Sweet Miss Seeton

Miss Seeton #20

by Hamilton Crane (Pseudonym)

While Miss Seeton and her trusty sketch pad assist in the investigation of a certain asphalt company whose otherwise healthy elderly customers end up dead, an eccentric and determined artist stalks her, keeping his eyes on her cottage for his newest work, a chocolate-covered house

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery

246 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

About the author

Hamilton Crane is the pseudonym adopted by Sarah J. Mason when she was invited to continue the Miss Seeton series originally created by Heron Carvic, who died in 1980. “Hamilton” after her hall of residence at St Andrews University (the big red building behind the 18th green on the Old Course) and “Crane” to continue the bird theme – a crane has a similar form to a heron.

Series:
* Miss Seeton

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light funny cozy mystery where Miss Seeton is pestered to sell her cottage so the buyer can fill it with chocolate and tear it down. No other cottage will suit the artist's plans. Meanwhile, the local police are baffled by pensioners starving themselves and unexplained injuries. These are nicely brought together to form a tale. I recommend this book and series.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Prelude Books for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Andrea]

Status quo maintained.

A reasonable entry until a major plot development that I thought completely unnecessary and didn't like at all.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for an advance copy of Sweet Miss Seeton, the 20th outing for Heron Carvic's innocent catalyst of the untoward and the 12th written by Sarah J. Mason using the pseudonym Hamilton Crane.

It is all quiet in Plummergen in the weeks after Christmas but not so in Ashford where, apart from the usual, Superintendent Brinton is mulling over the case of the starving pensioners. It's not a case as such because nothing has been reported but he has been made aware that several pensioners appear to have lost all their money with no obvious reason and are in such dire straits they are starving.

Sweet Miss Seeton is not as action packed for Miss Seeton as some of her previous adventures. She does one drawing but mostly spends the novel in a more nurturing role until she has to show some steel, which she does admirably. Instead, the plot concentrates on Superintendent Brinton and his subordinate DC Foxon and their investigation.

There are the usual vignettes of the Nuts drawing ridiculous conclusions about Miss Seeton, which are getting a bit tiresome but will amuse new readers.

I enjoy this series and Sweet Miss Seeton is another good addition. The change of focus rings the changes to prevent the series getting stale. I have, therefore, no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Sweet Miss Seeton - Miss Seeton Mystery Book 20
Author: Hamilton Crane & Heron Carvic
Published: 1-20-2017
Publisher: Farrago
Pages: 244
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub-Genre: Amateur Sleuth; British Cozy Mystery; Crafts & Hobbies; Psychics
ISBN: 9781911440093
ASIN: B01MZ6UTNJ
Reviewed For NetGalley and Farrago
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.25 Stars

Sweet-natured Emily Seeton, retired art teacher and nowadays invaluable artist-aide to Scotland Yard, always tries to keep an open mind. But really, her feelings about the flamboyant Antony Scarlett, ‘the modern Rubens’ whose chosen medium is chocolate, and who is bullying her to sell her beloved cottage so he can fill it with the confection and knock it down, are anything but warm.

Yet Antony persists, and while infesting Plummergen he encounters lovely redheaded Tina Holloway, his rejected muse, here recovering from his ungallant treatment. Tina is proving a talented artist herself. Her drawings of the village, combined with Miss Seeton’s mysterious sketches, help local police Superintendent Brinton to uncover how elderly residents fall victim to a gang of heartless criminals . .

Serene amidst every kind of skullduggery, this eccentric English spinster steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles, armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella!

Rarely does Miss Seeton have extreme negative feeling over someone, but she does here. Her love of her home and the village of Plummergen. We are most blessed to visit with old friends and sites. As always the characters are vibrant and well developed. The descriptive writing brings the village and residents to life for me.

Word is new Miss Seeton novels are coming soon. I hope it is so and they come soon. Hopefully Sarah J Mason will continue writing the series.

My rating of "Sweet Miss Seeton" is 4.25 out of 5 stars.


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[Iris Chacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: SWEET MISS SEETON, A Miss Seeton Mystery by Harrison Crane, Series created by Heron Carvic.
A cozy British mystery with no offensive material.
Rated 3 out of 5 stars by Iris Chacon.
This writer received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest, objective review.

Twenty-first century readers, accustomed to the light-speed communications of social media, movies, and television, will find this cozy mystery slow in comparison. That does not mean the story is boring, however. It merely means the sedate pace and subtle humor may seem so understated as to be assumed nonexistent by impatient minds. If the reader will adopt a relaxed attitude and settle in for a comfortable, entertaining afternoon, Miss Seeton will rise to the occasion and fill the bill admirably.
I have dropped one star from the rating because the murder to be solved does not occur until 75 per cent of the book has passed. I found the character development, dry humor, and references to previous books in this long series were simply not enough to sustain me through three-quarters of the story. I dropped a second star because the British regional vernacular sometimes led to confusion for this American reader.
The writing was skillful and, I believe, would be clear to persons familiar with the Miss Seeton series of books as well as with colloquial British expressions. Since I had neither of those advantages, the novel was sometimes a tough trudge for me. Some readers will enjoy the style and pace of the story more than I.

[Gail Gassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Seeton saves

This was a more serious book than the ones before. Somehow she muddles thru her conversations that few people can follow & is so much fun to read their reactions. There's a bit of it but not much. I was also surprised at who really was guilty at the end. Another wonderful book I'm sure you'll enjoy.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly typical Miss Seeton book, except that Scotland Yard has only a small role in this one. The plot was kind of all over the place, and the ending (after we finally got a murder) was somewhat contrived. It didn't help that I was reading it in bits and pieces, so forgot some of the clues before they became important. Won't be rereading any time soon.

[L Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun and a mystery

This series just tickles me as it satirizes elderly lady detectives with the adorable retired art teacher Miss Seeton. There is so much fun it almost seems wrong to interrupt it with the inevitable murder.

[Jenna Thomas-mckie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much Antony Scarlett (yuck!) and not nearly enough MissEss.

[Marie Balcazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Miss Seaton series. This started out a little confusing, but I started getting it around the middle when Miss Seaton character came out. I hope the author keeps writing this series. Among my favorites.

[Lorraine Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Miss Seeton is based on a character created by Heron Carvic (1913 - 1980) and is written by Sarah J. Mason under the pseudonym Hamilton Crane. It is a satire of busybody women in small English villages who always end up in the middle of a murder investigation and without whom the police would never solve the crime. This book is #20 in the Miss Seeton series.

Miss Seeton is a retired art teacher who still uses her sketchpad, often in a manner that assists the police. She resides in the tiny village of Plummergen in a small but welcoming cottage inherited from her late cousin Flora. The main characters consist of a police superintendent — Brinton, a detective constable — Foxon, and an overly-dramatic, eccentric sculptor (now working mainly in chocolate) named Antony Scarlett. The cast is rounded out by a Scotland Yard superintendent named Delphick (known as Oracle) and an assortment of gossiping locals.

Miss Seeton is drawn to a London gallery exhibition of the work of Scarlett and is horrified when he later turns up at her cottage badgering her to sell it to her so he can mould it from the inside out in chocolate and then demolish it as his entry in the Stuttaford Foundation art contest while Superintendent Brinton is made aware by his young bank manager of a serious decline in resources among the elderly of Plummergen and the surrounding villages. Several senior citizens have starved to death while others have been forced out of their homes. When one death has been confirmed as a suicide, Brinton and Foxon are able to begin an investigation, gently insinuating Miss Ess (as they call Miss Seeton) into the home of a skin and bones senior who has fallen in The Street and broken her leg in order to try to find out what has caused her decline.

