Bell, Book, and Scandal: Amazon.ca: Jill Churchill: Books

Product Description

From AudioFile

A writers' conference is the backdrop for this mystery surrounding a plagiarized book, an ego-bashing editor poisoned by chocolate, and a book-bashing reviewer, who is himself found bashed. Susan Ericksen perfectly captures the ambiance of a writers' conference while keeping the dialogue light. She stealthily drops clues, giving them weight without giving away the perpetrators too soon. With deadpan delivery, she makes us believe that Olga Strange and Ena Potts, recluse residents of a cabin (without electricity) in Alaska, who drive matching yellow Hummers, really do snoop, eavesdrop, and gossip their way to the mystery's solution. K.A.T. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"Churchill delivers a satisfying plot laced with subtle humor and some enjoyable gothic flourishes." (Publishers Weekly )

"Churchill is the master of the suburban mystery." (Tulsa World )

"Jane Jeffrey is irresistible!" (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine )

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
On a surprisingly mild day late in February, Jane sat out on her kitchen porch waiting for her next-door neighbor and best friend Shelly Nowack to come home. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(15)

Average Customer Review

1.7 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars Pass on this one!, Jun 25 2004

By A Customer

After reading the other reviews, I took out the book from the library and I'm glad I did. Even in large print it was a quick read at 220 pages. It wasn't up to the quality of Jill Churchill's other titles in this series or the Grace and Favor books.
The dialog was stilted, the characters were one-dimentional and the writing style so different from Churchill's usual, that it was hard to believe she had actually written it. I agree with a previous reviewer that Jane is very out-of-character when she prepares for a night with Mel. Their relationship was very realistic for older adults. Now Mel seems like an old shoe--use him when there is nothing better and then he disappears. Actually, both Jane and Shelley were like two strangers in this book. I enjoyed their easy friendship and it was lacking.
Most of all, the shoddy research bothered me. Anyone who has read (or seen) Sherlock Holmes stories knows that his rag-tag group of street urchins was called the Baker Street Irregulars. Churchill mistakenly calls them the Bow Street Runners, not once but twice. All it would have taken was a quick trip to Google to discover that they were the early form of the London CID and were adult constables, not children. Wait for the next book!

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1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 16 2004

By A Customer

In the past Jill Churchill has written humorous, cozy mysteries, starring Jane Jeffry and Shelley Nowack. Shelley accompanies Jane to a mystery writers conference, where potentially interesting characters are introduced. There is a poisoning, a head bashing, and a mysterious person who writes gossip. Jane, with the help of her lover Detective Mel, tries to solve the various "mysteries." This just doesn't work. When 100 pages were read and there still hadn't been a murder, and never was one, I should have put the book aside. I'm glad I got this one from the public library rather than purchasing it. Pass it by and hope for a better Jane Jeffry mystery next time.

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1.0 out of 5 stars this can't be jill churchill, May 9 2004

By	bossl (Nashville, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

I too have enjoyed Churchill's other Jane Jeffry mysteries but this one was awful. The plot was dull, the characters unbelievable and the incessant trips to shop, buy books, and eat were boring. The whole Felicity thing, becoming best friends within a few hours of meeting, was ridiculous. Worrying about jeopardizing her friendship with Shelley over a very minor disagreement was juvenile. In fact, the whole book was juvenile. I couldn't wait to finish it only because I was angry with myself for continuing after the halfway point!

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of time
Tissue-thin plot, no character development, smarmy dialogue, sloppy writing, improbable circumstances. Is it significant that I fell asleep while reading this book? Read more

Published on April 9 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Really disappointing
As Jill Churchill herself says in Bell, Book and Scandal, "Every writer writes a bad book sooner or later." Whoops, it's your turn Ms. Churchill. Read more

Published on April 2 2004 by Silly Sister

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is absolutely awful. Shame on you, Jill Churchill.
Do not buy this book if you are a fan of the author's previous books in the Jane Jeffry series. This one is awful. Read more

Published on Mar 7 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Sara Long
Do not buy this book if you are a fan of the author's previous books in the Jane Jeffry series. This one is awful. Read more

Published on Mar 7 2004 by Sara P. Long