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Summary: Jane and Shelley become decorators
Review: Jane Jeffry and her neighbor Shelley are offered the opportunity to be the interior decorators for a large old home which their acqaintance Bitsy is redoing. Their children are growing older and more independent so these moms have more time to do some things they want to do. The problem is that they are not sure that this project is such a good idea. When they go to see the house, they are discouraged by the poor condition that it's in. Also some strange things are happening on the job site which convince them that someone is sabatoging Bitsy's efforts. Added to this, they are put off by the bossy and incompetant manner of the contractor, Sandy. When a murder occurs, things become even more grim. Jane and Shelley turn from decorators to investigators and finally, quite by accident, Jane solves the murder. This is not Jill Churchill's best effort, but Jane Jeffry fans will probably want to read it. The solution is presented very abruptly at the end, without much leading up to it. Also there is not quite as much humor in this book as in some of the previous ones in the series.
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Summary: there have been better Jane Jeffry mysteries...
Review: Sadly, what I felt when I finished this latest Jane Jeffry mystery novel was frustration and confusion. Whatever is going on with Jill Churchill? The Jane Jeffry mystery books used to be one of my favourites (as well as an automatic buy for me). But not anymore. I found it very hard to believe that the authour who wrote "Grime and Punishment," "A Quiche Before Dying" and "The Class Menagerie" also wrote this very sad and unsatisfactory work.Feeling bored and restless (Jane is suddenly confronted with the fact that soon her house will be empty of children and that she has yet to accomplish anything noteworthy besides being a good mother), Jane Jeffry reluctantly agrees to help her best friend and neighbour Shelley tackle the redecorating of an old Victorian house in their neighbourhood. The house is an eyesore and should have been torn down long ago. But now, incredibly rich and recently divorced Bitsy Burnside (a woman who usually gives Jane heartburn) has decided to restore and renovate the house and use it for business purposes. And she wants Shelley and Jane to do the redecorating. Jane is leery but Shelley is excited at the prospect of shopping at someone else's expense. And so Jane soon finds herself a reluctant partner in this latest enterprise. But too many things about this project cause both Jane and Shelley to wonder if it would be wiser to pull out fast -- for example, gung-ho about certain "feminist" ideas that she has picked up, Bitsy has decided to hire an all female crew of workers (Jane and Shelley are not at all certain about the wisdom of that particular move); the contractor, Sandra Anderson, strikes them as being both incompetent and strange; and someone has been playing a series of dangerous pranks on the workers. And the pranks result in a death... The saddest thing about this book was that it mirrored Jane's feelings of restlessness and boredom -- that spark of lively humour that characterised previous Jane Jeffry novels was completely absent. Add to that the fact that Shelley's character has somehow gone beyond ordinary bossiness into the realm of almost unpleasant, and I began to wonder if Jill Churchill had actually written this book! The mystery went no where for much of the book: Jane and Shelley would take a stab at 'interviewing' the suspects, and then do other things (shop, eat, garden, etc) and then look at the mystery from different angles before giving up for a good night's sleep.And when they finally crack the case, it is because Jane stumbles onto the answer by accident -- no taxing of the 'little grey cells.' But my biggest criticism was that Jill Churchill stereotyped the so-called 'feminists' in this novel. They were the usual short-haired, strident, angry male haters who may be lesbians, that the main stream media usually portrays all feminists to be. Unfortunately "The House of Seven Mabels," does not compare well, esp when you consider the previous Jane Jeffrey mystery novels (those were real gems). And that is a real shame.
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Summary: Home Repair Can Be Murder!
Review: The 13th book in the Jane Jeffrey shows Jane and her best friend Shelley Nowack at work again. These two suburban mothers are asked to help old friend, Bitsy, renovate/redecorate her Victorian home and the two, looking for something to ease their boredom, agree to help. It seems that Bitsy only wants female contractors working on the house, and when Jane and Shelley show up, they realize that the lead contractor is a bit too demanding. When she ends up dead, Jane and Shelley once again are determined to find a killer. Add to this the fact that all of the renovations are going wrong (with a prankster adding to the mess), and Jane again finds herself in a situation she feels she has to "fix". I have enjoyed each of the books in this series more for the relationships between the characters rather than the suspense of the mysteries. This was a good addition to the series, and I like the fact that Jane is becoming more independent (she keeps working on her book) and actually buys herself and her son computers. If Jane would only buy herself a new car, she would be all set! On the whole, I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries even if you have not read any of the previous books in this series. The first book in this series is "Grime and Punishment". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
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Summary: Home Repair Can Be Murder!
Review: The 13th book in the Jane Jeffrey shows Jane and her best friend Shelley Nowack at work again. These two suburban mothers are asked to help old friend, Bitsy, renovate/redecorate her Victorian home and the two, looking for something to ease their boredom, agree to help. It seems that Bitsy only wants female contractors working on the house, and when Jane and Shelley show up, they realize that the lead contractor is a bit too demanding. When she ends up dead, Jane and Shelley once again are determined to find a killer. Add to this the fact that all of the renovations are going wrong (with a prankster adding to the mess), and Jane again finds herself in a situation she feels she has to "fix". I have enjoyed each of the books in this series more for the relationships between the characters rather than the suspense of the mysteries. This was a good addition to the series, and I like the fact that Jane is becoming more independent (she keeps working on her book) and actually buys herself and her son computers. If Jane would only buy herself a new car, she would be all set! On the whole, I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries even if you have not read any of the previous books in this series. The first book in this series is "Grime and Punishment". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
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Summary: Awful Entry in an Uneven Series
Review: The Jane Jeffrey series can be pretty good--and it can positively stink. This entry is a clunker. I guess I keep reading the series for the prospect of a good book coming along; every once in a while one does. Churchill really needs to stop bragging about her parents in the diplomatic corps, and I can definitely do without her incessant snarky comments about her daughter (in contrast to her huge love for her apparently saintly sons). She also needs a better editor. Almost every dialog bit in this series begins with Shelley saying, "Jane,--" or Jane saying, "Shelley, --" This book was particularly grating in its gratuitous (and passe) attack on feminism, which Churchill apparently regards as a huge farce, as she does *every* social concern. Give the woman a t.v. set and a bag of chips and she's happy! Jane Jeffrey is more trailer park than she knows.
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Summary: jane continues her series in the same predictable style
Review: the light murder series about jane jefferies are predictable and cute, a nice summer read or easy read any time. the reliablity is pleasant and the titles are always punny!
if you are a jill churchill fan, you will read it, if not, try it and see if you like her!
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Summary: disappointing entry in this series
Review: This is definitely the weakest entry in this series. If you're a fan, you'll read it, but be prepared to be disappointed. The story is weak and formulaic, the mystery is contrived, the characters don't seem as likable as before. Even the title seems to be trying too hard. Hopefully, if this series continues, the next entry won't be such a paint-by-number effort.
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