Rating: 
Summary: Glad I read Triple Witch first
Review: ...had I not, I probably wouldn't have continued with this series. Dead Cat Bounce just seemed to meander. The characters were flat and the plot was pretty dull. Sarah Graves definitely picks it up in her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: terrific
Review: An author I hadn't heard of before. I bought this based on a rec.arts.mystery recommendation, and I loved it. Lovely prose (reminds me of Margaret Maron's Knott mysteries in the lyricism of its description of Eastport), tight plot, and overall one of the most impressive authors I've discovered in the last few years. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: terrific
Review: An author I hadn't heard of before. I bought this based on a rec.arts.mystery recommendation, and I loved it. Lovely prose (reminds me of Margaret Maron's Knott mysteries in the lyricism of its description of Eastport), tight plot, and overall one of the most impressive authors I've discovered in the last few years. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Well developed characters, intriguing storyline
Review: An interesting debut with well developed characters. Jacobia (Jake)Tiptree and her teenage son, Sam, has left Manhattan and her overbearing ex-husband to relocate in an old house in a remote corner of Maine. When Threonody McIlwaine, a ruthless billionaire, is found dead in her storeroom, Jake is shocked by her friend Ellie's confession. Ellie asks Jake to help watch over her elderly parents. Jake agrees and doubting her neighbor's guilt starts to look into the killing. Soon she finds that McIlwaine's death will be little mourned. His latest young wife will lack for little, particularly a handsome "cousin" to console her. Ellie's father has been bankrupted by McIlwaine's disasterous and illegal financial advice. Jake draws on her own considerable financial skills and soon finds her questions have made her a target. The odd names can be disconcerting to the reader but this appears to a promising series.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Downeast Maine Mystery
Review: As a Mainer and lover of mystery stories, this book was enjoyable on both accounts. Good for foggy, cool summer days on the deck! Ms. Graves doesn't lower her standards with BAD accents and the dry-demented humor that people always try to label New Englanders with. It is a wicked good read!
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable mystery
Review: Being a former Mainer (albeit a Northerner, and not a downeaster), I'm always hesitant to read books with a Maine setting. Too few authors get it right. This author does get it right. The main characters (Jake, Ellie, Sam, Wayne, and George) are fun to get to know. What keeps this from being a four or five star book is the thorough unlikeableness of the victim and the suspects, apart from the sleuth's best friend, Ellie. The more I got to know about them, the less I liked any of them. There wasn't enough contrast between the suspects -- basically I wouldn't have minded if any of them had done it. In many mysteries of this genre, there's a suspect that you just don't want to be the killer. This book lacked that aspect, and it bothered me. I wanted some shades of gray that just weren't there.
Rating:
Summary: amusing read, but not that realistic
Review: First, let me say that I live in downeast Maine where this story takes place. Sarah Graves' book is on the whole, an interesting read. She keeps the plot flowing at a good pace, and keeps the reader guessing untill the very end(unfortunately, the final solution didn't hold together too well for me.) Her details on Eastport itself are for the most part acurate, with only a bit of artistic licence taken. The biggest problem I found in the book, is that most of her main characters-financial gods, former Mafia people-have never lived, nor can I picture them ever living in Eastport. This is of corse something that no one would know unless they lived here, but it made the book very unrealistic for me(But I guess that's why they call it fiction). But for mystery lovers who arn't familiar with downeast Maine, "The Dead Cat Bounce" is a book well worth picking up, and, in spite of my criticisims, I look forward to reading Ms. Graves next Eastport novel(due in May '99)
Rating:
Summary: Dead Cat Bounce
Review: I bought and read this book based on a positive review I had read on the internet and am glad that I did so. The main character, Jacobia, grew on me as I read further into the book, although I have to admit I did not care for her at first, thinking her to be a bit judgmental and a little whiny. I learned to appreciate her and I hope that in the following books, we can see more of her background including her financial work with some questionable characters; now that would make some interesting storytelling. I agree with a previous reviewer in that I found nothing to like about her ex-husband, and everything to like about her boyfried; in fact, I found them almost too one-dimensional (evil ex-husband & perfect boyfriend), but not so much as in many of the cookie-cutter mysteries on the market today. I will definitely be picking up the next books in the series to read in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Gem of a book!
Review: I love reading mystery stories when I'm ready for a light and easy read. I have read quite a few of them and I am thilled to add Sarah Graves to my "must read" list. Many "light" fiction books feel like you have just eaten cotton candy -- nothing to show for it and still unsatisfied. This book was just the opposite! The characters were well developed, the plot was enjoyable and the writing was very good. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series and sharing my find with other fans of the mystery genre. What a delightful book to read (either on the beach or in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea) when you just want to have some fun!
Rating:
Summary: Gem of a book!
Review: I love reading mystery stories when I'm ready for a light and easy read. I have read quite a few of them and I am thilled to add Sarah Graves to my "must read" list. Many "light" fiction books feel like you have just eaten cotton candy -- nothing to show for it and still unsatisfied. This book was just the opposite! The characters were well developed, the plot was enjoyable and the writing was very good. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series and sharing my find with other fans of the mystery genre. What a delightful book to read (either on the beach or in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea) when you just want to have some fun!
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