George
Washington Stepped Here
A
Karen Maxwell Mystery
K.
D. Hays
Heartsong
(Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-59789-594-6 (1597895946)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59789-594-1 (9781597895941)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $4.97
Synopsis (from
the publisher): For years after her divorce, Karen Maxwell handled
administrative paperwork for her brother’s private
investigation agency while he ran around town doing the
“fun” part—the investigation. When his
partner retires, he finally offers her a chance to take a case of her
own. She soon finds out why.
The assignment involves the theft of the local historical
society’s most treasured artifact, and her brother figures
everyone involved is a little crazy. While Karen poses as a volunteer
at the site to catch the thief, she meets a host of dedicated
historical re-enactors, one of whom happens to be tall, handsome and
unmarried. Unfortunately, he is also a prime suspect.
And not only does she have to spend her Saturdays running around in
funny clothes, she has to somehow get her kids to go along with it, too.
Review:
K. D. Hays introduces novice private investigator Karen Maxwell in George Washington Stepped
Here, the first of three in a
series and originally released as a book in the Heartsong Present
Mysteries book club but now available for purchase separately.
Karen works for her brother Dave, a private investigator with his own
agency but a little overworked after his partner retires. An office
administrator, she's hoping to step up her career by taking on more of
the investigative duties. Dave surprises her when he assigns Karen to a
case of a missing Revolutionary War artifact, a piece of leather that
purportedly was written on by George Washington. The house, now a
museum staffed with volunteers in period costumes, where it was on
display needs it to prove that the residence has historical
significance; without it, it's merely an old house. Some of the
volunteers think the piece of leather cannot possibly be attributed to
Washington, and its existence diminishes the house's historical value,
not enhances it. Others, including their client, believe otherwise.
Karen goes undercover at the house to do a bit of snooping, but then
another theft occurs and she realizes that "the dedicated volunteers
all wanted to share the site's history with the public; they just
disagreed about the best way to accomplish this goal." For at least one
of them, the end doesn't justify the means.
Readers looking for a clean, wholesome, non-violent, non-murder mystery
will find all that and more in George
Washington Stepped
Here. Karen is a comfortably
familiar heroine combining the joys and challenges of being a mother to
two children with the joys and challenges of being a newly minted
private investigator. The story, however, has a paint-by-numbers feel
to it, as if it was crafted by carefully, closely, and unerringly
following some "How to Write a Mystery" outline of dos and don'ts. To
be sure, it's competently written with clear prose and dialog and a
picture postcard setting, but it's all a little perfect. Too perfect.
It's missing a spark, an edge, something to differentiate it from all
the other amateur sleuth series and capture the reader's imagination.
Even most of the supporting characters have a cardboard feel to them.
This isn't to say George Washington
Stepped
Here isn't a good or even
eminently readable mystery; it simply isn't a memorable one.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of George Washington Stepped Here and to K. D. Hays for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read George Washington Stepped Here? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
George Washington Stepped Here
Heartsong (Mass Market Paperback), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59789-594-6 (1597895946)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59789-594-1 (9781597895941)
Worth Its Weight in Old
Heartsong (Mass Market Paperback), December 2008
ISBN-10: 1-60260-131-3 (1602601313)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60260-131-4 (9781602601314)
Omnimystery
keywords for George Washington
Stepped
Here ...
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