Shakespeare's Landlord

Lily Bard #1

by Charlaine Harris

Lily Bard is a loner. Other than the day-to-day workings of her cleaning and errand-running service, she pays little attention to the town around her. But when her landlord is murdered, Lily is singled out as the prime suspect, and proving her innocence will depend on finding the real killer in quiet, secretive Shakespeare.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Romance, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Charlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.

Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.

When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.

A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.

She's thinking about what to write next.

Reviews

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I think of our heroine, Lily Bard, yet. On the one hand, she has survived unbelievable trauma, so I like her ability to simply get up in the morning. On the other hand, she is like a lot of Charlaine Harris's females - just a bit bitchy for no reason. Just like Sookie, and Fiji from the last series, Lily gets offended over everything and is rude to people who really don't deserve it. I guess we have to give her a pass because of her past, but it seems like a pattern with the females in these series. In real life, I have rarely met any women who are so over-sensitive and rude. The ones I have met, I have generally avoided. Life's too short to freak out over stupid, imaginary offenses all the time.


yoga dog is right. Tell us more, wise one.

I still liked the book, and Lily may grow on me, even though she has a perm.


Lily, they also called to tell you that they want their hair back.

Lily witnesses someone dumping a dead body. As a maid, she is the perfect person to solve the case. Maids know everything about everyone. They know about your "hidden drawer" in the house. Mine has candy in it.


Tampax boxes work the best

This book has the same southern-small-town feel to it as her other series, which I like. I will keep reading and hope that Lily grows on me.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and having just finished reading the first book in her Harper Connelly series, Grave Sight, I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. Expecting fluff, I was very impressed with this book, which, while being a lot darker than her other books, had so much more depth and character than I was expecting.

I love the main character, Lily Bard, who after living through a very traumatic past, which scarred her both physically and emotionally, is trying to live a very quiet, simple life in Shakespeare, working as a cleaning lady and keeping to herself. When she witnesses the disposal of a body late one night while out walking, her nice quiet life becomes quite a bit more complicated.

I was very impressed with this book and the depth of the main character. The mystery that Lily faced was fun to try to solve along with her and the involvement of the other characters made this a wonderful read. I can not wait to get my hands on the rest of the series to see what happens next in the life of Lily Bard!

[Panic!_at_the_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moves a bit slow in the beginning, but I’m excited for the series and to get to know our MC better. Certainly glad to have rediscovered charlaine harris again after a prolonged reading break.

[AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a nice little comforting feel I get when I enter one of Charlaine Harris’ worlds. I know that her characters will be realistic – even her paranormal characters have a touch of the mundane. I know I will be in a nice, down home, small town world.

This down home comfort feel is most evident in her Lily Bard series. Shakespeare’s Landlord seems to be a novel about ordinary people living their ordinary lives in a small, ordinary town. Well, at least until someone gets murdered.

Somehow between the first and second chapter, I was sucked into this world. I just could not put the book down. What better way to give insight into a world than by using a cleaning lady as a main character? This cleaning lady knows everyone’s secrets. I found it fascinating that the main character Lily could learn so much about her clients without really having to speak with them.

Lily’s character is an exercise in contracts. She’s smart – she was a National Merit Scholar and graduated from college with a 3.9 GPA. She’s athletic – she body trains daily and attends martial arts classes at her local gym. She is scarred – both emotionally and physically. Lily is a survivor and has worked hard to rebuild her life. Lily’s character is truly likable – she is an ordinary, hard working woman.

