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A review by jcbmathcat
Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess
3.0
When Claire Malloy returns from her honeymoon following her wedding to Peter Hanson, deputy police chief of the Farberville Police Department, she realizes that her current dwelling is no longer able to accommodate her teenaged daughter, Caron, Peter, and her. She begins the hunt for a new house, and her real estate agent, Angela Delmond, shows her multiple properties. None fit the bill until Angela calls to tell her about a place that is not on the market, might be tied up in legal situations, but is perfect.
Claire goes to see the place and is immediately ready to buy it and move in. Unfortunately, Angela receives a phone call, rushes outside to handle it, and then disappears without a word to Claire. Having no transportation, Claire decides to wait a bit and meets her first member of the Hollow family. Thus, her adventures begin.
This is book #18 in the series, so I have missed a lot of back story by reading this one first. It was almost too "cosy" for me. I also didn't understand how Claire could enter the house so many times, eat food there, have Caron and Inez there to swim, and basically behave as if the house was hers when she had no legal claim at all. I know that she needed to be there in order to follow the mysterious death and murder of two people, but she was breaking the law. She also did a few other illegal things, so I questioned her credulity.
However, like other civilians who "help" the police, Claire proved useful. It also seemed odd to me that some of the family members would share information with this relative stranger in their midst. If you can let go of these thoughts, then it is an engaging read.
I might try one of the previous books, as reviews on another site indicated that this was not one of her better entries in the series.
Claire goes to see the place and is immediately ready to buy it and move in. Unfortunately, Angela receives a phone call, rushes outside to handle it, and then disappears without a word to Claire. Having no transportation, Claire decides to wait a bit and meets her first member of the Hollow family. Thus, her adventures begin.
This is book #18 in the series, so I have missed a lot of back story by reading this one first. It was almost too "cosy" for me. I also didn't understand how Claire could enter the house so many times, eat food there, have Caron and Inez there to swim, and basically behave as if the house was hers when she had no legal claim at all. I know that she needed to be there in order to follow the mysterious death and murder of two people, but she was breaking the law. She also did a few other illegal things, so I questioned her credulity.
However, like other civilians who "help" the police, Claire proved useful. It also seemed odd to me that some of the family members would share information with this relative stranger in their midst. If you can let go of these thoughts, then it is an engaging read.
I might try one of the previous books, as reviews on another site indicated that this was not one of her better entries in the series.