 14, 2017
I've been so busy that I haven't even picked up a book for almost a week. I actually forgot that I had ordered this book from my library, so when it came in, I knew that I had to read it. I love the first book, devoured the second, and the third (this one) was just as good. I can't recommend this series highly enough. Judith Flanders knows how to put all the thoughts that go on in people's minds into print, and, better yet, how to make them hilarious as she goes. Highly recommend!
May 25, 2017
This series started strong, and book three may be the best so far. The mystery starts with a missing man and a house fire. Editor Samantha Claire's involvement comes through two sources- an elderly rather bossy woman who chorales her into helping to check on her missing neighbor, and later, the fire displaces squatters that Samantha knows through the odd jobs they do around her London neighborhood.
She opts to investigate when it seems the police are being unfairly close minded about who might be to blame.
One thing that Flanders has done really well through the whole series is give Samantha's life as a book editor a lot of rich detail and book space. I like the characters we meet through her publishing life and I like that Samantha is mid career. She is not passionate nor is she burnt out, she is consistently dedicated to her job and it is an enormous part of who she is.
Also richly drawn are her agoraphobic neighbor, a dignified and distinguished architect from India, and Samantha's formidable, brilliant, petite, intimidating mother. I don't feel I have as much of a grasp on the personality of her partner, Jake. In the first half of the book he seems grumpy all the time, in the second half very protective. Either way, he is not as interesting to me as some of the other people we meet. If he's going to be around through the whole series, I would like to be invested when he turns up on the page.
I didn't see how this one would be solved, yet the conclusion was totally believable.
She opts to investigate when it seems the police are being unfairly close minded about who might be to blame.
One thing that Flanders has done really well through the whole series is give Samantha's life as a book editor a lot of rich detail and book space. I like the characters we meet through her publishing life and I like that Samantha is mid career. She is not passionate nor is she burnt out, she is consistently dedicated to her job and it is an enormous part of who she is.
Also richly drawn are her agoraphobic neighbor, a dignified and distinguished architect from India, and Samantha's formidable, brilliant, petite, intimidating mother. I don't feel I have as much of a grasp on the personality of her partner, Jake. In the first half of the book he seems grumpy all the time, in the second half very protective. Either way, he is not as interesting to me as some of the other people we meet. If he's going to be around through the whole series, I would like to be invested when he turns up on the page.
I didn't see how this one would be solved, yet the conclusion was totally believable.
April 7, 2018
Another entry into the series (and I'm hoping not the last) sees Sam Clair, getting pulled into a murder and arson in her neighborhood between some new trials at her publishing house. I quite enjoyed the mystery portion of the story but found that there were other aspects I enjoyed much more. Any and all appearances by Sam's mother and her upstairs neighbor rank pretty highly with me as they're such neat characters. All things book publishing also hit high points for me and if I'm honest, that B-story of impending corporate restructuring was my favorite and had me more worried for Sam than the murderer/arsonist on the loose. Also, this time around, there's a teenager, Sam, who is part of a local group of boys who are a bit at risk, that Sam (our book publisher heroine) gets to know and help and he really comes through in a big way in the end. I do have to admit to not being very invested in Sam's love life and found much of that bit tedious. I barely care about her detective boyfriend (his name escapes me) so I surely didn't care about his ex-paramour and her attitude. Still, I understand why the thread was necessary to the storyline.
I'd recommend this for fans of the series or even just cozy fans looking for a good read. Now that I've read all three, I think I'd advise reading them in order so that you know a bit about the established characters. It's an easy read and worth being your weekend read.
I'd recommend this for fans of the series or even just cozy fans looking for a good read. Now that I've read all three, I think I'd advise reading them in order so that you know a bit about the established characters. It's an easy read and worth being your weekend read.
February 29, 2020
This third entry in the Sam Clair series is the strongest mystery so far. I enjoyed it as much as the others. Although Sam is still working as a senior editor for a small publishing house in London, the mystery here hits close to home when people in her neighborhood go missing and there are more fires than normal. Even though this book was more removed from the book world than the first two books, I still really enjoyed it. Sam is a great character, and her relationship with Jake, a Scotland Yard detective inspector, and with her neighbors, are the glue that holds the stories together and keep me wanting to read more.