When the beautiful former model of Mr. Scarlett shows up in Plummergen and is befriended by Miss Ess, she begins to recognize her own talent and regain her confidence after being so poorly treated by Scarlett. She spends much time sketching in the vicinity of the village and even acquires a serious beau. The whole village is shocked and confused when she is discovered strangled early one morning.

I found the beginning of this story rather dark and dreary — hard to get into. Once it got going, however, it was a good plot with enough action and twists to keep one's interest. Despite its beginning, it was a rather cozy read. Quite enjoyable.

I received a free copy of the ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Beyond Words · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I'd like to thank them in letting me read an advance reader's copy of Sweet Miss Seeton by Hamilton Crane for its rerelease.

This book, in the beginning, had smooth writing that was easy to follow.

However, once I got a couple of chapters into it, something shifted and that's when I started tuning out. I could not get back into the book, there wasn't any spark anymore. It had a pacing absolutely SSSSLLLOOW. With that being said, it got quite boring and lacked my interest quite clearly. It would've been better if there were more interesting scenes, but that didn't really happen. Nothing was going for me. I was trying to pay attention, but was hanging on by a string of a thread. It was as if all the words went through my eyes and out in the trash. I kept wanting to put it down and never pick it up again. If not for the fact that I'm reviewing this book, I would have d-n-f this book faster than a blink of an eye. In the end it didn't do much for me and made me question why I had used so much time just trying to get through it.

Therefore, I started skimming. Even doing that, I was barely getting through it.

A couple of times throughout the book, food was unexpectedly mentioned. This made me hungry and I enjoyed those parts.

After I started reading this, I found out it was apart of a series. This, however, didn't effect the plot and nothing seemed to be spoiling previous books if I had wanted to read the entire series.

I did not care for these characters at all. Nobody seemed distinct except for Miss Seeton and Antony Scarlett. If her name wasn't in the title I would have probably forgotten about her too. Antony kept appearing and seemed negatively, crazily annoying. By the end I just put together that Miss Ess is Miss Seeton which was one of the reasons I got confused.

Overall, this book took too long and did not stand up to my "high" expectations.

[Elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, solid cozy mystery, this, featuring the redoubtable Miss Seeton in a somewhat more background role as excellent police legwork and coordination of information help uncover the "chummies"; but it is, of course, artists' clues which identify the bad guys. I am more upset about the victims than usual--one rather wants to see a villain get his own.

Whenever Prelude/Farrago (publisher) offers a new re-release (awkward, ain't it?) through Netgalley I am among the first to sign up to read it and thank them for the opportunity. The opinions expressed are my own (otherwise I'd have to use quotation marks and footnotes). This is a wonderful series, well-written and edited, and although it is a delight to read each of them in order and follow the various characters, each title stands well on its own with sufficient background and context offered to leave no confusion. I look forward to the next tale's (re)release!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a great fan of Miss Seeton's, but prospective readers should be aware that they are 80% whimsey and 20% mystery. The fun of the series, for me, is Miss Seeton innocently falling (and occasionally, literally falling) into criminal situations.

This book amused me more than most because she ventured from her little village in to London to visit a gallery showcasing an avant grade artist's chocolate sculptures. She is billed as an artist herself, but the reader is quickly aware that she is probably the most modest of "Sunday painters" with limited imagination and talent. That is, until her almost "magical" or sub-c0nscious paintings take over . . . . .

But, Miss Seeton's adventures in the world of modern art were wonderful---particularly her horrified reaction when the realistic chocolate nude was defiled---eliminating its "manhood" --- that alone made the book worth reading for me. She openly reflects (throughout the book) that she has a limited sense of humor, so her search for meaning in the neutered nude was very very amusing.

The mystery itself doesn't bear much discussion, but I doubt if any of Hamilton Crane's readers are picking these books up for the sake of the mystery. They just want to spend some time with Miss Seeton and her pet policemen. And, so do I.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun in the art world, wish she hadn't killed off the girl