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Loading... Cradle to Grave (edition 2011)by Aline Templeton
Work InformationCradle to Grave by Aline Templeton
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I have been reading this series in order and have enjoyed them all. This was one of the best ones - had everything for me, good pace and suspense, interesting characters and plot. Very rounded main characters with human emotional problems. The main detective, Marjory Fleming has just come back from a period of suspension, not really her fault, but now under pressure to prove herself. Her detective side-kick is going through some turmoil at the same time. One of those books that's hard to put down, never dragged for me. Will certainly read the rest in this series. ( ) When I saw that it had been over two years since I last read one of Aline Templeton's Marjory Fleming mysteries, I was ashamed of myself. "Big Marge" is one of my favorite characters in all of crime fiction, and Templeton not only knows how to create marvelous characters, she's equally skilled with plot and action. Before I go any further, I'm going to tell you right now-- if you like police procedural series set in the UK and you haven't read Aline Templeton, well... you need to correct the oversight as soon as possible. (And start with the first book, Cold in the Earth.) Templeton's characters are real. Marge isn't perfect (which can be seen by her recent suspension), but she is a good police officer. Her marriage to a farmer is solid but not without its occasional problems, and her two teenage children alternate between being angels and demons, as all good teenagers do. Marge's righthand man, Tam MacNee, is an odd little man who observes all, voices strong opinions whenever he feels like it and is excessively proud of his Glaswegian heritage. But he's off his feed in Cradle to Grave, and one of the mysteries readers must solve is why. Added to the team is newcomer Detective Constable Kim Kershaw, who began working while Fleming was out and doesn't know quite what to expect from her new boss. The synopsis of the book makes you think that there's only one mystery in Cradle to Grave, and that is quite misleading. There's a lot going on besides the innocence or guilt of Lisa Stewart. A music festival is scheduled to be held at Rosscarron House if the torrential rain ever lets up, and everyone who's gathered there-- including one of Marjory's old flames-- is up to something... including the eight-year-old boy. The trick is trying to figure out what each of them is doing, and that's amidst all the weather-related action, instances of sabotage, and one very scary killer wandering around the countryside. Templeton's characters always feel so true and grounded in the here and now that it's a pleasure to immerse myself in their lives while trying to untangle all the threads of the mystery. I came very, very close to giving Cradle to Grave my highest rating, but in the end, I had to admit that there was a bit too much going on. Not to the point where I'd completely lost the plot, but there was a time or two when I'd read a character's name and ask myself, "Now, who's he when he's at home?" Except for that memorable eight-year-old boy.... Aline Templeton is a British author whom I believe should be much better known here in the United States. I can always rely on her to carry me away to Scotland in the midst of characters I love and plots that are a pleasure to unravel. I urge you to give her books a try. I read this book as an electronic advance reading copy (e-ARC) provided by Edelweiss, and I have submitted my comments to the publisher via that web site. Although the plot is convoluted, the police officer characters, especially the protagonist, Marjory Fleming, are believable and interesting. Recommended for public libraries with large mystery collections. This is my second Templeton novel. I enjoyed both of the books I read but I'm unlikely to read the complete Margery Fleming series, maybe not another Templeton book. "Cradle To Grave" occurs in a coastal area of Scotland just outside the fictitious town of Kirkluce. A body is discovered following a mudslide which severely damages 4 or 5 homes. Soon there is another body found on the grounds of a nearby estate, and not long after a third victim is found near a cheap apartment inhabited by a suspect in the first two cases. Then there's another unresolved murder case that goes back a few years and then....Well, you get the picture - we're not lacking for murder victims here. And there are a lot of suspects, and a lot of cops and a lot of theories of the crime. I've found Templeton's books to be very well written. Those readers who particularly like detailed murder mysteries with all kinds of clues and misdirection will particularly like C2G. But after a while I got tired of all the theories of the hour on who did what to whom and why, especially why. And the characters didn't really turn me on. I have no doubt that they are all true to life depictions of people that solve crimes in real life, warts and all, but they just wound up boring me especially for the last quarter of the book. This book was too reminiscent of an Agatha Christie story, and I'm not an AC fan. Towards the end I just wanted C2G to be over, quickly. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Series
Accused of murdering the baby in her care, seemingly cold and measured nanny Lisa Stewart maintains her innocence. But when she changes her name and tries to run away, the terrifying threats always find her. Is she an innocent victim of public anger? Or a calculating murderer on the run? Can DI Marjory Fleming, dogged by her own past, uncover the truth? No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-RatingAverage:
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