The House of Seven Mabels
A Jane Jeffry Mystery
Jill Churchill
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-380-97736-2 (0380977362)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97736-9 (9780380977369)
Publication Date: August 2002
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Homemaking is about to take on a whole new meaning for
Jane Jeffry now that she's agreed to help restore and redecorate a
decrepit old neighborhood mansion. The home's owner, the prosperously
divorced Bitsy Burnside, considers herself to be a feminist to the max
and wants an almost all-female crew to do the dirty work - prompting
the quick-witted Shelley Nowack to dub the project "the House of Seven
Mabels." With her best friend and decorating whiz Shelley on the
estrogen-heavy team, Jane thinks this exhausting, plaster-dusty job may
not be as unpleasant as it initially appeared to be.
Until, of course, things start to get very messy. It begins with a
series of mean-spirited "pranks" - strange odors, mysterious electrical
shorts, a myriad of petty annoyances designed to impede the progress of
the fixer-uppers. And then the pranks turn deadly, leaving one of the
workers lying lifeless at the foot of a staircase.
Tragic, yes, but an accident? Jane thinks not. And with the able
assistance of Shelley, not to mention a little help from her best beau,
Chicago
detective Mel VanDyne, Jane's hoping she can construct a solid case and
nail the assassin. Suspects are certainly in abundant supply. The
surviving members of Bitsy's building brigade all had the opportunity.
Joe Budley - the contractor originally hired, then fired when Bitsy had
her "no men allowed" epiphany - had a motive. But the more Jane saws
away at the truth, the more complicated the criminal blueprint appears.
And she may be painting herself into a corner, leaving no exit if a
crafty killer decides to make Jane Jeffry the next demolition project.
Review: The House of Seven Mabels is the 13th outing for Jane Jeffry in Jill Churchill's long-running cozy mystery series.
When the title of a book is more clever than the book itself, there's a problem. It's not that The House of Seven Mabels
is a poorly written or constructed mystery; it's just that it's so
predictable. The premise is promising, with Jane and her best friend
Shelley hired by hard-core feminists to restore and redecorate a local
mansion, but Churchill never delivers.
Fans of Jill Churchill and cozies in general will no doubt enjoy this
latest entry in the Jane Jeffy series, but those looking for any
originality in their mysteries should look elsewhere.
Review Copyright © 2002 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Have you read The House of Seven Mabels? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Grime and
Punishment
Bantam (Mass Market Paperback), January 1989
ISBN-10: 0-553-27646-8 (0553276468)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-27646-6 (9780553276466)
A Farewell to
Yarns
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), December 1991
ISBN-10: 0-380-76399-0 (0380763990)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-76399-3 (9780380763993)
A Quiche Before
Dying
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), February 1993
ISBN-10: 0-380-76932-8 (0380769328)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-76932-2 (9780380769322)
The Class
Menagerie
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), February 1994
ISBN-10: 0-380-77380-5 (0380773805)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-77380-0 (9780380773800)
A Knife to
Remember
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), March 1994
ISBN-10: 0-380-77381-3 (0380773813)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-77381-7 (9780380773817)
Frome Here to
Paternity
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), July 1995
ISBN-10: 0-380-77715-0 (0380777150)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-77715-0 (9780380777150)
Silence of the
Hams
Avon Books (Mass Market Paperback), July 1996
ISBN-10: 0-380-77716-9 (0380777169)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-77716-7 (9780380777167)
War and Peas
Avon Books (Hardcover), November 1996
ISBN-10: 0-380-97323-5 (0380973235)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97323-1 (9780380973231)
Fear of Frying
Avon Books (Hardcover), November 1997
ISBN-10: 0-380-97324-3 (0380973243)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97324-8 (9780380973248)
The Merchant of
Menace
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), November 1998
ISBN-10: 0-380-97569-6 (0380975696)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97569-3 (9780380975693)
A Groom with A
View
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), October 1999
ISBN-10: 0-380-97570-X (038097570X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97570-9 (9780380975709)
Mulch Ado About
Nothing
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), December 2000
ISBN-10: 0-380-97735-4 (0380977354)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97735-2 (9780380977352)
The
House of Seven Mabels
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), August 2002
ISBN-10: 0-380-97736-2 (0380977362)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97736-9 (9780380977369)
Bell, Book, And
Scandal
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), November 2003
ISBN-10: 0-06-009797-3 (0060097973)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-009797-4 (9780060097974)
A Midsummer
Night's Scream
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), November 2004
ISBN-10: 0-06-009798-1 (0060097981)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-009798-1 (9780060097981)
The Accidental
Florist
William Morrow and Co. (Hardcover), March 2007
ISBN-10: 0-06-052845-1 (0060528451)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-052845-4 (9780060528454)
Omnimystery keywords for The House of Seven Mabels ...
Location(s) referenced: Chicago, Illinois.
