Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Former beauty queen and fledgling private investigator Madeline Maclin
has married her best friend Jerry Fairweather and settled into his old
house in the small town of Celosia, North Carolina. Lately, she’s
been concerned that quiet small town life isn’t enough for Jerry,
who says he’s given up his cons and schemes but not his phony
séances.
Madeline becomes involved in the mysterious death of Amelia Lever, an
unpopular teacher at Celosia Elementary School. Her cigarette break
turned out to be fatal. But Maddy isn't convinced it was a natural
death. Grumpy, uncooperative Amelia Lever was despised by the faculty,
mainly for voting against grant proposals.
And then there's her latest case. Nathan Fenton has hired Madeline to
help solve a riddle left to him by his Uncle Elijah, a man who loved to
play games. The riddle says: “From west to east the river flows,
from ancient times the sparrow flies. Trust animals that live in packs,
and listen where the portrait lies.” Are the teacher's death and
this mysterious riddle somehow related?
— ◊ —
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A Little Learning
A Madeline
Maclin Mystery
Jane
Tesh
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-650-6 (1590586506)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-650-1 (9781590586501)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $24.95
— ◊ —
Review: Artist
and private investigator Madeline Maclyn has married and settled down
in the small town of Celosia, North Carolina, but her next case
captures her imagination when she looks into a suspicious death and a
puzzling will in A Little Learning,
the third mystery in this series by Jane Tesh.
Madeline has set up an artist studio and office in her home, and her
new husband, Jerry, a schemer and con man who has promised to go
straight, works part-time at the local bookstore. It's all very quiet
and peaceful. That is until a veteral schoolteacher, Amelia Lever,
hated by fellow teachers, students, parents, even her own sons, drops
dead of a presumed heart attack. Madeline, being the private
investigator she is, decides to take a closer look. Meanwhile, the
nephew of a recently deceased man hires Madeline to look into his
uncle's will. A substantial inheritence would be given to the first
person who could solve a puzzle the man had devised. The problem is:
the puzzle is missing, or maybe, finding the puzzle is part of the
puzzle itself. Imagine Madeline's surprise when she finds the puzzle
among the late Amelia Lever's effects. Now the two cases have a solid
connection, but in what manner remains a mystery.
The title, A Little Learning,
has multiple meanings here. The characters are initially presented in
one light only to find, after a little learning, they are actually
quite different. The investigation itself requires a little learning,
as does the puzzle that links Amelia's death and the old man's will. A Little Learning has a compelling
plot and a surprisingly moving backstory that keeps the reader
wondering how it will all turn out.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Little Learning and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read A Little Learning? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
A Case of Investigation
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), February 2006
ISBN-10: 1-59058-219-5 (1590582195)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-219-0 (9781590582190)
A Hard Bargain
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-354-X (159058354X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-343-2 (9781590583432)
A Little Learning
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), May 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-650-6 (1590586506)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-650-1 (9781590586501)
Omnimystery keywords for A Little Learning ...
Location(s) referenced: North
Carolina.
