The Shape of Dread

Rating:
Summary: The case of the disappearing comedienne
Review: A criminal lawyer at All Souls Legal Cooperative is troubled by a convicted criminal who is on Death Row and has confessed to a murder. The confession is full of holes and the lawyer does not believe that Bobby Foster is really guilty. When he shares his concerns with PI Sharon McCone, she agrees to do some investigating into the situation. She decides that the only way to get Bobby off the hook is to find the person who did commit the murder. The case is two years old and Sharon fears that the trail has grown cold, but she perseveres in her investigation and interviews anyone who had any connection to the victim, Tracy Kostakos. She turns up some disturbing information about Tracy and begins to understand why she was the target for murder. This is a good addition to this series, and continues to develop the characters that Muller's fans have read about in previous books.

Rating:
Summary: The case of the disappearing comedienne
Review: A criminal lawyer at All Souls Legal Cooperative is troubled by a convicted criminal who is on Death Row and has confessed to a murder. The confession is full of holes and the lawyer does not believe that Bobby Foster is really guilty. When he shares his concerns with PI Sharon McCone, she agrees to do some investigating into the situation. She decides that the only way to get Bobby off the hook is to find the person who did commit the murder. The case is two years old and Sharon fears that the trail has grown cold, but she perseveres in her investigation and interviews anyone who had any connection to the victim, Tracy Kostakos. She turns up some disturbing information about Tracy and begins to understand why she was the target for murder. This is a good addition to this series, and continues to develop the characters that Muller's fans have read about in previous books.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than Average
Review: I have read many of Ms. Muller's Sharon McCone mysteries. While there is, in my opinion, no danger that she will threaten the position of Arthur Conan Doyal and Agatha Christie at the top of the heap among mystery writers, I am clearly enjoying these stories or I wouldn't have read so many of them. Partly, I suppose, this comes from my familiarity with, and enjoyment of, her characters. McCone and the other denizens of the All Souls Legal Cooperative are, by now, all like old friends. Also, partly, it comes from San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area as the principal setting for the stories. The scenes she descibes are often familiar and, thus, easy to visualize. This applies especially to this book, parts of which are set in the area immediately south of Market Street in an area near where I once worked for several years.

Largely, though, I keep coming back because Muller writes entertaining stories. This one is no exception. In fact, I found this one to be somewhat better than her average story. Some, while still fun to read, aren't too difficult when it comes to putting your finger on the murderer. But in this one there were plenty of twists and turns before the story came to its final conclusion. At times, there was even some doubt about the crime. We have a convicted felon on death row but is catually Tracy dead? Or had she simply chosen to disappear? Or is somebody dead, but not Tracy?

My general rating for Sharon McCone mysteries is four stars in Amazon's system. This one I rate 4+.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than Average
Review: I have read many of Ms. Muller's Sharon McCone mysteries. While there is, in my opinion, no danger that she will threaten the position of Arthur Conan Doyal and Agatha Christie at the top of the heap among mystery writers, I am clearly enjoying these stories or I wouldn't have read so many of them. Partly, I suppose, this comes from my familiarity with, and enjoyment of, her characters. McCone and the other denizens of the All Souls Legal Cooperative are, by now, all like old friends. Also, partly, it comes from San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area as the principal setting for the stories. The scenes she descibes are often familiar and, thus, easy to visualize. This applies especially to this book, parts of which are set in the area immediately south of Market Street in an area near where I once worked for several years.

Largely, though, I keep coming back because Muller writes entertaining stories. This one is no exception. In fact, I found this one to be somewhat better than her average story. Some, while still fun to read, aren't too difficult when it comes to putting your finger on the murderer. But in this one there were plenty of twists and turns before the story came to its final conclusion. At times, there was even some doubt about the crime. We have a convicted felon on death row but is catually Tracy dead? Or had she simply chosen to disappear? Or is somebody dead, but not Tracy?

My general rating for Sharon McCone mysteries is four stars in Amazon's system. This one I rate 4+.

Rating:
Summary: Quick trip down Mystery Lane
Review: Marcia Muller has developed a formulaic approach in presenting the tales of her famous private eye, Sharon McCone. It seems to fit the bill - no deep psychological dramas (Elizabeth George) or alphabet soup (A is for ....), no coroners or little old ladies - just the unflappable McCone going about her business, solving crimes and getting involved in things she never planned.

This is a short read, a good whodunit where past sins have now stepped forward to claim their retribution. Interesting insight into the world of standup comedy.

Rating:
Summary: Quick trip down Mystery Lane
Review: Marcia Muller has developed a formulaic approach in presenting the tales of her famous private eye, Sharon McCone. It seems to fit the bill - no deep psychological dramas (Elizabeth George) or alphabet soup (A is for ....), no coroners or little old ladies - just the unflappable McCone going about her business, solving crimes and getting involved in things she never planned.

This is a short read, a good whodunit where past sins have now stepped forward to claim their retribution. Interesting insight into the world of standup comedy.

Rating:
Summary: Abundance of description shadows interesting storyline
Review: Marcia Muller, the author of THE SHAPE OF DREAD, obviously put a lot of time into this book. Her commitment is apparent in two ways. 1. There is a lot of believable and factual information about prisons, murder investigations, comedy clubs, mental conditions, etc. Muller seems to have done a good amount of research on these topics because there is not doubt in the readers' mind that she is completely factual about everything surrounding the plot. 2. Muller seems to be not only committed to her excellent story line about a murdered comedian, but also committed to her thesaurus. At times, articulate adjectives and adverbs that were irrelevant to the plot overshadowed the excellent story line. As the reader, I felt that I didn't need to know that the building the main character walked into was khaki stucco surrounded by small palm trees in perfect rows. The reader would much rather know what the investigator was thinking, for example- Would Ms. McCone find Tracy Kostakos dead or alive? In conclusion, I believe that this book is a good read, only if you enjoy TONS of detail. Otherwise, chose a mystery novel that gives you the facts to attempt to solve the case yourself, not to decide whether the room has been interior decorated to your taste.