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Kelling & Bittersohn #12
The Balloon Man
Art detective Max Bittersohn knows when to lie low. He wisely keeps out of the way when his wife, Sarah Kelling, plans a huge wedding for his nephew at their Boston North Shore mansion. By the time the Kelling and Bittersohn clans arrive on the big day, everything, including the weather, seems perfect. But even Sarah can't foresee a hot air balloon landing on the wedding tent - or the squashed corpse beneath it. And no one anticipates one of the biggest surprises in the Kelling family history: the mysterious reappearance among the wedding gifts of the long-lost Kelling rubies. No believer in coincidence, Max soon rises to the challenge of tying the events together. Meanwhile Sarah's psychic cousin Theonia is seeing visions in her tea leaves, which may prove uncannily accurate ... or a red herring among the orange Pekoe. Then Max vanishes into thin air. Soon Sarah is rallying kith and kin to search for him, while danger descends on their three-year-old son, Davy - in one of the best Charlotte MacLeod mysteries ever.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
163 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte MacLeod
92 books257 followersNaturalized US Citizen
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
Also wrote as Alisa Craig
Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 11, 2017
A fun finish to one of my favorite series - MacLeod really had a knack for cozy, witty, charming mysteries! I also love her Professor Peter Shandy series set at Balaclava Agricultural College in rural Massachusetts- the first in that series, "Rest you Merry" is an annual Christmas reread for me and I love the snarky humor! This one may have had a far-fetched ending, but it was par for the course for this writer...
July 31, 2016
This is the last of the Kelling-Bittersohn series. I've very much enjoyed the entire series.
Each of them covers a different murder, and a different art or jewel crime. They are all fast reads, and fairly light. They do get a bit darker as the series moves forward, but not enough to put a damper on the stories.
There is a main crew of characters that builds over time, and they wander in and out of the various books as needed.
The writing is pretty straight forward, and there are some editorial issues left from the conversion to ebooks.
Overall a light, fun series to carry you through the summer doldrums or the winter blahs.
Each of them covers a different murder, and a different art or jewel crime. They are all fast reads, and fairly light. They do get a bit darker as the series moves forward, but not enough to put a damper on the stories.
There is a main crew of characters that builds over time, and they wander in and out of the various books as needed.
The writing is pretty straight forward, and there are some editorial issues left from the conversion to ebooks.
Overall a light, fun series to carry you through the summer doldrums or the winter blahs.
January 23, 2012
It struck me on re-reading this how well MacLeod knew 3-year-olds. Davy's character and his interactions with the others are a joy to read and SO familiar to me since I now have a 3-yr-old in my life to compare him to. She must have either been a fond and observant mother, or a blast of an aunt I'm guessing.
November 6, 2022
I’m sad to have reached the end of this series. I came to really like the characters that populated her stories. What a wild assortment of people!
December 22, 2012
My first MacLeod book, so there are many, many characters to keep track of and history to know that I don't. My big objection is the editing -- many small words incorrect (of, for, etc) and the "evil" family's name switches from Zickery to Vickery and back several times.
I'm going to look for one of her earliest books to give her another try.
I'm going to look for one of her earliest books to give her another try.
March 9, 2025
I enjoyed this, but it is extremely light on plot. It was nice to catch up with my favorite characters, and I smiled in a couple of places, but it's not her best.
January 18, 2013
I am enjoying rereading this series tremendously. cozy mystery, love and romance. quirky family. what's not to love?
June 30, 2025
Summing up and signing off.
This is the last book in this series and far from the best. The author felt the need to revisit the beginnings of the characters and their lives together. Either she thought we weren’t paying attention the first time or she had no confidence in our memories.
The scene is the lovely home Sarah and Max Bittersohn designed and built on the ancestral Kelling oceanfront property outside of Boston. They’re hosting the wedding of Max’s nephew Mike to his beloved Tracy. Rented tents are being raised on the lawn, along with an altar and dance floor. There’s enough food to feed an army and (wisely) arrangements have been made to remove three-year-old Davie Bittersohn until after the ceremony.
It’s a joyous occasion for all. Mike has graduated with a degree in engineering, fulfilling his parents’ fondest dreams. Young Tracy is not only lovely, but sweet-natured and happy to become a Bittersohn. Her birth family is far from happy, with both her mother and her father obsessed with extracurricular activities.
Even Mama Bittersohn is ready to welcome Tracy as a daughter. Her only son married a shiksa from a Boston Brahmin family, NOT what a good Jewish mother has in mind. She didn’t sit Shiva for him (indicating that he was dead to her) but it would be stretching a point to say that she’s thrilled with his choice.
