Sheila Lowe

Having thoroughly enjoyed the other eight books in the series I was eager to catch up with Handwriting analyst and amateur sleuth Claudia Rose and see what trouble she gets herself into this time. I wasn't disappointed. A body at a high school reunion soon leads to Claudia investigating old school friends and teachers while also digging into a 25 year old case of a missing girl from the same school.

Nicely developed characters and a great plot, delivered in a well written tale that had me show more hooked from the start.

Anna Crowe's narration was spot on and was a pleasure to listen to.

I received a free copy from the author at my request and am voluntarily writing this unbiased review. show less

This was a bit of a Mary Sue seeming plot. Claudia Rose the character, like the author makes her living decoding who people are by looking at their writing. It was a fine plot, structurally. A powerful woman in Hollywood is found dead. Everyone thinks suicide except her business associate.

What makes the plot a bit more interesting is that the woman killed is a college 'friend', though she and Claudia had a rocky past. The mystery unfolds from there.

I think part of my problem is that I don't show more fully believe in handwriting analysis, at least not as the be all and end all. People are so much more complicated than how they cross their t's or if they use loops or swirls. I think concluding anything based solely on handwriting is like telling if the perp is guilty by looking into his eyes.

I'll probably read the rest of the series, because she's not a bad writer, but if you're looking for an amazing read, this is not it. show less

I love crime thrillers, mysteries and forensics fiction as long as the main focus is on the story and doesn't get too bogged down in the minutiae of the forensics. Thankfully this book gets the balance dead right with a good helping of interesting details about the art of forensic handwriting analysis, good character presentation and development and a great plot.

The narration was excellent and made the audiobook a pleasure to listen to.

One error that really caught my ear though was at the show more funeral when Claudia was wondering where her friend Kelly was. "As if she had heard Claudia's mental summons Claudia appeared at her side..." when obviously it was Kelly who appeared. Apart from that little "ooops!" though it was all good.

I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to listening to the next in the series.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. show less

I tend to view theme-based “cozy mysteries” in the same light as historical fiction. Both genres tend to stick to well-known plot devices and character types, but they might just be a fun way to learn something new. One of the trends in mystery writing of the last few decades is to have the main character be an expert in something that is not necessarily related to crime-solving: cooking, sports, antiques, sewing, etc. Sheila Lowe has a series of about half a dozen books about a forensic show more handwriting expert who gets dragged into murder cases.
Handwriting analysis is actually split into two parts: actual analysis of handwriting to determine its authenticity and then what is called “graphology,” which is the divination of personality based on style of handwriting. This book introduces a new concept for me which is graphotherapy—the idea that you can change your personality if you change your handwriting (because your handwriting reveals your personality, it stands to reason that if your script changes, so do you.)
Forensic analysis of handwriting has really become something of a science, and this little mystery has a few scenes where the main character is explaining how it all works. Unfortunately, the author seems to lump graphology together with forensic analysis, and implies that the former is as scientifically grounded as the latter. This is not the case. In real life, graphologists have repeatedly failed scientific examinations of their claims. It sounds neat, and would be a great tool if it worked, but it just doesn't. Needless to say, I wouldn't invest a lot of money in “graphotherapy,” either.
However, this is a novel. Need I be so picky? Of course not! If I can believe in vampires while reading a Charlaine Harris mystery, certainly I can believe in graphology while reading one of Sheila Lowe's! Our heroine, Claudia Rose, is a spirited handwriting analyst who gets increasingly involved in the lives of the heirs of a rich, recently deceased man whose will is contested. Claudia shows some spirit and compassion, and is able to get to the bottom of it all, even at her own risk. show less