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Jane Stuart and Winky #2
Hanging Hannah
"Miss Marple lite!"—Kirkus Reviews
"An appealing heroine…a deftly handled plot."—Library Journal
With MISSING MARLENE, their first in the series, literary agent Jane Stuart and her trusted tortoiseshell cat, Winky, left their mystery fans purring for more….
After Jane’s last brush with a murderer landed her with a feature in People magazine, she is eager to get back to her literary life as a book agent—reading book proposals, making deals, talking to authors. She's glad to put fame aside and now that her beloved son Nick’s birthday is coming up, she's busy planning a birthday party for him.
She selects one of her favorite spots, a local inn, but before anyone can sing Happy Birthday and say “make a wish,” the body of a young woman is found hanging from a tree in the woods back behind the inn.
No one seems to know who she is, but she has been murdered.
Found near the body is a clipping of the People magazine article about Jane, the only clue. Why did this woman have it? What does it have to do with her murder? And why was she so interested in Jane and her neighbors?
The mystery deepens as more people start to die in Shady Hills while Jane and her detective friend hunt as fast as they can for clues as to the identity of the mystery women—and of the killer on the loose.
This edition contains an excerpt from STABBING STEPHANIE by Evan Marshall.
3.51 average rating all editions, 98 ratings, 8 reviews, added by 162 people, 37 to-reads, 84% like it—Goodreads
5 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)—Amazon
***** 5 stars “…a very fast read and would be perfect for a snowy day by the fire or a hot sunny day on the beach…”—Debra Jenkins, Goodreads
“The Jane and Winky series is as cozy as a kitten – with tiny sharp claws.”—Jill Churchill
"Will please the cat-cozy crowd."—The Snooper
"Charming…A rich, well developed ensemble of neighbors and colleagues flesh out this past-paced cozy."—Publisher’s Weekly
"Jane Stuart is a Jane Marple for the millennium."—Kensington Publishing
Evan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency and author of The Marshall Plan® For Novel Writing, an international bestseller on novel writing now in its 20th anniversary edition. He is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries including Manhattan Mysteries and Jane and Winky Suburban Sleuths series, named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His books appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, and Alexander McCall Smith. You can reach him at evan@evanmarshallagency.com.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published April 1, 2001
4 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Evan Marshall
30 books44 followersEvan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency and author of The Marshall Plan For Novel Writing (Writer’s Digest, 1998), an international bestseller on novel writing now in its 20th anniversary edition. He is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries, Manhattan Mysteries Series and Jane & Winky Series which was named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His books appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. You can reach him at evan@evanmarshallagency.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 1, 2020
Story is told in third-person pov, from the perspective of the main character, Jane Stuart, who is a widowed literary agent. One chapter into this one, and I remembered why I didn't like Jane in the first book. She's whiny, rude, self-centered and condescending. I am amazed that anyone finds her to be a likable character.
After solving the disappearance of her nanny, Jane was featured in an article in People magazine. Therefore, when a young woman is found hanging in the woods behind the B&B where Jane was having a birthday party for her son, Nick, everyone expects her to investigate. Jane does so, aided by her new boyfriend, detective Stanley Greenberg. In the meantime, she still has deals to make, book proposals to read, and a romance convention to attend. When a contact in the publishing world recommends Jane to a mega-star who wants to write a book, she finds herself as the agent to Goddess, a talented but brash genius. Things are looking up for Jane, until more people die. Now the race is on to find a killer before Jane becomes one of the victims.
The story itself wasn't bad, but as mentioned, I don't like Jane. Aside from that, many of the plot points were far-fetched. Spoilers!
- Jane's 10 year-old son is the one who discovered the woman hanging in the woods. Naturally, he screamed and cried and was distraught. Yet that evening, he's calmly discussing it with his mother, stating he believes she was killed, because he didn't see any branches in the tree she could have climbed, nor anything she could have stood on to jump off of. Um, I just don't see a child assessing a scene like that. Perhaps if Jane would have noticed these things, it may have been more plausible.
- Did the police search the cave, where the young woman had been living, at all? When Greenberg takes Jane there to see it (because, why wouldn't he?), she takes note of some of the trash left around, including some important clues...which she didn't share with Greenberg (because, why would she?).
- On the subject of Greenberg, why does Jane keep thinking of him as "Greenberg"? They're dating! Would she not be thinking of him as "Stanley"? Guh.
- The solution to the crime was so convoluted that I doubt Sherlock Holmes could have figured it out, yet Jane manages it. Then, rather than tell the police (i.e. Greenberg), she decides to set a trap of sorts and out the killer herself (because, why not?). Of course, she nearly gets killed in the process.
At least Winky played a part in this book, unlike the first one.
In short, the main character is a twat, the plot/mystery was unbelievable (and I don't mean that in a good way), and the reader had zero chance to solve it. In fact, I am certain Jane had zero chance to solve it, yet she did. Unbelievable.
After solving the disappearance of her nanny, Jane was featured in an article in People magazine. Therefore, when a young woman is found hanging in the woods behind the B&B where Jane was having a birthday party for her son, Nick, everyone expects her to investigate. Jane does so, aided by her new boyfriend, detective Stanley Greenberg. In the meantime, she still has deals to make, book proposals to read, and a romance convention to attend. When a contact in the publishing world recommends Jane to a mega-star who wants to write a book, she finds herself as the agent to Goddess, a talented but brash genius. Things are looking up for Jane, until more people die. Now the race is on to find a killer before Jane becomes one of the victims.
The story itself wasn't bad, but as mentioned, I don't like Jane. Aside from that, many of the plot points were far-fetched. Spoilers!
- Jane's 10 year-old son is the one who discovered the woman hanging in the woods. Naturally, he screamed and cried and was distraught. Yet that evening, he's calmly discussing it with his mother, stating he believes she was killed, because he didn't see any branches in the tree she could have climbed, nor anything she could have stood on to jump off of. Um, I just don't see a child assessing a scene like that. Perhaps if Jane would have noticed these things, it may have been more plausible.
- Did the police search the cave, where the young woman had been living, at all? When Greenberg takes Jane there to see it (because, why wouldn't he?), she takes note of some of the trash left around, including some important clues...which she didn't share with Greenberg (because, why would she?).
- On the subject of Greenberg, why does Jane keep thinking of him as "Greenberg"? They're dating! Would she not be thinking of him as "Stanley"? Guh.
- The solution to the crime was so convoluted that I doubt Sherlock Holmes could have figured it out, yet Jane manages it. Then, rather than tell the police (i.e. Greenberg), she decides to set a trap of sorts and out the killer herself (because, why not?). Of course, she nearly gets killed in the process.
At least Winky played a part in this book, unlike the first one.
In short, the main character is a twat, the plot/mystery was unbelievable (and I don't mean that in a good way), and the reader had zero chance to solve it. In fact, I am certain Jane had zero chance to solve it, yet she did. Unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2010
Jane stuartis a literary agent who sometimes gets involved solving murder,s after her last brush with murder landed her in people magazine she is just eager to get back to work. But when a women is found hanging in the woods at her son,s birthday party scavenger hunt . And no one seems to know who she is. The only thing found is the people magazine article and Jane is left wondering why this women had it. And why was she so interested in Jane and her neighbors. The mystery only deepens as more people begin dying. And Jane and her dectective friend hunt for clues as to who the mystery women is.
June 7, 2022
Jane Stuart is a literary agent who's just getting her life back to normal after finding a dead body. She's planning her son's tenth birthday party at a friend's inn, and all seems to be going well. The day of the party she hears a scream while the kids are on a scavenger hunt, and runs to find her son -- and the body of a dead woman hanging from a tree. When it's determined that this is a homicide, Detective Stanley Greenberg is brought in to investigate. But there's no clue as to whom the woman is, nor how she got there. Jane's friend Louise thinks she saw her walking into the woods, But Louise has bigger problems of her own -- and Jane wants to help her.
Then Jane's assistant Daniel tells her he's going to marry his fiancée Laura, and he drops a bombshell on Jane about his past that has her stunned. But more than this, an editor friend named Holly tells Jane that she's giving her a new client -- hot new star Goddess, who wants to write a book. Jane accepts, but discovers that Goddess doesn't exactly live up to her name. When there's another death soon after, Jane wants to know what's going on. She also begins to wonder if the two might be connected. But how?
