Bell, Book, and Scandal

Jane Jeffry #14

by Jill Churchill

You can't judge a book by its cover. To look at her, one would never think suburbanite homemaker Jane Jeffry would be interested in murder and mayhem. But after all the corpses she's come across -- and killers she's unmasked -- she's practically an expert on the subject. Which is why, with best buddy Shelley Nowack in tow, Jane's booking down to a nearby mystery writers' convention to mingle with the brightest lights of literary crime . . . and maybe drum up some interest in her own recently completed manuscript.

They're all there: editors, agents, publishing bigwigs, and famous authors like Jane and Shelley's personal fave, Felicity Roane. Even Jane's longtime honey, Detective Mel VanDyne, is a scheduled guest speaker. Of course there are bound to be some bad apples in the bunch: macho-malicious literary critic,cum snake, Zac Zebra, for example, and loudmouth Vernetta Strausmann, who self-published her despicable whodunit and successfully hawked it on the Internet.

However, what would a mystery convention be without a mystery? So one is graciously supplied when a famous ego-squashing editor keels over at the speaker's podium, undone by an anonymous poisoner. And when a much-hated book-bashing journalist is himself bashed quite nastily in the parking lot, it seems fairly certain that at least one real-life murderer is stalking the proceedings. But who is he/she/them? The dirt-dishing, pseudonymous Internet gossip monger "Ms. Mystery," who's lurking around there somewhere? The local bookseller who dearly loves "Modern Golden Age" women writers? The avid reader who seems to know a bit too much about the personal lives of the famous attendees?

Jane and Shelley are onthe case, ready to snoop, eavesdrop, and gossip their way to a solution. But the killer they seek is no open book . . . and may turn out to be harder -- and deadlier -- to read than they initially imagined.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

A pseudonym used by Janice Young Brooks.

Jill Churchill, winner of the Agatha and Macavity Mystery Readers Awards, and nominated for an Anthony for her best-selling Jane Jeffry series, lives as Jane does, in a midwestern suburb. On purpose! She says writing this series and the Grace and Favor series is the best treat she can have without a knife and fork.

Under her real name, Janice Young Brooks, and various pseudonyms, she's written historical novels, a gothic novel, and a history textbook as well as many articles for newspapers and magazines. When she's not writing, she's avidly doing genealogy which she says is a lot like mysteries with all the red herrings, clues, speculations, and surprises.

She gardens enthusiastically, needlepoints superbly, and plays a mean game of gin against the computer. She has a son and daughter and two granddaughters, Rose Louise and Emma. Janice is currently in a battle of supremacy with her cat Max.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have known this book was going to be tedious when the first several chapters were all about buying a new car and being shocked and awed by the features. Seriously, who is amazed at a car remote? Or a cell phone for that matter? And why would someone who just had their stomach pumped and has been throwing up want Merlot? And why would someone at a writing conference not know what plagiarism is? The below average high school student knows what plagiarism is! These and many other plot points just don't make sense. It seems every chapter had some conversation where Jane and Shelley were amazed by something that a normal person would never have been amazed at...a ballroom that splits into smaller rooms, miniature desserts, a minibar. I'm pretty sure everything they were amazed by has been around for many years and are very commonplace. I'm not sure how the main character can solve any crimes since she seems utterly clueless and dim. I lost count of the number of times she thought of something and instantly forgot about it...poor plot device and dumb characterization. I understand this is part of a series and the earlier books are much better. This book does not make me want to read anything else by Jill Churchill. The writing is awkward and stilted and just bad, the characters are flat and their motivations unexplained/unfathomable and the story is just boring. Thankfully it is a short book.

[Lain · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved hearing the inside scoop on what goes on at a mystery conference, this was far from my favorite Jane Jeffry book. All the regular elements are there -- Jane and Shelley, a mystery, and interesting characters -- but the characters seem to trot in and out without much development. And Jane and Shelley seemed particularly catty in this book, especially in regards to judging others they come in contact with.

The warmth of previous books is missing while the two wine and dine and shop (and make snarky remarks about their fellow attendees).

The mystery is pretty transparent, too, and not even fully resolved at the end of the book.

After looking forward to this one for so long, I was disappointed.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never read this author before, but if all of her writing is like this I probably won't. It had very little mystery to it, no murder, and the characters were boring. I finished it only because I wanted to know who the culprit was, but that was the only reason. For such a short book, it took me a long time to read it. The writing was the best either. Very disappointed.

[Lucy]

Published in 2003, it seems very old-fashioned, she got a cell phone for $20, I laughed. I’ll read it more like it is historical fiction. Very concerned about new car color, all the sales team is men. Weirdly focused about shopping, room service, restaurants, and what other people are wearing. They paid for a conference but can’t be bothered to go to sessions.
I don’t understand the point of a chapter about how her boyfriend asks her to help clean his house and she does it. Why is the daughter vacuuming the son’s bedroom? What the actual heck?

The author passed away in 2023 at the age of 80.

[Sara Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this author’s writing style. It felt like the author went to one writing convention and decided to write a book about going to a writing convention.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing little mystery involving shenanigans in the publishing business. I was a little disappointed that the cover features a picture of a cat but there is only a passing reference to the protagonist's cat in the story. I did enjoy the inside scoop on the mystery writing world and the little taste of the life of a woman with sufficient means that she doesn't work and can stay in a hotel suite for the conference she attends on a whim. The characters were rather well done but there was a bit of a superficial quality to the book that bothered me a bit -- I guess because I didn't get a real sense of place (still not sure what major city this book was set in) and there was not an actual murder or strong resolution. Still, it was an enjoyable quick read on a day when I was home sick as a dog.

[Andi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author came highly recommended, but sadly I was disappointed in this book. I found the main characters to be somewhat mean-spirited, and the mystery wasn't very mysterious. It was obvious from the beginning who was guilty. I think that the author could have had a lot more fun with the characters and taken the readers on a merry ride of twists, but sadly that was missing.

That being said, I will probably read another book by her because of the recommendations. After all, anyone can have a bad day.

[Toni Perreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a relatively short (Audio)book and it manages to be uninspiring and somewhat dull. It’s wildly ironic that Jane is at a writers conference and one of the pieces of advice she gets from an editor is to make sure the mystery doesn’t start later that ⅓ of the way into the book. Meanwhile I’m at the halfway point of this book and still waiting for he mystery. I’ve read other books in this series that were better.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book for light reading but I thought the ending was disappointing.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were a better communicator, I would find more creative ways to convince you to read this entire series. I've enjoyed every book, and I'm saddened to think that I'm almost at the end of the series. But if you haven't tried it yet, I'm hopeful you will rethink and give it a shot. The main character, Jane, is one of the finest characters you'll read about anywhere. She is a practical, down-to-earth single mom who does a great job raising three kids. As this book opens, Jane is off to a mystery writers’ conference Not far from home. Her friend, Shelley, insists that they stay in the conference hotel rather than going home every day. It's a good thing they do. Things get interesting early on. A conference attendee apparently strives to poison one of the guest speakers, and they find an author lying outside in a state of unconsciousness. Naturally, Jane and her cop boyfriend are on the case, and they uncover some exciting stuff that focuses on plagiarism and scandal.

This is a short book that you'll finish in no time, and your appreciation for the main character and her friend will grow a great deal. I sincerely hope you will consider taking on the entire series. It's not mandatory that you read the other books before you read this one, but I think it helps immensely.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book I would normally pick up but my daughter found it in a free library and gave it to me because she thought I would like it...so of course I had to read it. And it was pretty good.

Jane and her best friend Shelley go to a mystery book convention so that Jane can pick up some tips and meet people in the hopes of getting her first novel published. It's a mystery book so of course there has to be something that happens and that includes a poisoning and an assault and away we go.

I've never read this author before so I was concerned that I wouldn't have any of the back story (this is book #14 in the series) but the author did a good job of flushing out all of the characters without having to have read the entire back catalog. The pacing was good, the characters were interesting and developed, the love interest was average, the actual mystery was about average.

So yeah, it was worth my time and I enjoyed my time with the characters but there was nothing that I loved. If someone gave me more of her books to read, I would read them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for any other by the author.

A classic three star book - I enjoyed it. Good.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery with out a death. A nice change and just as good as the other books without it.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been following the Jane Jeffry mysteries for years so it was a treat to find one I hadn't read at the free day booksale at my library! Jane is a widow with three children who, with her neighbor Shelley, stumble onto mysteries and helps out her hunky detective boyfriend, Mel. In the last few books, Jane has started writing books so it was very interesting to learn more about the world of writers's conference in this latest mystery. This is definitely in the fun beach read category, if I ever got to the beach that is!

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. It reminded me of the tone and mood of the TV show Murder, She Wrote. It was good clean fun, with a great plot and interesting characters. The setting was at the conference for novice writing trying to publish their first books, and when two friends go to enjoy themselves, they stumble onto numerous mysteries. I will definitely read more by Churchill. Jane Jeffry is a memorable main character full of spunk, curiosity and intelligence.

[Peggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A cozy mystery that was not very interesting. The mysteries to be solved include, discovering who may have plagiarized a book, who food poisoned book editor Sophie Smith, and who hit author Zac Zebra over the head. Forgettable characters, and awkward dialogue. The positive , it is a very short, fast read.

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aggressively bad, insulting to just about everyone, with irritatingly rude, smug friends and a strong splash of snobbery. Written on a very low level, with clueless characters. The best thing to say about the book is that the snobbery is equal-opportunity, I guess. Hard to finish. Will never read another book by this author.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was very disappointing. The setting, a mystery writer's conference was intriguing if not unique. The characters seemed as if they might have potential. The pacing is good and the writing is decent, but the story didn't live up to the potential showed in the beginning, and the solution to the "mysteries" was disappointing.

[Laurie Blacker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though I’ve lived and shared all the previous books in this series, this one seemed like the author died and they hired a hack to fulfill a contract and write this book. The characters were not likable at all, and that was always the main attraction of these books - you liked and related to the characters!

[Debby · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first in this series and I am not sure what to think. The characters are not really like able. They story seemed to be all over the place. I know that murder doesn't have to be included in a mystery but maybe it would have helped this book. The ending didn't make a great deal of sense. it left a feeling of everything not really be resolved. I am not sure if I will read another.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The female protagonists would be known as Karens in today's world. Jane and Shelley attend a mystery conference. Harking the novel she has written, Jane tries to get her foot in the publishing world door. Amid copious banality and after several chapters, Jane finally stumbles upon a mystery to solve. Churchill's story reads more like a privileged mean girls' tale than a whodunnit.

[Stephanie Tiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a little bit more mystery but it was a good light listen. I listened to the audiobook on Libby while deep cleaning my house bit was pretty good. Im interested in the others in the series now. A decent little mystery .

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful. The plot was predictable and everything about it was uninteresting and trite. The author has a clear disdain for fat folks and younger women. The narration, and main characters, feel self-congratulatory which seems undeserved.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. I haven't read one of Ms. Churchill's books in awhile. They're very cozy Mysteries and feel like comfort food. I'm working to finish up the Jane Jeffries stories. They make me smile.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. I haven't read one of Ms. Churchill's books in awhile. They're very cozy Mysteries and feel like comfort food. I'm working to finish up the Jane Jeffries stories. They make me smile.

[Pelican Rapids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed This Story

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best, in my opinion. Still a enjoyable, very readable cozy.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an inkling whodunit and I was right!

[Reader57 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so great.

SPOILER ALERT: No dead body. A cozy mystery needs a dead body.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little, (can't quite put my finger on it,). I don't want to say boring, but it lacked something. Maybe I will try another one in the series. Not really sure.

[Gerda Leek · Rating 2 out of 5]

murder lite?