The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn

Claire Malloy #2

by Joan Hess

When you make a game of murder, be careful who the players are...

Who could resist the mock-murder weekend at the charming Mimosa Inn-- certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy, who decides to bring her petulant daughter Caron along for some detecting. As the guests settle in for a weekend of sleuthing, dressed as their favorite literary detectives, many a Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stand poised to solve a murder. But fiction becomes alarmingly real, as the mock-murder victim isn't just playing dead-- he's really been bashed to death. More determined than even to find the killer, Claire combs the grounds of the lovely inn for this most uninvited guest.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Humor, Whodunit

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Joan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.

Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely liking this series so far. In The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn (What a mouthful!) Claire and Caron attend a murder weekend at a small inn outside of town. However, when a real murder happens it's up to Claire to find the culprit.

Ms. Hess has a talent with subtle, dry humor and she proves it by adding it in throughout the story. I actually found myself laughing out loud at bits of the story. The characters were again written wonderfully. I loved Caron and her perpetual distaste, and Clair and her sarcasm! Peter also reappears and is featured in this book, however besides that this is an entirely new cast of characters are in the mystery.

The mystery itself was good. Claire almost got too close to the annyoing sleuth during a few parts but overall it was good. I really liked how the reveal was played out; it was very unique.

Overall a wonderful second book. I will be continuing this series!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story set at a murder mystery weekend, where they mystery turns real and stops being a game. This complicated things as it was hard to tell where it quit being part of the mystery script and the motives and actions started being real. I like Claire and how real she seems.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read once again from a writing master.

In this outing, bookstore owner Claire Malloy decides to take part in a murder weekend, in which guests take part in an immersive, interactive event in which they attempt to solve a fiction weekend. As she joins the group — dragging her teenage daughter, Caron, along — Claire is eager to figure out the actors vs. the guests, solve the clues, and solve the mystery.

But the fictional mystery turns only too real as the drunk, womanizer property developer Harmon Crundall is killed. Suddenly, Claire finds suspects and suspicions everywhere. Despite the real cops on the scene, Claire goes on the hunt for the murder.

Yes, this is a cozy mystery and its humous to boot, but the story is a delight and the solution is quite crafty.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

While attending s murder mystery enactment at a newly opened B&B, the intended victim becomes the actual one before the final act. Bookstore owner, Claire Malloy, and her daughter, Caron, are in attendance & soon attention to solve the whodunnit, working with the original script and finding the discrepancies.
With an appreciative reduction in snark from both Malloys, the daughter solves riddled clues while Claire and her detective cohort, Lt Peter Rosen, work out the remaining details to bring the culprit to their own final curtain call.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Claire Malloy is looking forward to spending a nice weekend away solving a murder. Not a real murder, of course, but she still is looking forward to it. Even over the protests of her fourteen-year-old daughter and the skepticism of cop and sometime love interest Peter Rosen. But then, the supposed corpse turns up actually dead.
I remember quite enjoying these books when I was younger but Claire is mostly irritating me in this one. She keeps thinking she's going to "beat the cops at their own game" but mostly just runs around getting in the way.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Malloy signs up for the murder weekend at the Mimosa Inn, run by a former student of her late husband's. Could Claire be a bit competitive with the handsome police lieutenant Peter Rosen? At any rate, she's determined to be the one to solve the murder game. But when the game turns to reality, Peter tells her to stay out of the running, for her own safety. Claire would, if she wasn't sure that the police have the wrong suspect.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh ugh and ugh and ugh. I'm wishing there was a negative score I could give a book and I am kicking myself for my masochistic need to finish any book I start! What a waste of my time. I should have known and thrown this stinker back when I got it. I really, really, REALLY disliked Claire Malloy when I read the first book of the series. If you look up self-absorbed, aggrandized narcissist her picture would be front and center! What the author wants us to think of as wise-cracking and sarcasm (in a cute way) is neither but nasty snarkiness. Neither cute or endearing. Not to mention the woman belittles everyone around her and treats even her daughter abominably. Now, on to the plot: The author seemed to work very hard to make a mock murder weekend unpleasant and not in the least fun. Yes, a real murder ensues but even before that the whole plot of the fake and real murder was muddy, incomprehensible, unnecessary and motiveless. Horrible. The clues were stupid and our "genius detective" Claire, for all her back patting ended up using her much-maligned daughter to solve all the cryptic clues for her. Ugh. Ugh. And Ugh.

