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Mary Elizabeth #2
The Weekend Was Murder
For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes The Weekend was Murder! from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon.
Mary Elizabeth can’t wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth’s role is to discover the “body” in Room 1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body she finds in Room 1927…
“A masterfully constructed, engaging read that…[is] ingeniously plotted, fast-paced and lighthearted.” – Publishers Weekly
“Fans will love wading through the myriad details and placing bets on the outcome.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Mystery fans will…enjoy trying to solve the various crimes.” – School Library Journal
Mary Elizabeth can’t wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth’s role is to discover the “body” in Room 1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body she finds in Room 1927…
“A masterfully constructed, engaging read that…[is] ingeniously plotted, fast-paced and lighthearted.” – Publishers Weekly
“Fans will love wading through the myriad details and placing bets on the outcome.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Mystery fans will…enjoy trying to solve the various crimes.” – School Library Journal
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1991
18 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Joan Lowery Nixon
189 books485 followersAuthor of more than one hundred books, Joan Lowery Nixon is the only writer to have won four Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Juvenile Mysteries (and been nominated several other times) from the Mystery Writers of America. Creating contemporary teenage characters who have both a personal problem and a mystery to solve, Nixon captured the attention of legions of teenage readers since the publication of her first YA novel more than twenty years ago. In addition to mystery/suspense novels, she wrote nonfiction and fiction for children and middle graders, as well as several short stories. Nixon was the first person to write novels for teens about the orphan trains of the nineteenth century. She followed those with historical novels about Ellis Island and, more recently for younger readers, Colonial Williamsburg. Joan Lowery Nixon died on June 28, 2003—a great loss for all of us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 24, 2019
I had so much fun reading this book and revisiting the characters. It’s an interesting summer YA mystery, with 90s’ vibes all the way.
Mary Elizabeth and the hotel gang are back to help host a murder mystery weekend, but an actual murder interferes with the festivities. Combine a fictional murder, a real murder, and money laundering, then add ghosts, and you’ve got this book.
Unfortunately there are only 2 “Mary Elizabeth” books from Joan Lowery Nixon, but I wish there were more. She totally had a future as a sassy detective.
April 30, 2023
I was looking forward to this one because I remember this is one that I read quite a bit in my teen years. You can tell by how worn my copy is. Well - the good news it's much better than most of Nixon's other novels. The bad news is that... it was kind of boring and I had a hard time getting into it.
This is a sequel to The Dark and Deadly pool, and all the wonderful characters are back. Mary Elizabeth is fun, and while the klutziness is kind of an annoyingly trope-ish way to give an otherwise perfect heroine some faults, she's easily the most likably heroine we've had.
Pretty much all the side characters are back -- Tina, Lamar, Detective Jarvis, and the setting of the hotel. Even the love interest, Fran, remains being an all around fun guy (unlike so many of the dudes Nixon puts in her novels.) All great characters, again, easily the best batch of characters we've had -- which may be one reason why Nixon decided to have another go with the characters.
Look - the premise is a lot of fun, too. There's a mystery weekend at the hotel, and then someone really dies in a haunted room. Everything about this book screams like a wonderful fun time. And maybe at age 12 I did enjoy it.
The problem is that the mystery is incredibly dull. While Nixon avoids a lot of her long standing tropes (were there any besides this being Texas?), the downside is that lacks any kind of tension or intriguing mystery. The mystery weekend is a cool plot framing, but I seems kind of clumsily shoehorned in. And the unraveling of the real mystery is that interesting at all -- the motive is exceedingly vague and boring, and there really aren't clues to follow, just a bunch of assumptions that, more or less, turn out to be right.
At least there's a bit of a ghost story tied into it -- but it's also not really fleshed out to really hold any weight.
Ug, c'mon, Joan, you know how to have a good premise - why is it squandered??
That said - this still remains one of her better overall novels...
Rating: 3.25 Stars
This is a sequel to The Dark and Deadly pool, and all the wonderful characters are back. Mary Elizabeth is fun, and while the klutziness is kind of an annoyingly trope-ish way to give an otherwise perfect heroine some faults, she's easily the most likably heroine we've had.
Pretty much all the side characters are back -- Tina, Lamar, Detective Jarvis, and the setting of the hotel. Even the love interest, Fran, remains being an all around fun guy (unlike so many of the dudes Nixon puts in her novels.) All great characters, again, easily the best batch of characters we've had -- which may be one reason why Nixon decided to have another go with the characters.
Look - the premise is a lot of fun, too. There's a mystery weekend at the hotel, and then someone really dies in a haunted room. Everything about this book screams like a wonderful fun time. And maybe at age 12 I did enjoy it.
The problem is that the mystery is incredibly dull. While Nixon avoids a lot of her long standing tropes (were there any besides this being Texas?), the downside is that lacks any kind of tension or intriguing mystery. The mystery weekend is a cool plot framing, but I seems kind of clumsily shoehorned in. And the unraveling of the real mystery is that interesting at all -- the motive is exceedingly vague and boring, and there really aren't clues to follow, just a bunch of assumptions that, more or less, turn out to be right.
At least there's a bit of a ghost story tied into it -- but it's also not really fleshed out to really hold any weight.
Ug, c'mon, Joan, you know how to have a good premise - why is it squandered??
That said - this still remains one of her better overall novels...
Rating: 3.25 Stars
December 30, 2025
I've been doing this thing where I reread books that I remember adults from my childhood reading when I was a kid (sort of getting to know them better retroactively), so I thought it would be fun to read a book that I myself read as a child and loved (but had little memory of).
Turns out, I had good taste. This is a solid mystery, one with great world-building (this book specifically made me obsessed with fancy hotels, something I still am to this day). The ending is a bit too phoned-in (I think you needed one more twist), but this is great, especially for a teen who is just getting into mystery novels.
Turns out, I had good taste. This is a solid mystery, one with great world-building (this book specifically made me obsessed with fancy hotels, something I still am to this day). The ending is a bit too phoned-in (I think you needed one more twist), but this is great, especially for a teen who is just getting into mystery novels.
December 1, 2023
It's back again to The Ridley Hotel and Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Rafferty continuing her job there for the summer at the health club.
There may be some spoilers for The Dark and Deadly Pool but not enough to ruin the whole book or this one.
June was the beginning of Liz making some changes in her life once she got the job working at the pool in the health club. She made a good friend with Tina Martinez, the nineteen year old working security and studying psychology who is three years older than Liz.
Liz also met Francis Liverpool the Third or "Fran" as he calls himself. He's nice looking, charming, witty with a weird sense of humor and he's now her boyfriend. The only thing that has Liz hung up on being so serious is that he is four inches shorter than her and maybe the fact that others think she should be going out with someone taller and more than a waiter basically.
The other thing was discovering the dead body of a very nice old man in the pool and not by drowning. It had to deal with thefts around the hotel and Liz found herself involved yet she was able to find the culprit despite her clumsiness and low self-esteem.
Since then, her mother worries about her constantly and Liz knows that soon her job will be over for the summer and she will miss all the people she has met there as both employees and guests.
PR for the hotel has organized a murder mystery weekend at The Ridley to be hosted by author Roberta Kingston Duffy and her actress daughter, Eileen. It will have 150 participants and an acting troupe involved to play the suspects and the "victim" with a few hotel employees given parts as witnesses.
Liz and Fran happen to be two of those. Liz got a part but it gets a little bigger thanks to the author hearing Liz let out a scream as she got off the elevator on her floor to check into her room.
You see Tina was called up because people were complaining about noise coming from a suite on the nineteenth floor and she didn't want to come alone and dragged Liz with her. It is rumored that it is haunted by a ghost, a husband or wife murdered in a marital spat gone too far.
While in the room, Liz could feel a cold presence but Tina thinks it has to be due to some sort of PTSD of finding a dead body like the psychology student she is. The girls head to the elevator to head down and it opens up to what Liz thinks is a headless man in a tuxedo and she screams her head off.
It is a dressmaker dummy to be the stand in for "the dead body" to get the layout of the room ready for the murder-mystery event. Mrs. Duffy is so impressed by that scream that she wants Liz to be the person to find the dead body and announce it the room full of amateur sleuths but she is wary after her previous experience.
Mrs. Duffy wants to eventually ask Liz about the whole thing and Tina tells Liz she could be famous if she writes her into one of her books. If only she could think of a good title...some very good early 1990s meta going on.
Also at the same time, Tina tells Liz that she learned from Lamar Boudry, chief of security, that there will be a guest at the hotel under police protection. She is going to be a witness in a money laundering trial and this all news to Liz but almost everybody else in Houston knows about the whole thing.
The day of the murder mystery weekend arrives at the same time as the witness is brought to the hotel, seen by Liz and Fran as they come into the employee entrance escorted by Lamar. The two of them also happen to run into Mrs. Larabee and Mrs. Bandini who signed up for the event and they are still the same charming if somewhat quirky old ladies.
The actors are all introduced by their character names as Mrs. Duffy wrote them and Eileen is playing the part of Detective Pat Sharp. It's never really stated just how old Eileen is but Liz notes that they are both the same height with red hair but of course, Liz thinks Eileen is more of a knockout than herself but I noticed in the book that Fran never seems to pay Eileen any extra attention so again...I like Fran.
At first, it seems as if Liz and Fran stumble on an innocent conversation while looking for food thanks to Fran's constant appetite despite his slight stature. They are not seen, hiding under the table in the abandoned conference room, but they hear two men named Al and Frank having a heated discussion.
It doesn't sound like a pleasant conversation and the name of the hotel manager, Lewis Parmegan, and a Japanese business man named Mr. Yamamoto staying at the Ridley pop up before they are interrupted by the janitor.
All of that just seems to be nothing of importance as the murder mystery is begun by Mary Elizabeth's line of a dead body is screamed out among the crowd. When circumstances bring Liz and Fran to Room 1927, the supposedly haunted room where the "crime" is set-up, they find a dead body but this is no dummy...and it is not a game anymore.
Detective Mark Jarvis is brought back to investigate another murder at The Ridley Hotel and Liz is finding herself involved in another situation of dumb luck but how long until that runs out?
So many storylines collide in this one book and most of it goes over my head like it does with Liz about all the money laundering junk. The murder mystery game itself is not really interesting except when Mrs. Bandini and Mrs. Larabee are involved and the fact that Jarvis has to solve a real crime amidst all of these crazy people playing at detective.
Fran and Liz are always fun to read about and when they interact with Jarvis and the two older ladies, it is just as interesting. There is also this development of some sort of romance growing between Jarvis and Eileen Duffy which is heartwarming to read from Mary Elizabeth's P.O.V.
The haunted hotel room didn't really need to be added and how it eventually fits into the story is so far fetched that I couldn't bring myself to give The Weekend Was Murder! that fifth star.
It all does lead up to a very nice ending with some character growth for Liz and it is kind of a shame that Nixon didn't write anymore books focusing on her. Getting to the ending is worth reading the book but there is still some enjoyment to find within The Weekend Was Murder! that I can recommend it as a Joan Lowery Nixon work worth checking out.
There may be some spoilers for The Dark and Deadly Pool but not enough to ruin the whole book or this one.
June was the beginning of Liz making some changes in her life once she got the job working at the pool in the health club. She made a good friend with Tina Martinez, the nineteen year old working security and studying psychology who is three years older than Liz.
Liz also met Francis Liverpool the Third or "Fran" as he calls himself. He's nice looking, charming, witty with a weird sense of humor and he's now her boyfriend. The only thing that has Liz hung up on being so serious is that he is four inches shorter than her and maybe the fact that others think she should be going out with someone taller and more than a waiter basically.
The other thing was discovering the dead body of a very nice old man in the pool and not by drowning. It had to deal with thefts around the hotel and Liz found herself involved yet she was able to find the culprit despite her clumsiness and low self-esteem.
Since then, her mother worries about her constantly and Liz knows that soon her job will be over for the summer and she will miss all the people she has met there as both employees and guests.
PR for the hotel has organized a murder mystery weekend at The Ridley to be hosted by author Roberta Kingston Duffy and her actress daughter, Eileen. It will have 150 participants and an acting troupe involved to play the suspects and the "victim" with a few hotel employees given parts as witnesses.
Liz and Fran happen to be two of those. Liz got a part but it gets a little bigger thanks to the author hearing Liz let out a scream as she got off the elevator on her floor to check into her room.
You see Tina was called up because people were complaining about noise coming from a suite on the nineteenth floor and she didn't want to come alone and dragged Liz with her. It is rumored that it is haunted by a ghost, a husband or wife murdered in a marital spat gone too far.
While in the room, Liz could feel a cold presence but Tina thinks it has to be due to some sort of PTSD of finding a dead body like the psychology student she is. The girls head to the elevator to head down and it opens up to what Liz thinks is a headless man in a tuxedo and she screams her head off.
It is a dressmaker dummy to be the stand in for "the dead body" to get the layout of the room ready for the murder-mystery event. Mrs. Duffy is so impressed by that scream that she wants Liz to be the person to find the dead body and announce it the room full of amateur sleuths but she is wary after her previous experience.
Mrs. Duffy wants to eventually ask Liz about the whole thing and Tina tells Liz she could be famous if she writes her into one of her books. If only she could think of a good title...some very good early 1990s meta going on.
Also at the same time, Tina tells Liz that she learned from Lamar Boudry, chief of security, that there will be a guest at the hotel under police protection. She is going to be a witness in a money laundering trial and this all news to Liz but almost everybody else in Houston knows about the whole thing.
The day of the murder mystery weekend arrives at the same time as the witness is brought to the hotel, seen by Liz and Fran as they come into the employee entrance escorted by Lamar. The two of them also happen to run into Mrs. Larabee and Mrs. Bandini who signed up for the event and they are still the same charming if somewhat quirky old ladies.
The actors are all introduced by their character names as Mrs. Duffy wrote them and Eileen is playing the part of Detective Pat Sharp. It's never really stated just how old Eileen is but Liz notes that they are both the same height with red hair but of course, Liz thinks Eileen is more of a knockout than herself but I noticed in the book that Fran never seems to pay Eileen any extra attention so again...I like Fran.
At first, it seems as if Liz and Fran stumble on an innocent conversation while looking for food thanks to Fran's constant appetite despite his slight stature. They are not seen, hiding under the table in the abandoned conference room, but they hear two men named Al and Frank having a heated discussion.
It doesn't sound like a pleasant conversation and the name of the hotel manager, Lewis Parmegan, and a Japanese business man named Mr. Yamamoto staying at the Ridley pop up before they are interrupted by the janitor.
All of that just seems to be nothing of importance as the murder mystery is begun by Mary Elizabeth's line of a dead body is screamed out among the crowd. When circumstances bring Liz and Fran to Room 1927, the supposedly haunted room where the "crime" is set-up, they find a dead body but this is no dummy...and it is not a game anymore.
Detective Mark Jarvis is brought back to investigate another murder at The Ridley Hotel and Liz is finding herself involved in another situation of dumb luck but how long until that runs out?
So many storylines collide in this one book and most of it goes over my head like it does with Liz about all the money laundering junk. The murder mystery game itself is not really interesting except when Mrs. Bandini and Mrs. Larabee are involved and the fact that Jarvis has to solve a real crime amidst all of these crazy people playing at detective.
Fran and Liz are always fun to read about and when they interact with Jarvis and the two older ladies, it is just as interesting. There is also this development of some sort of romance growing between Jarvis and Eileen Duffy which is heartwarming to read from Mary Elizabeth's P.O.V.
The haunted hotel room didn't really need to be added and how it eventually fits into the story is so far fetched that I couldn't bring myself to give The Weekend Was Murder! that fifth star.
It all does lead up to a very nice ending with some character growth for Liz and it is kind of a shame that Nixon didn't write anymore books focusing on her. Getting to the ending is worth reading the book but there is still some enjoyment to find within The Weekend Was Murder! that I can recommend it as a Joan Lowery Nixon work worth checking out.
June 11, 2009
i thought that it would be really stupid and boring cause mrs.Smith gave it to me to read and it is really good!
May 12, 2018
While I like many of the characters in the Mary Elizabeth books, including our heroine Liz (who seems like a believable teenager) and the charming Fran, I felt the supernatural aspect of the story was just too much, too unbelievable--especially because the first Mary Elizabeth book did not take this direction.
Additionally, while the plot itself was kind of interesting (a real murder happens during a murder mystery weekend at a ritzy hotel), the "fixes" that the hosts had to keep making to keep the murder mystery weekend going without having guests know about the real murder that happened started to get a bit far-fetched. There was also just a lot going on in the story: the aforementioned ghost story, the aforementioned murder mystery weekend, and then there was also a plotline about a witness-under-protection staying at the hotel (who happened to be staying in a suite on the same floor as the murder mystery crime scene, which ended up being the actual crime scene). While the protected witness played a major role in the crime, I felt that it just added too much to the story.
Additionally, while the plot itself was kind of interesting (a real murder happens during a murder mystery weekend at a ritzy hotel), the "fixes" that the hosts had to keep making to keep the murder mystery weekend going without having guests know about the real murder that happened started to get a bit far-fetched. There was also just a lot going on in the story: the aforementioned ghost story, the aforementioned murder mystery weekend, and then there was also a plotline about a witness-under-protection staying at the hotel (who happened to be staying in a suite on the same floor as the murder mystery crime scene, which ended up being the actual crime scene). While the protected witness played a major role in the crime, I felt that it just added too much to the story.
