Mystery Review: The Case of the Clobbered Cad

We have another great cozy from Great Escapes blog tours!


Title: The Case of the Clobbered Cad
Author: Debra E. Marvin
Publisher: Journey Fiction, 2017. 302 pages (paperback)
Source: Great Escapes free book tours
ISBN-13: 978-1946892027
E-Book ASIN: B0749K9NZX


 

Publisher's Summary:
Inspired by the famous Girl Detective, the members of the Olentangy Heights Girls’ Detective Society, affectionately known as the Nosy Parkers, spent their formative years studying criminology, codes, and capers. Unfortunately, opportunities to put their unique skills to work were thin on the ground in the post-war boom of their little corner of suburbia and they eventually grew up to pursue more sensible careers. Until…

Heather Munro’s youthful devotion to The Girl Detective led to a passion for digging around in history. Now pursuing her Master’s Degree in Celtic Studies, Heather must balance exploring Edinburgh with her determination to excel in her all–male classes at the University. Unfortunately, on her first night working in the Archives room, she discovers the dead body of a visiting professor, the same would-be lothario she’d hoped never to see again.

As clues come to light, it’s clear someone hopes to frame Heather for the murder. Besides her quirky landlady, whom can she trust? How can she clear her name? The police and the American Consul have plenty of suspects, but only two seem to have both motive and opportunity: Heather and the quiet Scottish historian she longs to trust.  

My Review: 
The Case of the Clobbered Cad is a thoroughly enjoyable cozy in a great setting. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of 1956 Edinburgh with Heather as she is trying so hard to settle into her new graduate (or, as they'd say around there, post-graduate) program. She, and we, know that she has to be extra good at it to be accorded any respect, as virtually the only woman in the department. So we can understand the double problem presented by the presence of a professor on whom she developed a crush on the voyage over from the U.S. The author presents Heather's feelings well--her squirming discomfort over having made an idiot of herself, and the realization that this will just make everything harder.

And boy, does it make things harder, because once he is dead, she does look as though she had a motive, and the local police don't seem too friendly. I liked that they aren't incompetent, though, and they aren't evil. The police officer in charge is simply hard-nosed and determined to get the truth out of everyone, which isn't that easy. But since he's not getting there fast enough, and he seems to be suspicious of Heather and other people she likes, it's not unreasonable that she wants to look into it more. An occasional reminder of her childhood interest in detecting (a la Nancy Drew) is more gratuitous than necessary; there is little connection to the "Nosy Parkers" and she has adequate justification for her research without it.

About the only thing that rang wrong in my mind (okay, aside from a day where she was sitting outside enjoying Indian summer weather and then ran for the bus in the rain, which might be an error or might be a comment on Scottish weather), was the insistence from the beginning that she was putting herself in danger. On reflection, I'm not sure why I didn't believe all the people who were worrying about her, since of course digging into murder could be dangerous, but I did feel the concerns were exaggerated, creating a sense of suspense where otherwise there wasn't one. As complaints go, it's pretty minor.

The writing is strong, and the characters well-developed. The balance of romance vs. mystery is about right for my tastes (i.e., almost all mystery with just a bit of romance). Ms. Marvin seems like an author to watch.

My Recommendation:
A promising series for lovers of the cozy mystery, and an especial prize for those who like historical settings, not to mention Anglophiles (is that right for Scotland, too? Brit-o-philes?). Anyway, I recommend it. Note: this is the second in the series, but the series appears to be written by multiple authors.

About The Author
Debra E. Marvin tries not to run too far from real life but the imagination born out of being an only child has a powerful draw. Besides, the voices in her head tend to agree with all the sensible things she says. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and serves on the board of Bridges Ministry in Seneca Falls, NY. She is published with WhiteFire Publishing, Forget Me Not Romances, and contracted with Journey Fiction, and a judge for the Grace Awards for many years. Debra works as a program assistant at Cornell University, and enjoys her family and grandchildren, obsessively buying fabric, watching British programming and traveling with her childhood friends.







Author Links:
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Buy Links
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And there's a Rafflecopter Giveaway with this one, a great prize package with three books and a hand-quilted table runner!

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FTC Disclosure: I received an ARC of The Case of the Clobbered Cad as a participant in a Great Escapes Free Book Tour, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Book Review: At the Water's Edge, by Sara Gruen

Title: At the Water's Edge
Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, 348 pages
Source: Library digital resources

Publisher's Summary: 
After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind.

To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war.

Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants.

The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love. 

My Review:
I grabbed this book on a whim while loading my Nook before our recent backpacking trip, and it's definitely a step out of my usual reading. I think the author and publisher would deny it, but it really felt most of the time like a romance, not quite the sort of historical fiction I was looking for.

The WWII setting, in a tiny Scottish village on the shores of Loch Ness, is well drawn, though I realize that mostly I ended up visualizing only the lousy weather, not the actual setting. Certainly the people of the village, beyond the pub/inn where Maddie is staying, are pretty vague. The other women, with whom Maddie becomes friends, are a bit set to "type."

That said, the book was certainly an engaging read. While the characters of Ellis and Hank remain pretty static, and everyone else besides Maddie is clearly a minor character meant to reflect her, Maddie does seem to grow and develop. That is, of course, the whole point of the book, aside from bringing her from a loveless and pointless marriage to a discovery of love and friendship. In fact, I wish more effort had been spent on Maddie's development of friendship--and maybe her discovery that doing something productive is satisfying, and that having money doesn't make you a better person than someone who works for a living--and less on finding her a better lover.

As for that lover--he has the potential to be an interesting person, but I very much disliked the "twist" at the end, which felt pat and easy and negated some of the things Maddie was learning. And as usual, I am disappointed when an author implies that monsters and supernatural beings maybe are real and had an impact on the story (beyond the impact of characters' belief in them; characters can believe whatever they want, I just want the author to remain clear on the difference between fantasy and reality).

All in all, I give this one a mixed rating. The writing, as mentioned was sound and engaging, it just remained, in the end, not my kind of book in many ways--though it comes so close at times to being much more than a romance.

Recommendation:
Good for a book-club read or a vacation. There are a couple of sex scenes that are moderately graphic, but they actually serve a narrative purpose (however obvious that purpose may be).

FTC Disclosure: I checked At the Water's Edge out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

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