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in order to count it for Arkansas in my US state challenge. I enjoyed it and give it 4 out of 5 stars. The author uses a familiar formula: A private citizen, in this case, Lily Bard, cleaning lady, is suspected of murder and decides to solve the murder herself. The subtitle is "Introducing Amateur Sleuth Lily Bard." Lily Bard runs a 1 woman cleaning/errand service in the small town of Magnolia, Arkansas. She witnesses something suspicious, and discovers a dead body. She doesn't call the police. She calls the police chief anonymously.
This is a traditional mystery, where the killer is not revealed until near the end. Lily puts it together by assembling a time line of where all the possible suspects were at the time of the murder. I did not suspect the murderer until the end.
I should warn you that there a brutal gang rape scene that is central to one of the characters outlook.
This is book 1 in the series of 5. I will read more as I like the series.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not going to truly review this series. This is NOT a cozy mystery series. This book and the ones coming after are written in the late 20th century/very early 21st century, and it shows. There is nothing politically correct about this series, especially the first few books. What I am going to give you is a list of trigger warnings that encompasses most of these books:

1) As I mention, politically incorrect, use of the "N" word, bigotry, etc.

2) Rape/Mutilation-fairly vivid; however, the author leaves out the lurid bits.

3) Murder -well, of course, it's a murder mystery series. Fairly graphic.

3) Promiscuity

4) PTSD

These are the biggies.

With all of this, I still enjoyed this series, viewing it for what, were, and when it was written. You will also get to meet people from some of the other series.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little mystery, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily Bard, the community cleaning lady, has chosen this small town on a whim because of her last name. It seems like the perfect sleepy little community in which to avoid her traumatic past and live a quiet life.

Harris excels at portraying small town life, using ordinary people as characters. Lily is not someone that most people pay a lot of attention to—as a cleaning lady, she tends to blend into the background. The only place where she stands out is in her karate dojo, where she excels. She reminded me of Harris’ other small town character, Sookie Stackhouse, who is often overlooked because she is “just” a bar maid, but has unknown talents (telepathy).

Lily has a skill that many women have—she pays attention to detail and she can analyze those details to come to accurate conclusions. Not the most exciting mystery that I have every read, but I am already invested in Lily’s life and hope to read the next book in the series very soon.

[PJ Who Once Was Peejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read Dead Until Dark and fell madly in-love I began scouring the internet for other books by Charlaine Harris. I found a couple of mystery series she'd written. This is the first book in her Lily Bard series. In some ways, these books are amongst my favorites. They're darker than her Sookie Stackhouse books but explore her themes to perfection: the outsider trying to make her way through the hypocrisy of self-satisfied conventional society, the flawed heroes and understandable villains, the dark humor inherent in even the most serious of situations. I'm still sorry this series has gone on hiatus. I keep hoping she'll find time to give us more Lily Bard (although she did give Lily a guest appearance in one of Sookie's books, which was great fun).

[J.S.A. Lowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Racist despite trying not to be which just seemed terrible and sad.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily Bard, resident of Shakespeare, Ark., for four years, has PTSD. That’s putting it mildly. Readers won’t find out why until more than halfway through the book, but it’s immediately obvious that the ever-vigilant loner Lily has run away from something. Something really bad. But what kept me glued to this book was not her brokenness but her intelligence, powers of observation and — despite her instincts to keep a very low profile — curiosity. That author Charlaine Harris provides the novel with a twisty mystery was simply icing on a most delicious cake.

Harris — thanks to HBO’s True Blood — remains better known for her Sookie Stackhouse series, set in New Orleans; however, there’s plenty in Shakespeare, Ark., for a mystery aficionado to love. Five stars and a promise to myself to continue the series.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shakespeare's Landlord is really short; a combination of this and the shortcomings in Harris's writing makes the mystery in this particularly boring and without climax.

