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Skeleton Key: A Gregor Demarkian Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jane Haddam (Author) "Kayla Anson didn't know when she first realized she was being followed, but by the time she reached the Litchfield Road, the signs were unmistakable..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition edition (Mar 1 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312978650
ISBN-13: 978-0312978655
Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.7 x 2.3 cm
Shipping Weight: 182 g

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #362,779 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#21 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Haddam, Jane

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

In Haddam's 15th entry in her entertaining Gregor Demarkian series (Deadly Beloved, etc.), Bennis Hannaford discovers the murdered body of debutante heiress Kayla Anson during a Halloween visit to the Anson estate in a posh area of Connecticut. Bennis summons her lover, Gregor, retired head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, from Philadelphia to help the local police. These logistics out of the way, Haddam settles into another clever plot-driven village cozy. Two more people are murdered: publicity-hungry Zara Anne Moss, who said she saw the killer, and Margaret Anson, Kayla's vengeful, money-hungry mother. Gregor studies area maps and interviews locals to separate clues from elaborate red herrings: a telephone pole knocked over, a stolen Jeep smashed in the Fairchild Family Cemetery and a skeleton from a nearby museum left on the caretakers' porch. Haddam excels at showing the chilling gulf between the arrogant wealthy and the climbers desperate to join them. One of her most complex characters is penniless divorc?e Sally Martindale. Humiliated by her bookkeeping job at the exclusive Swamp Tree Country Club, Sally embezzles from members' accounts, foolishly hoping that a gambling win will restore her status among club members. In an anomalous subplot, Bennis is stricken with pneumonia and Gregor insists that she stop smoking. Haddam's well-meaning message about the perils of tobacco seems shoehorned into an otherwise smoothly running mystery marked by lively characters, good descriptions and enough misdirection to keep a reader's interest high. (Feb.) FYI: Jane Haddam is the pseudonym of Oriana Papazoglou.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Connecticut police consult series sleuth and ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian when Bennis Hannaford (Demarkian's love interest) discovers the body of Kayla Anson, a beautiful young heiress. Demarkian closely analyzes clues, reconstructs Kayla's last days, looks for her motives in those who knew her, and still worries about Hannaford's persistent racking cough. As usual, Haddam spends a lot of time developing complex secondary characters: Kayla's uptight, unfeeling mother; her promiscuous, wayward cousin; a recently unemployed, unhusbanded embezzler; and Kayla's older, off-and-on boyfriend. Demarkian closes in, but not before more victims appear. A sophisticated style, excellent delivery, and riveting plot make this an excellent choice for all collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Kayla Anson didn't know when she first realized she was being followed, but by the time she reached the Litchfield Road, the signs were unmistakable. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars I'd rather they were in Philadelphia..., Jun 12 2001

By	"jroland631" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Gregor and Bennis are bacK, and so is Jane Haddam's deft prose. No one fleshes out characters better than she - the twins in this novel are prime examples. They're so real they hurt. Story good, writing good - but I really prefer Gregor when he is in his element, on Cavanaugh St. with Tibor and George and Donna and the Ararat Restaurant. As an urban ethnic, I love that part of the books - the custom and ritual and general insanity that we eths bring to everyday life in the city.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of her better mysteries..., May 1 2001

By	K. L Sadler (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I usually enjoy Haddam's mysteries, so this one was not as satisfactory as usual. I enjoy her protagonists, Demarkian and Bennis. I also enjoy the view into the life of both the Armenian neighborhood in which Gregor and Bennis live, as well as the sarcastic analysis of those who are so class conscious. This book is just loaded with tidbits about Americans whose main purpose in life is to accumulate wealth and show off that wealth. This side story is probably the best thing about this book. I had no problem figuring out who the murderer was pretty much from the beginning. Haddam loads her story with plenty of possible suspects, but unfortunately most of the characters are not well-fleshed out. I actually thought the epilogue was written much better then the rest of the book, having to do with the reason why Bennis had to rush to the hospital. The dialogue between Gregor and Bennis, as well as those who live in their neighborhoods is more realistic and developed then the dialogue in the rest of the book. Again, it is difficult for any writer to maintain interest in characters after fifteen books. Karen Sadler, University of Pittsburgh

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3.0 out of 5 stars She's writing with one hand tied behind her back, Nov 27 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Skeleton Key: A Gregor Demarkian Mystery (Hardcover)

I've always thought Jane Haddam was one of the best mystery series writers, and have been impressed with how she has kept the quality high through so many installments.

In this one, though, she seeems to be trying to write a novel for which her series is not the appropriate vessel. As a result, it's one of her least successful outings.

On a bright note, her social satire on the inhabitants of Lichfield County, CT, is among her best and most pungent.

On the down side, the mystery (as another reader has pointed out) is pretty obvious, and her red herrings seem half hearted.

The real problem is that she wants to turn Gregor and Bennis into tragic star-crossed lovers or, alternatively, into poster children for the American Lung Association. The problem is that she cannot transcend how she has used those characters in the past.

As much as I have enjoyed reading about Gregor and Bennis, they remain two-and-a-quarter dimensional props to carry the mystery plot along. They can't bear the additional emotional weight she wants to pile on them here. It's like watching a semi-talented college theatrical troupe try to put on King Lear.

I suspect that Haddam probably could write a well-rounded novel about the sorts of people and issues she was dealing with here. (Every one of her novels proves that she can populate a fictional community with interesting and varigated character types.) But the Gregor Demarkian novels inhibit her amibitions. She can't be Ruth Rendell (let alone Anita Brookner ) while trying to continue to be Jill Churchill at the same time.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
I don't know how anyone can say this book is bad. This is the best Haddam I've read yet--and that's saying a lot.

Published on Jul 13 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and satisfying
I've just discovered the Gregor Demarkian series and SKELETON KEY is definitely the book that will make me go back and read the earlier ones. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2000