Ellen Hart (1) (1949–)

Hallowed Murder, the debut novel in Ellen Hart’s Jane Lawless series, makes for an enjoyable read as a cozy mystery; however, this novel also serves as a time capsule of sorts. With marriage equality the law of the land even in Alabama (well, in early 2015, nearly so anyway), we forget how often people — even people you’d expect to know better — openly expressed blatant homophobia in the late 1980s.

So, children, gather round, and please let me tell you about the bad old days. show more Condemning gays to the fiery inferno and expressing open revulsion and horror at “crimes against nature” and other such rot today exists only in right-wing megachurches in the South and Glenn Beck’s show, but it was not always so. Same-sex unions — no one even dared use the term marriage then — did even exist in ground-breaking Denmark until October 1989! People could lose their jobs, their apartments, and even custody of their children should anyone suspect that they might be gay. So remaining in the closet was not a betrayal but a survival skill.

So, while Minneapolis caterer Jane Lawless may be comfortable in her own skin, she’s not fool enough to come out to the members of her sorority Kappa Alpha Sigma — even after it’s revealed that one of its members, found drowned in a lake, was romantically involved with a fellow University of Minnesota co-ed. Police, still un-PC enough to express disgust at the girl’s sexual orientation, quickly dismiss the case as a suicide, but Jane suspects otherwise, as do other sorority members. So, in addition to the question of who killed Allison Lord, there’s the question of whether or not Jane will remain safely in the closet or make a stand.

I grew to like Jane, although her BFF, the cynical, whining, and curmudgeonly theater director Cordelia Thorne, was rather off-putting. I’m looking forward to then next novel in the series, Vital Lies, and to see Jane and the gay-rights movement both evolve in the pages of this series. show less

Where has Ellen Hart been all my life? I finished The Mortal Groove and was very pleasantly surprised to find a new author to feel at home with. This Jane Lawless mystery combines some of the themes I've been reading about lately: workaholic restaurateurs who are so ambitious they leave little time for romantic relationships (in spite of their conscious longing for them), the value placed on ambition over human sensitivity, the effects on a mother of surrendering a child for adoption, lost show more children, politics, the life changing effects of impersonal violence, the solace of friendship, the love of family. I very much liked the fact that it's not only women who are the victim of violence. Obviously this is a book written by a woman. I like Ellen Hart's characters very much, except perhaps the wacky sidekick, Cordelia. Usually I love the lovable sidekick as I am supposed to, but Cordelia is too stereotypically narcissistic for my tastes. I thought this was the last in the Jane Lawless series, but, seeing that it's not, I've ordered a couple of the follow ups. I need to find out if Jane's dad becomes governor of Minnesota. show less

In this outing of the Jane Lawless series, Hart provides the most intimate look at Jane's private life prior to the death of her lover Christine. It's been a decade since Christine's death and Jane is trying to build a new relationship. In that process she decides to go through Christine's things and is surprised to find some items, including the Iron Girl, that tie Christine with a long ago brutal triple homicide. Jane decides to investigate what happened and the book deftly goes back and show more forth from Christine's involvement with murdered family and the present day Jane's investigation. Interestingly, we find out several things that Jane never discovers about the murders and the victims, although of course she does find out who the killer is. There is a related subplot involving a woman who is Christine's doppelganger that is involving and interesting. In my opinion, this is the most engaging and heartfelt installment in the Lawless series and it greatly advances our knowledge of who Jane is and what Christine meant to her.

The pace of this book is just right and the plot is engrossing. The characters are three dimensional and you feel for them, even if sometimes that feeling is disgust and loathing. There is a sense of satisfaction at the conclusion of this book. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it. show less

I knew that A Whisper of Bones was the latest book in a series. However, until I started to write this review had I no idea that this was the 25th one about Jane Lawless. Then again, I'm used to being late to the party. A Whisper of Bones is a book that seems to have a quite straight-forward case.

Britt Ickles meets her aunts for the first time in decades and discover that her childhood friend Timmy is apparently a figment of her imagination. At least that's what her aunts try to get her to show more believe. So, she turns to Jane Lawless to get to the truth. And, Jane starts to dig around and soon she starts to believe that the aunts may have a secret or two.

What a truly enjoyed about this book is how captivating the book was right from the start. Sure, you know right from the start that the aunts are hiding things, but that just adds some more tension to the story as Jane tries to figure out if Britt is right about Timmy. Also, despite being a newbie did I find the book very easy to get into. I enjoyed getting to know more about Jane and those around her. Right now is an old girlfriend living with her. And, it seems that Jane, still have some feelings left for her, which makes it a bit tragic since her ex is battling a series illness.

As for the mystery, what I really liked that it was not as straight-forward as it seems. I also liked how well-written the characters were, from the old aunts, the neighbors that also seem to be hiding something, to the people around Jane. It's a book that you can easily breeze through quickly since it's not that thick, despite that does it not feel too short. It's a perfect balance, not too wordy. I quite enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the 24 previous books...

I want to thank S:t Martins Press for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less