 Ms. James writes smoothly, with no annoying typos or needs for extra editing which seems to be more and more prevalent these days when books are converted to Kindle format. This book was beautifully formatted and of very high caliber.
Reviewed by Aaron Lazar
A Place to Die
by Dorothy James
Xlibris Corporation
April 21, 2010, 436 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1450082709, Kindle eBook: $7.69; Paperback: $18.71; Hardcover: $34.95
Publisher website address: http://www.viennamysteries.com/
Author’s personal website: http://myplaceformystery.com
A PLACE TO DIE is an intriguing story set in Austria, reminiscent of a good English mystery. I just finished reading it last night, and am already missing the characters. At first I was attracted to the book because it was set in Wien (Vienna) - I adore Wien. But then as I "visited" with these folks night after night (reading a little in bed each night), I grew terribly fond of them.
I was particularly rooting for American Eleanor Fabian, a woman of great depth who deserved much more in life than her annoying husband provided. I'm passionate about marriage and devotion in real life, I believe that once married one is duty-bound to stay married and devoted to each other, unless there's something truly awful going on. But Dorothy James convinced me otherwise with Eleanor.
I enjoyed getting to know the other characters in the Haus Im Wald, too. Each was colorful, deliciously unique, and memorable. Inspector Georg Buchner is a fun lead, likeable as well as clever.
Ms. James' vivid scene painting placed me smack dab in the middle of winter in Austria, and I felt as if I knew the Haus intimately by the end of the book. (I also craved Kaffee und Kuchen many times during the characters' dining events!)
As people start dropping dead in the Haus im Wald, the tension builds. But never did Ms. James relinquish her literary approach to the situation, providing a steady source of introspection balanced with action and character development.
The ending is most satisfying - a delightful and unexpected villain is revealed - and some of the sexual twists and innuendos were most surprising and added a bit of spice to the story as well.
Ms. James writes smoothly, with no annoying typos or needs for extra editing which seems to be more and more prevalent these days when books are converted to Kindle format. This book was beautifully formatted and of very high caliber.
I recommend this complex, highbrow-yet-addicting story, and look forward to future works by Dorothy James.
About the reviewer: Aaron Paul Lazar wasn’t always a mystery writer. It wasn’t until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery. Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor, grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and is a “Renaissance man caught in the 21st century.” Writing lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he has written fifteen mysteries. (UPSTAGED – 2005; TREMOLO:CRY OF THE LOON – 2007 Twilight Times Books; MAZURKA – 2009 Twilight Times Books,HEALEY’S CAVE,2010; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, 2011; FOR KEEPS, 2012; FIRESONG, 2011) Lazar intends to continue both series. The author lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, Cavipoo, Balto, CaviBichon, Amber, and cat, Cameo. Find him at www.legardemysteries.com, www.mooremysteries.com, www.murderby4.blogspot.com, www.aplazar.gather.com, and http://aaronlazar.younglivingworld.com
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