Review by Booklist Review
Humor and suspense in equal measure make for a delightful read in this second outing (following Death at Breakfast, 2016) for the well-heeled duo of Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin. Taking a break from her studies of Koine Greek at the New School, retired headmistress Maggie has undertaken the evaluation of a girls' boarding school on the Hudson River. Florence Meagher, a celebrated art-history teacher, has the Affliction she cannot stop talking. Really! The school and its cozy little town are rife with resentments and secrets, and when Florence's body is found in the campus swimming pool, Maggie needs Hope and her uncanny way of reading people to determine who killed Florence to shut her up. Hope has been yawning through Silas Marner for her discussion group and is happy for an out. These women have extraordinary, often unexpected, ways and means. They even score tickets to see Hamilton. Recommend this to readers who like their detectives feisty and mature, in the tradition of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and the Rosemary & Thyme TV series.--Murphy, Jane Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Prospects look bleak for once-proud Rye Manor School for Girls in Rye-on-Hudson, N.Y.-and that's even before a teacher's body is discovered at the bottom of the pool-in Gutcheon's amiable if overly chatty sequel to 2016's Death at Breakfast. Fortunately for fledgling head of school Christina Liggett, retired New York City educator Maggie Detweiler, one of the members of the Independent School Association evaluation team on campus to determine the institution's fate, dabbles in detection, and before you can say "Jessica Fletcher," she and her partner in crime solving, socialite Hope Babbin, are on the case. Leveraging their curiosity and extensive social networks, the enterprising pair swiftly discover more suspects than Range Rovers in the wealthy hamlet, including trustees with unsavory conflicts of interest and a staffer's emotionally disturbed son, not to mention the victim's overbearing and under-alibied spouse. Plotting, unfortunately, isn't Gutcheon's strong suit-with the exception of a surprising and elegant denouement. Still, fans of caviar cozies will find much to savor. Agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this second mystery following two retiree friends with a knack for sleuthing (Death at Breakfast, 2016, etc.), a favorite teacher is found dead at a historic Hudson River Valley private school.Don't let the YA-inspired cover fool you. This is about how very serious and adult problems can be cultivated in the most innocent of settings. Complications are aplenty for the Rye Manor School for Girls, currently undergoing evaluation for possible closure, when art history teacher Florence Meagher goes missing. Former New York City private school head Maggie Detweiler is already on the premises as part of the evaluation, and she's quick to start her investigation and also to tell her friend Hope Babbin what's going on. When Florence is found dead in the school's Olympic-size pool by diving star and board-member daughter Lily Hollister, Hope leaves her book club in Boston to join Maggie on the hunt for clues. Everyone at the school is apparently aware of Florence's "affliction"she was incapable of shutting upbut using this as a motive for murder seems thin considering readers get only a moment's exposure to it. Gutcheon wastes no time delving into other areas of suspicion, however, namely Florence's marriage to her insensitive husband, Ray, whose alibi for the evening doesn't check out. There's also her mentorship of troubled student Jesse, who has a tendency for violent behavior. The story is brimming with people in desperate situations, from school trustees to local business owners to students at their emotional limits. This second installment is a noticeable improvement on the first in terms of character development, but as Maggie and Hope home in on the individual they feel most likely to have silenced Florence for good, major plotlines get thrown by the wayside. The secretive affairs of Rye-on-Hudson are undoubtedly compelling, but don't expect conclusions for each downcast individual.A cozy grounded by realistic horrors, though the true affliction here is the untidy number of loose ends. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
