A Steak in Murder

Sarah Quilliam knows she made one when she sold the Inn. If you've ever moved away from a house you cared about and had a chance to see it later, only to find that it's been changed in ways you hate, you'll understand how Quill feels. Marge Schmidt hasn't just changed the name to the Dew Drop Inn. Quill is similarly taken aback by what's happened to the bar and the rose garden -- and there's reason to fear for the koi.Each of the people who die in this book made a bad decision, but theirs proved fatal. I haven't read all the earlier books, so I don't know if Carol Ann Spinoza is a new character. She's so nasty that first I worried about how her children were going to turn out -- then actively hoped her husband would be made a widower.Yes, there are Chamber of Commerce meetings and yes, Quill is going to do some more of her doodles that I wish we could get to see. (As usual, the persons captured in the doodles should be glad we can't.) Is romance in the air for Marge? Will Quill's Myles disapprove of her meddling? Can the cowboys & the potential investors mix? Can Quill buy the inn back? This is a worthy entry in a good cozy series. I would like to note, though, for the non-Nero Wolfe fans, that the mention of the great detective in chapter six has one of those errors that spell-check can't catch. The word is "hospitality", not "hostility."

Quill and Meg Quilliam have sold the Inn at Hemlock Falls to Marge Schmidt in exchange for her diner, which they now run as the gourmet restaurant, The Palate. Marge has renamed the Inn and now calls it the Doo Drop Inn. She also has allowed some Texas businessmen to graze their cattle there and is trying to convince some of the local citizens to participate in a deal to sell the beef. The Quilliam sisters are horrified at what is going on and decide that they want to buy back the Inn and return it to what it was. While they are working on this, dead bodies begin to show up at an alarming rate. Quill and Meg are uncertain whether it is one of the townspeople, the cattlemen, or visiting Russians who is the perpetrator. After the usual false leads, they discover the hard way what has happened. This is a "cozy" which is definitely up to Claudia Bishop's usual standards.

If you enjoy the Inn at Hemlock Falls series, you'll enjoy this latest entry. I must agree that I am dismayed that the sisters sold the inn, but it looks like that won't be a problem anymore. These are a comfortable, enjoyable read and should be a must for all who enjoy this kind of story.

Sisters Sarah and Meg Quilliam miss the Inn at Hemlock Falls that they were forced to sell before they went bankrupt. They now run a profit-making restaurant in town. Sarah wants to buy back the Inn, but the current owner is making a profit and demands a sum beyond the means of the Quilliam siblings. At the same time, several Texas cattle ranchers and their cattle are staying at the Inn. The Texans want to work a deal with the local residents. The townsfolk would raise the special breed of Longhorn cattle that is much leaner and healthier, but lacks the quality taste of the Angus breed, which is normally sold. Meg, a gourmet chef, is working on a sauce to improve the steak's taste. However, one of the cattle ranchers dies from an apparent heart attack that turns out to be murder. This places the Quilliam sisters back in the comfortable role of amateur sleuths, especially when more murders follow. A STEAK IN MURDER, the seventh Hemlock Fall mystery, retains the mouth watering taste attained by the six previous novels. The siblings remain entertaining amateur sleuths supported by a host of local eccentric characters that provide depth and warmth to the story line. The other protagonists keep the story moving forward at a fast pace. Sub-genre readers will relish the main dish of a story line as Claudia Bishop's cozy continues to be fun to read. Harriet Klausner