November 19, 2017
a fun read! suspense, lots of possible suspects, a clever narrator with a classy British inflection. I also enjoyed the bits about the publishing industry. the one thing I didn't get was why Sam's in a relationship with Jake, because for the first 70% of the book they had 0 chemistry and he seemed primarily to irritate her. I definitely want to read more of this series :)
April 23, 2018
I really enjoy following the plucky Sam Clair on her (mis)adventures. These mystery novels succeed in smartly entertaining the reader, while not taking themselves too seriously. Fun, lighthearted reads with a panoply of wonderful, well-developed characters, and enough suspense to keep a reader up well past her bedtime to reach the denouement.
November 20, 2018
A very clever, well-written mystery set in the book publishing world in London. A very believable sleuth & lots of interesting secondary characters.
March 22, 2017
This is a light mystery and an enjoyable read with a London setting.
Samantha Clair awakes with a hangover after her post-book- party to
learn about a fire in the neighborhood, also that there is a body and that
people are missing. Before the news comes out, Sam finds herself in the
center of all the action and mystery. The book is well written with humor,
smart and clever retorts as well as dry wit. You will like Sam and her friends
and characters. Enjoy!!
Samantha Clair awakes with a hangover after her post-book- party to
learn about a fire in the neighborhood, also that there is a body and that
people are missing. Before the news comes out, Sam finds herself in the
center of all the action and mystery. The book is well written with humor,
smart and clever retorts as well as dry wit. You will like Sam and her friends
and characters. Enjoy!!
February 9, 2017
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2017/02...
I really, really enjoy Flanders' Sam Clair series, about an editor who finds herself mixed up in mysteries. Her writing is just really funny and engaging, and Sam is a likable and entertaining character. Flanders also tooooootally nails the intricacies of the publishing world--and I'm just as interested in her assistant and their office politics as I am in the case of the moment (this one involves a friend's missing neighbor, though things quickly grow more complicated--as they are wont to do, in a mystery!). I could quibble a bit with the plotting of this mystery, which relies on a lot of coincidences, BUT I enjoyed this book so much--seriously, really strong writing and characterization--that I don't even care. I can't wait for more from Flanders. A/A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 21st.
I really, really enjoy Flanders' Sam Clair series, about an editor who finds herself mixed up in mysteries. Her writing is just really funny and engaging, and Sam is a likable and entertaining character. Flanders also tooooootally nails the intricacies of the publishing world--and I'm just as interested in her assistant and their office politics as I am in the case of the moment (this one involves a friend's missing neighbor, though things quickly grow more complicated--as they are wont to do, in a mystery!). I could quibble a bit with the plotting of this mystery, which relies on a lot of coincidences, BUT I enjoyed this book so much--seriously, really strong writing and characterization--that I don't even care. I can't wait for more from Flanders. A/A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on February 21st.
January 18, 2017
This is an English based cozy about a Canadian living in England. When a local abandoned home, burns to the ground after housing squatters for years the community comes together to support the family that has lived there. The suspicious fire has main character Sam helping to solve the mysteries of the fires and missing neighbor. I loved the talk of gardening and community feelings I got from this book. This book is out February 21st.
October 16, 2017
My favorite in this series so far. Sam Clair is truly my alter ego, even if she and Judith don't know it.
March 11, 2017
Action packed mystery! Sam finds herself climbing over someone's balcony in order to search their neighbor's apartment and she doesn't even know the person! Somehow her editor life becomes interesting when she is caught up in the middle of searching for a missing person, arson, thugs, murder and being social when she really doesn't want to be.
Great character development! Third book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone and you won't be lost. Funny and towards the middle the action hits! Sam is one tough cookie.
Great character development! Third book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone and you won't be lost. Funny and towards the middle the action hits! Sam is one tough cookie.
July 17, 2017
In this third installment of the series, book editor Sam Clair becomes embroiled in the search for a missing person and a series of arson-caused fires. I love the way that Sam makes totally logical decisions that end up putting her in ludicrous situations - climbing a ladder over a balcony to check on a friend's missing neighbor; a disastrous visit to the greenhouse. The secondary characters continue to be well fleshed out, and the machinations of Sam's career as an editor are interesting and well incorporated.