Lily Bard, on the other hand, is a powerfully written character. Her past is haunting and scary and her convictions and personality that emerge within this story are actually heartbreaking. Lily Bard (spoilerz) is a past victim of random acts of sexual and other physical violence. Her particular story might not be extremely common, but the side effects (good and bad) that become evident in her relations with others probably resonate with many victims of abuse. Throughout this book, Lily never backs down from or caves in to male oppression or power unlike so many other female protagonists living in popular book series. Lily's character development is a refreshing take on what a main character can be even with all of the typically-Harris male admirers and protagonist beatings that happen before the happy ending.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite Charlaine Harris novel. However, it is a good and quick read if your looking for something light and are a fan of the author (as I am). I really wanted to love this one because I really love the Sookie Stackhouse series AND the Harper Connelly series. But this one was just lacking a bit. I couldn't really connect with the heroine, Lily. She is drab and dark. And while I can appreciate WHY she is the way she is, there was just a disconnect there. Anyway, I will continue the series to see where it goes and because I already own a few of the other ones. Hopefully I will see some more character development.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY after all these years checking this one out, and I liked it. It wasn't Sookie, but it had a strong mystery.

The MC has had some SERIOUSLY horrific stuff done to her in life (Trigger warning kidnapping/rape/mutilation). Now, she is just a hermit who cleans houses and offices and takes self-defense classes religiously.

Lily Bard is a fun name, but it doesn't suit her personality. I have a hard time accepting who she is with a name that doesn't match the picture in my head.

One night Lily sees something outside of her house that leads her down a path to try to solve a crime without getting in too far over her head. She also happens to acquire a love interest in the process.

Solid 4 stars. Worth continuing.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly this was my first Charlaine Harris book! And really, it's about time. I got the first three Lily Bard books for super cheaps on Audible a few months ago finally decided to give them a listen. I enjoyed the first one very much! Lily Bard is a badass, strong, brave character. I enjoyed the supporting characters and the murder mystery and the not-so-sleepy town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. I immediately started listening to the second book!

[Martini_tnt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobra rozrywka i szybko się czyta.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I was twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the new Sookie Stackhouse book to come out, when I decided to see what else Charlaine Harris had written. Turned out she'd written a lot of other books, including three other mystery series featuring similarly intrepid heroines. My eye immediately settled on the Lily Bard series of mysteries also known as the "Shakespeare" mysteries because main character Lily lives in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, and because each book has the word Shakespeare in the title. Up until recently all five of the Lily Bard mysteries were out of print, but then Berkeley Prime Crime re-released the entire series in very attractive mass market editions. My mom gave me the first one, SHAKESPEARE'S LANDLORD, as a Christmas present and I started tracking down the other four before I was even twenty pages in. A big fan of the Sookie books, I was instantly drawn to this darker, less humorous but no less compelling series.

Lily Bard isn't precisely in hiding, but she's flying as far below the radar as is humanly possible. After chopping her hair off, toning her body into lean, mean fighting machine, and then hiding it all under the baggiest and blandest of clothes, Lily decides to settle in the sleepy, little town of Shakespeare, Arkansas in an attempt to disappear. She chose Shakespeare at random off the map because she thought it was rather poetic given her last name. During the day Lily works as a cleaning lady, while at night she trains hard at bodybuilding and karate at the local gym. Every night she hopes it'll be hard enough to allow her to sleep. In her line of work, Lily is in and out of homes, apartments, and office buildings all across town. She sees and hears a lot more than she'd like. Most of it is just your usual small town gossip. But one night, while out on one of her frequent restless midnight walks, Lily sees something unusual. Someone pushing a cart filled with a large, lumpy something wrapped up in black plastic garbage bags. When Lily finds out just what is inside those garbage bags, she becomes inextricably immersed in exactly the kind of gruesome crime she's worked so hard to avoid.

And that is how the series kicks off. Lily, herself, is an extremely tough, conflicted character. I took to her at once. She lives an incredibly regimented, perfectly calculated life and it's almost painful to watch this thread of dark chaos worm its way into her peace and order. And while she is about as alone as a person can get, Harris peoples Shakespeare with a whole town's worth of kooky, creepy, and funny characters. All of whom Lily attempts to sidestep with varying degrees of success. With each book in this series, we learn more about Lily and her nightmarish past as she learns more about herself and those around her. In the second book she is joined by a character who is a particular favorite of mine and the two of them together form one of the most well-suited pairs I've ever come across. A glimpse of Lily:

Once upon a time, years ago, I thought I was pretty. My sister, Varena, and I had the usual rivalry going, and I remember deciding my eyes were bigger and a lighter blue than hers, my nose was straighter and thinner, and my lips were fuller. Her chin was better--neat and determined. Mine is round. I haven't seen Varena in three years now. Probably she is the pretty one. Though my face hasn't changed, my mind has. The workings of the mind look out through the face and alter it.

Sometimes, some mornings--the ones after the really bad nights--I look in the mirror and do not recognize the woman I see there.

This was going to be one of those really bad nights (though I had no idea how bad it was going to get). But I could tell there was no point in going to bed. My feet itched to be moving.

I dressed again, throwing my sweaty workout clothes into the hamper and pulling on blue jeans and a T-shirt, tucking in the T-shirt and pulling a belt through the belt loops. My hair was only a little damp; the blow-dryer finished the job. I pulled on a dark windbreaker.

Front door, back door, kitchen door? Some nights it takes me awhile to decide.

I worked my way through this series with palpable pleasure and it was a sad day indeed when I closed the fifth one knowing there would be no more. These are straight up mysteries with a Southern flavor, a fair bit of violence, intense encounters of all varieties, and a lot of grit. There isn't even a hint of the paranormal and all the energy goes into the character development and an honest depiction of a strong woman working hard to stay true to herself and keep the ghosts at bay. Like Harris' more recent Harper Connelly series, I think the Lily Bard mysteries deserve a good deal more attention and I hope those looking to branch out on the Sookie series will find a good home in Shakespeare. I certainly did.

Reading Order: SHAKESPEARE'S LANDLORD, Shakespeare's Champion, Shakespeare's Christmas, Shakespeare's Trollop, and Shakespeare's Counselor

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare's Landlord
4 Stars

Working as a housekeeper in the sleepy town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, Lily Bard only wants a life of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, chaos and turmoil rain down when she witnesses a body disposal in the local park and nasty gifts begin arriving on her doorstep.

Not only is Charlaine Harris a new to me author (yes, I am one of the few who has yet to read Sookie Stackhouse), but cozy-mysteries are not my usual fare. Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ms. Harris’s writing is very appealing and this was a highly enjoyable listen.

Lily is a remarkable heroine. While her independent spirt and tough-as-nails personality might not appeal to all readers, to me her resilience is admirable. Lily is a true survivor and her prickly surface conceals a deep vulnerability as well as an intense loneliness. Although she begins to come out of her shell in this book, it is obvious that it will take a great deal of time and effort for her to open up to others completely.

The secondary cast comprised of the small town residents each with their own quirks, foibles and secrets is particularly well-developed, and it is fun to follow the suspects and clues to the mystery along with Lily.

The one weak point is the romance. Don’t get me wrong, Lily definitely needs some love in her life, but her choice of beau is not all that satisfying and there are better candidates available.

On a final note, Julia Gibson's narration is very good. Each of the characters have distinct personalities and she manages to convey the small town atmosphere very well. One small nitpick is the length of the gap between passage sections.

All in all, an entertaining story with engaging characters and I look forward to continuing with the series.

[Victoria Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library hoping it would be as good as the first few books from the Southern Vampire Mysteries (aka True Blood novels).

Harris' style isn't as polished as in the Sookie books. The plot is a little thin with the story focused far more on the main character, Lily's, journey recovering from her difficult past rather than the pesky murder she witnessed.

Lily, however, is quite difficult to like: gratuitously rude to others, extremely judgemental, a little racist, and a fan of slut shaming. Her re-entry in to normal is abrupt and a little hypocritical. A few pages after expressing her feelings that a woman who has casual sex has no self respect and sharing the extreme trauma she has endured with one of her acquaintances, she leaps happily in to bed with her married (very recently separated) martial arts instructor. We don't get to see any previous interactions or how they have built up trust in each other, so it just feels forced, in order to allow Harris a platform for the secondary plots.

I didn't see where the murder mystery element of the story was going - I found it happily unpredictable, but I don't think I'll be rushing to the library to get the rest of the books in the series.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to reveiew the entire 5 books series with one review. I have enjoyed all of them. I like Lily Bard better that the Aurora Teagarden character. And I think this series is better written that the previous one. I like the relationship Lily has (books 2 - 5) with Jack. As well as how she fits into the Shakespeare community.

I really like how strong Lily Bard is (both physically and emotional). What she overcame is pretty amazing. I've read that this was a hard series for Charlaine Harris to write and I fully understand. Unfortunately, because they are so hard to write, I've also heard that there will be no new books in the series. I am disappointed there won't be anymore, but at the same time can't wait to see what happens with Harper Connelly.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hoped that this series would be as fun and addicting as her true blood series but this one didn't quite grab me. But it was not a bad book per say, just not as addictive in my opinion. Not sure if I want to continue with the series or not

[Cynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither a cozy nor (overly) graphic mystery.
Neither a complex nor simple story.
A middle-of-the-road story.
Yet compelling enough for me to read in 2 rather than the usual 3 or 4 days.
Simple enough for me to read in 2 days rather than 3 or 4 days.

While I enjoyed the novel, I did not enjoy enough to want to seek out the second of series.

Plain old satisfying.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

"Shakespeare's Landlord" is a really good start to what I hope will be a fun, addictive mystery series. It has all the elements to be so, with a great heroine and supporting cast, and a cosy town where they all live weaving in and out of each others lives.

Lily Bard has a dark past that Harris only hints at, by the end of the book I still really didn't know what had happened to Lily to make her run and set up home in a small town like Shakespeare. But she's managed to create a little niche for herself by starting a cleaning business and keeping herself to herself. That's the way she likes it.

But one night, while out for a walk, she discovers a body in the local park. Instead of phoning the police Lily heads back home and calls the police anonymously to let them know. She really didn't want the police digging around in her past...

From here on things get a little out of control and Lily's well controlled private life suddenly begins to spiral. She has more conversations with her neighbours in the week surrounding the murder than she has done for the few years she's been living in the town. Which is saying a lot since she cleans most of their homes!

One of Lily's favourite past times is working out at the gym and her martial arts class, which she never misses. But as her organised life slips so does her relationships with the men around her, including her instructor. There are two main love interests and I have my heart set on one rather than the other, so I'm really eager to know where Harris takes me in the subsequent books.

As always, Harris's writing is vivid but also easy going. I really love her writing style. One of the most fun aspects to "Shakespeare's Landlord" is that it had me guessing until the very end, which is a very good thing for a mystery and something which doesn't happen for me very often. As with most first books in a series it took me a little time to get into the story, but when I did I had great time visiting Shakespeare town.

VERDICT:

"Shakespeare's Landlord" is a fun cosy mystery. Harris weaves her writerly magic once again and has captured my imagination. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, 'Shakespeare's Champion'.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been perusing my way through Harris's series. So far it stands at this:

Sookie: Fun for about half the novels, but then got boring and I quit reading. Not my favorite, but enjoyable.

Gunnie Rose: LOVED. My favorite so far, and what got me back into reading Harris. I read Sookie years ago.

Harper Connelly: Fun and enjoyable. Cruised right through all four.

Aurora Teagarden: No good. Passive "heroine" that things just happen too. Idiotic baby-sitter. Will not read anymore in series.

Lily Bard: So far, loving it, not as much as Gunnie Rose, but super fun.

Lily had a horrible thing happen to her years ago. She survived and since then she's taught herself to be tough. No one will ever take advantage of her again.

Wanting to escape her old life, Lily settles in the small town of Shakespeare, Alabama. With her last name being Bard, it appealed to her. She starts a business as a housekeeper, and errand lady. In her spare time she works out at the gym.

On one of her late night walks, Lily seems some suspicious behavior happening with her garbage can! How dare they use her supplies to dump a dead body? She gets roped into the investigation and she isn't afraid to figure things out.

I enjoyed Lily and her ferocity. I was glad that the author didn't keep mentioning her terrible past, as she did in the Harper Connelly series.

I listened to this in one sitting while I was working on a project. I'm excited for book 2!

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare's Landlord is a cozy mystery set in the sleepy town of Shakespeare, with Lily Bard doing almost as much detecting as she did cleaning.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Talltree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I had read a couple of Lily Bard books years ago and enjoyed them. This I had not yet read. Lily is tough and intelligent and a loner. She keeps to herself most of the time and she has secrets. When one of her neighbours is murdered she gets drawn into the mystery against her will. She starts to get to know her neighbours and perhaps even makes a friend or two, even though she doesn't want to.

[Melissa Cochrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Bard is socially stunted and a hard to like character. But her past made her that way and I hope to see her let some of that go. She is a character you root for and want to like. The mystery was easy, lots of hints along the way. I'll read the next one!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily Bard is a series Charlaine Harris started before the Sookie Stackhouse series. Lily had suffered from a random, violent assault years ago and has since spent time keeping people from getting close and living a quiet and nearly anonymous life as a cleaning woman and karate student in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. Harris has said the series (she has written five) is likely on permanent hiatus as she found them too difficult to write given the assault in her own past. Don't let that deter you from the series, thinking it is too depressing or violent. Lily Bard is cautious and haunted but also smart, funny and resourceful. While her past is indeed tragic, the narrative is written with a light but wise and endearing touch.

Oh-the mystery involves Lily Bard accidentally witnessing her nosy neighbor's body being dumped in the park across from her house. She is unable to see who the assailant is and is offended that they use her garbage cart to dump him. When she makes an anonymous call to the sheriff (fearing children will find the body), this drags her reluctantly into the investigation. The story not only involves the mystery, but also Lily's beginning to heal and having her first personal interactions with her neighbors in the four years she has lived there. Harris has a knack for depicting small town Southern life just so. The mystery will keep you turning pages till the end and the character is likable and very different from Sookie. I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-read this one and it stands the test of time and re-reading, with every re-read, in fact it rises higher in my estimation.

Like many others, I came to Charlaine Harris via True Blood and while the HBO series was brilliant (at least the first season) the earliest books in the series was also very good indeed. Different enough from the series that both could be enjoyed equally and differently. Usually I try not to compare a book with movies or other books, but I find myself defending the 'Shakespeare' series to people who 'are not interested in vampire stuff' because, while I enjoyed the first eight of the supernatural-ish Sookie Stackhouse novels I really do think the straight fiction of the 'Shakespeare's' novels are excellent in their own right.

Enter our leading lady Lily Bard who makes the story what it is. She is an addictively well written character, ocd as a way of dealing with a horrific past, but she is making this work for her by being a professional cleaner in the town that she picked purely based on it's name. Lily's character and her observations of the town of Shakespeare and it's inhabitants are really what make this book a fascinating read, but the way in which she handles the small matter of a murder mystery, from her own little niche of the town makes it a very tidy whodunnit.

The writing is pleasant and straightforward a very fun first book in a series that I enjoy.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After complaing about the beginning. I read more and fell in love with the book. I enjoyed the way that Lily is a woman that lives on her own, stays in shape, is the cleaning lady but stays to herself. I think it's great that she's a slueth on her own but not so much to get into trouble. I love the way she can take care of herself. I feel that a woman character should be able to take care of herself.

I enjoy how the story took place, right away with the murder and than the twists and turns. I have to admit that at first I thought it was Marshall that was the murderer. When they said the person who killed the landlord had to be strong, that was my first thought.

After finding out who the real killer was, I was shocked, but it happens. I also feel that the conflict with Thea and Lily is great, they are wanting the same man and Thea will do anything in her power to keep her husband.

I look forward to the next book.