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book_concierge's review
1.0
Stilted dialogue, poorly plotted, swift unrealistic ending. There's a kernel of a great buddy relationship between Jane Lawless and Cordelia Thorn but it's undeveloped in this debut. The series has continued and won awards, so she must get better.
jamiezaccaria's review
3.0
While it was dated, I did appreciate the queer leads. The plot was okay, could have been better but was good enough to keep me reading.
impybelle's review
I enjoyed most of this one, though the reveal/rescue was an awful lot happening at once. However, I was highly amused by Lucifer appearing.
Sidenote, but reading these completely out of order means that sometimes characters like Sigrid probably come off slightly better than they would had I read the books in order. As it is, her first appearance is memorable but not terribly likable. Who knew?
Sidenote, but reading these completely out of order means that sometimes characters like Sigrid probably come off slightly better than they would had I read the books in order. As it is, her first appearance is memorable but not terribly likable. Who knew?
beccaskeck's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
raeaeae's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
callen_charlemagne's review
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
seerdeer's review
3.0
I think this book is fine for what it is but I wouldn't call any of it memorable in any way. Lots of characters who I sadly kept loosing track of as I often find myself doing with too many characters that I can't tell apart due to not having enough time to develop. The mystery is good and its a good time capsule of how people acted about homosexuality at the time. However, I think the biggest issue I have was the two characters I liked the most... Didn't have almost anything to do with the plot itself. Cordelia is a funny BFF character who is one of the few characters who has a constant "don't do this yourself are you insane" kind of energy. Edwin as well was an interesting character who I liked a lot for his views and how he acted, the strangeness never making him a suspect in my mind but a character I enjoyed seeing.
Back onto the mystery though, I can understand it in hindsight, but the novel kind of felt like it spent way too long with side stuff and then realized oh shit we need to have the BIG connection point to who the suspect is! And it was kind of just thrown in with a unsatisfying ending to it all as well.
I think if you are a fan of mystery's its a decent read, but I don't think I'll see the what the rest of the series has to offer unless it somehow drops into my lap.
Back onto the mystery though, I can understand it in hindsight, but the novel kind of felt like it spent way too long with side stuff and then realized oh shit we need to have the BIG connection point to who the suspect is! And it was kind of just thrown in with a unsatisfying ending to it all as well.
I think if you are a fan of mystery's its a decent read, but I don't think I'll see the what the rest of the series has to offer unless it somehow drops into my lap.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first in the Jane Lawless series of mysteries and the second that I've read. I picked this one up because, set at a sorority house at the University of Minnesota, it has an academic flavor and I can't resist those. Jane is serving as an alumna advisor to her old sorority, Kappa Alpha Sigma. Early one morning, she and her BFF Cordelia Thorn discover the body of one of the members drowned in a nearby lake. It's revealed that the young woman had been in a relationship with another female student after a breakup with a boyfriend. The police are ready to call it a suicide by someone "pretty mixed up in the head," but Jane isn't buying it. She didn't know Allison Lord intimately, but she had gotten to know her through her work with the sorority's student governance board and she didn't see Allison as the suicidal type. More apt to take her problems head-on.
In addition to the death, there are other mysterious things going on at the house--from thefts to shadowy figures at the windows to blackmail. And then the sorority's rituals room is ransacked--which means someone with access to the keys must be involved. As Jane starts to ask questions, her attention is drawn to the boyfriend in the case, Mitchel Page. Not only was the break-up bad, he works as a busboy at the sorority house and seems to have free rein within its walls. But he's not the only suspect. Gladys the housekeeper seems to know more secrets than average and Jane's fellow advisor, Susan Julian has been very vocal about her views on homosexuality. Even Adolf, the cook, has been acting a bit strangely since Allison's death. When Mitchel dies a few days later, Jane begins to see the pattern but has no evidence to give the police--so she and Cordelia (very much against Cordelia's better judgment) lay a trap for the killer a Jane's lonely lodge. They should have listened to Cordelia's better judgment...but the killer is caught in the end.
Ellen Hart writes a very middle-of-the-road mystery. At least in the two books I've read. The plot is okay. The motive is a bit overworked. But the clues are on display and ready for the taking if readers are astute enough to catch them. The best part of the book is the snapshot of the late 80s. The opinions and prejudices of the time are definitely represented--not that they're very palatable, but it is good to remember where we've been. I do like Jane and Cordelia and their friendship. Cordelia is a little over-the-top, but we all have that one friend who is, don't we?
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
In addition to the death, there are other mysterious things going on at the house--from thefts to shadowy figures at the windows to blackmail. And then the sorority's rituals room is ransacked--which means someone with access to the keys must be involved. As Jane starts to ask questions, her attention is drawn to the boyfriend in the case, Mitchel Page. Not only was the break-up bad, he works as a busboy at the sorority house and seems to have free rein within its walls. But he's not the only suspect. Gladys the housekeeper seems to know more secrets than average and Jane's fellow advisor, Susan Julian has been very vocal about her views on homosexuality. Even Adolf, the cook, has been acting a bit strangely since Allison's death. When Mitchel dies a few days later, Jane begins to see the pattern but has no evidence to give the police--so she and Cordelia (very much against Cordelia's better judgment) lay a trap for the killer a Jane's lonely lodge. They should have listened to Cordelia's better judgment...but the killer is caught in the end.
Ellen Hart writes a very middle-of-the-road mystery. At least in the two books I've read. The plot is okay. The motive is a bit overworked. But the clues are on display and ready for the taking if readers are astute enough to catch them. The best part of the book is the snapshot of the late 80s. The opinions and prejudices of the time are definitely represented--not that they're very palatable, but it is good to remember where we've been. I do like Jane and Cordelia and their friendship. Cordelia is a little over-the-top, but we all have that one friend who is, don't we?
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
jess_gb's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0