Tracy KielyRecensioni

Airlines charge a hefty sum for drinks on a cross country flight. A much better use of your money is MURDER WITH A TWIST. You can live vicariously through Nic and Nigel Martini, who seem to enjoy a cocktail every now and then (wink), along with a fun mystery, an engaging cast of characters, and a hilarious subplot involving a bullmastiff. Caution: you might start craving champagne for breakfast!

Okay, so I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. It was a bit cheesy I’ll have to admit, but it was still very gripping. I tried to guess who committed the murder, but I couldn’t. And the plot twist surprised me. So, I’d say it’s a very good murder mystery. I also loved the characters and the hint of romance. Will continue reading the series.

I was not at all surprised to read in the author’s bio that she enjoyed reading Agatha Christie. As I read the opening banter between the Nic and her martini drinking playboy husband Nigel Martini, I was immediately transported to a bygone era the likes of which Ms. Christie would not have felt out of place, such a wonderful way to begin a book about a murder, especially one of such a universally despised character. Of course the story is set in such the modern era that Harry Potter is beautifully referenced, but it never loses that opening flavor. Also, it also takes a certain flair to write theater people the way they are meant to be read and Tracy Kiely has done a fabulous job of capturing all of the ego, insecurities, eccentricities and back stabbing that are the hall marks of theater life, providing along the way a sharp contrast to the stark tv cop drama played out admirably by Nic and her former employers. Once this mystery begins to unravel it moves fast, but the author has done a fabulous job of keeping the reader in the thick of things, while keeping classic story lines fresh. I am certainly going to have to look into previous Nic and Nigel installments.

5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is a mystery series whose protagonist is a Jane Austen fanatic. There are lots of quotes and references to the grand dame, so beware. I really liked it; it has a bit of a literary air wrapped in a cozy mystery cape.

Killer Cocktail is a light mystery featuring a contemporary couple Nic and Nigel Marini. Nigel's company restores old film and Nic used to be a police detective. They have recently purchased a home where they found some homemade video shot during the making of a famous movie where the lead actress committed suicide. They take on a Hollywood "red carpet" crowd that may or may not be involved in more than one suspicious death.

The banter and conversation between Nic and Nigel is humourous and their relationship with their gigantic dog that accompanies them everywhere, even to the Oscars will delight animal lovers and add a touch of whimsy to the book.

I enjoyed how the author selected to share the backstory using the dialogue from the home moveis that were found. This also provided clues to the mystery of who the murderer(s) is/was. It is not a style I would read all the time, but it worked in this novel. I was kept guessing until near the end of the book to determine who done it.....

I recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers as well as those who like a lighter read.

Netgalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pour me changer les idées après ma lecture de 1986 de Yu Hua, j’ai choisi une lecture légère dans ma PAL : Murder most persuasive – a mystery de Tracy Kiely. C’est la troisième tome d’une série de quatre (j’ai les trois premier dans ma PAL et je commence par le troisième bien évidemment ; je suis indécrottable) ,mettant en scène Elizabeth Parker, grande Janéite, citant à l’envie son auteur préféré. Au vu du titre, on peut penser que Tracy Kiely est dans le même cas puisque chaque début de chapitre commence par une citation de Jane Austen et qu’elle utilise une partie de Persuasion pour construire son histoire.

Justement, rentrons plus avant dans l’intrigue. L’ouverture du livre se fait sur un enterrement (il n’est pas mort de mort suspecte, rassurez-vous). Toute la famille est réunie pour rendre un dernier homme à Oncle Marty, Martin Reynolds officiellement, grand-oncle d’Elizabeth Parker, mort d’un cancer qu’il a combattu pendant des années. Tous les membres de la famille se retrouvent au restaurant après les funérailles.

C’est là où on découvre tous les protagonistes de notre histoire, en tout cas la majorité. Il y a Elizabeth, sa mère et sa sœur Kit, enceinte e 8 mois, avec qui Elizabeth ne s’entend que très moyennement. Il y a des chamailleries, dirons-nous.

Il y a les trois filles du mort : Reggie, la sœur aînée connue pour sa beauté et son tempérament, Frances, ayant deux jumeaux et un mari, Scott, connue pour être plus carriériste pour son mari que son mari lui-même, et Ann, la gentille, qui prend soin de toute la famille sans se préoccuper de sa vie, de ses amours, de son futur (j’espère que vous voyez le clin d’œil à Persuasion, sinon il faut le relire d’urgence).