Most of the Kellings are even less thrilled and some have barely survived the shock. They’re also mourning the drafty, uncomfortable old summer house that was torn down to make way for the new one. Kellings don’t take well to change, even change for the better. Still, they’re happy to come to the wedding and eat and look for things to gossip about afterwards.
The wedding presents have been pouring in, with Tracy, Sarah, and the mother-of-the-groom struggling to keep records of who gave what. But when Max checks out the collection of packages, there are several he’s never seen before. And the card with them is blank.
OK, it’s not the first time a cappuccino machine got mixed in with the fourteen other cappuccino machines at a wedding, but this isn’t a coffee maker. It’s that damned Kelling ruby jewelry. The gaudy, priceless stuff that Sarah’s first mother-in-law had no legal right to sell, but did anyway. When old Caroline died, the rocks were gone, along with all of Sarah’s inheritance from her father.
All that Max has been able to find out is that Caroline’s lover sold the stuff to a Dutch woman. She’s dead and it’s not listed in her estate. What happened to it and who dumped it in with the wedding presents? Also, who’s the guy stuffed under the desk and how long has he been in that garbage bag to smell that bad?
The balloon is a hot-air balloon that lands on the largest tent. Thankfully, the wedding is over and all the guests have left the tent, but still…. Some strange neighbors of the Kelling’s have reappeared and no one has good memories of them. The balloon stunt isn’t likely to endear them to anyone.
To cut to the chase, Max is lured away from the house and disappears. (Good thing he was a Boy Scout and paid attention.) Ditto three-year-old Davie. Naturally, everyone is frantic and wonders who has it in for the Kelling-Bittersohn family and what it has to do with the reappearance of the ruby jewelry.
It’s silly and unconvincing and there’s a surprising lot about little Davie and the author’s theories on child-raising. Since MacLeod was single and childless, how did she form her strong opinions on the subject? Personally, I can do without kids in mysteries, although I’ve met a few exceptions.
Rex Stout's wonderful "An Officer and a Lady" is one of my favorite short stories. Craig Rice wrote several fine mysteries featuring kids. Ironic, since if she wasn't the World's Worst Mother, she was surely on the short list.
This is a fine series of mysteries, but if you want to skip this one you’ll get no argument from me. It’s OK, but not really up to the quality of the others. Sometimes a series goes out on a high note and sometimes it doesn’t. C’est la vie.
This is the last book in this series and far from the best. The author felt the need to revisit the beginnings of the characters and their lives together. Either she thought we weren’t paying attention the first time or she had no confidence in our memories.
The scene is the lovely home Sarah and Max Bittersohn designed and built on the ancestral Kelling oceanfront property outside of Boston. They’re hosting the wedding of Max’s nephew Mike to his beloved Tracy. Rented tents are being raised on the lawn, along with an altar and dance floor. There’s enough food to feed an army and (wisely) arrangements have been made to remove three-year-old Davie Bittersohn until after the ceremony.
It’s a joyous occasion for all. Mike has graduated with a degree in engineering, fulfilling his parents’ fondest dreams. Young Tracy is not only lovely, but sweet-natured and happy to become a Bittersohn. Her birth family is far from happy, with both her mother and her father obsessed with extracurricular activities.
Even Mama Bittersohn is ready to welcome Tracy as a daughter. Her only son married a shiksa from a Boston Brahmin family, NOT what a good Jewish mother has in mind. She didn’t sit Shiva for him (indicating that he was dead to her) but it would be stretching a point to say that she’s thrilled with his choice.
Most of the Kellings are even less thrilled and some have barely survived the shock. They’re also mourning the drafty, uncomfortable old summer house that was torn down to make way for the new one. Kellings don’t take well to change, even change for the better. Still, they’re happy to come to the wedding and eat and look for things to gossip about afterwards.
The wedding presents have been pouring in, with Tracy, Sarah, and the mother-of-the-groom struggling to keep records of who gave what. But when Max checks out the collection of packages, there are several he’s never seen before. And the card with them is blank.
OK, it’s not the first time a cappuccino machine got mixed in with the fourteen other cappuccino machines at a wedding, but this isn’t a coffee maker. It’s that damned Kelling ruby jewelry. The gaudy, priceless stuff that Sarah’s first mother-in-law had no legal right to sell, but did anyway. When old Caroline died, the rocks were gone, along with all of Sarah’s inheritance from her father.
All that Max has been able to find out is that Caroline’s lover sold the stuff to a Dutch woman. She’s dead and it’s not listed in her estate. What happened to it and who dumped it in with the wedding presents? Also, who’s the guy stuffed under the desk and how long has he been in that garbage bag to smell that bad?
