The Alpine Escape

Emma Lord #5

by Mary Daheim

THE EDITOR OF THE ALPINE ADVOCATE GOES DIGGING FOR A MURDERER.
At forty-two, newspaperwoman Emma Lord decides she needs time off to do
some soul-searching. But her old Jag breaks down in the picturesque Pacific
Northwest town of Port Angeles, and instead of finding herself, she ,s helping
friends find the truth about a grisly discovery: a skeleton in their basement.
The bones belong to those of an unknown young woman, buried in a
crumbling mansion nearly a century ago. A crushed skull, a garnet earring, a
locket containing a telltale keepsake *all whisper of tragedy. Ancient
photographs reveal more. But Emma has to fish in dark and dangerous
waters to get the whole story of a wealthy, ruthless family, a story that
twists and turns to a shocking conclusion that should never be told....

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Mary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It makes sense to me that Emma would have to occasionally leave Alpine, because it's unbelievable that so many people could keep getting killed in this weird little town. I loved the way so many things were interconnected by the end of the book - they all felt organic as they were introduced, and it was satisfying when the connections were revealed. I'm looking forward to the new characters we were introduced to; it's nice to have a sense of the world expanding. I didn't really like Jackie, mostly because WHY did she have to keep saying "poopy"? I hated that. but she was so ridiculous, some of her scenes made me laugh. I'm also a bit tired of Tom Cavanaugh and Adam - they really don't add much to the story for me, they're not characters that I like or find interesting. nonetheless, I'm enjoying this series as I go and I foresee myself reading to the end.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery installment was about a cold case and involved a lot of family history research. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. We still got some escapades going on at the paper, and that was enjoyable too. The only thing I didn’t love about this one was that Emma seemed to be in a mood the whole time - being short or rude or blunt with people. Maybe that’s how she always is and I’ve finally noticed 😂 I’ll continue reading the series though!

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book, have read the previous ones in the series and enjoyed them. It was too confusing with so many dead people that were intertwined. At a minimum, she should have put a family tree diagram in the beginning of the book so you could keep the characters straight. By the end I didn't really care who the murderer was. I was skimming so much just to finish the book.

[CarolAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've liked the Emma Lord series of the past and this is no different. However, I liked the previous ones more because they were audible books. The narrators were so much more lively and humorous. This one I read and the introductions of the many characters were so confusing. I know I did a miscarriage of justice by reading many other novels at the same time. I needed to devote my attention completely to a cold case. But it was still a fascinating storyline with the usual quirky and the introduction of new complicative characters. I will still read many more Emma Lord novels.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a murder that took place a very long time ago, so finding the who done it wasn't as important as who was the victim.. Still, the conclusion was not what I expected. There was a character introduced so he had to be of some importance. He showed up a couple more times. I thought I knew how he was going to fit it, but that seemed a dead end. Then, the very last lines of the book, there it was, just as I suspected which really makes me want to read #6.

[Zermeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the mystery of the skeleton. This book had some funny characters and scenes that had me laughing! Meeting Jackie, her husband Paul and his acquaintance Mike was a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed Emma and Jackie's investigating and sorting through their many conclusions. In the end Emma finally asked the question that I was wondering about and that lead to the solution. I hope we meet Jackie again - she was a hoot. The final paragraph of the book sets up the next book - MAYBE.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Lord is on a weekend getaway to Port Angeles when the family she is staying with discovers a skeleton in the basement of their big old Victorian home. Interesting characters, nice descriptions of local Port Angeles and Victoria, B. C. A lot of confusing genealogy details related to the decades-old murder. Marred by a vague and unconvincing solution to the mystery.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unread shelf project 2019: book 12.

Not a bad cozy mystery, but I’ll sum it up by saying that I was frustrated I solved the whodunit 60 pages before the protagonist did and 80 pages before the end of the book.

Patting myself on the back for my sleuthing, though... 😂

[Mary Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot, a tour de force really, solving a mystery from the past using nursing home interviews, genealoists, libraries, family papers, old newspapers. Veryy unusual, and set in a nearby town, Port Angeles. On to number 6 in the series!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good cold case mystery, this time mostly set in another small town in Washington State.

[Monica Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery outside of Alpine and the introduction of Leo.

[Susan Elizabetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to read authors writing about the Pacific Northwest. The story was well developed, characters were interesting and the setting was very interesting. I will read more books by this author!

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read anything by this author before, was refreshing twists from the normal! She kept you going until the bitter end!

[Lucas Morrone]

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Every single book in this series is excellent!

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 5th book in the Emma Lord series. A light, cozy mystery.

[Nicole Lineberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read

Another good adventure. I loved Leo and hope he continues to be a part of Emma's life. It was hard to keep up with the family tree in the who dunnit mystery.

[Geneva Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun mystery, great twists!!!

[DJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was was okay- i got very lost trying to follow all the relatives being referred to and all the diff theories- it was too much

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much details of her friend's family history, was quite boring.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Lord is taking a brief vacation driving up the Olympic Peninsula to do some soul-searching. Her Jaguar suddenly develops mechanical problems leaving her stranded in a town with no available motel rooms. She remembers that the daughter of a former co-worker lives in Port Angeles so Emma calls the newly married Jackie Melcher and is immediately welcomed as their guest while waiting for her car to be repaired. Pregnant Jackie and Paul live in an old home they inherited from his uncle. Electricians had just discovered a body in the basement during the process of updating the wiring. Jackie has heard that Emma solves mysteries and looks to her for assistance in identifying the remains and finding out why the skeleton's head is bashed in. This allows the story to take place somewhere other than Alpine. We meet new characters including Leo who will become part of the newspaper staff in the future.

[Erin L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this is as good as others in the series. Part of the problem is that we aren't looking at a contemporary murder. There are few absolutes and in the end, there isn't a lot of connection between the reader and the people involved at the time of the murder. I had trouble keeping everyone straight.

Jackie is an irritating character, but part of that is how Emma protrays her (first person narrative). She clearly doesn't think much of Jackie and that comes across strongly. It also makes Emma a bit hard to take. While she's judging Jackie's lack of interest in cooking and shopping, she reads the bill from the mechanic and doesn't bother with the details. So it's okay for her to do that with automotive repair, but another woman should obviously be interested in cooking.

Also, the situation with Mike was almost unbearable. Apparently Emma can only be interested in completely unattainable or flawed men, while using her religion to make available men her age unavailable - oh the hypocrisy. Married men are perfectly okay to sleep with, but divorced men are out of the question for a relationship because Catholic, sacrament of marriage, kids, annulment is bad. Whaaaaaaaaaaaa?

I also thought it was funny she almost seemed better able to relate to a divorced drunk than a perfectly acceptable, nice man. Who she thought was nothing because his "Contemporary man" persona is all just an act. Ugh. Honestly, Emma deserves to be single. And miserable. I'd hate to burden some perfectly nice man with her personality.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE ALPINE ESCAPE - Okay
Daheim, Mary - 5th in Emma Lord series

At forty-two, newspaperwoman Emma Lord decides she needs time off to do some soul-searching. But her old Jag breaks down in the picturesque Pacific Northwest town of Port Angeles, and instead of finding herself, she's helping friends find the truth about a grisly discovery: a skeleton in their basement

The bones are those of an unknown young woman, buried in a crumbling mansion nearly a century ago. A crushed skull, a garnet earring, a locket containing a telltale keepsake--all whisper of tragedy. Ancient photographs reveal more. But Emma has to fish in dark and dangerous waters to get the whole story of a wealthy, ruthless family, a story that twists and turns to a shocking conclusion that should never be told.

It was well written but very light. I'm finished with this series.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book as much as some of the others in the series, which I wouldn't consider a favorite series to begin with. (I like it enough to keep reading, but I don't *love* it.) The main players in this particular mystery were a bit hard to keep track of, since they're dead and the reader doesn't really "meet" them, only learns about them as the living characters do historical research. The solution to the mystery also seemed a bit inconsistent with the clues, which made me feel a bit cheated as a reader.

[Glenn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time Emma Lord, editor/publisher The Alpine Advocate, is stuck in Port Angeles because her car broke down there. The story is unsatisfying compared to previous entries in the series, consisting mainly of a variety of characters speculating about a murder that occurred 80 years ago -- and that Emma ultimately solves with the help of several truly extraordinary coincidences. I look forward to the next book, back home in Alpine with the regular cast of characters and likely a somewhat more current mystery.

[Ailisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a refreshing change from the last book. Emma leaves Alpine to do some soul-searching, and in the process, stumbles upon an almost 90 year old mystery. At times, things can get lengthy and confusing with all the names of the family members thrown about in the characters' conversations with one another. There is probably more pages in this book of just speculation from the characters than actual investigation, but that helps with the advancement of the story. This story is far from a fast-paced mystery, but it is a good page-turner.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and re-read books in this series and still haven't figured out if I enjoy the books. The protagonist, Emma Lord can be likeable but is often also annoying, arrogant, and crabby instead.

This episode was one that I had not read. I enjoyed the plot, though admit at about the halfway point I started debating whether to keep ploughing through or whether to skim to the end. I ploughed through. It was OK.

For some strange reason, I will likely read others of the serious. Maybe at some point I will figure out if I enjoy them or not.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the books in this series so far. But this one, not so much. I think partly because it was out of the familiar setting and the characters were people we've never "met" before. The family tree was so damn confusing, and the characters were all in the past, not even Emma's past, that I finished it just to finish it. And Jackie was annoying as hell! So to me, the story wasn't even mildly entertaining. I always love finding a new mystery series...hopefully the next one gets us back on track.

[VJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timber baron from Saginaw, MI moving to the Pacific Northwest? Ok. Muskegon would make more sense.

I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it is my favorite so far. The mystery was old, very involved, and wildly speculated before it was finally solved. The research methods were interesting to read and I loved the fact that Vida gave the final clue without even realizing it. The final paragraph made me laugh out loud. I can't wait to start the next book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'm somewhere between 2.5 and 3 on this one. It was very slow going. I should have liked it better because I am into genealogy and love a mystery. But I never am fond of series when they move out of their locale and the regular cast of characters isn't there. That being said, I only guessed part of the mystery in this series, and was as usual entertained by Emma's sense of humor.

[R.K. Goff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. You can give this one a miss. I like my detectives with less personal issues and flaws. And because all the characters in the mystery were dead by many years, it was hard to become involved in the story.