It's when she starts thinking about things she knows, and some things that are practically dropped into her lap, she comes to a devastating conclusion about the killer. Unfortunately, it may be too late for Jane, unless she can save herself somehow...
This is the second book in the series and I must say that I quite enjoyed it as much as the first. Mr. Marshall is indeed a talented writer, and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering where the story is going to go next.
Jane, finding herself lonely and missing her late husband, tries to pull herself into her work, but things keep getting in the way. 'Things' being dead bodies. Unfortunately, she's once again involved in murder, and it escalates when something occurs to put her on her guard. I shall not say more about that, not wanting to ruin the book for others who have not read it.
If you have not, I recommend that you do. It is full of twists and unexpected happenings, and there is a subplot that is interesting, to say the least; and watching Jane put everything together is worth reading the book alone. Ah, it is these twists that one has to watch for; they are the gist and meat of the book, and looking for them has you come to the same conclusion as Jane, although not so soon as to think you have got it all.
In the end, when we discover the murderer, one never knows what goes on in the mind of a sociopath; nor what one will strive for at any cost. I look forward to the next in this series. Highly recommended.
Then Jane's assistant Daniel tells her he's going to marry his fiancée Laura, and he drops a bombshell on Jane about his past that has her stunned. But more than this, an editor friend named Holly tells Jane that she's giving her a new client -- hot new star Goddess, who wants to write a book. Jane accepts, but discovers that Goddess doesn't exactly live up to her name. When there's another death soon after, Jane wants to know what's going on. She also begins to wonder if the two might be connected. But how?
It's when she starts thinking about things she knows, and some things that are practically dropped into her lap, she comes to a devastating conclusion about the killer. Unfortunately, it may be too late for Jane, unless she can save herself somehow...
This is the second book in the series and I must say that I quite enjoyed it as much as the first. Mr. Marshall is indeed a talented writer, and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering where the story is going to go next.
Jane, finding herself lonely and missing her late husband, tries to pull herself into her work, but things keep getting in the way. 'Things' being dead bodies. Unfortunately, she's once again involved in murder, and it escalates when something occurs to put her on her guard. I shall not say more about that, not wanting to ruin the book for others who have not read it.
If you have not, I recommend that you do. It is full of twists and unexpected happenings, and there is a subplot that is interesting, to say the least; and watching Jane put everything together is worth reading the book alone. Ah, it is these twists that one has to watch for; they are the gist and meat of the book, and looking for them has you come to the same conclusion as Jane, although not so soon as to think you have got it all.
In the end, when we discover the murderer, one never knows what goes on in the mind of a sociopath; nor what one will strive for at any cost. I look forward to the next in this series. Highly recommended.
April 29, 2018
Just for fun but well-written with some interesting plot twists and details.
June 29, 2022
really like this book. knitting club solving murders in the town. the women are awesome.also love all the literary and publishing people. sure makes for some interesting characters with murders and very mixed up private lives of many of these characters. best summer read to date. love jane the literary agent and the people that surround her ..she really seems like a miss marple
November 13, 2014
Hanging Hannah by Evan Marshall was what I would describe as a cozy mystery. Its a very fast read and would be perfect for a snowy day by the fire or a hot sunny day on the beach. This is the first of Marshall's books I've come across and was very pleased by the characters, who to me were full and lifelike. The story drug ( or hanged ) in a few spots but overall I give this story a 5 and hope to run into more of the series.
September 17, 2009
This book was a murder mystery filled with a story of a secret family that envelops the town of Shady Hills. Jane Stuart, the main character, has a knack for searching for the guilty murderers and this time, it involves some of her friends who she would never dream of them being a murderer.
December 9, 2019
Totally pulled into it. Liked it. A little less "dump" would've been better.
April 1, 2011
didn't care for this one as much as the others.
February 4, 2016
A light read good for beach, pool or any casual read. Centered in the world of publishing, with some good twists.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews