A Holly, Jolly Murder (Conclusion)

The conclusion of this story bears strong resemblances to that of other mysteries that follow - I hate to over-generalize – the standard “formula” for such stories.  The protagonist, who is almost always the person solving the mystery, gets into a dangerous and deadly situation that it seems will result in their demise.  I first noticed this reading Sue Grafton (A is for Alibi), and later, John D. MacDonald (The Something-Colored Something-or-Other) and found myself wondering earlier in this book if it would happen here. 

So the murderer turns out to be the person who was suspected all along.  Now that’s a new twist!  All facetiousness aside, it was good to note that we weren’t told at the end that the murderer turned out to be someone we least expected (the butler did it) instead of the most logical candidate.  But, yes, the murderer captures the amateur sleuth at gunpoint and takes her to a secluded place to murder her.  The sleuth takes advantage of a minor slip-up on the part of the murder (a rather flimsy one in this case) and gets away, resulting in a breath-taking chase scene. 

As hackneyed as all this sounds, it really plays out well in the writing.  If you’re going to follow “the formula” you’d better do it very well; and she does.  Backing into the murderer in his own hearse is nice irony, and driving him to the emergency room in it (“I told them the body was in the back.  They were hesitant to open the doors until I’d explained that I wasn’t looking for the morgue.”) is icing on the cake. 

More between-the-lines commentary about the uncomfortable fit of paganism and family life is sprinkled here and there.  “The van reeked of patchouli oil and dried peanut butter.”  The author never really gets “preachy” at us, but makes it clear that she thinks alternative religions are misguided, sometimes even dangerously so.  She appears to fall into the common comfortable disregard of the fact that the major, accepted religions have a lot more blood on their hands than the so-called New Age religions.  Oops, speaking of being preachy…!

 

It does take an entire chapter to tie up all the loose ends.  But that is mitigated by the fact that even more time is spent on resolving the sub-plots and revisiting some of the quirkier characters and relationships (the heroine’s “science fiction hippie” for example).  As always in this book, the author’s snappy humor makes up for a lot, including a prologue chapter that might otherwise have been just a little too long.  Claire’s daughter justifies her mother’s trust in her by coming through with a smart – though risky – solution to her own dilemma.  Over all, a satisfying ending to a superbly entertaining book.  I came very close to buying the first book in the series and starting it immediately!  But…time to move on!

[Addendum from CJ:  I finished this book way before Christmas & just never got around to posting.  I probably never would have chosen it myself, as I am not much of a fiction/murder mystery person. However I found it an easy, enjoyable read and cheered for everyone at the end.  I had to laugh at Claire and her final encounter with "the suspect". I too was a little fed up with all the twists and turns and probably would have gone into mama bear mode myself. I liked the underlying theme of the underdog winning. Whether it be Claire's daughter outwitting the rich & powerful, or Claire herself connecting with the hippie.  I agree that it was somewhat Agatha Christi-ish in that the sleuth got so involved by complete happenstance, but the comedy kept it fresh and out of the mundane pile.  I must admit, I'm a little curious about how the situation with the boyfriend and his ex-wife is going to work out. I may have to go for the next in the series just to see what happens there. I always do enjoy a good melodrama.]




Our book for January will be "Clockwork Angels" by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart! This is a pretty recent publication, not out in paperback yet as far as I know. But it is timely, given that it is based on the story outlined in the lyrics of Rush's latest CD, and that Rush has recently been honored by induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Join us!