I thoroughly loved the experience of reading this.
I thoroughly loved the experience of reading this.
January 13, 2018
For those in my book group, it may resonate that I liken this enjoyable, light read to Stacey Ballis writes a Bridget Jones-esque protagonist in a BBC mystery.
February 7, 2017
Our solitary and self-sufficient 40-something London book editor, Sam Clair, has seen a lot of changes in her life since we first met her in A Murder of Magpies. She has formed a supportive relationship with her reclusive upstairs neighbor, Mr. Rudiger, gotten closer to her other neighbors, the Lewises and their son Bim, and made other friends in her North London neighborhood. She has also acquired a part-time live-in, Jake Field, a London Police Detective. Sam has never enjoyed the endless meetings, schmoozing, and socializing that are so much a part of the publishing world but has learned to function well in it. Jake calls it "after-work work" which Sam views with an acid tongue and jaundiced eye.
Even though Sam has been a reluctant and hardly fearless sleuth on previous occasions she hopes that is behind her. Jake, understandably, views her meddling in police work unfavorably and is concerned for her safety. However, her new friend, Viv, gets her involved in a mystery. The elderly Viv, who knows everyone and everything about them is concerned that her upstairs neighbor, Dennis Harefield, has not been seen for several days. Dennis is an apparently blameless council employee but he has also not shown up at work. Viv does all the usual things, calls the hospitals and the police who are not particularly in interested. Dennis, after all, is a grown man in his forties. She persuades Sam to help her do a spot of breaking and entering at Dennis' flat. Nothing seems amiss other than general untidiness and no sign that he might have gone on a trip. It is a dead end until there is a fire in an empty house and the body of Dennis Harefield is found in the wreckage. It appears that he was the arsonist, the most recent in a string of local fires. Upon searching Harefield's apartment, the police find a substantial amount of cash, leading them to suspect drug dealing. The problem is, there was no money there when Viv and Sam searched. Sam's questions about Dennis Harefield lead her into great danger. Someone is prepared to kill her to stop her.
I highly recommend the Sam Clair mysteries. Sam is very likable, with her often laugh-out-loud take on publishing, management consultants, and life in general. After a lifetime of stubborn self-sufficiency, she has gathered a group of loyal supporters headed by her terrifyingly efficient mother, Helena, and Jake. She adds more people to her circle with Sam, a street kid who she befriends, and the squatters who were living in the supposedly empty house where Dennis Harefield's body is discovered. My only quibble is her rather drawn out and somewhat unbelievable escape from thugs intent on killing her. Sam is far from athletic, in spite of bicycling on her errands, but "needs must" I suppose. Sam Clair is a character I would love to meet in real life.
Thanks so much to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
RATING- 4.5 Stars
Even though Sam has been a reluctant and hardly fearless sleuth on previous occasions she hopes that is behind her. Jake, understandably, views her meddling in police work unfavorably and is concerned for her safety. However, her new friend, Viv, gets her involved in a mystery. The elderly Viv, who knows everyone and everything about them is concerned that her upstairs neighbor, Dennis Harefield, has not been seen for several days. Dennis is an apparently blameless council employee but he has also not shown up at work. Viv does all the usual things, calls the hospitals and the police who are not particularly in interested. Dennis, after all, is a grown man in his forties. She persuades Sam to help her do a spot of breaking and entering at Dennis' flat. Nothing seems amiss other than general untidiness and no sign that he might have gone on a trip. It is a dead end until there is a fire in an empty house and the body of Dennis Harefield is found in the wreckage. It appears that he was the arsonist, the most recent in a string of local fires. Upon searching Harefield's apartment, the police find a substantial amount of cash, leading them to suspect drug dealing. The problem is, there was no money there when Viv and Sam searched. Sam's questions about Dennis Harefield lead her into great danger. Someone is prepared to kill her to stop her.
