What do you think?
Rate this book
A Glassblowing Mystery #1
Through a Glass, Deadly
Glassblower Emmeline Dowell has made a home for herself among the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. But her friendship with troubled newcomer Allison McBride takes a dangerous turn when Allison's husband turns up dead in Em's studio. Now Emmeline is involved in a murder investigation that reaches beyond the sunny Southwest. And when the killer acts again, it's up to her to pick up the shards of Allison's life before it's too late.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2008
28 people are currently reading
1244 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Atwell
8 books59 followersA pseudonym used by Sheila Connolly.
As Sarah Atwell, author of the new Berkley Prime Crime Glassblower Series, in March 2008. The first sequel, Pane of Death, will be published in November 2008.
Under Sheila Connolly, One Bad Apple, Berkley Prime Crime, came out in August 2008."
As Sarah Atwell, author of the new Berkley Prime Crime Glassblower Series, in March 2008. The first sequel, Pane of Death, will be published in November 2008.
Under Sheila Connolly, One Bad Apple, Berkley Prime Crime, came out in August 2008."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 25, 2009
I've been researching cozy mysteries, trying to find one that might interest my mother-in-law who loves them. She also loves glass-blowing, so this series piqued my curiosity. The main character, Emmeline, is a glassblower and owns her own shop and studio in Tucson where she gives glassblowing classes. The thing I didn't like about this cozy mystery is that Em's behavior is completely implausible. At the beginning of the book, she meets a woman who is reserved, nervous, and seems like she is hiding something. Within hours of meeting her, Emmeline offers her a job in her studio. Within a day of meeting her, a dead body shows up in her glassblowing furnace (she discovers the body and is remarkably nonplussed). Turns out that the dead guy is her new "friend" Alison's husband. Emmeline defends her friend and continues to believe that she had nothing to do with it. Romantic conflict occurs when the chief of police turns out to be Em's ex-boyfriend, and then Em's brother becomes interested in Alison. The part that really bothered me was when Em serves packaged macaroni and cheese with cut up hot dogs as a dinner for her guests. Oh, but it's the kind where the sauce is a liquid, not a powder! Why is it so hard to find a good cozy series?
June 25, 2020
I have been fascinated watching glassblower artists since I was little. To discover this novel was written by Sheila Connolly, a favorite cozy mystery author using the pseudonym of Sarah Atwell was a "double delight."
As a heading at the beginning of each chapter, a term related to glassblowing is defined from various glassblowing resources which was very interesting to me but is not necessarily specifically related to that chapter but the overall theme of the novel as the lead character Glassblower Emmeline Dowell (Em for short) owns her own studio and shop called "Shards" in Tucson. To many, Em is living a charmed life owning the warehouse style building that allowed her to convert the 2nd floor of the warehouse into an apartment where she resides with her 2 dogs, Gloria, an English bulldog and Fred, a wire-haired dachshund. However, Em's world is turned-upside down and sideways the night that a young woman named Allison McBride wanders into Em's studio toward closing time of the shop.
There are many secondary characters that have the potential to make appearances again as the series continues. Some that will make appearances again are obvious (e.g. Nessa in the shop) but I'm anxious to see if I'm correct about the potential for other reappearances. I enjoyed this light cozy mystery and look forward to reading the other 2 novels in the series.
p.s. My husband and I watched "Blown Away" on Netflix this winter and would highly recommend the 10-episode show that filmed in Canada and released in 2019. The contestants on the show comprised 10 glassblowers and each challenge was different and interesting to view each artist's interpretation. The winner receives a $60,000 prize and an artist residency at the Corning Museum of Glass.
As a heading at the beginning of each chapter, a term related to glassblowing is defined from various glassblowing resources which was very interesting to me but is not necessarily specifically related to that chapter but the overall theme of the novel as the lead character Glassblower Emmeline Dowell (Em for short) owns her own studio and shop called "Shards" in Tucson. To many, Em is living a charmed life owning the warehouse style building that allowed her to convert the 2nd floor of the warehouse into an apartment where she resides with her 2 dogs, Gloria, an English bulldog and Fred, a wire-haired dachshund. However, Em's world is turned-upside down and sideways the night that a young woman named Allison McBride wanders into Em's studio toward closing time of the shop.
There are many secondary characters that have the potential to make appearances again as the series continues. Some that will make appearances again are obvious (e.g. Nessa in the shop) but I'm anxious to see if I'm correct about the potential for other reappearances. I enjoyed this light cozy mystery and look forward to reading the other 2 novels in the series.
p.s. My husband and I watched "Blown Away" on Netflix this winter and would highly recommend the 10-episode show that filmed in Canada and released in 2019. The contestants on the show comprised 10 glassblowers and each challenge was different and interesting to view each artist's interpretation. The winner receives a $60,000 prize and an artist residency at the Corning Museum of Glass.
July 13, 2014
This is the group read this month for The Cozy Mystery Corner Book Club on Goodreads. Sarah Atwell is a pen name for Sheila Connolly, who writes the County Cork series, which I adore and two other series I have not tried yet, an Orchard series and a Museum series.
This series theme is glassblowing, which I admittedly know nothing about and don’t necessarily have very much interest in to be honest. In general I am not an artistic or crafty person at all, not really any talent in those kinds areas. When I was a kid, in about second grade, my mom told me she always knew which project was mine when it was time to visit the classroom for back to school night. She said she just had to look for the worst one on the wall and that would be it. I have not improved over time.
Anyway, there is a lot to like about this book, the sleuth, Emmeline or Em, is different from most cozy mystery protagonists, at least initially. She hears the proverbial bump in the night and rather than rush headlong into danger, she actually calls 911 and waits until she hears the culprits running away before getting out of bed to investigate. She is a successful established business woman, most cozy mysteries start the series with the sleuth beginning their business. The setting is in Tuscon and she does make the setting important and incorporate it into the story line. It seems to me accurate and a good sense of place, although I have not been to Tuscon so I really have no way of knowing. Interesting comments about limited exterior lighting to prevent light pollution suggest knowledge of the area.
Her brother, Cam is also another non-traditional cozy character. He is obviously loyal and loving to his sister, an IT worker who lives a few hours away and visits when he can. He seems somehow naive and innocent in an interesting way. The other secondary characters are similarly interesting.
The book is also not traditionally plotted. There is a murder and it is pretty straightforwardly solved in about the first two thirds of the book. Then there is a second plot related to the murder but more in the lines of a low level thriller involving kidnapping and a missing valuable object(s). It made it a different read than the usual cozy.
The negatives are that at least for me, there is too much detail on the glass blowing. It might just be me, I like my themes in cozies to not overwhelm the mystery plot and here I found myself skimming some of the glass blowing detail because I couldn’t understand it anyway. I mean I get that you have special tools and furnaces and that temperature is important, but beyond that…ehh. The other negative is that the mystery is not enough, there needs to be more red herrings or twists if it is going to be a mystery.
The negatives might improve in later books in the series. There are two more and then it appears that is it. Being that the series appears to be discontinued after 3 books, I am not sure that I will continue with it, although I do like a lot about the book.
This series theme is glassblowing, which I admittedly know nothing about and don’t necessarily have very much interest in to be honest. In general I am not an artistic or crafty person at all, not really any talent in those kinds areas. When I was a kid, in about second grade, my mom told me she always knew which project was mine when it was time to visit the classroom for back to school night. She said she just had to look for the worst one on the wall and that would be it. I have not improved over time.
Anyway, there is a lot to like about this book, the sleuth, Emmeline or Em, is different from most cozy mystery protagonists, at least initially. She hears the proverbial bump in the night and rather than rush headlong into danger, she actually calls 911 and waits until she hears the culprits running away before getting out of bed to investigate. She is a successful established business woman, most cozy mysteries start the series with the sleuth beginning their business. The setting is in Tuscon and she does make the setting important and incorporate it into the story line. It seems to me accurate and a good sense of place, although I have not been to Tuscon so I really have no way of knowing. Interesting comments about limited exterior lighting to prevent light pollution suggest knowledge of the area.
Her brother, Cam is also another non-traditional cozy character. He is obviously loyal and loving to his sister, an IT worker who lives a few hours away and visits when he can. He seems somehow naive and innocent in an interesting way. The other secondary characters are similarly interesting.
The book is also not traditionally plotted. There is a murder and it is pretty straightforwardly solved in about the first two thirds of the book. Then there is a second plot related to the murder but more in the lines of a low level thriller involving kidnapping and a missing valuable object(s). It made it a different read than the usual cozy.
The negatives are that at least for me, there is too much detail on the glass blowing. It might just be me, I like my themes in cozies to not overwhelm the mystery plot and here I found myself skimming some of the glass blowing detail because I couldn’t understand it anyway. I mean I get that you have special tools and furnaces and that temperature is important, but beyond that…ehh. The other negative is that the mystery is not enough, there needs to be more red herrings or twists if it is going to be a mystery.
