Slow Dancing with the Angel of Death

Sam and Hollis Mystery #1

by Helen Chappell

HOLLIS BALL JUST RECEIVED AN ODD REQUEST FROM HER FIND THE PERSON WHO MURDERED HIM. . . .
When charming rich kid Sam Wescott dies in a fatal boating accident, few mourn his untimely death. But perhaps the person most shocked to shed a tear is reporter Hollis Ball, his former wife, who was abandoned by him ten years before on their honeymoon. Now he is gone.
Or is he?
For Sam's ghost brings Hollis the interesting news that his accidental death was really murder, and pesters her to find his killer. She would like to say no. But ever susceptible to his no-good upper-class wiles--even in their present somewhat spectral form--she says yes. And plops down into the middle of a whopping big story that involves Sam's old-line family, a group of ecoactivists, and some very hot political potatoes. . . .

Genres: Mystery

213 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 31, 1996

Reviews

[Moira]

I wanted a fun, light, breezy mystery read to help me recover from Seattle's recent heat wave (don't laugh, East Coasters!) and by God, I got it. What hooked me was the premise - Hollis Ball is a disappointed-romantic-turned-cynic tough-as-nails Girl Reporter for a small Gazette on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, and her recently dead husband has popped up to haunt her and insist she solve various mysteries. (That's not a spoiler; it's on the back cover.) Refreshingly, Hollis is not the only person in the whole world who can see Sam, and also refreshingly their marriage ended very badly (he ran out on her four days into their honeymoon), so it's not a 'Ghost'-style setup.

What also hooked me, altho I wasn't expecting it, is the detailed setting - Chappell is from the Eastern Shore and obviously both loves and knows it very well, and her wry informal observations about the tight local ties and oysterback culture make the book something special. I wouldn't have really thought of sweltering marshland in August as beautiful, but Chappell sees it is indeed beautiful, and makes you see it, too. The book seemed hastily written - sometimes Hollis's wisecracking style is a little too Girl-Friday, catchphrases are repeated too often, and the dialogue falls flat a lot - but the descriptions of nature are always original and vivid. I wouldn't mind reading further entries in the series, especially if some promising tension develops between Sam and Hollis's possible love interests (and if the writing style improves), but I doubt the other books will have that special connection to the scenery, which isn't just a colourful backdrop but is brought to life well enough that it is as potent a force in the novel as any of the other characters.

(I hate the star readings on Goodreads and think they are just fucking stupid so maybe I'll rank books with letter grades instead. This one maybe gets a B+ -- solid, definitely entertaining, genuinely funny, and with one great scene in a dive bar owned by Hollis's cousin which gives the novel its title and gave me actual goosebumps.)

[Bev · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoilers Ahead. I can't explain why I didn't care for the book without spoiling the plot.

I'll just be honest--this book didn't do a whole lot for me. I'm not a big fan of mixing paranormal in with anything--romance, mystery, what-have-you. The few mysteries I've read with ghosts working with the living (Aunt Dimity books; The Ghost and the Dead Deb to name a couple) have been okay...but not more than that. This one doesn't even hit okay with me. The primary reason would be because the whole premise is a fake. Sam was NOT murdered. He wasn't. He doesn't have a legit reason to make Hollis go digging up dirt and stirring up all her rich ex-in-laws. Does Hollis find out about corruption? Sure. Are there real murders to solve later? Sure. But Hollis probably wouldn't have been involved if Sam hadn't suckered her into the whole mess by using his charm to get her to investigate his "murder." And...just maybe those other murders wouldn't have happened.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Faith Schickling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable

I expected a nice light, fun read, and instead got an extremely boring political dud. Beyond that, the editing makes this book completely unreadable for anyone who has ever passed an English class.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

SLOW DANCING WITH THE ANGEL OF DEATH – Ex
Chappell, Helen - Standalone

HOLLIS BALL JUST RECEIVED AN ODD REQUEST FROM HER EX-HUSBAND: FIND THE PERSON WHO MURDERED HIM. . . .
When charming rich kid Sam Wescott dies in a fatal boating accident, few mourn his untimely death. But perhaps the person most shocked to shed a tear is reporter Hollis Ball, his former wife, who was abandoned by him ten years before on their honeymoon. Now he is gone. Or is he?

For Sam's ghost brings Hollis the interesting news that his accidental death was really murder, and pesters her to find his killer. She would like to say no. But ever susceptible to his no-good upper-class wiles--even in their present somewhat spectral form--she says yes. And plops down into the middle of a whopping big story that involves Sam's old-line family, a group of ecoactivists, and some very hot political potatoes.

Absolutely delightful, such a good read.

[Jazz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS | I've had this one on my shelf since it came out in 1996. I rarely read books with ghosts as main characters, but the reviews made me curious. Despite the ghost, it rises above the average cozy. The main character, Hollis Ball, reporter, has an amusing voice with some LOL lines. I could picture Tina Fey playing her today. She is haunted by her ex-husband Sam Wescott, who has asked her to find his murderer. The mystery was decent and the underlying topic still timely—the over-development of wetlands. If you like amusing and intelligent cozies, you'll like this one.

[Eamount]

terrible