Elaine Flinn (1939–2008)

This is the fourth in Elaine Flinn's Molly Doyle series about an antiques dealer in Carmel, California. I've enjoyed all four of the books, and reading a new one feels like coming home. The characters are so comfortable to be around, because they are realistic and would be interesting people to know. It helps, too, that since reading the last one I've visited Carmel and can now picture the scenes in the book easier.

Molly has to deal with an unpleasant husband of a customer for her new show more decorating service, and when he is killed in front of many people she is a suspect. Meanwhile she is dealing with the possible loss of the niece, Emma, who lives with her and she has grown to love, and whose father now wants her with him.

Flinn deals well with that problem faced by all authors of cosy mystery series, which is how come the amateur sleuths keep coming across dead bodies? It becomes a plot point in that the father of her niece wonders if living with Molly isn't unhealthy for Emma given that Molly keeps getting involved in such unsavory business.

Another nice feature of the series is the set of characters around Molly, all of which add to the pleasure of the book. There's the police chief, the district attorney, the restaurant owner, and more. Makes for a nice ensemble cast, so to speak.

Highly recommended. show less

I really enjoyed the *story* Ms. Flinn presents in Dealing in Murder.

I had two problems reading this book. The first is that the writing is at times awkward, as if the author were unsure how to convey her point. There are some grammatical errors, but even those are not as troubling as the overall awkwardness.

The second problem I had is that I just didn't like one of her major characters. Chief Randall is supposed to be a bit hard edged, old fashioned and rough, but that doesn't begin to show more describe him. I know from various textual cues that I am *supposed* to like him, to find him in some way sympathetic, but I don't. Plus, he doesn't seem to be very good at his job. He makes numerous errors, which makes him both less credible and less likeable. show less

Wine and antiques,interesting subjects but characters were flat.

I really like this series - it's an older one and sadly, no longer running, but the author does a wonderful job with sense of place - you can really picture Carmel - and the characters are all really well written, each with their own distinct personality. The plot for this particular book is a bit convoluted, and maybe a tiny bit complicated, but overall, it was a very enjoyable read.