The negatives might improve in later books in the series. There are two more and then it appears that is it. Being that the series appears to be discontinued after 3 books, I am not sure that I will continue with it, although I do like a lot about the book.
August 31, 2008
I have a hard time with a story that starts with the main character meeting a complete stranger & directly decides this person is a good person & treats her like a old & valued friend. Also, the inclusion of a recipe that consists of slicing hot dogs into box macaroni & cheese seems a little much.
January 19, 2021
This book was very very slow to start. For the first almost half of the book I was trying to get into it. If it hadn't been for a couple of reading challenges I was doing and wanted the book for I would have probably given up. I am kind of glad I didn't. The story did pick up and had an interesting ending. I will be interested to see the development of the characters and their love interests. I had guessed part of the ending before the end but while I didn't love this book I did like it.
March 27, 2016
Interesting setting - a glassblowing shop with a studio in the back. The crime itself did not hold my interest in any dramatic way.
March 7, 2023
I am fascinated by glass blowing although I haven’t done it myself. I am always looking for cozies that I haven’t read yet and enjoy them even more when they feature a craft/art that I like. This one fit those requirements perfectly.
There were a few rough spots in the story - like why would ‘Em trust a man she has never met and take him to her apartment when there were murders happening. That said, there was enough good happening that I kept reading.
I enjoyed the mystery and think there is a possibility that this could be a fun, short series to put in my TBR pile. I have to say sometimes it is fun to find a series you know has ended and enjoy a few quick reads.
There were a few rough spots in the story - like why would ‘Em trust a man she has never met and take him to her apartment when there were murders happening. That said, there was enough good happening that I kept reading.
I enjoyed the mystery and think there is a possibility that this could be a fun, short series to put in my TBR pile. I have to say sometimes it is fun to find a series you know has ended and enjoy a few quick reads.
March 10, 2019
It took me 3 tries to finally finish this book, and I really wanted to give it a chance, since I enjoy other series by Sheila Connolly.
Like other reviews mention, I find Em's newly found friendship to Allison very far fetched. Someone would be a fool to befriend someone that quickly, and offer them a job at your workplace!
I really didn't like any of the characters, and glass making didn't excite me much. I did laugh at the hot dog mac and cheese recipe at the end! Including that rounded out the silliness of the book itself.
Like other reviews mention, I find Em's newly found friendship to Allison very far fetched. Someone would be a fool to befriend someone that quickly, and offer them a job at your workplace!
I really didn't like any of the characters, and glass making didn't excite me much. I did laugh at the hot dog mac and cheese recipe at the end! Including that rounded out the silliness of the book itself.
October 23, 2022
Probably a 3.5 but I rounded up to a four. I initially picked up this cozy mystery because I have always been intrigued by glassblowing. I love the glass sculptures that they make. Overall I enjoyed this book the mystery was okay not super memorable but alright. I liked the characters better especially the pov character Emmeline. She is tough but also has a soft spot for strays. My favorite part though was getting to follow Emmeline as she worked on and taught classes on glassblowing. I will definitely be continuing on in the series.
October 5, 2023
This was a good read even though I am not really into glass blowing, I really wanted to just run though it to get on to books I really enjoy. It was well written and had a good plot, and since I had the next couple I had to finish them before going on to the next set of books I wanted to read so I just knocked them out within a night or two. If you are into glass blowing this is the series for you.
April 4, 2021
This is a good who done it. The glassblowing was interesting. Tucson is interesting. All of the characters were well developed. I liked Em and could relate to her quite well - loves dogs, hates cooking. All of that said, I doubt I will read any more in this series. Too many books, so little time.
September 2, 2021
If you like glassblowing, you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. There was quite a bit of technicalities regarding that, in which I was not interested. The protagonist was very controlling and not too likeable. She had to save the day in every crime that occurred - murders, kidnapping, and theft. I don't think I will read the next one.
July 22, 2017
Just one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I felt the plot was nonsense and the writing was poor. It had potential with the glass blowing aspect but really fell short in execution. Uncle Frank! What a ridiculous addition to this story...
June 28, 2018
New Series
Glad to meet glassblower , studio owner , and teacher , Em, as well as her brother Cam and her asset, Nessa. They get into a messy and dangerous tangle with the Irish mob. The start of a new series, this is one to watch.
Glad to meet glassblower , studio owner , and teacher , Em, as well as her brother Cam and her asset, Nessa. They get into a messy and dangerous tangle with the Irish mob. The start of a new series, this is one to watch.
