A Pinch of Poison

Hemlock Falls Mysteries #3

by Claudia Bishop

The Quilliam sisters have a nose for fine food and good business. But when a nosy newspaperman goes sniffing around the local mini-mall project, Sarah and Meg begin to smell something rotten in Hemlock Falls. It's worse than corruption--it's murder. And the newsman is facing his final deadline. Includes a recipe from the Hemlock Falls Inn.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Audiobook, Cooking, Fiction

249 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

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

Reviews

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am losing interest in this series because I am just not drawn to the characters. They are starting to annoy me. Overall, the book was ok and I read more about toilets, septic systems and sewage than I ever expected to. The sisters are opening a boutique restaurant to go with their Inn at Hemlock Falls. There is a lot of discussion about the mini mall being built and the restaurant which (SPOILER ALERT!) do not figure in later books (or at least are never mentioned in books 9 & 10 of the series, which I ended up reading first). Anyway, it isn't terrible, but it isn't spectacular either... just a run-of-the-mill mystery.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last book I will read in this series, as I just don't click with the main characters. This book seemed especially trite and superficial. I do not believe someone like Meg would date someone like Andy who tells her what to do all the time.i don't FEEL the relationship between Quill and Myles either. In this edition, there was more info on toilets and sewage than I would ever like to read again. I was confused at the end as well, so much so that I didn't even know who fell in the septic tank. Also, people in their 30's don't go around having memorized great works of literature, and using archaic words and phrases. A disappointment.

[L.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series, the characters are great and there's so much action. But there are a few things that are starting to grate on me. First is Quill's on-again off-again relationship with Miles. This maybe wouldn't bother me as much if I hadn't read book 7 in the series out of order. She needs to make a decision and roll with it. Either break up and stay broken up or get together and stay together. Also. Paint or don't paint. But don't not paint and then talk about painting ALL. The. Time. If people's appreciation of your painting and your skill and your pursuit of art is that important to you then... maybe... do it? Or not, but then stop making such a big deal out of it.

I've listened to all the books in audiobook format and the narrator is getting harder and harder to listen to. She does great voices so you generally know who's talking (really, the variety is impressive). BUT. Her voice has a whiny tone to it that is kind of hard to follow. I've also noticed that she adds an F to the end of any word that ends with a P. And I'm not talking a little puff of an F, I'm talking a whole separate syllable. At one point it was "YepFFF. NopeFFF." And then something was put on a "tabletopFFF" and I almost had to quit listening.

I've got 6 more books in the series and I definitely want to read them but I'm going to stopFFF listening to the audiobooks.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Hemlock Falls Mystery and I believe it has potential. Maybe because it was my first, the whole Miles/Quill thing was just annoying. I found her to be kind of naive and pretty silly about it. I definitely will give this series another chance however. The town characters were fun and can't wait to learn more about them.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was part of a series so I may have missed some of the character development from the first few books. I found some of the characters in this book so annoying that it was hard to focus on the story which was an average mystery at best.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bishop gets points for both creating a fine mystery, albeit one with a nod to classic, and deploying her ensemble cast to good effect.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think 'Murder on the Orient Express.'

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Surprise ending

[Rebecca Amodeo]

I have tried to get into this series, but I think this will be the last book I'll read in it. I don't find the main characters likeable.

[Kathy Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series!

[Jennifer Dombrowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best one in the series I have read. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everybody who wants a good mystery!

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok,

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would call this a cozy mystery in that the characters who populate the story are people I would like to meet and live with in Hemlock Falls. Yet, some of the people (Hedrick Conway and Axminster Stoker) are not people I would admire or possibly even like.

The Quilliam sisters (Meg and Sarah) run an inn. Sarah is the business partner, and Meg is the chef. But then things start to go wrong. A eccentric group comes to stay, Hedrick Conway's sister and mother die, a scandal seems to be brewing over a mini-mall into which nearly everyone in town has invested, and Axminster Stoker tries to create efficiency in the inn business but stirs up trouble.

Sarah and Meg have to solve the murders in order to clear Meg of suspicion (as one death occurred during a party at the inn) and to save their investment in the mall.

A fun read.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Quilliam sisters' Inn is suffering under two different problems. Sarah has allowed Axminster Stoker, a long term guest, to apply his TQM principles to evaluating the running of the Inn with disastrous results. And Hedrick Conway, his mother and sister have bought the town newspaper and turned it into a scandal sheet, exposing secrets and implying corruption effecting everyone in town. Into this bedlam arrives the Kipling Society. When first Hedrick's mother and then sister are murdered there is no lack of suspects. We also have problems in the sister's romantic relations to add to the mix. I found this a more satisfying mystery then the previous 2 and am looking forward to the next installment.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much. Book 3's story is interesting, and the main characters, Quill and Meg, get some actual fleshing-out. I really like what strong, feminist, caring, and independent women they are. I also like all the quirky (and sometimes frustrating) townspeople.

Bishop's world-building is getting better with each book. Hemlock Falls feels SO real. I almost went searching for it on google maps. HA!

...off to read book 4!

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hedrick Conway has moved to Hemlock Falls and started up a newspaper that is printing gossip about the town. Soon Hedrick's mother is murdered at the site of the towns new minimall and the Quilliam sisters start investigating. I like this series of cozy mysteries and will have to look for more of them.

[Pam Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

#3 in the Hemlock Falls cozy culinary mystery series, back in the day when I started this series, they were great. They still are, but I've gone beyond them. My friends all enjoyed the books as well. If you have discovered Claudia Bishop and enjoy an entertaining cozy, this series might just fit the bill.

[Emily Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tabloid reporter comes to Hemlock Falls and makes some enemies. When two of his family members are murdered, innkeepers Sarah and Meg Quilliam start investigating. I really like this cozy mystery series. It's got great characters and interesting mysteries, and innkeeper "Quill" and chef Meg play off each other well. I am working my way through the series.

[Laura Rodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read. A B&B mystery with the interesting touch of it being set in the Ithaca area in a pretty little fictitious hamlet of Hemlock Falls. The Quilliam sisters own and operate this inn. One sister cooks and the other manages the rest.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. It started out promising but became very boring. I mean there is a whole chapter in sewage! Who wants to read about that? I also didn't like that the characters seemed to not learn from their past investigations and they made the same mistakes again.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was book three but the first one I read in this series. The mystery was interesting, but I did not find most of the characters very interesting so I'm not sure if I will continue in this series.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good fun read. The characters are quirky and animated. The prose is intriguing and there's a lot of dialogue to help move the story quickly. If you're looking for an easy read and a fun mystery this is the book for you. If you're looking for a complex serious mystery move along.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start with a cast list and map reminded me of Agatha Christie. I liked it quite a bit despite finding a few spots that felt like POV breaks.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this even the same author? Jerky, obvious, and boring to read.

[Teotakuu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new author to me but I quite enjoyed the story and the characters. This was a chance find but I will keep an eye out for more books by this author

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best in the series and for some reason not as quick of a read as I thought it should be. I did like the ending.

[Heather Icenogle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, cute, cute series! Really enjoyed these books!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun series with recipes!

[ChrisGA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good solid series of cozy mystery--intricate plot

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and enjoyable.
Building a mall near water.
Characters are inn owners.
Inn at Hemlock Falls.
Sarah and Margaret Quilliam.