Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Good, intriguing mystery
Cons: Slow middle; rushed ending
The Bottom Line:
Intriguing puzzle
But pace lets the story down
Could have been better
The Scandal Bogs Down
Scandal in Fair Haven is the second book in Carolyn Hart's Henrie O mystery
series starring retired reporter Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins.
Henrie O is looking forward to a week's vacation with a
friend at a cabin in Tennessee .
But first her friend needs emergency heart surgery. Then Henrie's first night
in the cabin is interrupted by the friend's nephew.
It's the middle of the night when Craig Matthews arrives
bloody and upset. He's just found the body of his wife, Patty Kay, in their
house in the town of Fair Haven .
The police are looking for Craig because they believe he did it, and the fact
that he ran doesn't help his case.
Henrie thinks it's a set up. The case against Craig is based
on nothing but circumstantial evidence, and too many details point to him. It
just all seems a little to convenient. Posing as Craig's aunt, she returns with
him to Fair Haven to see if she can find the truth.
On the surface, Fair Haven seems like a nice, mostly rich
town scandalized by a murder in the community. This kind of thing just doesn't
happen there. But the more Henrie learns, the more motives seem to emerge. The
problem is, just as many clues point to Craig as against him. Can Henrie clear
Craig, or will she just put the final nails in his coffin?
This is a book populated by strong characters. While most of
them are thrown at the reader at the beginning, with a little effort, they are
easy to keep straight. Part of this is their personalities. While almost all of
them are rich, Ms. Hart has made them unique, which helps them stand out in the
reader's mind.
Once again, the style is outstanding as well. Things flow so
well it's hard to put the book down because the reader has been drawn into the
story.
The only real black mark against the book is the plot. It
starts out strong with a great puzzle you can't wait to see solved. Then other
suspects and motives are introduced. For the first half, things roll along
fine. The problem comes in the second half. Henrie learns little new but keeps
going over the same clues again and again reaching no new conclusions. Things
do build again toward the climax, but the ending is a bit sudden given what has
happened before and ultimately not as satisfying as it could have been.
I really did enjoy Scandal in Fair Haven and am looking forward to more
from Carolyn Hart. Hopefully the next
book will have a climax that is more satisfying then this one.
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