November 20, 2023
A goof first one in this series of books. I'm so excited. I found all 3 at our library book sale. The first one was really good. I never knew all the stuff about glass blowing. A good mystery with a lot of good characters.
July 23, 2018
3 - Good
January 19, 2012
This book was so cute to read, and it was not like alot of cozy-mysteries. The main character in the book doesn't actually investigate or try to solve the mystery, she just happens to be thrown into times and places that help her to understand what is going on and help her to help the police chief come to the conclusion.
Em is the main character, and she is a glass-blowing artist in Tuscon. She has a habit of taking in strays, which is how she happens to have two dogs, with very short legs in an apartment over her studio! One day, a shy and scared looking gal walks into the shop to watch, Allison, and Em takes her in like a stray. Should be an easy life right, well that very night, Em finds a dead man in her glass-blowing furance. To make matters worse, the dead man turns out to be Allison's way-ward husband!
Twists and turns abound in this book, from the immigration of a young girl to America from Ireland, for what was suppose to be just a summer of work, to a smooth talking Irish gent, who turns out later to be connected to the Irish Mob in Boston first and later Chicago, to a runaway wife, money laundering and glass blowing, oh yeah, and a dirty FBI agent.
Em knows she doesn't know anything about investigation, but she is mad that someone dumped a dead body in her store, in her studio, in her life, and it makes her angry, and as she thinks about what is going on, she literally falls into places and people that end up answering the questions to what is going on.
I was a fun and easy read, and I loved it. It was so nice to have a heroine who knew she couldn't investigate, but just by reasoning and sheer luck, fell into the answers. It was more fun to read in that she wasn't trying to solve the mystery, it was just happening to her.
In the back of the book is a receipe for Irish Soda Bread, which happened to be what I made this morning before I started writing this review, and it was great. I loved it, and I had to compromise because I did not have any buttermilk, so I made it with regular milk, but it was still good!
The cover claims that it is the first in a new series, but I can't imagine how another could follow up on this book, but I look forward to finding out if there is another book and how it's story flows.
Em is the main character, and she is a glass-blowing artist in Tuscon. She has a habit of taking in strays, which is how she happens to have two dogs, with very short legs in an apartment over her studio! One day, a shy and scared looking gal walks into the shop to watch, Allison, and Em takes her in like a stray. Should be an easy life right, well that very night, Em finds a dead man in her glass-blowing furance. To make matters worse, the dead man turns out to be Allison's way-ward husband!
Twists and turns abound in this book, from the immigration of a young girl to America from Ireland, for what was suppose to be just a summer of work, to a smooth talking Irish gent, who turns out later to be connected to the Irish Mob in Boston first and later Chicago, to a runaway wife, money laundering and glass blowing, oh yeah, and a dirty FBI agent.
Em knows she doesn't know anything about investigation, but she is mad that someone dumped a dead body in her store, in her studio, in her life, and it makes her angry, and as she thinks about what is going on, she literally falls into places and people that end up answering the questions to what is going on.
I was a fun and easy read, and I loved it. It was so nice to have a heroine who knew she couldn't investigate, but just by reasoning and sheer luck, fell into the answers. It was more fun to read in that she wasn't trying to solve the mystery, it was just happening to her.
In the back of the book is a receipe for Irish Soda Bread, which happened to be what I made this morning before I started writing this review, and it was great. I loved it, and I had to compromise because I did not have any buttermilk, so I made it with regular milk, but it was still good!
The cover claims that it is the first in a new series, but I can't imagine how another could follow up on this book, but I look forward to finding out if there is another book and how it's story flows.
February 6, 2013
First Line: "Nessa? It's pretty quiet, so I think I'm going to work on that new frit technique. You can close up when you're ready to go."
Emmeline Dowell has carved a life for herself amongst the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. Her shop, Shards, is getting more business, and so many people are signing up for her glassblowing classes that she's going to have to make time for even more. What she doesn't need is trouble, but that's what Em gets when she takes Allison McBride under her wing. When Allison's estranged husband shows up dead in Em's studio, the glassblower finds herself working overtime to help her new friend.
Reading Through a Glass, Deadly was a case of seeing problems yet liking the book a lot anyway. There were little things like an accent that was mentioned but didn't show up until much later in the book, Chicago mobsters who seemed a tad schizophrenic (did they have scruples or were they psychopaths?), a gratuitous murder, and a character who shows up at the end with answers to many of Em's questions. Sounds like more than a little when it comes to problems, doesn't it? Well, what makes me call them little is the fact that the Tucson, Arizona setting, all the information on glassblowing, and-- more than anything else-- the character of Em Dowell are so enjoyable that I willingly overlooked them.
A lot can be forgiven-- not that there's all that much to forgive in this book-- when the main character is so well drawn. Em is a mother hen. She dotes on two dogs she rescued from the pound, and she takes all sorts of people under her wing when she can see they need help. And she's not pushy or in-your-face about it. She's just the type of friend you'd like to have. Hardworking, smart, caring, funny. This book is written from Em's point of view, and I really enjoyed being in her head. She even handles herself rather well in a very scary situation, and has a wonderful geeky brother and a handsome police chief who's very interested in her.
How much do I like Em Dowell? I've already ordered the second book in this series. Nagging plot points can be fixed, but characters like Em are few and far between.
Emmeline Dowell has carved a life for herself amongst the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. Her shop, Shards, is getting more business, and so many people are signing up for her glassblowing classes that she's going to have to make time for even more. What she doesn't need is trouble, but that's what Em gets when she takes Allison McBride under her wing. When Allison's estranged husband shows up dead in Em's studio, the glassblower finds herself working overtime to help her new friend.
Reading Through a Glass, Deadly was a case of seeing problems yet liking the book a lot anyway. There were little things like an accent that was mentioned but didn't show up until much later in the book, Chicago mobsters who seemed a tad schizophrenic (did they have scruples or were they psychopaths?), a gratuitous murder, and a character who shows up at the end with answers to many of Em's questions. Sounds like more than a little when it comes to problems, doesn't it? Well, what makes me call them little is the fact that the Tucson, Arizona setting, all the information on glassblowing, and-- more than anything else-- the character of Em Dowell are so enjoyable that I willingly overlooked them.
A lot can be forgiven-- not that there's all that much to forgive in this book-- when the main character is so well drawn. Em is a mother hen. She dotes on two dogs she rescued from the pound, and she takes all sorts of people under her wing when she can see they need help. And she's not pushy or in-your-face about it. She's just the type of friend you'd like to have. Hardworking, smart, caring, funny. This book is written from Em's point of view, and I really enjoyed being in her head. She even handles herself rather well in a very scary situation, and has a wonderful geeky brother and a handsome police chief who's very interested in her.
How much do I like Em Dowell? I've already ordered the second book in this series. Nagging plot points can be fixed, but characters like Em are few and far between.
April 3, 2021
In
Through a Glass, Deadly
glass artist Emmeline Dowell has a strange unexplained breaking and entering at her studio, by someone who's left a corpse half hanging out of her oven. When it turns out the victim is the husband of her new friend Allison McBride, Em finds herself and her studio entangled in a murderous plot that she might not survive.
Oh for fuck's sake, it's as contrived as Another Hour to Kill . The police are telling the main character repeatedly throughout the book not to get involved, as she does everything she can to help the murder victim's wife get her life back together. She gets her a job, and takes her out/invites her to dinner, and matchmakes the newly widowed woman with her brother. But when Em discovers what the mob had been searching for in her studio, and enforcers break in and kidnap the widow, and the mysterious stranger she's reported to the police earlier turns out to be Allison's long-lost uncle with mob connections and the answers to everything, she doesn't call the cops because all this would count as 'getting involved'. And when she uses this reasoning on her policeman ex-boyfriend later he apologizes to her.
The characters were flat and the author frequently tried to force feed us Allison's hair color and that she looked Irish. Like, to everyone. At first glance. They just look at her and go, "Wow, her hair is red. She's clearly Irish".
The book was interesting and had a lot of potential as being an interesting series to keep up with, but not for that shitty ending. She should have gotten slapped with handcuffs for withholding information in a murder investigation at least.
The verdict? I finished this book and I can't say I wished I'd've stopped early in, because it really was interesting and educational about glass-blowing. But the characters and conclusion are absolute garbage.
Oh for fuck's sake, it's as contrived as Another Hour to Kill . The police are telling the main character repeatedly throughout the book not to get involved, as she does everything she can to help the murder victim's wife get her life back together. She gets her a job, and takes her out/invites her to dinner, and matchmakes the newly widowed woman with her brother. But when Em discovers what the mob had been searching for in her studio, and enforcers break in and kidnap the widow, and the mysterious stranger she's reported to the police earlier turns out to be Allison's long-lost uncle with mob connections and the answers to everything, she doesn't call the cops because all this would count as 'getting involved'. And when she uses this reasoning on her policeman ex-boyfriend later he apologizes to her.
The characters were flat and the author frequently tried to force feed us Allison's hair color and that she looked Irish. Like, to everyone. At first glance. They just look at her and go, "Wow, her hair is red. She's clearly Irish".
The book was interesting and had a lot of potential as being an interesting series to keep up with, but not for that shitty ending. She should have gotten slapped with handcuffs for withholding information in a murder investigation at least.
The verdict? I finished this book and I can't say I wished I'd've stopped early in, because it really was interesting and educational about glass-blowing. But the characters and conclusion are absolute garbage.
February 21, 2017
This book was almost hilarious in the fact that I felt the author was afraid she'd never publish another cozy, so every possible scenario that could happen were squashed together in this book: murder, kidnapping, hostage, dirty agents, love, blahblahblah. I will not be reading any more in this series.
Things were repeated. A lot.
Things were repeated. A lot.
September 6, 2011
This book had potential. And up to the last third, it was going to be a much better book than it turned out to be.
We know from certain obvious marketing tells, that this is a murder mystery. Not the least being that the back cover material tells us so. There is a body. Then the ubiquitous second body also.
There are spoilers in this review because the work warrants it.
Atwell has a few stumbling blocks in the beginning, the least of which is her mother hen attitude of the new person in her life. How she decides the girl has an Irish face? (What is that?) and that she sounds Irish, when we read every piece uttered by the character and any vernacular comes much later.
Moving past that, we get into the murder, the mystery, then the clues coming together. A lot of telling. Not too much showing. That is something to work on.
We get background and see what glassblowing is, and how it relates to the mystery. But then it is all solved.
And only 2/3rds of the book. Not enough red herrings. No wrong paths. Just simple and straightforward, and with the Chief of Police and an FBI agent along for the ride, they couldn't get there.
But really it is the outside character who shows up and has so much of the detail of 'why' things have happened. And then, to make it dramatic, we kidnap one character and without any mystery any longer, just have to gather the ransom and make an exchange. 100 pages to do this, where our minds are not engaged. Where there are no puzzles to solve. It is point A to B to C...
That is what is not forgivable in this work. That is why it is merely average. That is why Atwell, unless I become rich with a great deal of leisure time, won't find me reading any more in this serious.
We know from certain obvious marketing tells, that this is a murder mystery. Not the least being that the back cover material tells us so. There is a body. Then the ubiquitous second body also.
There are spoilers in this review because the work warrants it.
Atwell has a few stumbling blocks in the beginning, the least of which is her mother hen attitude of the new person in her life. How she decides the girl has an Irish face? (What is that?) and that she sounds Irish, when we read every piece uttered by the character and any vernacular comes much later.
Moving past that, we get into the murder, the mystery, then the clues coming together. A lot of telling. Not too much showing. That is something to work on.
We get background and see what glassblowing is, and how it relates to the mystery. But then it is all solved.
And only 2/3rds of the book. Not enough red herrings. No wrong paths. Just simple and straightforward, and with the Chief of Police and an FBI agent along for the ride, they couldn't get there.
But really it is the outside character who shows up and has so much of the detail of 'why' things have happened. And then, to make it dramatic, we kidnap one character and without any mystery any longer, just have to gather the ransom and make an exchange. 100 pages to do this, where our minds are not engaged. Where there are no puzzles to solve. It is point A to B to C...
That is what is not forgivable in this work. That is why it is merely average. That is why Atwell, unless I become rich with a great deal of leisure time, won't find me reading any more in this serious.
September 25, 2013
Normally I would give a summary in my own words on the book and then my thoughts on it...I just can't do that with this book. Why you may wonder? Well, this book was so incredibly simplistic in its plot and how we came from the murder to the solving of the crime, I just can't do it. This book was an okay read, but it was not one that I loved at all, nor did I come to absolutely love any part of it. I liked the characters...to a point. I liked the concept of the plot. I liked that there was some learning in the midst of the mystery about glass blowing. I think the thing I came to like the most about this book was the main character Em, she was such a mother hen type and wanted nothing more than to help out strays, be them animals or people. I did enjoy watching her develop throughout the book. I just was not sucked in to this book in any way, shape, or form. I found it to be almost to simplistic in the mystery end of things and solving that mystery. There were not many twists or turns in the plot/book to keep me wondering and having that "can't wait to pick it up again" feeling. I stuck with it, pretty much just to read on about Em and see if she went anywhere with her ex, the police chief, again. The writing was a bit rough around the edges, but being a first book, I could forgive that. I don't really see myself picking up the next book in the series. If you are in to soft and simplistic mysteries than this would be the book for you I suppose. It just didn't do it for me, as a mystery reader who loves lots of action and wonder.
3/5 Stars
3/5 Stars
June 19, 2011
This is a first in a series and it is a good one! Emmaline, known as Em, is a small business owner and artist, a glass artist to be exact.
Em teaches others to blow glass as well as makes her own glass that is for sale in her small gallery in trendy Tucson. When Allison shows up one day and wants to learn how to work the glass, Em takes her under her wing and begins a friendship with the lonely woman. Then a dead body shows up in Em's furnace and the pace of the story picks up to its fast paced conclusion.
The characters that surround Em help to make the story much more fun. Including Allison there is Em's brother Cameron (Cam), her gallery helper Nessa, the local police chief, Matt and Em's dogs. All of them contribute to the story and make it more interesting.
This was partly a "whodunit" and partly a "why did they kill" so I didn't spend a lot of time worrying about solving the mystery, I just enjoyed going along for the ride.
There is a lot of glass blowing or making tips, in fact each chapter is headed with a definition of various glass making terms. I've always been fascinated with the art of making glass but after reading this know I couldn't do it -- 2000 to 2400 degree furnaces that you work in front of for hours? Nope, I'd be a puddle on the ground.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
Em teaches others to blow glass as well as makes her own glass that is for sale in her small gallery in trendy Tucson. When Allison shows up one day and wants to learn how to work the glass, Em takes her under her wing and begins a friendship with the lonely woman. Then a dead body shows up in Em's furnace and the pace of the story picks up to its fast paced conclusion.
The characters that surround Em help to make the story much more fun. Including Allison there is Em's brother Cameron (Cam), her gallery helper Nessa, the local police chief, Matt and Em's dogs. All of them contribute to the story and make it more interesting.
This was partly a "whodunit" and partly a "why did they kill" so I didn't spend a lot of time worrying about solving the mystery, I just enjoyed going along for the ride.
There is a lot of glass blowing or making tips, in fact each chapter is headed with a definition of various glass making terms. I've always been fascinated with the art of making glass but after reading this know I couldn't do it -- 2000 to 2400 degree furnaces that you work in front of for hours? Nope, I'd be a puddle on the ground.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
November 28, 2011
This is the first in a series of cozy mysteries about glassblowing and is set in Tucson. Em is an artist and small business owner who supports herself through her shop and by teaching glassblowing. She lives above her workshop and retail store and has two small dogs. Her life becomes complicated when she meets Allison, an Irish girl who has recently moved to Tucson and is interested in glass, but is down on her luck financially. Em offers for her to come watch a class and possibly work for her to pay for classes. She befriends Allison, who seems very skittish and worried. When she hears a possible burglary in the night, she is shocked to find that a man has been murdered using her kiln and he is found to be Allison's husband that she had run away from in Chicago. Complicating matters is Em's prior relationship with the local police chief and her brother's arrival and subsequent attraction to Allison. It becomes clear that Allison's husband was involved in some shady business and his business partners now may be after Allison. Em must help find out what is really going on and help get Allison out of a very dangerous situation. The story has a few implausible points, but it overall a good mystery and has some nice details about glassblowing. Also included are a few recipes, but one of them is more of a joke on Em's poor cooking skills than anything else.
August 13, 2016
A predictable and satisfying cozy. Hey, I read cozy mysteries now and then because they are safe. Nothing untoward will happen (except a body or two) and all the good guys are OK in the end, so predictable is just what I want.
Plus, I learned something about glass blowing. Our heroine, Emmeline, is just the right combination of benign and resourceful. The corpses belong to characters we aren't going to cry over. There's the requisite love interest, some safely tense danger moments, and plenty of Arizona landscapes.
Some bonus points here too. First of all, Emmeline didn't turn into super sleuth who is way smarter than the coppers. Good. She's reluctantly drawn in to the mystery and winds up assisting in the resolution in spite of not really wanting to. Secondly, she has two dogs. I was so relieved to find an author who makes sure to have the dogs walked and fed frequently, and never left in a hot car. The pacing was just right for me. Not all action, easy to keep track of the characters, and no tedious detours into side stories. Convenient chapter breaks helped too. The story was presented in readily digestible chunks.
Bravo, Ms. Atwell, I will be returning to this series in the future.
Plus, I learned something about glass blowing. Our heroine, Emmeline, is just the right combination of benign and resourceful. The corpses belong to characters we aren't going to cry over. There's the requisite love interest, some safely tense danger moments, and plenty of Arizona landscapes.
Some bonus points here too. First of all, Emmeline didn't turn into super sleuth who is way smarter than the coppers. Good. She's reluctantly drawn in to the mystery and winds up assisting in the resolution in spite of not really wanting to. Secondly, she has two dogs. I was so relieved to find an author who makes sure to have the dogs walked and fed frequently, and never left in a hot car. The pacing was just right for me. Not all action, easy to keep track of the characters, and no tedious detours into side stories. Convenient chapter breaks helped too. The story was presented in readily digestible chunks.
Bravo, Ms. Atwell, I will be returning to this series in the future.
April 13, 2008
This was a very interesting niche mystery, in which the protagonist's specialty is directly linked to the crime. The reader also learns just enough about glass-making to be interesting but not too pedantic.
Emmeline Dowell has her own glass shop and studio in Tucson and a good support cast: assistant Nessa, lost love ad chief of police Matt, eccentric brother Cameron. One day a strange young woman, Allison, arrives at the shop and almost immediately bad things start to happen. Allison's estranged husband is pushed into a furnace and shady people show up looking for whatever it was he had. Allison is a strangely unsympathetic character, to me. There was something about her that supposedly caused Em and her brother to take ridiculous risks, and I never really could see why.
But the story was interesting, the locale used well, and paced well. I will read the next installment for sure.
Emmeline Dowell has her own glass shop and studio in Tucson and a good support cast: assistant Nessa, lost love ad chief of police Matt, eccentric brother Cameron. One day a strange young woman, Allison, arrives at the shop and almost immediately bad things start to happen. Allison's estranged husband is pushed into a furnace and shady people show up looking for whatever it was he had. Allison is a strangely unsympathetic character, to me. There was something about her that supposedly caused Em and her brother to take ridiculous risks, and I never really could see why.
But the story was interesting, the locale used well, and paced well. I will read the next installment for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2008
I have noticed that there are a disturbing amount of mysteries being set in fields not traditionally associated with any amount of death or other crime- knitting, quilting, teashops, scrapbooking, advice column writers, home decoration, the DIY industry, White House chefs, and now glass blowing. I have generally avoided this genre, but I picked this up at the library, and it was a somewhat entertaining read. I now know an alternate definition for glory hole- apparently it's an opening in the furnace that you use to gather glass and then heat it up as necessary to work with it- transferring it onto your punty. : ) There's an awful lot of specialized vocabulary.
Getting to the actual mystery, it's a bit weak. The plot turns on a diamond deal that goes through the Irish mob in Chicago and finds it way to the desert in Tuscon. There's a bit of silly romance thrown in, clearly with room to develop further in later books. I'm not sure I will read them.
Getting to the actual mystery, it's a bit weak. The plot turns on a diamond deal that goes through the Irish mob in Chicago and finds it way to the desert in Tuscon. There's a bit of silly romance thrown in, clearly with room to develop further in later books. I'm not sure I will read them.
October 4, 2008
This is a lively who-done-it based in Tucson, with a glass blower, her shop, her dogs, students, customers, and an ex-boyfriend who is the Chief of Police. I enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. Our protagonist, Em, befriends a lonely red headed woman named Allison, originally from Ireland, who unknowingly introduces the Chicago mob into Tucson when her husband ends up dead in Em's glass blowing furnace, the "glory hole." Em's brother joins the story, and Allison's uncle Frank from Australia. This is first of a new series. I thought it moved along well through the first half, then became long winded and convoluted after that, but revived for a good ending. The reader learns about glass blowing and it's always fun to learn something new while sleuthing, n'est pas?
August 21, 2011
This book caught my eye on the new release shelf at the library. It was listed as first in a new series. I always like series books so I thought I'd try it. Being that the series is (A Glassblowing Mystery) I shouldn't have been surprised by the lengthy explanation of glassblowing in the first chapter. I almost quit reading it then because I didn't find it all that fascinating. It did get a little more interesting in the second chapter and I'm glad I finished it to the end. Long descriptions of scenes that weren't all that exciting in areas of the book obviously could have been better. She should have either shortened the descriptions or made the scenes more intense. I'm glad I read but you didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to solve.
June 9, 2008
Ok, I guess I could give this new writer two and a half stars. Being new, some authors may take a book or two to reach their stride. Cozies have themes these days and the main character, Emmaline owns a glass blowing shop in Tucson. She makes her own creations and teaches as well. It was fascinating to read about the process. Atwell does a good job weaving that throughout the story which is about Em finding a body in her shop (poor guy's face shoved in one of the glass furnaces...yipes!) Was looking for a little more excitement and the dialogue lagged some. But I will still give her next installment a try when it comes out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews