Lee Harris (1) (1935–)

Suburban sleuth Christine Bennett is moved and intrigued by two poignant mementos treasured by her late Aunt May. The first is a sad little note mourning the death of a young man lost in a Connecticut wood; the other, an obituary honoring a wealthy local manufacturer who committed suicide just after his splendid fiftieth birthday celebration.
Why did her aunt never mention these virtually simultaneous tragedies? Chris’s investigative instincts are irresistibly whetted–especially by the show more bizarre discovery that the victims, though strangers, were found wearing each other’s sneakers. And as she slices through the layers of the past, she uncovers the horrible truth that murder was just the icing on the cake. . . . show less

I am rather sad to finish what is apparently going to be the last Christine Bennett Mystery. I've read all 17 in less than four years, which must be some sort of record for me (it often takes me four years just to get around to the second in a series).

I don't know if this is the strongest entry in the series, but I've come to enjoy each and every visit with Chris, her family, and her friends. In Cinco, Chris is invited on a trip to Arizona, and it reminds her of an old classmate who died show more while hiking near Tucson around 20 years earlier. As we'd expect, Chris starts looking into the circumstances of the accident and untangles quite a web in the end. show less

Murder in Hell's Kitchen introduces Detective Jane Bauer, a veteran cop coming up to 20 years of service and recently assigned to a new cold case task force. With her team of three, Jane finds herself caught up in the four year old murder of Arlen Quill - a case which only seems to be getting hotter the more they investigate.

I enjoyed this. The characters are somewhat bland but I liked the plot and the cold case they investigate. I'm not sure why it's necessary to make all female cops (or show more at least most) absolute messes in their personal lives but Jane is apparently no exception to the rule. She's in the process of moving, recently broken up with her married boss and has a random letter which is soon revealed to be from her biological daughter she gave up for adoption. Honestly I could have done without the backstory. It didn't add anything to the story and mainly just made Jane feel like every other female detective out there. The romance in particular was pretty cringe, although thankfully not too excessive.

That said, I liked the plot. I was fairly invested in the mystery by the end. I wanted to know who and why and what and I was flicking through pages to find out. This is a typical procedural though - slower paced and more focused on unfolding the mystery rather than action packed thrills. But this was exactly what I was in the mood for and I was thoroughly entertained. 3 stars. show less

3.5***

This is book twelve in the cozy mystery series featuring former nun Christine Bennett. A young novice appears at Chris’s door one evening. She’s come to Chris for help; the novice, Tina, was adopted and thinks she has found her birth mother, but she wants some corroborating evidence before approaching the woman. Before Chris can get answers, however, Tina is murdered, and the police suspect the woman Tina believed to be her mother of committing the crime.

I really like this show more series. I like Chris Bennett’s careful approach to solving the mysteries that come her way. She’s deliberate and cautious, but she inspires confidence in those she questions. She’s also discreet, careful not to spread rumor and innuendo but wait for facts to back up any suspicions before sharing the information with authorities or others.

I like to read series in order, and this series is best done so because the relationships of the main characters evolve over time. I was “forced” to read this one out of order because my library no longer carries the full series, and I couldn’t wait for inter-library loan. But I will do better about planning ahead in the future. show less