Shakespeare's Trollop (Lily Bard, Book 4)

I also loved this book and the characters in the little town of Shakespeare. Short read also and will not bore you.

Lily Bard cleans the homes of some local residents in her Shakespeare, Arkansas town. Part of her success as a house cleaner is the fact that she keeps to herself and doesn't interfere with the private goings on she may be privy to cleaning private residences. When the town trollop and one of Lily's clients, Deedra, is found murdered in her car on a remote road, the town of Shakespeare is once again turned upside down. With so many men that had been in and out of Deedra's bed, the list of suspects is lengthy. And for some reason Lily can't get this murder out of her head, no matter how hard she tries. I was bothered a little by the insensitivity Lily shows towards the death of this woman. Yes she was 'easy', to put it nicely, but she didn't deserve her death and I thought Lily could have shown a tad more compassion for the woman. I can honestly say the ending took me by complete and total surprise. I had an idea, a hunch, towards the end, but the way the mystery played out... while my suspect was correct, the reason behind it was a total fricken shock. I was feeling a little under the weather today so I grabbed this book, curled up on the sofa with my favorite afghan and a couple hours later, here I am. I was so completely absorbed and engrossed in this book that the day just kind of slipped by me. Charlaine Harris in a very short time has cemented herself as a favorite author in my life and an automatic buy. I have yet to be disappointed by one of her books; instead with each book I am newly delighted. Shakespeare's Landlord Shakespeare's Champion (The Second Lily Bard Mystery) Shakespeare's Christmas (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 3) Cherise Everhard, March 2008

This book did a very good job bringing up some very interesting questions about what stereotypes we assign to loose women and the fates that await them. The character murdered in this book (4th in the series) has been briefly discussed and analyzed in prior books. It was very interesting to see how and why she was murdered - and the reaction people had to it.

For someone who doesn't like to get involved in other people's affairs, Lily Bard seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In book #4 of Charlaine Harris' superb Lily Bard mystery series, Lily discovers lifelong Shakespeare resident Deedra Dean murdered inside a car parked in a woodsy area outside of town. Lily quickly becomes a suspect when it is discovered that Deedra died of a severe blow to the chest - a blow that could only have been delivered by a martial arts expert. The sheriff becomes even more suspicious regarding her involvement when Deedra's mother asks Lily to help her clean Deedra's apartment, but Lily is determined not to get involved this time and fully intends to leave the case in Sheriff Marta Schuster's capable hands. However, Deedra's notoriously promiscuous lifestyle provides an extensive list of suspects, but very few clues. Much as Lily disliked Deedra in life, she feels that she has no choice but to resume the role of amateur detective and join the investigation.Once again, a fabulous book from the superb author, Charlaine Harris. With every book Lily Bard and the other characters who reside in Shakespeare become more fleshed out and more entertaining. Lily is really starting to develop into a real person again after being violently assaulted years before and it is fun to see her change. I thought that the mystery plot this time was wonderful and had a nice little surprise twist at the end. For anyone who enjoys mysteries, I cannot recommend this series enough!

In SHAKESPEARE'S TROLLOP, we meet Lily Bard for the fourth time. Lily, housecleaner, karate expert, rape and tortue victim, continues to deal with her past while dealing with the present--people who say, "Oh, you're THAT person". When Lily finds a body, she does what she does with the rest of her life, she quietly goes about her business, keeping her eyes and ears open. In this book, Lily is more personable, more likeable and just as real as ever. I highly recommend this book and sincerely hope that Charlaine Harris can give us another "Lily Bard" as soon as possible!

Lily Bard, house cleaning extraordinaire, returns to us again with a more mature story then the previous ones in this series. While murder is the topic, the real story here is that Lily advances greatly. I won't blow the maturity issue but I do think this is one of the best books in the series. I am definitely looking forward to the next one to see just how one of my favorite characters continues to grow and become comfortable with her past. I only wish she cleaned in my area!