The Dead Don't Get Out Much [Paperback]

The premise of the book is that one the central characters, Mrs. Parnell, collapses during a Remembrance Day reception. Taken to the hospital, Camilla and Alvin assume she has had a heart attack, even though the doctor never says so. Shortly after, Mrs Parnell, takes off for Italy, not informing Camilla or Alvin of this. In fact she leaves instructions that they should nto follow her. So what does Camilla do? Of course, she follows her, afraid that she will suffer a heart attack. why she does not contact Italian authorities is a mystery in the mystery.

In Italy, Mrs. Parnell retraces some events that occured in the War. To me, it seemed clear that she did not need Camilla. I found that many of the twists and turns in the plot were predictable pages and pages, even chapters before thay happened.

Camilla wonders about saying nice things to her lover, Ray Deveau, but never says them. Strange. Camilla's bull-headedness is an interesting charatcer trait, but I found it to be very tiresome in this story. I found the book itself to be far to long and the ending painfully obvious.

If you are new to Mary Jane Maffini, don't start with this. Her earlier work - Speak Ill of the Dead, Icing on the Corpse - are far better.

I am looking forward to the next effort by Maffini, a Fiona Silk story I hear. I consider this to be a mis-step that many authors have.

Maffini, often called Canada's answer to Janet Evanovich, writes this book
with the more serious implications of history, but her usual droll comic
perceptions and singular voice underlie every scene. Camilla's experiences
with the Italian personality never fail to amuse, as do her fumblingly
realistic efforts with the language as she searches for her "nonna," a
buzzword guaranteed to elicit sympathy from a family-oriented society. Her
descriptions of the countryside, the charming inns, taverns, and squares,
are a trip in themselves from a bewildered Canadian's perspective. "Outside
of the cities, it is very green, and much of it is situated on forty-five
degree slopes. Imagine vineyards marching up and down. The roads are dotted
with snazzy cars doing two hundred kilometres an hour. I should also mention
that there are a zillion silver Opels going almost as fast. My Ka...just
chugged along a little faster than a rollerblade." The poignant letters,
drawn from actual family correspondence, anchor the background and provide a
charming portrait of a romantic but tragic era. Maffini doles out clues on a
regular basis and keeps the pages turning with a surprise around every
hairpin corner. Witty, resolute, and inventive, Camilla is the ideal travel
companion. Dig into a chocolate gelati, and enjoy this entertaining ride.