The Alpine Pursuit: An Emma Lord Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Author Mary Daheim brings the town of Alpine to life. Mary is a complex and damaged character--still recovering from the death of a lover, uncertain whether about exploring her feelings toward the sheriff, angry with plenty of people all the time, and pursuing the truth about what might be murder both for her newspaper and to satisfy some need within herself that has nothing to do with the news. Daheim interjects humor, the petty disagreements that make life real, and small-town competitiveness and cooperation.

The mystery itself is cleverly constructed with enough clues to bring in the alert reader without being obvious. THE ALPINE PURSUIT is an enjoyable and engaging story that tugs the reader along with a subtle but powerfu current. This is a good one.

Applause! Applause! This is number 16 (A-P) in Mary Daheim's beautifully-sustained, Emma Lord mysteries, and I can certainly understand why. Nutshell? "Pursuit" (like its predecessors) is a psychologically-apt, extremely interesting story, extremely well-told. As a longtime fan, I find it impossible not to immerse myself in the Alpine milieu; it's one of those fictional worlds that's almost more real than any true-to-life setting. I care about the characters who live there. I'm as much rooting for Emma to find personal happiness as I am for her to solve whatever case she happens to be working on, and I find myself as much involved with her friends and co-workers as people as I am with their impact upon Emma's detecting. Finally, I'm always impressed by Ms. Daheim's skill in providing just enough backstory to remind her 'regulars' where she left off but still enable new readers to easily tune in to the Alpine mindset. Good news! There's a lot of alphabet left...I'm pretty sure that Emma will be back, and I know for certain that I'll be glad to see her.

Emma Lord, owner and editor of the Alpine Advocate is going crazy as she sits in theatre, covering the rehearsal of the play, written by Destiny Parson's called the Outcast. Taking place in a diner and based on the Wizard of Oz it ends with a heartwarming, "Can't we all get along" speech. She just hopes it will be better on opening night than it was on rehearsal day.

It may not have been better, but it was more exciting. At the climax of the play, when Nat Cardenas (college president) playing the sheriff shoots the diner's cook Hans Berenger (dean of students at the college). Unfortunately, Hans doesn't get up for his curtain call.

Who would want to kill Hans? Just because no one liked him, didn't mean they would want him dead.

Emma starts investigating on her own. Was it Destiny? Emma may secretly hope it is, because ever since Destiny bought the house across the street from Emma, she makes a point of sending her dog across the street to do its duty on Emma's front lawn. Emma isn't even too upset when the dog ends up dead. Could it be the same killer?

What about Jim Medved the local veternarian? It was said that he and Hans got into a fight when Hans kicked his dog Dodo, (playing Toto). Or Rip Ridley - high school coach, who was turned down for a coaching job at college because Hans didn't think their college should be involved in anything but intramural sports. Or Rita Patricelli, who he had been dating.

Or maybe the bushy haired stranger that Roger Hibbert - Vida's grandson claims to have seen backstage.

With so many suspects, Emma has to work hard to not only to get Milo going, but to stay a jump ahead of that news scooper, Spencer Fleetwood and his radio station.

Highlights:

The obnoxious Roger - This kid has been in the series since he was about 8 and is a holy terror. He's now 16 and nearly shocks Vida into heart failure when he comes out in the play and his first line includes about three *F* words.

Ed Bronsky - who's also in the play, but spends the entire play, sitting at the counter eating. He misses the entire shooting, except he almost gets the second shot, which lodged in the counter a couple inches from his backside. (Emma and Milo don't know how it could have missed such a huge target).

Vida and Thyra Rasmussen getting into a shouting match in the Alpine office. (These two have a long time hatred, going back to Vida's mother and some squash). (see Alpine Kindred).

Carla Steinmetz Telliaferro's, demon child.

Lowlights:

Sympathy sex. This is what Emma is doing, because she feels sorry for Milo. I think Milo feels a lot more sorry for her.

Tom Cavanaugh - (See any of my previous review to get my opinion of this jerk. Emma's dead lover.)

A not very satisfactory ending. I didn't really believe who the killer was or why they did it.

Overall, this is still a great series. If you haven't read them, you should check out her bed & breakfast series, featuring Judith Flynn which is also fantastic. Mary Daheim is about the best writer in this genre.