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Dr. Alexandra Gladstone #3
Half a Mind to Murder
When an epidemic befalls the country town of Newton-on-Sea, Dr. Alexandra Gladstone finds what seems to be a cure. But there is no cure for murder...
48 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 7, 2003
6 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Paula Paul
28 books43 followersPaula Paul writes novels that touch the heart and challenge the mind. She has published 25 novels, some with major New York publishers and some with small presses. They include historical fiction, mysteries, YA and literary novels.
She is a native of Texas. She wasn't really born in Lubbock, as her profile info states. She was actually born outside of Lubbock on her grandparents' farm. She grew up on a ranch about 80 miles from where she was born and attended a country school where she graduated as valedictorian.
She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years as a print journalist, winning a number of state and national awards. She has also won national awards for her novels.
She is a native of Texas. She wasn't really born in Lubbock, as her profile info states. She was actually born outside of Lubbock on her grandparents' farm. She grew up on a ranch about 80 miles from where she was born and attended a country school where she graduated as valedictorian.
She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years as a print journalist, winning a number of state and national awards. She has also won national awards for her novels.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 29, 2011
Guess I already read this book. The Dr. Alexandra Gladstone character was a good one. I wish Paula Paul would write some more books with this character.
October 28, 2021
The first intriguing thing about this book is the way the title appears in the cover art… "Half a Mind TO Murder." Why is the preposition 'to' in all caps? There is nothing quite like finding a mystery before reading the first page.
Since junior high, I've had a rather morbid fascination with the history of medicine. Dr. Alexandra Gladstone has been planning to attend a lecture on Joseph Lister's germ theory. My interest in medical history wanes with Lister when medicine became less gruesome. Much of this series revolves around Dr. Gladstone's caring for her patients, and much of that involves herbal remedies. In this book, she travels to London to hear Lister speak on germ theory. Louis Pasteur figures prominently as a proponent of vaccines. Florence Nightingale also makes an appearance touting statistics in public health. Reading about this cornucopia of medical pioneers during a global pandemic makes for interesting comparison.
One of the characters is most often referred to as an 'idjet.' Dr. Gladstone takes offense at that term stating that the medical term is imbecile. Political correctness has come a long way. We are introduced to a London alienist, today he would be a psychiatrist, who introduces Alexandra to the idea of the homicidal maniac. It is interesting to note that the imbecile's mother was never married and now suffers with the stigma of having a uterine disease that manifests itself in madness. She had a child out of wedlock so she is immoral, and if she's immoral she must be mad.
The story here might be classified as a cozy mystery, but I find that the Victorian attitude toward women overshadows the crime.
As for the cover art, the original covers to not capitalize to and I found no solution as to why it is done on this edition.
Since junior high, I've had a rather morbid fascination with the history of medicine. Dr. Alexandra Gladstone has been planning to attend a lecture on Joseph Lister's germ theory. My interest in medical history wanes with Lister when medicine became less gruesome. Much of this series revolves around Dr. Gladstone's caring for her patients, and much of that involves herbal remedies. In this book, she travels to London to hear Lister speak on germ theory. Louis Pasteur figures prominently as a proponent of vaccines. Florence Nightingale also makes an appearance touting statistics in public health. Reading about this cornucopia of medical pioneers during a global pandemic makes for interesting comparison.
One of the characters is most often referred to as an 'idjet.' Dr. Gladstone takes offense at that term stating that the medical term is imbecile. Political correctness has come a long way. We are introduced to a London alienist, today he would be a psychiatrist, who introduces Alexandra to the idea of the homicidal maniac. It is interesting to note that the imbecile's mother was never married and now suffers with the stigma of having a uterine disease that manifests itself in madness. She had a child out of wedlock so she is immoral, and if she's immoral she must be mad.
The story here might be classified as a cozy mystery, but I find that the Victorian attitude toward women overshadows the crime.
As for the cover art, the original covers to not capitalize to and I found no solution as to why it is done on this edition.
July 1, 2016
This was an entertaining read but I figured out "whodunnit" a lot earlier in this one than in previous Alexandra Gladstone mysteries. I was glad to get a few more glimpses into the private life of Dr. Gladstone and it was not quite as repetitive as some of the previous novels in explaining who everyone is. As a pharmacist, I was interested in the parts of the novel regarding infectious disease, the emergence of germ theory and the early development of vaccinations. I did not appreciate that the apothecary was such a creep. The romantic in me hopes Dr. Gladstone will give Forsythe a chance.
November 9, 2015
The best of the series so far
Marie Shirley Griffin
Dr. Gladstone and company have really come into their own in this book.
We are also given a thorough, yet short explanation as to why homicidal killers do what they do.
There is a surprising new Lord of Montmarsh and the neighbors are tickled?
Marie Shirley Griffin
Dr. Gladstone and company have really come into their own in this book.
We are also given a thorough, yet short explanation as to why homicidal killers do what they do.
There is a surprising new Lord of Montmarsh and the neighbors are tickled?
July 6, 2008
This was a very easy and entertaining read. I have discovered that Dollar General has quite a few books for $1 that are not bad at all.
The heroine is intelligent and strong even though she lives in Victorian times.
The heroine is intelligent and strong even though she lives in Victorian times.
Want to read
July 20, 200807/17/08 rec via bookmooch
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews