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Claire Montrose #3
Heart-Shaped Box
The inimitable Claire Montrose is back, and as delightful as ever, in this third installment of April Henry's acclaimed mystery series. Claire wasn't part of the in-crowd at Minor High. In fact, she didn't have many friends at all, spending most of her time outside school tolling at Pietro's Pizza. Yet when the invitation to her twenty-year high school reunion comes in the mail, she decides to go.After all, Claire is no longer the girl she was in high school, the one who was too smart, too tall, too skinny, and who looked a lot younger than she was.
Now maybe all her old handicaps are actually to her advantage. Not only that, she has a hip boyfriend named Dante, and a windfall from an old painting she inherited that turned out to be a Vermeer. So Claire sets off to see old friends, old lovers -- and maybe even a few old enemies.
While checking into Ye Olde Pioneer Village for the weekend festivities, Claire receives a mysterious package containing a heart-shaped box. Inside is a high school yearbook picture of Claire. A gift from a secret admirer? Then another box turns up -- in the limp hand of Cindy Sanchez, the former head cheerleader who is found strangled in the parking lot.
Before the night is over, five more women reveal that they, too, have received heart-shaped boxes. Is there a mad killer on the loose who will claim them all before the reunion is over? Or was Cindy, who had more lovers -- and more enemies -- than anyone else in school, the only one marked for murder?
In a tale combining equal parts suspense and humor, Claire and the Minor High Class of '79 suffer a reunion nightmare they won't soon forget, as Claire struggles to stop a killer -- before the killerstops her.
Now maybe all her old handicaps are actually to her advantage. Not only that, she has a hip boyfriend named Dante, and a windfall from an old painting she inherited that turned out to be a Vermeer. So Claire sets off to see old friends, old lovers -- and maybe even a few old enemies.
While checking into Ye Olde Pioneer Village for the weekend festivities, Claire receives a mysterious package containing a heart-shaped box. Inside is a high school yearbook picture of Claire. A gift from a secret admirer? Then another box turns up -- in the limp hand of Cindy Sanchez, the former head cheerleader who is found strangled in the parking lot.
Before the night is over, five more women reveal that they, too, have received heart-shaped boxes. Is there a mad killer on the loose who will claim them all before the reunion is over? Or was Cindy, who had more lovers -- and more enemies -- than anyone else in school, the only one marked for murder?
In a tale combining equal parts suspense and humor, Claire and the Minor High Class of '79 suffer a reunion nightmare they won't soon forget, as Claire struggles to stop a killer -- before the killerstops her.
Hardcover
First published February 1, 2001
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489 people want to read
About the author
April Henry
34 books3,400 followersI write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.
If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written31 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have been on the New York Times bestseller list, translated into twelve languages, and won the Edgar, Anthony, and Oregon Book awards.
If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written31 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have been on the New York Times bestseller list, translated into twelve languages, and won the Edgar, Anthony, and Oregon Book awards.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 3, 2011
Humorous a la Sookie.
October 8, 2019
#3 in the Claire Montrose mystery series. Claire is attending her Minor High School class of ’79’s 20th reunion.
She reluctantly decides to attend taking her boyfriend with her as a sort of status symbol. Her high school is the stereotypical clique filled school with the head cheerleader being the in kid. Claire was smart, but didn’t fit into any of the groups coming from a low income single mother family so can’t afford college and becomes a screener of vanity license plates in Portland. She is one of several women at the reunion who received a hand made heart shaped box and the first night of the reunion the head cheerleader is found murdered in the parking lot. She is not the traditional female wife who solves mysteries in these types of mysteries. She’s somewhat reluctant and is able to see things and clues others are missing.
She reluctantly decides to attend taking her boyfriend with her as a sort of status symbol. Her high school is the stereotypical clique filled school with the head cheerleader being the in kid. Claire was smart, but didn’t fit into any of the groups coming from a low income single mother family so can’t afford college and becomes a screener of vanity license plates in Portland. She is one of several women at the reunion who received a hand made heart shaped box and the first night of the reunion the head cheerleader is found murdered in the parking lot. She is not the traditional female wife who solves mysteries in these types of mysteries. She’s somewhat reluctant and is able to see things and clues others are missing.
May 14, 2017
Read this right after Circles of Confusion, wanting to give April Henry an opportunity to improve her writing because I like to support local authors. Reading the descriptions of fictional Oregon settings, I realized what a tough job it is to keep everything authentic and consistent. I hope that Henry will keep honing her skills as she keeps writing and getting published.
August 11, 2020
B- fiction, cozy mystery, series, (Claire Montrose #3)
November 30, 2014
Publishers Weekly
Amateur sleuth Claire Montrose continues to beguile but is underutilized in her third appearance, following Square in the Face (2000) and the Agatha- and Anthony-Award-nominated Circles of Confusion (1999). At the 20th reunion for the Minor (Ore.) High School Class of '79, held at Ye Olde Pioneer Village Theme Park, some things haven't changed. Cindy is still a tease and a flirt, even if she does have a husband in tow. Sawyer was a dreamboat teacher; now he's a dreamboat politician and the guest of honor. Wade was strange then, but he's stranger now and was even institutionalized for a spell. Dick was a geek. Now he owns a high-speed modem company worth a fortune. He's still a geek. Claire was thin and shy and poor and smart. She's less poor now and the presence of Dante, her handsome boyfriend, ought to make her feel more confident. But reunions have a way of resurrecting old insecurities. Several women at the western-themed opening night receive mysterious presents: small, handcarved boxes. Cindy gets one before she dies in the theme park parking lot. The nondescript Kyle, a cop and a member of the returning class, does most of the sleuthing. Alert readers will ignore the slew of overly obvious suspects and quickly arrive at the true identity of the killer.
At least this was more of a mystery. Only read these if bored. She (henry) hasn't even picked up the heat with Claire and Dante. It's like an old movie. Lights dim, Lights come up.
Amateur sleuth Claire Montrose continues to beguile but is underutilized in her third appearance, following Square in the Face (2000) and the Agatha- and Anthony-Award-nominated Circles of Confusion (1999). At the 20th reunion for the Minor (Ore.) High School Class of '79, held at Ye Olde Pioneer Village Theme Park, some things haven't changed. Cindy is still a tease and a flirt, even if she does have a husband in tow. Sawyer was a dreamboat teacher; now he's a dreamboat politician and the guest of honor. Wade was strange then, but he's stranger now and was even institutionalized for a spell. Dick was a geek. Now he owns a high-speed modem company worth a fortune. He's still a geek. Claire was thin and shy and poor and smart. She's less poor now and the presence of Dante, her handsome boyfriend, ought to make her feel more confident. But reunions have a way of resurrecting old insecurities. Several women at the western-themed opening night receive mysterious presents: small, handcarved boxes. Cindy gets one before she dies in the theme park parking lot. The nondescript Kyle, a cop and a member of the returning class, does most of the sleuthing. Alert readers will ignore the slew of overly obvious suspects and quickly arrive at the true identity of the killer.
At least this was more of a mystery. Only read these if bored. She (henry) hasn't even picked up the heat with Claire and Dante. It's like an old movie. Lights dim, Lights come up.
March 15, 2015
Finally with this one, I liked the book enough to give it a third star. Claire and Dante are together (yay!) for Claire's 20th high school reunion back in Minor, OR. And we meet again Cindy Sanchez who was a secondary character in the previous mystery, Square in the Face.
Claire and Dante are on the scene when the first and then second bodies are discovered although the reader has access to the knowledge that Claire's old schoolmate, now the chief of police, has via his interviews with everyone who was in the vicinity of the first body.
Aside from a stint of dressing up in the school mascot costume in order to eavesdrop on conversations at one of the reunion events, Claire figures out whodunit without any TSTL moments.
Claire and Dante are on the scene when the first and then second bodies are discovered although the reader has access to the knowledge that Claire's old schoolmate, now the chief of police, has via his interviews with everyone who was in the vicinity of the first body.
Aside from a stint of dressing up in the school mascot costume in order to eavesdrop on conversations at one of the reunion events, Claire figures out whodunit without any TSTL moments.
December 4, 2013
Okay, I'm definitely hooked on this series now. Claire has really grown on me, and each book is better than the last.
I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was, and I turned out to be right, but there were a few details along the way I hadn't quite figured out.
Looks like the next one is the last one, which makes me sad. I can't wait to find out how this ends, though.
I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was, and I turned out to be right, but there were a few details along the way I hadn't quite figured out.
Looks like the next one is the last one, which makes me sad. I can't wait to find out how this ends, though.
April 5, 2010
I liked this book. It was enjoyable reading. It's about the main character going to her 20th high school reunion and a murder mystery ensues. The who done it was good. It's interesting to see what has happened to people after 20 years. Never went to a school reunion.
September 14, 2010
Contains a memorable quote: "She tried out a 'come-hither' look, but in the mirror she appeared simply to be a woman in search of her bifocals. Had she moved from being too young to being too old, skipping over the vital middle part of being just right?"
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September 2, 2013Did not read this book! As usual, goodreads got it wrong!
June 25, 2016
Claire and boyfriend Dante travel to small Oregon town for Claire's high school reunion.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews