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: Wicked Good
Review: I read these over the summer, while vacationing near Boothbay Harbor---three engrossingly-interesting paperback mysteries set in Eastport, Maine, about as far Down East as a body can go...The Dead Cat Bounce, Triple Witch and Wicked Fix feature the indomitable Jacobia Tiptree, an escapee from the NYC financial scene (the first two titles derive from Wall Street slang for troublesome stock market situations), divorced from a high-maintenance neurosurgeon, who, having purchased an antique home in the easternmost city in the USA, spends all of her time and money fixing it up, raising her bright son, bonding with new friends, and solving the little problem of the bodies which keep turning up...in her mudroom, in the tidepools, in a boat's bait-box, hanging from the cemetery gate... I really like these books! Not condescending regarding the Maine born-and-bred characters, but not over-romanticizing them, either. Graves catches the nuances of this small town on the sea's edge: the unrelenting hard work, the poverty, the long-gone fabled wealthy glory days of Eastport, the incredible natural beauty, the Edward-Hopper-like landscapes and the wealth of historical homes and buildings. She also manages to capture the feeling of being "from away" in a closed, tight-knit society where everyone knows everyone else's business and family skeletons...Jacobia's voice is a friendly, funny one, easy to like, and the supporting characters are all well-drawn and distinctive. Nor does she pull any punches in regards to the yuck-factor of murder: some of the descriptions are not for the squeamish. These ain't no tea-and-crumpets, civilized little murder mysteries...I can't wait to read more.
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable rea
Review: It has been about a year since Jacobia Tiptree and her teenage son left their townhouse in Manhattan's upper east side. The duo moved into an old house, needing tons of repair, in Eastport, Maine, a place about three hours from Bangor. The last thing Jake expected to see in this quaint village is a corpse. However, lying on the floor of her storeroom is a dead man with an ice pick sticking out from his skull. Jake's best friend Ellie White calls the part time police officer, George Valentine. The victim turns out to be Threnody McIlwane, a former native, who became a billionaire by operating as a notorious corporate raider. The death of someone as internationally known as Threnody leads to the world descending on this small hamlet. Ellie shockingly confesses to the crime, but Jake cannot believe that her pal could commit a murder. Jake begins her own inquiries, but has aroused the ire of someone, perhaps the real culprit, who warns the outsider to cease a! nd desist in her investigation or else. THE DEAD CAT BOUNCE is a fun to read New England regional who-done-it. Most of the characters have that intriguing Yankee flavor to them. Readers will find especially interesting the motivations of the transplanted New Yorker and the prime suspect. Sarah Graves has written a wonderful amateur sleuth tale that fans of the sub-genre will fully enjoy and want to see more novels starring Jake and company. This author's debut mystery novel is pure platinum Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Dead Cat Bounce - Not What You Think
Review: The eye-catching title is really a reference to stock market jargon, which fits neatly into the story as the past career choice of the main character,Jacobia Tiptree, and which was extremely lucrative as evidenced by the vast amounts of money she shells out to fix up her antique house in Eastport,Maine. I live in one just like it, so I know of what she speaks. The mystery of who killed Threnody McIlwaine was filled with numerous red herrings, yet I had it narrowed down to 2 suspects about 2/3 of the way through. I liked the Eastport, Maine setting as the northern coast of Maine is one New England area I've yet to visit, and Ms. Graves' details made the area sound very inviting. Referencing cozy mysteries I've read lately, I felt this book a bit overlong in comparison, that the story could have been wrapped up sooner if some of the renovation details had been sacrificed and the story tightened up. Another common theme is the abusive ex/likeable new significant other and in this instance, as in previous books by other authors, I found nothing to like about the ex and a lot to like about Wade Sorenson. However, the similarities won't stop me from reading the other 2 books in this series (Triple Witch and Wicked Fix) and, in fact, they are in my to-be-read pile.
Rating: 
Summary: Glad I read Triple Witch first
Review: This is a mystery of the first order and one that Mainers or those who have spent considerable time there will really love. It has the Maine character perfectly described along with the weather, the fog, and their inimitable style of understement-while understanding the vaguaries of the human condition of independence-totally captured. It would have made a good script for the 1940's "I Love A Mystery" radio program. You won't be bored because the author is so good at sidetracking you with clues that do not pan out. A very good read.. I had to control myself and space out the time when I read it because I did not want to finish too fast, but wanted to reflect on the clues.
Rating:
Summary: It will be most appreciated by a real Mainer!
Review: This is a mystery of the first order and one that Mainers or those who have spent considerable time there will really love. It has the Maine character perfectly described along with the weather, the fog, and their inimitable style of understement-while understanding the vaguaries of the human condition of independence-totally captured. It would have made a good script for the 1940's "I Love A Mystery" radio program. You won't be bored because the author is so good at sidetracking you with clues that do not pan out. A very good read.. I had to control myself and space out the time when I read it because I did not want to finish too fast, but wanted to reflect on the clues.
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