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Title: Death on a Silver Platter by ELLEN HART ISBN: 0-449-00731-6 Publisher: Fawcett Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: One star is too many.
Comment: I have read a lot of mysteries in my time, and Death on a Silver Platter is among the notably worst. The characters are shallow and the action is over-plotted.... Meanwhile, we wade through a twisted plot filled with false relationships, superficial characters, and deceit and debauchery, which is supposed to pass for 'psychology' but instead is only a fleeting reference to every popular hang-up in today's world: abused children, illigitimate offspring, gays, and nymphomanics. None of these personalities are examined in any depth, their quirks are merely excuses for the plot to move forward. As a result, one finishes the novel feeling tricked, unenlightened, and un-amused.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Tasty Treat of a Mystery
Comment: All is not placid in the life of Sophie Greenway, Minnesota restaurant reviewer and owner of the Maxfield Plaza. A pipe has burst in the hotel storage area and is flooding the room, her parents are returning from their world travels and plan to move into the Maxfield, and her adult stepdaughter is boomeranging back home. To top all of this off, Sophie also has to review the new restaurant Café Sophia, which just happens to be named after her by its owner, her ex-boyfriend and the man with whom she recently had a very brief affair. Into the fray comes her best friend Elaine Veeland, whose family troubles provide a somewhat welcome distraction. Veelund Industries is in the midst of a power struggle amongst Elaine's brothers and mother and the strife threatens to erupt in violence. When Elaine's troubled daughter attempts suicide and then disappears, it triggers events that will uncover family secrets and end in tragedy.
What makes this series so successful is Ellen Hart's talent for creating secondary characters that are as fully developed and fascinating as her main ones. The Veelund family is both tragic and sympathetic, and the reader can't help but want to learn more about them. Sophie herself is a wonderfully engaging heroine who is flawed but always acts with the best of intentions. Torn between her love for her husband Bram and her ex Nathan, Sophie must come to terms with her feelings and make a pivotal decision in her life. The reader can also easily relate with Sophie's struggle to keep her mouth shut as she watches her stepdaughter easily wrap Bram around her finger and take advantage of his generosity. While I thought I had the killer pegged, Hart managed to completely mislead me and concluded up the mystery with a doozy of a twist. There's less of a focus on food than many foodies may wish, but this is a wonderfully witty and engaging mystery that keeps the reader riveted and continues the excellence of the Culinary Mystery series.
Rating: 5
Summary: Enthralling story
Comment: Sophie Greenway, the owner of the Maxfield Plaza historic hotel in St. Paul and restaurant reviewer for the Minneapolis Times is a close friend with Elaine Veelund, the CEO of Veelund Log Lodges. Elaine is going threw a difficult time right now worrying about her daughter Tracy who is sliding deeper and deeper into a depression. When Tracy attempts suicide Elaine takes her daughter to the house of her mother Millie to recuperate and be watched.
Millie abruptly announces she is selling Veelund Industries to the dismay of Alex (the president and CEO of the company), his lover Roman Marchand (the president of Veelund's KitchenVisions) and Elaine. Danny, the youngest son, is there on a visit that is personal in nature and couldn't care less about the business. When Millie dies in her sleep everyone thinks it is of natural causes until the autopsy proves she was murdered. Millie was a rigid, bigoted redneck who made many enemies but when another Veelund is also murdered Sophie finds herself in danger of becoming victim number three.
Ellen Hart can always be counted on to write a good mystery but DEATH ON A SILVER PLATTER goes one step further. This enthralling story is a heart wrenching relationship drama concerning the social dynamics of the Veelund family. It would be great if the author created another mystery series starring Elaine Veelund, a complex and strong heroine who has no problems giving justice a nudge. Although Sophie is an integral part of the story, her role is not that of an amateur sleuth but that of a wife and friend. This is a one sitting reading experiences.
Harriet Klausner
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Title: An Intimate Ghost (Jane Lawless Mysteries (Hardcover)) by Ellen Hart ISBN: 0312317476 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Immaculate Midnight: A Jane Lawless Mystery by Ellen Hart ISBN: 0312313659 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 09 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Dial m for Meat Loaf by Ellen Hart ISBN: 034542154X Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 30 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Slice and Dice (Culinary Mysteries (Paperback)) by Ellen Hart ISBN: 0345421531 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: May the Best Man Die by DEBORAH DONNELLY ISBN: 0440241294 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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