- Hardcover: 268 pages
- Publisher: Five Star (ME) (February 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0786217359
- ISBN-13: 978-0786217359
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,254,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The strength of Hart's latest lies not in its mystery?which is easily deduced?but in its sleuth: 60-something Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins (a.k.a. Henrie O), who, with her modest suits, sensible shoes and disingenuous ways, can charm the truth out of the most venomous foe. Henrie is in San Antonio seeking a friend's granddaughter, Iris Chavez, who has been missing for nearly a week after she suddenly bolted from her job at Tesoros, a gallery renowned for its superior Mexican artwork. The upscale establishment is run by the formidable Garza family, headed by patrician matriarch Maria Elena, but it doesn't take Henrie long to sense that something sinister lies under the family's gracious veneer. With Maria Elena's blessing, Henrie begins to investigate Iris's relationship with the clan, and discovers she can trust Iris's lover, Rick Garza, who, indeed, does produce the missing girl. But what are the two terrified youngsters concealing? After uncovering a conspiracy (and a couple of dead bodies), Henrie finds herself in grave danger. This fifth in the series (after Death in Paradise) is enhanced by Hart's knowledgeable descriptions of fine Central American artwork. In addition, each malicious character is splendid in his small role. And though the plot is slender and the finale melodramatic, Henrie O?sturdy, relentless yet compassionate?carries the show. (Mar.) FYI: Carolyn Hart has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards. In February, Five Star/Macmillan USA will release Crime on Her Mind ($21.95 272p ISBN 0-7862-1735-9), the first collection of Hart's short stories, many of which also feature Henrie O.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This short-story collection mainly features Hart series regulars Henrie O. (Death in Lovers' Lane, LJ 1/97) and Annie Laurance Darling (Yankee Doodle Dead, LJ 10/1/98). In Hart's words, they investigate failed relationships as only "nosy" women can. For collections where Hart is popular.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some decent stories,
By
This review is from: Crime on Her Mind: A Collection of Short Stories (Hardcover)
Mystery short stories are not usually my favourite genre, simply because there's not enough room to get really "mysterious." I generally find the solution either obvious or contrived. Several of the stories in this collection get around that simply by letting the reader know "who dun it" from the get-go, and then having the sleuth set out to prove it. Still, I was not impressed with one story in which the sleuth decides she knows the culprit and, unable to prove it, proceeds to plant evidence. I mean, that happens in real life, but in mystery stories the fun is having the sleuth figure it all out and either nab the bad guy or be SURE -- and I wasn't satisfied with her reasoning. I wasn't sure enough I believed she had the right person to cheer her decision. That also happened in the the story in which someone is garroted. Henrie O immediately starts looking for a suspect old enough to have worked in Intelligence during the Second World War, because only such a person would think of garroting as a method of murder. Speaking as one who's seen "The Godfather" and immediately reached a completely different conclusion, I wasn't impressed with her logic. Hart allows her sleuths to make unjustifiable assumptions and get away with them, which must be very nice for them, but these leaps in logic can be frustrating to the reader! When I read a story, it is a big problem when the sleuth claims to have proved something and I can see several other explanations for the situation. And oh, all right: by the last Henrie O story, I was kind of sick of her "Roman coin profile" and the assertion that she packed more surprises into a single day "than O Henry ever packed into his short stories." Somebody needs to tell Ms Hart there's a reason they call them "O Henry endings" -- the single surprise comes at the end. And if you read three or four O Henry stories in a row, you can see the twist coming. That, unfortunately, is what started happening with these stories long before I had finished the anthology. Overall, no worse than most mystery short stories, but nothing to get excited about.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crime on Her Mind,
This review is from: Crime on Her Mind: A Collection of Short Stories (Hardcover)
Carolyn Hart has been described as "The New Agatha Christie" by Mystery Scene. Crime on Her Mind is a collection of Hart's short stories. Female sleuths looking for answers is the common theme of most of the tales which offer a variety of settings, relationships and crimes.Women make terrific sleuths, Hart feels, because they are nosey. Her most notable sleuth is HENRIE O (Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins), a retired reporter with a talent for trouble and a keen nose for facts. Henrie O's yearning for the facts to add up, her thirst for adventure, plus mountain climbing and lock-picking skills definitely seperate her from the stereotype of a sweet little pie-baking granny! Although Henrie O does bake on occasion.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some decent stories,
By Shelley Mckibbon - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crime on Her Mind: A Collection of Short Stories (Hardcover)
Mystery short stories are not usually my favourite genre, simply because there's not enough room to get really "mysterious." I generally find the solution either obvious or contrived. Several of the stories in this collection get around that simply by letting the reader know "who dun it" from the get-go, and then having the sleuth set out to prove it. Still, I was not impressed with one story in which the sleuth decides she knows the culprit and, unable to prove it, proceeds to plant evidence. I mean, that happens in real life, but in mystery stories the fun is having the sleuth figure it all out and either nab the bad guy or be SURE -- and I wasn't satisfied with her reasoning. I wasn't sure enough I believed she had the right person to cheer her decision. That also happened in the the story in which someone is garroted. Henrie O immediately starts looking for a suspect old enough to have worked in Intelligence during the Second World War, because only such a person would think of garroting as a method of murder. Speaking as one who's seen "The Godfather" and immediately reached a completely different conclusion, I wasn't impressed with her logic. Hart allows her sleuths to make unjustifiable assumptions and get away with them, which must be very nice for them, but these leaps in logic can be frustrating to the reader! When I read a story, it is a big problem when the sleuth claims to have proved something and I can see several other explanations for the situation. And oh, all right: by the last Henrie O story, I was kind of sick of her "Roman coin profile" and the assertion that she packed more surprises into a single day "than O Henry ever packed into his short stories." Somebody needs to tell Ms Hart there's a reason they call them "O Henry endings" -- the single surprise comes at the end. And if you read three or four O Henry stories in a row, you can see the twist coming. That, unfortunately, is what started happening with these stories long before I had finished the anthology. Overall, no worse than most mystery short stories, but nothing to get excited about. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crime on Her Mind,
By Janice Watkins - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crime on Her Mind: A Collection of Short Stories (Hardcover)
Carolyn Hart has been described as "The New Agatha Christie" by Mystery Scene. Crime on Her Mind is a collection of Hart's short stories. Female sleuths looking for answers is the common theme of most of the tales which offer a variety of settings, relationships and crimes.Women make terrific sleuths, Hart feels, because they are nosey. Her most notable sleuth is HENRIE O (Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins), a retired reporter with a talent for trouble and a keen nose for facts. Henrie O's yearning for the facts to add up, her thirst for adventure, plus mountain climbing and lock-picking skills definitely seperate her from the stereotype of a sweet little pie-baking granny! Although Henrie O does bake on occasion.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short Visits with Old Friends,
By Nash Black "Troubadour" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crime on Her Mind: A Collection of Short Stories (Hardcover)
Carolyn G. Hart's CRIME ON HER MIND is a fun filled adventure of short stories using her well-known protagonists Annie Darling and Henrietta O'Dwyer "Henrie O" Collins, plus a few surprises thrown in to stand alone.
I am a Mrs. Hart fan of long standing and though I enjoy "Death on Demand", it is the Henrie O stories that have fascinated me. Hence, for me, CRIME ON HER MIND was a delight as the majority of the stories feature Henrie O as a nosey retired reporter and second-career college professor. Only one thing became irritating as I read the stories, Ms. Hart didn't need to tell the reader of each story how the character got her nickname, once was enough. The final story, "Accidents Happen" is a clinching change of pace. Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS. |
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