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MURDER AT THE MURDER AT THE MIMOSA INN BY JOAN HESS is the second in the Claire Malloy series.
Claire, who is known now as a "busy body, a sleuth, and other more not pleasant descriptions,is going for a weekend jaunt to the Mimosa Inn for murder! A fictional murder, and to her astonishment, a real murder. Peter Rosin,CID her new somewhat boy friend joins in just to make Claire's life more difficult. When the real murder occurs,the competition
between Claire and Peter heats up and the giggles come faster.

I started reading Claire Malloy mysteries some time ago and still love to revisit them. I like the humor Claire and Peter and yes,even Caron and Inez come up with. The early Joan Hess , Claire Malloy's are more than just a good mystery they can be a good stress reliever reading Claire fumbling and bumbling down the path to find out who dune it!

[Nese · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of the second book of Claire Malloy Mystery series takes place in a Victorian mansion, which is turned into a B & B, during a staged murder mystery weekend. It is humorous and has an upbeat and intimate tone, possibly because the story is narrated by the main character in the book. The beautiful nature, the historical Victorian mansion decorated with antique furnishings, and the characters in the book are so well-described that while reading it I felt like I were watching a movie. I was going to give this enjoyable and entertaining book five stars but the murder mystery in a mystery murder story was so confusing and the ending was so repetitive, it didn’t make any sense to me.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirty-something-year-old bookstore owner Claire Malloy is invited by an old friend, Eric Vanderhans, to his newly purchased bed-and-breakfast in the country where he and his wife, Mimi, have planned a murder weekend to be produced by the local theater company. Claire brings along her 14-year-old daughter, Caron, who gives new meaning to spoiled and difficult. Local Farberville police detective, Peter Rosen, surprises Claire when he shows up as an inn guest also. With about 20 guests assembled for the special weekend, everything is going fine until the guest who was supposed to be murdered in the plot is actually murdered.

[Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan Hess delivers yet again! Great murder mystery!

When Claire's friend from College and his wife purchase a BnB, they stage a 'murder mystery' to bring in the business. But, one of the guests is a quiet investor in the hotel and has decided to cash in on his investment and take part of the adjoining property and build a subdivision, which will pretty much destroy the ambience of the hotel.

So when he shows up dead, for real, the whole thing goes kablooey!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually started reading this long ago and then just decided to read the rest, since it was pretty short. I don't know if it was the long pause in reading or the fake and real murder plot lines, but I found the mystery somewhat confusing and not as compelling as I would hope. I like the series though and may keep on reading.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the premise (a murder mystery weekend) and the characters, but books that save all the critical clues for the "oh look how I solved it" recap in the last chapter, instead of building them up throughout the book so that you can try to piece them together and solve it. This book had some of that, definitely, but also a lot that wasn't revealed to us at all until it was already 'solved'.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

A "murder at the Inn" weekend goes sour when a real murder happens. The characters in this novel are more like caricatures, everything overdone: a too defiant heroine, a too snotty teenager, too this . . ., too that . . . The revelation of the culprit ala Agatha Christie is so complicated that it gives the reader vertigo.

[Reading Fury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, twisty plot and lots of fun characters. But after reading the Arly Hanks series, I don't find myself as caught up with the character of Claire Malloy. Also, the teen age daughter is no where near as fun as Arly's madcap sleuthing mother and her crazy haired friend. I have to think about whether to invest more in the series.

[Mikhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book started somewhat annoying, with the narrator/protagonist seemingly unable to say anything simple. It it's not a pun, it's a cultural reference; every phrase is somehow twisted.

However, it rapidly improved. The mystery wasn't bad at all, and my concerns about gun safety weren't left unalleviated.

[Theda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I keep trying Joan Hess books - I want to like her books - but I just haven't been able to.
This one was okay - but I just could not like the main character or her daughter and the denouement was very confusing.

[Shalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this adventure in the Claire Malloy mystery series even more than the first one. I could see more personality and some playfulness in the main characters, and there were a few unexpected turns.

[Christi Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this series. I still like Hess’s Maggody series better, but the Claire Malloy mysteries are also great! This one has a locked room feel to it since it takes place at a remote inn. A quick, fun read with a lot of comedy and no gruesome murder details.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked her Arly Hanks series but this not so much had to drang through this book.

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much. Great characters and plot. Look forward to the next one. I recommend it.

[A Jaylis]

+/0

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still funny even reread years later.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was not as good as her other books but since it was #2, I will give her some leeway. Claire takes her daughter to a mock murder that turns in to a real murder.

[LecturerRich · Rating 3 out of 5]

very cute and fun

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never really got into the book

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐1/2

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

the writing was so witty, the slight racism and homophobia was very of-its-time, and the ending was pretty satisfying

[Ryan Spires · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never hated the narrator more than I hated Claire.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars