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A renaissance fair is coming to the relatively quiet college town of Farberville, Arkansas. Though resistant to getting involved, Claire Malloy, local bookseller and mother of the perpetually petulant teen Caron, finds herself drawn into the strange inner workings of the group putting on the fair. But a dark mood falls over the festivities when one of the organizers is a victim of arson, and her body is found in the burned wreckage of her rented house.Tags
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Claire Malloy, bookselling sleuth of the Farberville Book Depot, returns for her umpty-zillionth murder investigation (well, okay, only the sixteenth) but this time at a *shudder* Renaissance Faire!
Now seriously. Have any of y'all been to a Renaissance Faire? Have you not wished intensely for a lethal weapon and civil and criminal immunity? Milady Larchblossom and the Baron Quonsethut, oof! So as Claire snooped about, I found myself squirming in discomfort at the faux olde-tyme speak the cultists used (though not consistently, to the editor's lasting shame) and the instant sense memory of being at one of these events in Texas in heat just like Hess describes.
I can't think how anyone could *want* to don Northern European clothing from show more the era before central heating in the American South. My daughter, who belongs to one of these organizations and is quite renowned for her fighting prowess, will end up being Lanya (one of the characters) but hopefully with better-behaved children.
The mystery here is a murder; well, two; and the resolution was neat and tidy and strained credulity to the absolute minimum possible in a series where the sleuth is engaged to a police officer who does not chain her to her doorhandle to prevent her from messing around with crime.
I recommend this book without a blush. Newbies, start with "Strangled Prose" and move forward as haphazardly as you wish. show less
Now seriously. Have any of y'all been to a Renaissance Faire? Have you not wished intensely for a lethal weapon and civil and criminal immunity? Milady Larchblossom and the Baron Quonsethut, oof! So as Claire snooped about, I found myself squirming in discomfort at the faux olde-tyme speak the cultists used (though not consistently, to the editor's lasting shame) and the instant sense memory of being at one of these events in Texas in heat just like Hess describes.
I can't think how anyone could *want* to don Northern European clothing from show more the era before central heating in the American South. My daughter, who belongs to one of these organizations and is quite renowned for her fighting prowess, will end up being Lanya (one of the characters) but hopefully with better-behaved children.
The mystery here is a murder; well, two; and the resolution was neat and tidy and strained credulity to the absolute minimum possible in a series where the sleuth is engaged to a police officer who does not chain her to her doorhandle to prevent her from messing around with crime.
I recommend this book without a blush. Newbies, start with "Strangled Prose" and move forward as haphazardly as you wish. show less
When I'm looking for fun, mindless reading, I seek out mysteries. I was in the airport looking for a quick read, when I saw Joan Hess's Damsels in Distress on the sale table. I'd been years since I'd read a book from the Claire Malloy series. Although not my favorite characters, I was fun to see the reluctant detective do her thing. This book reminded me that I sometimes need to take a break from reading professional books, children/ya, and nonfiction. Joan Hess is a great choice, because her murder mysteries are always great leisure reading.
I have always enjoyed the Claire Malloy series more than the Arlie Hanks series and this book did not disappoint. It's nice to see Claire's relationship with both Peter and her daughter Caron progressing. The mystery as always involves an unusual cast of characters. I don't feel that there are enough clues to solve the mystery however I'm so busy being entertained I don't mind.
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54+ Works 9,441 Members
Joan Hess was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1949. She received a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Arkansas in 1971 and a master's degree in education from Long Island University in 1974. For several years, she taught art in a private preschool. Her first book, Strangled Prose, was published in 1986. She was the author of the show more Claire Malloy Mystery series and the Arly Hanks Mystery series. A Diet to Die For won the American Mystery Award for best traditional novel of 1989. A short story, Too Much to Bare, received the Agatha Award in 1990 and the McCavity Award in 1991. She also wrote the Theo Bloomer series under the pseudonym Joan Hadley. She finished the final Amelia Peabody novel, The Painted Queen, using the notes of Elizabeth Peters and their conversations to finish the book. It was published in 2017. She died on November 23, 2017 at the age of 68. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Damsels in Distress
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Claire Malloy; Caron Malloy; Peter Rosen
- Important places
- Farberville, Arkansas, USA (fictitious town); USA; Arkansas, USA
- First words
- "Good morrow, Kate; for that is your name, I hear."
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 267
- Popularity
- 120,658
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.41)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 5