S’ajoute la femme du défunt et belle-mère des filles, Bonnie. Plus jeune que lui, elle avait été choisie pour servir de substitut de mère aux filles après la mort de leur mère dans leur enfance. Cela n’a jamais marché car c’est une cruche. Le mari s’en est désintéressé très vite. Pourtant, elle se fait remarquer en ce jour en pleurant et en soupirant « pauvre Marty, je ne m’y attendais pas » (je rappelle qu’il est mort d’un cancer) et parle même de meurtre, les autres essayant de la persuader de sa sottise. Elle est tellement éplorée qu’elle décide de partir en thalassothérapie le lendemain, laissant Ann régler les détails pour le catalogage des objets du testament.

Avant de mourir, Martin Reynolds, entrepreneur, avait vendu sa maison d’été à Washington D.C. (ils ont une maison d’hiver dans la même ville, si j’ai bien compris) et voulait répartir cet argent entre ses trois filles mais n’ayant eu le temps de régler les détails, Bonnie demande aussi une part (cela aura une petite importance pour la suite). Tout cela pour dire que la maison d’été a changé de propriétaires et que ceux-ci sont en train de modifier la piscine. Et là, c’est le drame, on retrouve le corps de Michael, le crâne fracassé. Celui-ci n’est autre que l’ancien fiancé de Reggie, avec qui elle a rompu deux mois avant le mariage, un 4 juillet, il y a huit ans. Plus personne n’avait entendu parler de lui (et pour cause), surtout qu’il avait été ensuite découvert qu’il avait détourné 1 millions de dollars de la compagnie de son futur beau-père (il avait été choisi comme successeur en plus, maintenant c’est Scott au grand plaisir de Frances).

La police enquête bien évidemment, enquête menée par Joe, qui n’est autre que l’ex d’Ann, avec qui elle avait rompu le 4 juillet aussi, sur les conseils de Laura, meilleure amie de sa mère lorsque celle-ci était encore en vie (au prétexte qu’elle était trop jeune pour s’engager au près d’un tel homme, si vous ne voyez pas Persuasion, je désespère). Laura, elle, est mariée à Miles, ancien associé (depuis il a monté sa propre entreprise) et meilleur ami de Marty. Sur ce, Bonnie revient de sa thalassothérapie, avec une espèce de don Juan qui se prétend expert financier pour placer l’argent des riches veuves qu’il rencontre. Elizabeth Parker va aider Ann, mais aussi la police, pour cette troisième enquête dans laquelle elle se voit impliquer « de force ». Elle sera bien conseillée adroitement par Peter son petit ami et tante Winnie, sœur de Martin Reynolds, elle aussi grande janéite.

J’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture, qui a totalement remplie son office de lecture détente. L’auteur écrit une bonne histoire, en y mettant des touches d’humour, très bien placées. Le niveau d’anglais n’est pas suffisamment haut pour ouvrir son dictionnaire à chaque phrase. L’auteur décrit une galerie de personnages tout à fait crédibles, bien incarnés, un peu loufoques. L’enquête est vraiment bonne aussi. J’ai eu quelques soupçons à un moment mais l’auteur les a habilement détournés. Les clins d’œil à Jane Austen sont nombreux mais à mon avis ce n’est pas ce qui fait le charme de ce livre. C’est tout simplement un bon cozy mystery dans lequel il fait bon s’installer pour se détendre un peu.

Elizabeth Parker is the maid of honor at her best friend Bridget's wedding. The wedding reception is held at bridget's grandmother house in Virginia. The next morning Elizabeth finds the body of Bridget's much despised aunt and an investigation of Bridget's family commences. The book jacket makes it sound like the book connects to Jane Austen but aside from some side reference to Sense and Sensibility it really doesn't. This is the second book in the series. I haven't read the first but it didn't make any difference in my enjoyment of the book. A decent cozy mystery.

Cookie-cutter mystery but a fun read nevertheless.

This was a book I received an advanced copy of at a recent ALA convention, and it was a really fun read. The main characters, Nic and Nigel Martini, are pretty clearly take offs on Nick and Nora Charles, but I love Nick and Nora Charles, so I liked Nic and Nigel Martini quite a bit.

This book does not take itself too seriously, and it made for a funny, breezy read. It features mobsters, philandering husbands, giant dogs, Valium, lots of alcohol, rich crazy relatives, and two quick witted constantly quipping protagonists.

The mystery is a good one, with a lot of layers, and some surprising twists. The characters have big personalities, which really works for this kind of humorous read, especially with all the bodies that start turning up.

I would definitely recommend this book for when you need something light and easy to read, and want to fictionally bond with two protagonists you would definitely want to grab a drink with.

In Kiely’s mystery novel, Jane Austin devotee, Elizabeth Parker wins an all expense trip to the annual Jane Austin Festival in Bath just as she faces a career setback and a rocky road with her boyfriend. But when the very vocal professor Richard Baines publicly announces an unproven theory regarding Austin, he’s found dead. Elizabeth promptly steps into her sleuth shoes and heads out to match wits with a skilled killer.

A great addition to the An Elizabeth Parker Mystery series.

This is the second in the series by Tracy Kiely, and I found it to be a great read. The mystery was a solid one with a tug on the heartstrings at the end. The romance sub-plot was a bit silly, but resolves itself in the end. All in all, I really enjoy this series and I'm hoping and looking forward to a third.

Another great addition to a strong series! I love the characters (not Kit) and it was a great story, great plot. Nice ending too! Hope this series is a long running one!

I love this series and Murder Most Austen was, I think, the best so far. The main character Elizabeth really comes into her own in this book, I got a much better sense of her as a 'person'. I thought the dialogue between her and her aunt was full of wit and humour. The setting of Bath was a great one, especially if one is a Jane Austen fan, as this takes place during the Jane Austen Festival.

The murder mystery was very well crafted: lots of suspects, a red herring or two, a surprise here and there. I really was surprised by the 'big reveal', didn't see it coming at all. A really enjoyable ending that left me smiling at the end. I hope this series continues on for many more books to come.

Loved this book - thought it was a great, fun read. Almost all the characters were easy to like and the setting was very well described. As a fan of Jane Austen, I got a kick out of the quotes from her various books, but if you don't read Austen, I don't think they'll stand out beyond the formality of the speech.

I've ordered the second book and I'm looking forward to diving into it.

Good things--surprise ending and great literary quotes.

Bad things--will someone PLEASE tell me why there have to be these women who are so convinced that they know more than the police do and have to do their jobs for them? And then there are the police who decide to discuss murders in a nice cosy little teashop with all of the residents of the town listening in?

Yes--the heroine of this one was worse than others, but still....No more of this series for me!

"Fresh Meat" by Manda Collins for Criminal Element

One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading a story that strongly references another is the zing of recognition the reader feels each time they “get” the joke. Borrowing heavily from Jane Austen’s Peruasion, Tracy Kiely’s cozy mystery, appropriately titled Murder Most Persuasive, managed to give this reader quite a few zings while delivering a solidly crafted mystery that even the starchiest of Janeites would approve.

The story is from the point of view of Elizabeth Parker, for whom Jane Austen quoting is a way of life. It begins with the funeral of Elizabeth’s Uncle Marty, whose three grown daughters are forced to deal with their vain and foolish step-mother over the settling of their father’s estate. When a body is unearthed at the family vacation house, Elizabeth’s sleuthing instincts are put on high alert, especially when the victim turns out to be her cousin Reggie’s former fiancé, Michael, who was thought to have skipped town after embezzling from her father’s business.

Read the rest at http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2011/08/fresh-meat-tracy-kielys-murder-most...

A cute mystery. Elizabeth goes to her Aunt Winnie's B&B for a New Year's Eve murder mystery party, but instead of an actor "dying" there is a real murder. Everyone at the event is a suspect and Elizabeth begins to investigate.

A fun book--mystery w/clues. a bit of romance too

After the break-up of her relationship, Elizabeth Parker accepts an invitation from her aunt to spend New Year's at her new Bed & Breakfast, named “Longbourn” after the Bennet's residence in Pride and Prejudice. Aunt Winnie has planned a murder dinner mystery for New Year's Eve for both B&B guests and local residents. After a real murder disrupts the party, Elizabeth is determined to do whatever it takes to clear her aunt of suspicion of murder and restore her reputation, to the dismay of the investigator in charge. She reluctantly accepts the help of her childhood antagonist, Peter McGowan.

It was no surprise that the book is inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but I wasn't expecting the allusions to Agatha Christie. Kiely does a nice job of sprinkling red herrings throughout the book. She offers plenty of credible suspects and motives. However, readers familiar with Agatha Christie's work will have an advantage in solving the mystery. This cozy mystery will have cross-over appeal for chick-lit readers and Jane Austen fans. Although I generally avoid chick-lit, I enjoyed this book, and I plan to continue with this series.

I recieved this as an Early Reviewer. It is mostly a modern twist on Jane Austen's Persuasion. Not being a fan of that book I liked that this one did veer off on it's own.

Elizabeth Parker is the Austen loving neice of the recently deceased Martin Reynolds. Martin's death isn't the problem. It's the body that comes to light under his swimming pool when the home's new owners remodel. That body turns out to be the missing fiance of Reggie, one of Martin's daughters. The detective turns out to be the former fiance of Martin's other daughter Ann.

Elizabeth has time on her hands due to lack of work so she involves herself in the investigation, makes lots of snarky comments & does some matchmaking.

It is an entertaining book overall.