Murder in the Choir Room

Jesse Ashworth Mystery #2

by Stephen E. Stanley

Retired teacher Jesse Ashworth has been looking forward to a quiet retirement in the small town of Bath, Maine but for Jesse, retirement has been anything but quiet. After church trustee Jack Riley is found murdered in the choir room of All Saints Church, Jesse and his companion Police Chief Tim Mallory, begin a search for the killer. Soon it becomes apparent that almost everyone Jack knew had a motive for murder. Set in a small town on the picturesque coast of Maine, this story has just the right amount of intrigue and humor, including a cast of quirky and colorful characters that help to round out the story.

Genres: Mystery, Gay

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2010

About the author

Stephen E. Stanley has been an educator for over thirty years, first as a high school English instructor and then as a full-time teacher mentor for secondary education in a large New Hampshire school district. He grew up in Bath, Maine and currently resides in New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Jesse Ashworth murder mysteries. In this mystery we find the choir of the church that Jesse & Tim attend stumbling upon the body of Jack Riley. Jack we learn was not a well loved man, always ready to argue a point and use blackmail or cruelty, the lists of suspects are long. What is one to make of his widow, Molly who laughs uproariously during the eulogy of her late husband. Seems as though not a good word could be said of Jack. Also, Tim has decided to move up his retirement but seems to be dragging his feet on this murder investigation. Jesse can't help but want to investigate especially when he and his cousin Molly sixth sense seems to be beeping. Also, what is there to make of the disappearance of Billy Simpson, he has been depressed and was the head usher on the day Javk was killed. All this and Jesse has a temporary substitute job at the high school he attended, he has been ask to not only cater but take part in Molly's wedding, and he is working on another cookbook and working part-time at Rhonda's store...Whew! The man is busy! This is a fun read, think of a gay version of Murder She Wrote . Such a fun read with twist and turns. I recommend this series

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Stephen Stanley's first mystery novel better but I found this one an enjoyable light read as well. One of the strongest attractions to this book and the previous mystery novel by Stephen Stanley is the age of the characters. The book tends to be heavy on political correctness at times but I would assume that this is a reflection of the author's own personality and life view and I certainly don't mean this as a criticism. I will look forward to reading Mr. Stanley's next mystery.

[Ptdog · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was probably me and not the book. I like this author and the characters in this series. I just couldn't get a rhythm to stick with this book for any long sittings. It's a good read and well done. But that was it for me.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming. Warm characters (if a little shallow) and good New England atmosphere, but not much of a mystery, really.

The text was so full of typos, grammatical errors and missing words that it felt more like slogging through a swamp than reading a novel. Nice try, though.

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good mystery!! I love Jesse and Tim because they're older and have good attitiudes...I would love to say that I will try Jesse's recipes, but I'm not into to cooking.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book and want to read it again.

[Wyrn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loving this series. It's fun and intriguing. The only downfall is all the mention of food - which is horrible when you are reading late at night about cake!