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December 30, 2020Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
This was really fun. Compared to modern books, this isn’t the least bit diverse, and that’s a bit of a bummer, but this really is kind of nostalgic, easy fun. You don’t get a lot of books like this these days, where it’s not really meant to be super serious even if there is murder. It’s fun murder. That’s totally a thing. I really liked Mary Elizabeth’s voice, and the lighter tone of this is great.
I really like that it’s not too serious, or scary. For a lot of the book, the author almost seems to poking fun at herself, with the slightly silly author character, and the amateur mystery readers. It’s a really fun idea, and executed very well. I’m excited to read the other book I have by the author, and I would love to read more, too.
This was really fun. Compared to modern books, this isn’t the least bit diverse, and that’s a bit of a bummer, but this really is kind of nostalgic, easy fun. You don’t get a lot of books like this these days, where it’s not really meant to be super serious even if there is murder. It’s fun murder. That’s totally a thing. I really liked Mary Elizabeth’s voice, and the lighter tone of this is great.
I really like that it’s not too serious, or scary. For a lot of the book, the author almost seems to poking fun at herself, with the slightly silly author character, and the amateur mystery readers. It’s a really fun idea, and executed very well. I’m excited to read the other book I have by the author, and I would love to read more, too.
July 10, 2022
I enjoyed this book so much more than I enjoyed the first book in the series (mostly because there was less Fran). I thought Liz had grown so much as a character, and she's definitely my favourite of the Joan Lowery Nixon heroines so far.
The plot was also really fun and I was invested in the whole thing to such an extent that I finished the book in one sitting.
The plot was also really fun and I was invested in the whole thing to such an extent that I finished the book in one sitting.
January 29, 2023
Another great JLN story! I really liked Mary Elizabeth and am sad there were only two books about her. She was funny and interesting. I enjoyed the stories and the cast of characters. This book was really interesting to read.
April 17, 2025
Didn't love this as much as the first book, even though I loved the premise. There was really no growth in character for Mary Elizabeth between this and the first novel, and I found a lot of her inner dialogue to be quite repetitive.
July 29, 2020
Fast paced. Myriad details. Yeah that's about right.
December 1, 2020
Much better mysteries out there.
March 18, 2021
This book was amazing I never wanted to stop reading it!
July 7, 2021
Cheesy? Yes. Utterly ridiculous? Hell yes.
But did I entirely enjoy myself?
Yessssssssss.
Totally remember now why I lapped these books up in Jr high
But did I entirely enjoy myself?
Yessssssssss.
Totally remember now why I lapped these books up in Jr high
April 26, 2023
Okay. Not as good as other Joan Lowery Nixon novels. I didn't care for the main character--Mary Elizabeth.
June 13, 2023
it was a pretty good mystery with a fun premise, but the reveal at the end felt unsatisfying
March 28, 2024
This YA book was a lot of fun. I would’ve read this in high school. Enjoyable!
January 1, 2026
Good reread from my teen years. Mary Elizabeth and Fran are great characters and I like the murder mystery setting.
March 7, 2019
The premise of this one had so much potential: a group of people get together at a hotel to solve a pretend murder, only for a real body to be found at the crime scene. We don’t judge stories on the premises, though. We judge them on the story itself and it’s there that this one falls flat. Instead of watching our main character solve the mystery, we mostly just watch her wander around trying to hide what really happened from the guests who are trying to solve the fake murder. Why? Because they don’t want to guests to know for some reason. How they manage to keep all 150 people in the dark while the media is there and real police are swarming around, I can't even begin to fathom. You'd think that people would at least turn on the TV at night or read the paper because this story takes place over a full weekend, meaning that there was plenty of time for someone to find out the truth.
I will admit it was funny at first as it leads to some ridiculous scenes where people talking about the real murder are pounced on by those playing the game who think it has to do with their murder. Where that falls apart is that they then fit the things from the real murder into the fake one to keep the immersion going. It’s bizarre and gets old pretty fast. By the end, I felt bad for the fake sleuths.
Then there’s the murder itself. The culprit is not set up and, when they were discussing what happened, I honestly thought that was just a child’s wild guess that was going to quickly be disproved. I didn’t believe that it was the actual answer and, even now, I’m annoyed by it.
There’s also the fact that the murder takes place in a haunted hotel room and the ghost does more of the solving than the sleuth does. It's a bizarre element that felt completely out of place. This is supposed to be a murder mystery, not a psychic thriller. Mystery means solving through brain power and clues, not waiting for a ghost to play charades with you.
It’s not a bad book for a kid to read, but for a serious mystery lover it was a letdown.
I will admit it was funny at first as it leads to some ridiculous scenes where people talking about the real murder are pounced on by those playing the game who think it has to do with their murder. Where that falls apart is that they then fit the things from the real murder into the fake one to keep the immersion going. It’s bizarre and gets old pretty fast. By the end, I felt bad for the fake sleuths.
Then there’s the murder itself. The culprit is not set up and, when they were discussing what happened, I honestly thought that was just a child’s wild guess that was going to quickly be disproved. I didn’t believe that it was the actual answer and, even now, I’m annoyed by it.
There’s also the fact that the murder takes place in a haunted hotel room and the ghost does more of the solving than the sleuth does. It's a bizarre element that felt completely out of place. This is supposed to be a murder mystery, not a psychic thriller. Mystery means solving through brain power and clues, not waiting for a ghost to play charades with you.
It’s not a bad book for a kid to read, but for a serious mystery lover it was a letdown.
March 11, 2018
I read this (Book 2) without reading the first book in the series, which I gathered from this read was the lead-up to establishing Mary Elizabeth as a teenage sleuth, through her help in solving her first crime.
In this installment, the hotel at which Mary Elizabeth worked was hosting a murder-mystery weekend, where a mock-crime will be enacted and participants try their hand at solving the mystery. When an actual murder takes place during that same time frame, the lines between real and pretend blur, and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell suspects and actors apart.
I like it that during the execution of the murder-mystery enactment and through the investigation of the real crime, the characters muddled their way through -- that it was not all neat and/or convenient, but that mistakes were made and setbacks incurred; this made the story more realistic and so much more enjoyable because the reader did not have to suspend disbelief.
* Read for the '2018 Around the Year in 52 Books' reading challenge task:
A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand Master author
In this installment, the hotel at which Mary Elizabeth worked was hosting a murder-mystery weekend, where a mock-crime will be enacted and participants try their hand at solving the mystery. When an actual murder takes place during that same time frame, the lines between real and pretend blur, and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell suspects and actors apart.
I like it that during the execution of the murder-mystery enactment and through the investigation of the real crime, the characters muddled their way through -- that it was not all neat and/or convenient, but that mistakes were made and setbacks incurred; this made the story more realistic and so much more enjoyable because the reader did not have to suspend disbelief.
* Read for the '2018 Around the Year in 52 Books' reading challenge task:
A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand Master author
June 1, 2014
The book The Weekend Was Murder, by Joan Lowery Nixon, is about a girl named Mary Elizabeth who is working at a hotel called the Ridley Hotel for the summer. A famous mystery writer is coming to the hotel to host a "murder mystery" or all of her fans. The writer is bringing along wig her a troupe of actors. Mary Elizabeth is acted a role. Her role is to find the body in room 1927 which is supposedly haunted. But when she finds a real body in that room, the whole game changes.
Mary Elizabeth is working at the Ridley Hotel this summer to earn some money. She is working with her friend Fran. At the hotel she heard that the room 1927 was haunted. Fran and her went to go check out the room. While they were exploring the room they heard a voice. They figured it was was the ghosts voice so they bolted out of the room.
Their boss told them that a famous writer was coming to the hotel to host a mystery murder game for her fans. The writer was bringing a group of actors that would help with the game. Mary Elizabeth and Fran are casted parts. Mary's job is to discover "the body." The game begins. She is up in the suite of room 1927 when she discovers a real body. Police and investigators show up at the hotel to try and solve the murder. While Mary is in the room 1927 the ghost appears and gives her a clue to help solve the murder.
Some things I disliked about the book was the plot. The author made it very confusing for me to follow. I got confused at parts but caught on.
I didn't really like this book (maybe it's because it's not my favorite genre). I thought however it kinda kept me on my toes. This is a book that I wouldn't really read again but I would suggest it to another person who likes mystery and can keep up with a confusing plot.
Mary Elizabeth is working at the Ridley Hotel this summer to earn some money. She is working with her friend Fran. At the hotel she heard that the room 1927 was haunted. Fran and her went to go check out the room. While they were exploring the room they heard a voice. They figured it was was the ghosts voice so they bolted out of the room.
Their boss told them that a famous writer was coming to the hotel to host a mystery murder game for her fans. The writer was bringing a group of actors that would help with the game. Mary Elizabeth and Fran are casted parts. Mary's job is to discover "the body." The game begins. She is up in the suite of room 1927 when she discovers a real body. Police and investigators show up at the hotel to try and solve the murder. While Mary is in the room 1927 the ghost appears and gives her a clue to help solve the murder.
Some things I disliked about the book was the plot. The author made it very confusing for me to follow. I got confused at parts but caught on.
I didn't really like this book (maybe it's because it's not my favorite genre). I thought however it kinda kept me on my toes. This is a book that I wouldn't really read again but I would suggest it to another person who likes mystery and can keep up with a confusing plot.
March 12, 2015
The book called The Weekend was Murder was about a sixteen year old girl named Liz, and she worked at a very expensive hotel called the Ridley's hotel. There was a roomer that was spreading saying that the hotel was being haunted by a ghost in room number nineteen!!! When the ghost was a male human his wife killed him by breaking a big vase on his head!! She did that because she was on a drug and she was very mad.His wife went to the hospital to get rid of the drugs, but the ghost- (which was the man who got killed) still remained at the hotel. Also, at the Ridley's hotel was an annual called Murder Mystery Weekend. That was when the author of the book which was Mrs.Duffy came to the hotel and makes her book come to life! Mrs.Duffy picked different people who worked at the hotel to play the characters for her book. One of the people who was picked was Liz, and she had to run out the elevator next to room nineteen which was the haunted room!! When Liz went to do her part for the book, she had realized that room nineteen's door was open.The she went inside to see why it was open, and then when she did there was something on the floor...
I really liked this book a lot! I liked this book because there were lots of cliffhangers which made me want to keep going and it grabbed my attention.I am also a big fan on mystery book anyway so I knew I would LOVE the book. The book gave some really good details and was very descriptive. I also like this book because it was mysterious.This book was interesting as well!
I really liked this book a lot! I liked this book because there were lots of cliffhangers which made me want to keep going and it grabbed my attention.I am also a big fan on mystery book anyway so I knew I would LOVE the book. The book gave some really good details and was very descriptive. I also like this book because it was mysterious.This book was interesting as well!
March 29, 2015
Cute but mediocre sometimes. It's funny because I wasn't aware this was a young adult until I received it. Figured that out fast when I started reading it.
The mystery isn't much of a one, but the idea of the mystery weekend was a fun touch and you can't help but like the heroine's clumsy personality. Her mom on the phone could grow cheesy sometimes. Other characters were fine and I was surprised to find a ghost thrown into the mix, even if it's done briefly. The famous author was interesting and also cleverly humorous. The cast was laughable and this turned out to be a young adult - mystery that leaned heavily on comedy and cutesy situations.
A mystery was there but the heroine doesn't really solve it, so it turns out to be more of a book where a crime took place and we just find out the ending due to other events taking place.
Nixon keeps the writing easy in flow and wording since it's geared toward younger audiences. Suspense is realistic but that's not what the book is aiming for. It's an enjoyable experience but nothing too exciting, and although the characters are likeable enough, they didn't leave lasting impressions.
The mystery isn't much of a one, but the idea of the mystery weekend was a fun touch and you can't help but like the heroine's clumsy personality. Her mom on the phone could grow cheesy sometimes. Other characters were fine and I was surprised to find a ghost thrown into the mix, even if it's done briefly. The famous author was interesting and also cleverly humorous. The cast was laughable and this turned out to be a young adult - mystery that leaned heavily on comedy and cutesy situations.
A mystery was there but the heroine doesn't really solve it, so it turns out to be more of a book where a crime took place and we just find out the ending due to other events taking place.
Nixon keeps the writing easy in flow and wording since it's geared toward younger audiences. Suspense is realistic but that's not what the book is aiming for. It's an enjoyable experience but nothing too exciting, and although the characters are likeable enough, they didn't leave lasting impressions.
August 13, 2016
With the books I read so far by her, you start to like them but then find you're already getting near the end and want more. This one is no exception. I was like, oh already wrapping up, okay then. It seems Mary Elizabeth should be a detective or assistant to Jarvis or something, shouldn't she? What with being entangled in yet another one and Jarvis being the one to solve it right?
The title around sums up what this one's about. A murder mystery weekend, in theme to Clue and all the other shows or movies with a similar premise. One that comes to mind was that Golden Girls episode.
Anyway, this one was pretty good, more like 3.5 though. Not bad or anything but still pretty good. And Fran can be adorable and supportive at times. Though I like first book better, more for the sort of creepy atmosphere? At times however it can get a little corny. Still, these are fun reads none the less.
The title around sums up what this one's about. A murder mystery weekend, in theme to Clue and all the other shows or movies with a similar premise. One that comes to mind was that Golden Girls episode.
Anyway, this one was pretty good, more like 3.5 though. Not bad or anything but still pretty good. And Fran can be adorable and supportive at times. Though I like first book better, more for the sort of creepy atmosphere? At times however it can get a little corny. Still, these are fun reads none the less.
April 19, 2012
Liz is excited for the weekend. She'll be spending it at Ridley Hotel, where she works. A famous mystery writer will be there for the murder mystery weekend that was planned.
Liz has a role in the murder mystery, too. She is to discover a body in room 1927, a room that is supposed to be haunted.
And when it is time for Liz to play her part, she goes to room 1927 and finds a body, but it is not the body of one of the actors.
I think this is a pretty neat idea for a book - a murder mystery weekend and then a real murder takes place. I wasn't really sure who the murderer was, but I wanted to find out. It was a page turner, a very enjoyable read and it even had a touch of paranormal mixed into the story, which I think made it even better.
It's needless to say, but I loved this book and I kept trying to guess the whole time who the murderer was. This was definitely a great read.
Liz has a role in the murder mystery, too. She is to discover a body in room 1927, a room that is supposed to be haunted.
And when it is time for Liz to play her part, she goes to room 1927 and finds a body, but it is not the body of one of the actors.
I think this is a pretty neat idea for a book - a murder mystery weekend and then a real murder takes place. I wasn't really sure who the murderer was, but I wanted to find out. It was a page turner, a very enjoyable read and it even had a touch of paranormal mixed into the story, which I think made it even better.
It's needless to say, but I loved this book and I kept trying to guess the whole time who the murderer was. This was definitely a great read.
August 25, 2012
Title: The Weekend Was Murder
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon
Series: N/A
Rating: ★★★★
Summary: Mary Elizabeth can't wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth's role is to discover "the body" in Room1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body that she finds in Room 1927...
Review: One of the really good ones. *If you read one, I suggest reading them all!
Things I Loved: N/A
Things I Hated: It was a bit predictable, which was surprising considering how many times Nixon has fooled me in her other mysteries.
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon
Series: N/A
Rating: ★★★★
Summary: Mary Elizabeth can't wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth's role is to discover "the body" in Room1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body that she finds in Room 1927...
Review: One of the really good ones. *If you read one, I suggest reading them all!
Things I Loved: N/A
Things I Hated: It was a bit predictable, which was surprising considering how many times Nixon has fooled me in her other mysteries.
Read
August 21, 2011Mary Elizabeth can't wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer & a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth's role is to discover "the body" in Room 1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body that she finds in Room 1927 ....
A fun, quick read - Mary Elizabeth was likable although naive compared to 16-yr-olds today. I could relate to her klutziness at that age! Some parts of the story take quite a bit of imagination to make them believeable.
A fun, quick read - Mary Elizabeth was likable although naive compared to 16-yr-olds today. I could relate to her klutziness at that age! Some parts of the story take quite a bit of imagination to make them believeable.
June 29, 2014
I had first read this book when I was in highschool, and then I had been swept away by it. I had only recently come back to all of Joan's books because I remembered their plots and actually missed reading them. So I had logged onto Amazon and bought a few. When I first started to reread this book I had been kinda iffy, thinking that it wasnt how I remembered it. Which could have been because I had read numerous other books since these. But after only a few pages of it I couldnt put it down and I remembered why I adored this author so much.
Read
February 25, 2011In the Ridley hotel there was suppose to be a mystery weekend, for people the loved mystery books and thought they could actually solve one. Turns out there is a real actual mystery about some murder. Liz is getting through the mystery finding all the clues. Although in the mystery weekend she appears to be the murder. Which can't be it. Can it? I believe she's the leading person that the real murder never thought would get on his/her way.
June 30, 2011
This was a mystery novel with a theme of hotel murder mystery game where a real murder takes place at the same time. Not my kind of thing but maybe a mystery reader would enjoy it. COuld not get into the characters at all and overall the booked dragged for me...Sorry
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