The Clairvoyant Countess

Rating:
Summary: More like an novel steeped in mystery than a regular mystery
Review: I adored this book. This was the first book of Ms. Gilman's that I have read and I can't wait to get my hands on some others soon. I thought that The Clairvoyant Countess was truly well written and wonderfully entertaining.

While this is not your average mystery as the book is more about the interaction between Madame Karitska and Detective Pruden than it is about the mysteries that they solve - it is still a great read for mystery lovers.

At the start of the book the readers are introduced to the clairvoyant Countess Madame Kartiska. We learn about her gift and how she uses it, we meet some of her clients and through this we learn of their fates. The reader becomes intimately involved with some of her clients as through one of them, we also meet Detective Pruden who comes across the countess' name during an investigation.

She helps him in several different ways, she aids him in solving several crimes and she introduces him to a side of himself that he never knew. We also have the opportunity to meet several other clients that she introduces to one another and we can watch their relationships grow.

There are several mysteries woven in through the plot and the reader discovers that who dunnit isn't always the reason to read on.

The Clairvoyant Countess won't appeal to every mystery lover but for those who take the plunge it is very refreshing and highly enjoyable. IT is really a shame that Ms. Gilman has not made this into a series as well as her Mrs. Polifax series as I would love to continue to watch these characters grow.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I couldn't put this one down...although it's more of a group of mysteries strung together,rather than just one, I still found it very entertaining. A nice, light read.

Rating:
Summary: A definite waste of time
Review: I had never read a Dorothy Gilman book before this one and I was very, very dissappointed. If it were not such a short book (about 224 pages) I would have abandoned it before even finishing it, which I do not like to do, but I did hang in there until the bitter, bitter end. I have read some good mysteries before, and this "mystery" lacks a significant plot. The only "digging" the sleuths do is watch this Madame at work with her psychic powers. Soon after that, the mysteries were solved too easily and were not at all believable. I am trying not to let this book ruin me for other Dorothy Gilman books. I keep telling myself that this one was written early on in her career and she probably got better with age.

Rating:
Summary: A definite waste of time
Review: I had never read a Dorothy Gilman book before this one and I was very, very dissappointed. If it were not such a short book (about 224 pages) I would have abandoned it before even finishing it, which I do not like to do, but I did hang in there until the bitter, bitter end. I have read some good mysteries before, and this "mystery" lacks a significant plot. The only "digging" the sleuths do is watch this Madame at work with her psychic powers. Soon after that, the mysteries were solved too easily and were not at all believable. I am trying not to let this book ruin me for other Dorothy Gilman books. I keep telling myself that this one was written early on in her career and she probably got better with age.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! An excellent read; highly recommended
Review: I love Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series (particularly the early books -- through and including Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, although I still eagerly read all of them as soon as they're published), and adored A Nun in the Closet. Although I hadn't expected to like this one, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable -- one of the few mysteries I've saved to reread.

Rating:
Summary: Flat, Pat and Best Forgotten
Review: It is true that this book is a "quick read" and unfortunately that's the best that can be said about it. It is more a collection of short stories than a novel. The characters are flat and two dimensional. The so-called mysteries are solved within a few pages, and it is so clumsily dated, with words such as "hippie" and "bread" and communes and bell-bottom jeans. It seems more like a vehicle for Ms. Gilman to voice her new-age philosophy, than entertainment. Sorry, but I'd pass this one by, if I was looking for something more than a night's pastime.

Rating:
Summary: clairvoyant countess
Review: ive only read this book about 10+ times, on the the other hand ive read everything dorothy gilman has written, several many times. i have always liked the clairvoyant countess and wondered many times why no sequels? there are some movies,books,plays that can be enjoyed many times over and this is one. a cold day, a fire place, cup of tea, afgan and a good book how good it is.

Rating:
Summary: Murder,Vodoo and Humor
Review: Neat story about a woman who is clairvoyant and the people she meets. Great little detective/adventure story in a deceptivly small book. For lovers of Mrs. Pollifax, Mrs. Gilman has invented Madame Karistka, another irrespressible woman with tons of style and savvy.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! An excellent read; highly recommended
Review: Not exactly a series of short stores nor yet exactly a novel, this book is the story of a clairvoyant and the way she worked with one particular policeman, Lieutenant Pruden (prudent=sensible=skeptical?), who doesn't know exactly how much he believes her, but is willing to work with her to get results. The small series of mysteries they work on overflow outside one chapter apiece, but there is no one overarching plot, hence the classification difficulty. Once again Gilman has created if not believable (i choose to see as fictional this kind of clairvoyance) at least very attractive and readable characters.