The balloon is a hot-air balloon that lands on the largest tent. Thankfully, the wedding is over and all the guests have left the tent, but still…. Some strange neighbors of the Kelling’s have reappeared and no one has good memories of them. The balloon stunt isn’t likely to endear them to anyone.
To cut to the chase, Max is lured away from the house and disappears. (Good thing he was a Boy Scout and paid attention.) Ditto three-year-old Davie. Naturally, everyone is frantic and wonders who has it in for the Kelling-Bittersohn family and what it has to do with the reappearance of the ruby jewelry.
It’s silly and unconvincing and there’s a surprising lot about little Davie and the author’s theories on child-raising. Since MacLeod was single and childless, how did she form her strong opinions on the subject? Personally, I can do without kids in mysteries, although I’ve met a few exceptions.
Rex Stout's wonderful "An Officer and a Lady" is one of my favorite short stories. Craig Rice wrote several fine mysteries featuring kids. Ironic, since if she wasn't the World's Worst Mother, she was surely on the short list.
This is a fine series of mysteries, but if you want to skip this one you’ll get no argument from me. It’s OK, but not really up to the quality of the others. Sometimes a series goes out on a high note and sometimes it doesn’t. C’est la vie.
January 22, 2021
The Balloon Man — Charlotte MacLeod (23 chapters) Jan 16-21, 2021
Sarah and Max have quite a case this time, as the rubies from the very first book show up and Max’s nephew’s wedding and cause quite a commotion for the detectives.
A typical Kelling/Bittersohn case, with all the regular characters, which involved a hot air balloon; eccentric twin; rubies from the first book appearing again; and a major mysterious disappearance. Not all my favorite characters were in this book, except for the core group.
And of course, there is a dead body involved. Or maybe even two.
This is the last book in the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn cozy mystery series. And indeed, I believe it is the last book Ms. Charlotte MacLeod ever wrote.
And it seems fitting. Almost like the ending of all ending, with Sarah and Max turning from a beautiful sunset and heading back into their house at Ireson’s Landing for a little nooky time. It felt bittersweet.
This book is a comfy read, like stepping into faded, worn jeans and sneakers. I knew no one important would die, and as I knew beforehand that this was the last book in the series, I prepared myself for the inevitability.
Also, like the previous book, there seemed to be more description in the book than plot.
However, I really enjoyed this series, but as I have read them in straight order (with a few interruptions,) a few thoughts stand out to me. First, in the early books, I had to look up a few words that were too sophisticated for me to understand. That may have been the wiring at the time, as those books were the mid to late 1970s. The later books had no such words and therefore easier to read.
Second, the last two books brought events from the first three books back. This, the last one, was from the very first book, which made it feel like bookends on this series.
Well developed characters and routines, the ending was the cherry on top.
Editing issues: I am assuming that the publishers OCR’d these because there are so many “me” which were supposed to be “the.” And so many dropped periods. Having done OCR myself, these are the typical errors that occur. Three stars might seem low; the events aren’t THAT dated (despite no “real” cellphones to speak of,) and it seems timeless, but it dragged in places and mostly I was happy to be done with the book and the series.
Three stars.
Sarah and Max have quite a case this time, as the rubies from the very first book show up and Max’s nephew’s wedding and cause quite a commotion for the detectives.
A typical Kelling/Bittersohn case, with all the regular characters, which involved a hot air balloon; eccentric twin; rubies from the first book appearing again; and a major mysterious disappearance. Not all my favorite characters were in this book, except for the core group.
And of course, there is a dead body involved. Or maybe even two.
This is the last book in the Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn cozy mystery series. And indeed, I believe it is the last book Ms. Charlotte MacLeod ever wrote.
And it seems fitting. Almost like the ending of all ending, with Sarah and Max turning from a beautiful sunset and heading back into their house at Ireson’s Landing for a little nooky time. It felt bittersweet.
This book is a comfy read, like stepping into faded, worn jeans and sneakers. I knew no one important would die, and as I knew beforehand that this was the last book in the series, I prepared myself for the inevitability.
Also, like the previous book, there seemed to be more description in the book than plot.
However, I really enjoyed this series, but as I have read them in straight order (with a few interruptions,) a few thoughts stand out to me. First, in the early books, I had to look up a few words that were too sophisticated for me to understand. That may have been the wiring at the time, as those books were the mid to late 1970s. The later books had no such words and therefore easier to read.
Second, the last two books brought events from the first three books back. This, the last one, was from the very first book, which made it feel like bookends on this series.
Well developed characters and routines, the ending was the cherry on top.
Editing issues: I am assuming that the publishers OCR’d these because there are so many “me” which were supposed to be “the.” And so many dropped periods. Having done OCR myself, these are the typical errors that occur. Three stars might seem low; the events aren’t THAT dated (despite no “real” cellphones to speak of,) and it seems timeless, but it dragged in places and mostly I was happy to be done with the book and the series.
Three stars.
October 26, 2024
Interesting. Neat wedding to a point...so much else to worry about...
Complex,sometimes confusing, sort of convelluted, and confounding tales.
A lot going on in this one...maybre? more than usual.
Read a number of pages aloud to my husband because this woman writes funny!
And...both of us were very consternated.at points in the story where it seemed as if she had forgotten a passage, a paragraph or a chapter.
All came to fruition and understanding by the last chapter so it is all good in the end.
Liked the burgeoning character of Jesse ( we have a son named Jesse...cool coincidence...) as h?e becomes an asset to the Bittersohn Detective Agency and the continuing stories of alk the family members of each family who are so integral to alk these stories. Live that the author managed to mention those absent from the current piece so they are not overlooked or forgotten...so many characters to keep track of!
Love these tales, even complex ones for many reasons...laugh out loud scenes and people...really likeable and in some cases loveable characters, A toddler, A toddler's speaking and sensibility... (as Could be said about a number of the characters who are also old enough to drink), moments not poignancy and feeling, A suggestion of love and romance here and there and among young couples and not so young couples, A real knowledge that's shared of Boston and its environs, beautiful and interesting and breathtaking scenery, a good yarn or two to keep the action moving, A fast read!
Highly recommended.
Complex,sometimes confusing, sort of convelluted, and confounding tales.
A lot going on in this one...maybre? more than usual.
Read a number of pages aloud to my husband because this woman writes funny!
And...both of us were very consternated.at points in the story where it seemed as if she had forgotten a passage, a paragraph or a chapter.
All came to fruition and understanding by the last chapter so it is all good in the end.
Liked the burgeoning character of Jesse ( we have a son named Jesse...cool coincidence...) as h?e becomes an asset to the Bittersohn Detective Agency and the continuing stories of alk the family members of each family who are so integral to alk these stories. Live that the author managed to mention those absent from the current piece so they are not overlooked or forgotten...so many characters to keep track of!
Love these tales, even complex ones for many reasons...laugh out loud scenes and people...really likeable and in some cases loveable characters, A toddler, A toddler's speaking and sensibility... (as Could be said about a number of the characters who are also old enough to drink), moments not poignancy and feeling, A suggestion of love and romance here and there and among young couples and not so young couples, A real knowledge that's shared of Boston and its environs, beautiful and interesting and breathtaking scenery, a good yarn or two to keep the action moving, A fast read!
Highly recommended.
April 13, 2023
Sarah and Max are hosting the wedding of Max’s nephew Mike and his bride Tracy at their house by the ocean; it is a perfect day - that is, until someone somehow places the long-lost Kelling ruby parure amongst the wedding gifts, a corpse-smelling person appears in the same room but isn’t dead and, soon enough, Max goes missing. And that’s only the beginning of their troubles….This is the last of the Sarah Kelling mysteries; it is, unfortunately, marred by numerous repetitions of plots in previous books, not to mention a villain almost a carbon copy of the penultimate book in the series. It is known now that Ms. MacLeod was suffering from dementia by this time, so those gaffs are excusable, and in spite of her affliction, she was still capable of writing a ripping good yarn. I especially liked Max’s ordeal, and some of the zinging dialogue as well (for example, Aunt Mabel makes a scene by telephone, and when Max suggests that Sarah give her something or another, Sarah replies that she would not give Aunt Mabel “a pleasant look.” Ouch.) Although I’m sorry the series had to end on such a flat note, relatively speaking, I’m still very glad to have met Sarah Kelling, Max Bittersohn and their assorted friends and relatives; they have provided me with hours of enjoyment, for which I thank the author; recommended.
December 6, 2023
DNF. Save me from a cozy mystery with an author anxious to show us a new word they’ve learned. I do not need to be reminded of the parure in every paragraph or every chapter. I get it; it’s a nice one. Find a thesaurus.
There were far too many characters to follow with this being the first in the series I’ve read. Large aristocratic (but approachable!) families with larger families helping them. The main families being oddly idiosyncratic with charmingly odd names and handily distributed talents.
Set on the coast somewhat near Boston in some time before cell phones were common and land lines were still in active use.
There were far too many characters to follow with this being the first in the series I’ve read. Large aristocratic (but approachable!) families with larger families helping them. The main families being oddly idiosyncratic with charmingly odd names and handily distributed talents.
Set on the coast somewhat near Boston in some time before cell phones were common and land lines were still in active use.
February 18, 2017
Charlotte MacLeod's Sarah Kelling/ Max Bittersohn series concludes in The Balloon Man by coming full circle from the first book, The Family Vault, in which Sarah Kelling meets art detective Max Bittersohn as she learns that her despotic mother-in-law has murdered several people and sold the family's priceless ruby jewelry collection to appease her lover.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
May 26, 2017
The conclusion was bumbling and incredibly circuitous, running through so many improbable events and happenstance that one's disbelief doesn't just suspend, it becomes fractured. Ms. MacLeod committs two cardinal sins:
1. She withholds information from the reader , information clumsily shared after all the action is completed.
2. Tocreate suspense and action, she willfully needs an ordinarily intelligent, practical character to become stupid and walk into a situation they know is dangerous.
1. She withholds information from the reader , information clumsily shared after all the action is completed.
2. Tocreate suspense and action, she willfully needs an ordinarily intelligent, practical character to become stupid and walk into a situation they know is dangerous.
March 21, 2018
Early Bird Book Deal | A nice farewell to the series | I was disappointed with some of the late entries in this series, so was actually pleasantly surprised at this one. That is not to say, however, that it was on par with MacLeod's best. There was a lot of ridiculous here, and not in the fun, farcical, intentional way. That said, Max and Sarah are fairly evenly featured, some old friends make appearances (though some of my favourites are missing), and while the final solution makes almost no sense, it's easier to go along with than some of the other books' weird wrap-ups.
November 8, 2025
Sad this is over
Having read all the Sarah Kelling- Max Bittersohn books, I’m sad this is the last. Through the books I have met multiple Kellings, and Bittersohns, watched affections bloom, and followed mysteries that always came to a reliable end.
This books starts with a family wedding that mysteriously also brings the return of the Kelling rubies. This sets off a series of events that involve strange neighbors, nefarious crooks, a kidnapping or two, and family unity that often made me laugh. And no one can forget 3 year old Davy who is both cute and insightful.
Having read all the Sarah Kelling- Max Bittersohn books, I’m sad this is the last. Through the books I have met multiple Kellings, and Bittersohns, watched affections bloom, and followed mysteries that always came to a reliable end.
This books starts with a family wedding that mysteriously also brings the return of the Kelling rubies. This sets off a series of events that involve strange neighbors, nefarious crooks, a kidnapping or two, and family unity that often made me laugh. And no one can forget 3 year old Davy who is both cute and insightful.
Read
September 28, 2023Fun, light mystery read. I picked it up off a used books cart. I didn't realize it was the last in the series, which made it challenging to follow the entire cast of characters that the author brought in to close up their various arcs! But a pleasant read and the two leads are well-sketched, which makes me want to go back and figure out how they got here.
September 24, 2024
Full circle with the mystery referring back to the first story in the series. I sometimes felt in the entire series that many of the characters could have used a little fleshing out, and there were points alluded to that I completely missed, either from cultural context, era context, or just not explained well enough.
October 29, 2016
Ahhh, too bad. Last Bittersohn/Kelling book to read. Charlotte MacLeod had a way with words and created some good books, full of humor, with this series as well as the Peter Shandy series. Sorry to see both series end.
December 29, 2021
Oh my…. The only reason I finished this book was because it was our book club selection. I didn’t enjoy the writing style. Extra long rambling sentences that were more like paragraphs. I toiled through it.
I would not recommend this to any mystery lover.
I would not recommend this to any mystery lover.
October 1, 2018
Really good wind up to a good series. Lots of Kellings, lots of Bittersohns, lots of wordplay, some crazy villains, and jewelry. Not too much of any - really enjoyed it.
August 8, 2019
Not sure if this was intended to be the last book in the series, but since the author has died, it IS the end of the series.
September 19, 2020
Delightful and entertaining, with the usual Kelling cast of eccentric characters.
December 12, 2020
Wraps up all the loose ends in the series. Goodbye Max & Sarah.
June 24, 2021
Sorry to see the end of this series.
December 2, 2021
humorous where? Sarah and max are so bloody boring and annoying i quit by chapter 5.sounds like one pretentious clan of ijiots.And the overdoing if clothing details...yuk
March 24, 2022
More Kellings! They have crazy acquaintances and exciting things are always happening!
June 19, 2023
Too many characters in this book!! Hard to remember "who's who" and what their connection is to the plot & the conclusion of the mystery.
March 24, 2025
Not a bad book, but not a good one either. It was okay as a "time filler".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews