The
Maine Mutiny
Murder, She Wrote
By
Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain
Although
I watched the television series religiously, I have not indulged
in the writings of Jessica Fletcher's adventures. In The Maine
Mutiny the less favorable side of peaceful Cabot Cove, Maine,
comes to the surface. The local lobster fishermen are organized
in an association reminiscent of New York's Tammany Hall during
its decline: graft, price fixing, strong arm tactics, and general
bossism rules. In her current role as a feature writer for the local
newspaper and a Friends of the Library committee member, Mrs. Fletcher
gains access to both a closed meeting of the Lobstermen's Association
as well as the homes and families of the various association members
and solves the mystery.
The thing I missed is not hearing
the "Murder, She Wrote" voice when reading. I am not referring
to Angela Lansbury's physical voice or Doc Haslett's accent; but
the voice of the overall project. There was a tone to the TV shows
that gave them an individuality that I failed to get out of this
book.
I
did enjoy reading this book. The characters were memorable and the
puzzle was intriguing. The plot seemed to drag a little bit while
the town festival scenario was being set up, but after that it moved
at a fair clip. It falls squarely into the "cozy" genre,
although sometimes I wonder if you can still consider Jessica an
amateur sleuth. She surely has plenty of experience by now to be
considered a pro!
|
The
Book |
Signet
/ Penguin Putnam Group |
April
5, 2005 |
Paperback |
0451214684
|
Mystery |
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at Amazon.com |
Excerpt
|
NOTE:
|
The
Reviewer |
Beth McKenzie |
Reviewed
2005 |
NOTE:
|
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