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Summary: Author's Best Book So Far.
Review: Charlaine Harris has joined the ranks of one of the top five female mystery writers. This is her best book so far. Love Lilly Bard!
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Summary: The plots and insights are wonderful
Review: From Lily Bard to Aurora Teagarden, Ms. Harris writes novels that show the depth of the character and also the interaction amongst characters. Wonderfully imaginative.
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Summary: Very good read. Well developed characters
Review: I enjoyed this second installment of the Shakespeare series. Lily Bard and the other residents of Shakespeare are interesting and well developed. Lily continues to try to find a normal life while tripping over her past and dead bodies. Jack is a welcome addition to the people who change and interact with each other while death and mayhem stroll through the streets of this small town. Lily's occupation as a house cleaner gives her an inside look at the way people really live and makes her a part of their lives, whether she wants to be or not. In this story, racial hatred allows vicious men to give a reason for their hatred. Lily and Jack must fight for their lives against a family hiding a secret. Throughly entertaining.
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Summary: Excellent book, could not put it down!
Review: I loved this book for many reasons. Harris' style is unique, and as a sixteen year old girl I found it very enjoyable.
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Summary: A Wonderful Series
Review: I've read all four books in this series, and am looking forward to the fifth. This is one of the best. Lily's actions and attitudes ring true with her past, and it's fascinating watching her guard go down in small ways as she starts to let people into her life. The mysteries are intruging, and the characters (Jack is a solid addition) fit the setting.
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Summary: Thought provoking atmospheric mood piece by a top talent
Review: Lily Bard fled her Tennessee home, expecting to find peace by moving to the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. Though she works hard as a cleaning woman, for a while, Lily enjoys her new surroundings, but ugly change is in the air. Repressed prejudices rise to the surface, polarizing the black and whites into two opposing communities, and a dangerous militia is starting to surface. To save his town from the dangerous schism and to protect his father, who he feels has fallen in with nasty individuals, the town's leading citizen hires an outsider, Jack Leeds, to identify the ringleaders. The detective, from the same hometown that Lily is from, has his own scandalous past. Jack and Lily develop a deep emotional bond that may be the only thing that could save both of them from a rising threat to their very lives. The sequel to SHAKESPEARE'S LANDLORD (which was named as one of "Mostly Murders'" top 10) is as good and, in some ways, better than its predecessor. SHAKESPEARE'S CHAMPION embodies a first rate mystery, but this time also includes a special relationship drama about two wounded soldiers who heal each other through their love for one another. Charlaine Harris' newest entry deserves top ten consideration again. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Racial tensions in Shakespeare
Review: Lily Bard tries to keep her unhappy past at a distance by working out at the local gym and doing a job, cleaning houses, which keeps her occupied and takes her mind off her past. While going into the gym, she discovers a local bodybuilder with a barbell across his neck. This and other incidents lead Lily to believe that racial problems are getting out of hand in her adopted Arkansas town. She teams up with a handsome detective and they search for the truth, almost afraid of what they may find out about their fellow townspeople. This book is a little too dark to classify as a cozy, but it does make for a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Racial tensions in Shakespeare
Review: Lily Bard tries to keep her unhappy past at a distance by working out at the local gym and doing a job, cleaning houses, which keeps her occupied and takes her mind off her past. While going into the gym, she discovers a local bodybuilder with a barbell across his neck. This and other incidents lead Lily to believe that racial problems are getting out of hand in her adopted Arkansas town. She teams up with a handsome detective and they search for the truth, almost afraid of what they may find out about their fellow townspeople. This book is a little too dark to classify as a cozy, but it does make for a good read.
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Summary: A Wonderful Mystery That Never Should Have Gone Out of Print
Review: Shakespeare's Champion is the second book in the Lily Bard series, but can be read as stand alone if you should be so lucky to find this book first. This book finds Lily still cleaning away and uncovering more secrets about the residents of Shakespeare than she ever really wanted to know. However, Lily has quite a few secrets of her own so she knows how to keep her mouth shut. When she isn't cleaning, Lily is busy going to the gym where she works on bodybuilding and karate. One morning, on her way to an early workout, she discovers a fellow gym member, dead, with a barbell across his throat. Lily desperately wants to believe that it was an accident, but there are too many other suspicious "accidents" including a young black man's unsolved murder, the bombing of a church, and many others. It appears that most of the crimes are racially motivated, but Del is a white bodybuilder who works in the sporting goods store. How does his death fit in with the others? Lily unwillingly involves herself in investigating the crime and uses her unique vantage point and circumstances to collect information. She quickly discovers that there is something fishy in Shakespeare. Lily doesn't want to suspect one of the longtime residents, but there are only so many newcomers to town. So when Lily discovers one dark stranger showing up at the most unlikely places, such as her client's closet, it is only natural that her suspicions would fall on him... I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and/or tough female characters. Charlaine Harris' characters are wonderful. They are quixotic combinations of practicality, spotenaity, weaknesses and strengths. I felt that I could identify with most of the characters immediately upon meeting them. It was also wonderful to get the start of a love story for Lily. True, she dabbled in a little romance in Shakespeare's Landlord (book #1 in the series), but she has a serious shot at a relationship in this book. The plot was well drawn and, I must admit, the final chapter of the book was a surprise. If you enjoyed the first one, you will love the second one. Just be aware that this is by far the most expensive book to own in the set. It isn't hard to find - just expensive!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Mystery That Never Should Have Gone Out of Print
Review: Shakespeare's Champion is the second book in the Lily Bard series, but can be read as stand alone if you should be so lucky to find this book first. This book finds Lily still cleaning away and uncovering more secrets about the residents of Shakespeare than she ever really wanted to know. However, Lily has quite a few secrets of her own so she knows how to keep her mouth shut. When she isn't cleaning, Lily is busy going to the gym where she works on bodybuilding and karate. One morning, on her way to an early workout, she discovers a fellow gym member, dead, with a barbell across his throat. Lily desperately wants to believe that it was an accident, but there are too many other suspicious "accidents" including a young black man's unsolved murder, the bombing of a church, and many others. It appears that most of the crimes are racially motivated, but Del is a white bodybuilder who works in the sporting goods store. How does his death fit in with the others? Lily unwillingly involves herself in investigating the crime and uses her unique vantage point and circumstances to collect information. She quickly discovers that there is something fishy in Shakespeare. Lily doesn't want to suspect one of the longtime residents, but there are only so many newcomers to town. So when Lily discovers one dark stranger showing up at the most unlikely places, such as her client's closet, it is only natural that her suspicions would fall on him... I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and/or tough female characters. Charlaine Harris' characters are wonderful. They are quixotic combinations of practicality, spotenaity, weaknesses and strengths. I felt that I could identify with most of the characters immediately upon meeting them. It was also wonderful to get the start of a love story for Lily. True, she dabbled in a little romance in Shakespeare's Landlord (book #1 in the series), but she has a serious shot at a relationship in this book. The plot was well drawn and, I must admit, the final chapter of the book was a surprise. If you enjoyed the first one, you will love the second one. Just be aware that this is by far the most expensive book to own in the set. It isn't hard to find - just expensive!
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