I highly recommend the Sam Clair mysteries. Sam is very likable, with her often laugh-out-loud take on publishing, management consultants, and life in general. After a lifetime of stubborn self-sufficiency, she has gathered a group of loyal supporters headed by her terrifyingly efficient mother, Helena, and Jake. She adds more people to her circle with Sam, a street kid who she befriends, and the squatters who were living in the supposedly empty house where Dennis Harefield's body is discovered. My only quibble is her rather drawn out and somewhat unbelievable escape from thugs intent on killing her. Sam is far from athletic, in spite of bicycling on her errands, but "needs must" I suppose. Sam Clair is a character I would love to meet in real life.
Thanks so much to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
RATING- 4.5 Stars
February 6, 2017
FAV QUOTES:
‘Crisps are not food.’ They weren’t? I’d have to revise my whole food pyramid.
Foreigners think that all social interactions in Britain must legally begin with a discussion of the weather. This is not true. We are only required to talk about the weather in certain, very specific, circumstances. When the temperature rises above 22°. When it drops below 10°. When it rains heavily, or there are showers for more than three days in a row. And when it snows. Or hails. Or it looks like any of these things might happen in the next month. At any of those moments, weather commentary is obligatory.
One of the great things about working in a publishing office is that you can ask the strangest questions, and everyone assumes it’s to do with a book.
A problem postponed is a problem I can pretend doesn’t exist.
‘Crisps are not food.’ They weren’t? I’d have to revise my whole food pyramid.
Foreigners think that all social interactions in Britain must legally begin with a discussion of the weather. This is not true. We are only required to talk about the weather in certain, very specific, circumstances. When the temperature rises above 22°. When it drops below 10°. When it rains heavily, or there are showers for more than three days in a row. And when it snows. Or hails. Or it looks like any of these things might happen in the next month. At any of those moments, weather commentary is obligatory.
One of the great things about working in a publishing office is that you can ask the strangest questions, and everyone assumes it’s to do with a book.
A problem postponed is a problem I can pretend doesn’t exist.
August 17, 2018
Brava, Ms Flanders! Another delightful, well-written and funny excursion. Book editor Samantha Clair is asked by her elderly friend Viv to help look for Viv's missing neighbor. When a body is found in the latest of a string of arson fires in their London neighborhood, the puzzle is solved. The police believe the dead man was the arsonist, and was also a drug dealer under the guise of neighborhood do-gooder. Despite Sam's lack of knowledge of the case, she seems to be the target for several attempts on her life. Meanwhile, back at the publishers, Sam and her assistant have a problem with one of the other editors, and with management consultants who have come in to reorganize the business.
October 7, 2017
Sam Clair wakes to a house fire down the street. The house is destroyed, but those squatting in it get out fine. Sam begins to suspect that this was deliberate. While on the work front, she's dealing with consultants who have come in to "restructure" the business and a non-fiction book that feels more like fiction. On the personal front, she has taken the step of meeting her beau Jake's work friends, including his ex, and has to help him deal with a betrayal. All in a days work for the vibrant but not always pulled together Sam
July 11, 2022
3.5 stars. I enjoy this series. This one ended kind of abruptly.
November 21, 2017
Oh, no! There are no more books in this series. What will I do without Sam Clair? These books fit the definition of "cozy mystery" but are so much more. Sam is reasonably intelligent with quick wit and an awesome sense of humor. While I didn't actually laugh out loud while reading this book, I certainly did the smile and give the inside chuckle. While this was the perfect antidote to the tenseness in the last book I read, it did have some tense moments. Towards the end Sam and her (cop) partner (her word, she doesn't like "boyfriend") are in the Kew gardens in the Pagoda 10 stories up on a walk-around ledge. Jake has to leave but Sam decides to stay up there. First, someone tries and nearly succeeds in pushing her off the ledge. Oh dum-de-dum-dum, no harm done. Then she is up there alone and discovers that she is not alone, someone else is there too. If she walks quickly, the footsteps follow her quickly. If she stops, the footsteps stop. If she walks slowly, the footsteps walk slowly. Then she realizes there are actually TWO someones up there with her. "Sam, Sam!" I yell. "Get the hell out of there!" Does she listen? Well, sort of. So she decides the footsteps are just a coincidence and nothing to worry about so she'll leave this dangerous place and move on to the next dangerous place, the treetop walk - just what it sounds like, bridges to walk along among the treetops. "Don't do it! Get home!" I scream. She totally ignores me and even when the announcement comes over the loud speaker that they are closing in 5 minutes, she persists in walking out onto the bridge where, guess what? She gets conked on the head and nearly killed. So she's trapped with these two killers and no one knows where she is or when she is due back. Jack had been called out on a case so he might never realize she never made it home. Well, that was pretty tense. And there isn't a book 4 yet so this could well and truly be the end of Miss Sam Clair. But, as I said, it is a cozy mystery so there is hope that the posse will arrive just in the nick of time. Even if you think cozy mysteries aren't your genre, you should give this series a try. "Try it, you'll like it."
March 14, 2021
This is the third of the series of Samantha (Sam) Claire; publisher and unintended sleuth. Along with her building mates, her lawyer mother Helena, and her CID boyfriend Jake, as well as other assorted friends, all hands are on board.
I really love these characters with their flaws and foibles. Maybe it's Sam's sarcasm, but I really think it's because nobody is perfect, except Helena, so it's easy to relate to them. As I've said several times before, I adore sarcasm and Sam uses it in spades. Anyway, I hope Ms. Flanders never stops writing this series. I could happily read twenty of them!
On her way to the market one Saturday, Sam stops in on her friend Viv to deliver some fresh veggies from her neighbor Mr. Rudiger's rooftop garden. Viv asks Sam to come inside, which is unusual. She tells Sam she's worried about her neighbor Dennis Harefield: he's been missing for days. They break in to find a messy apartment but nothing suspicious. Then "the empty building" which isn't empty because several families of squatters have been living in it, mysteriously burns down with the body of Harefield in it.
Things rapidly get intertwined as Sam and her friends start making connections between the seemingly good guy Harefield and drug dealers/arsonists. Soon Sam and Jake don't know who or where the connections are going but once trusted neighbors start acting suspiciously and when Sam's apartment gets broken into Jake has to hand the case over to his ex-girlfriend a DS named Paula. Paula despises Sam and dismisses everything she reports. Sam and Jake are in danger because of it and don't have a clue until....
True to form there's plenty to both laugh at and thrill you. The clues unfold slowly as you try to figure out what is really going on and who is really involved. This time Jake realizes he can't stop Sam so he'd better join her to keep her safe - or try to. With Sam it's always a crap shoot! I think you will enjoy this one and I recommend it.
I really love these characters with their flaws and foibles. Maybe it's Sam's sarcasm, but I really think it's because nobody is perfect, except Helena, so it's easy to relate to them. As I've said several times before, I adore sarcasm and Sam uses it in spades. Anyway, I hope Ms. Flanders never stops writing this series. I could happily read twenty of them!
On her way to the market one Saturday, Sam stops in on her friend Viv to deliver some fresh veggies from her neighbor Mr. Rudiger's rooftop garden. Viv asks Sam to come inside, which is unusual. She tells Sam she's worried about her neighbor Dennis Harefield: he's been missing for days. They break in to find a messy apartment but nothing suspicious. Then "the empty building" which isn't empty because several families of squatters have been living in it, mysteriously burns down with the body of Harefield in it.
Things rapidly get intertwined as Sam and her friends start making connections between the seemingly good guy Harefield and drug dealers/arsonists. Soon Sam and Jake don't know who or where the connections are going but once trusted neighbors start acting suspiciously and when Sam's apartment gets broken into Jake has to hand the case over to his ex-girlfriend a DS named Paula. Paula despises Sam and dismisses everything she reports. Sam and Jake are in danger because of it and don't have a clue until....
True to form there's plenty to both laugh at and thrill you. The clues unfold slowly as you try to figure out what is really going on and who is really involved. This time Jake realizes he can't stop Sam so he'd better join her to keep her safe - or try to. With Sam it's always a crap shoot! I think you will enjoy this one and I recommend it.
April 23, 2021
I was delighted to finally find a new author I enjoy without equivocation or reservation.
Samantha "Sam" Clair is a book editor in London, working on a sometimes prickly relationship with her CID Inspector boyfriend, Jake. In this outing Sam's neighborhood is the focus of a firebug. Small fires have occurred over an extended period, but when the local "empty house" burns down, the neighbors who are mostly on a nodding-acquaintance basis come together to help the squatters who had occupied the house for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, Sam's friend Viv enjoins Sam in a bit of breaking and entering. Her upstairs neighbor, Dennis, has not been seen for going on a week, and Viv wants help in determining if he's just away or may really be a missing person. When a body turns up in the burned-out house, Sam connects some details and realizes it could be Dennis.
As Sam assists Viv and her now homeless neighbors, she keeps meeting and talking with new acquaintances. It isn't until someone tries to kill her that Sam realizes she must have stepped on some very aggressive toes. But how, and who?
I loved everything about this book, from the characters, to the first-person narrative, to a well-conceived plot. I very much enjoyed the sections detailing Sam's work as a book editor, and her idiosyncratic workplace. Sam is especially appealing to me, as she is single, career-focused, a bit anti-social, caffeine-dependent and mature enough to barely tolerate male acquaintances behaving like she has no mind of her own. The prose is high-quality, and the dialog witty. I would enjoy having a drink with Sam and some of her friends and neighbors.
Now I have to find the other books in the series (sadly, only three so far).
Samantha "Sam" Clair is a book editor in London, working on a sometimes prickly relationship with her CID Inspector boyfriend, Jake. In this outing Sam's neighborhood is the focus of a firebug. Small fires have occurred over an extended period, but when the local "empty house" burns down, the neighbors who are mostly on a nodding-acquaintance basis come together to help the squatters who had occupied the house for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, Sam's friend Viv enjoins Sam in a bit of breaking and entering. Her upstairs neighbor, Dennis, has not been seen for going on a week, and Viv wants help in determining if he's just away or may really be a missing person. When a body turns up in the burned-out house, Sam connects some details and realizes it could be Dennis.
As Sam assists Viv and her now homeless neighbors, she keeps meeting and talking with new acquaintances. It isn't until someone tries to kill her that Sam realizes she must have stepped on some very aggressive toes. But how, and who?
I loved everything about this book, from the characters, to the first-person narrative, to a well-conceived plot. I very much enjoyed the sections detailing Sam's work as a book editor, and her idiosyncratic workplace. Sam is especially appealing to me, as she is single, career-focused, a bit anti-social, caffeine-dependent and mature enough to barely tolerate male acquaintances behaving like she has no mind of her own. The prose is high-quality, and the dialog witty. I would enjoy having a drink with Sam and some of her friends and neighbors.
Now I have to find the other books in the series (sadly, only three so far).
November 24, 2018
Someone is setting fires in Sam Clair's neighborhood, and the most recent one is just up the street from her flat. The people who lived there were squatters, but had been there for so long, they were part of the fabric of the place. There was a body found in the ashes, and at first it is assumed it is the body of the arsonist.
Meanwhile, Sam's friend Viv asks her to look into the disappearance of Viv's neighbor, a kind man who is a civil servant.
When the body in the ashes is discovered to be Viv's missing neighbor, and reports of him being a drug dealer surface, Sam decides that the stories are too different to make sense, and tries to figure out the truth. Meanwhile, a pub down the street burns, and with all of the things going on, Sam starts to even worry about the people she knows being out to get her.
All of this, as well as her assistant at work finding that a book soon to be published cannot possibly contain true information, leaves Sam with more than enough to deal with.
This is a well-done book, with the mystery being multi-layered, and even includes Sam being pursued by mysterious villains after hours in Kew Gardens!
I'm caught up on this series now, and hope another book joins it soon.
Meanwhile, Sam's friend Viv asks her to look into the disappearance of Viv's neighbor, a kind man who is a civil servant.
When the body in the ashes is discovered to be Viv's missing neighbor, and reports of him being a drug dealer surface, Sam decides that the stories are too different to make sense, and tries to figure out the truth. Meanwhile, a pub down the street burns, and with all of the things going on, Sam starts to even worry about the people she knows being out to get her.
All of this, as well as her assistant at work finding that a book soon to be published cannot possibly contain true information, leaves Sam with more than enough to deal with.
This is a well-done book, with the mystery being multi-layered, and even includes Sam being pursued by mysterious villains after hours in Kew Gardens!
I'm caught up on this series now, and hope another book joins it soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews