Bell, Book, And Scandal

Rating:
Summary: Pass on this one!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: this can't be jill churchill
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: a light read although not vintage Churchill
Review: Strangely enough I wasn't too terribly disappointed with Jill Churchill's "Bell, Book, and Scandal." Perhaps it's because after having suffered through "Mulch Ado About Nothing" and "The House of the Seven Mabels" my expectations were not too high. True enough, while this latest Jill Jeffry mystery novel is nothing compared to the earlier ones ("Grime and Punishment," "Farewell to Yarns," etc), it was not a terrible read either (and it was definitely on a higher level than anything on TV right now). Light and breezy, "Bell, Book and Scandal" kept me happily entertained until the last page. However, enjoyable though the book was, there were certain points about the book that did irk. For example, I really did think that the first few chapters that dealt with Jane's buying a new car was totally out of place in this novel. It really didn't contribute to the plot at all. And then there was the fact that as a mystery novel it really wasn't much of one -- there was no suspense or tension. And unlike Ms Churchill's earlier works where she more or less invites the reader to sleuth along with Jane and Shelley, the clues and suspects were in short supply so that any sleuthing was truly impossible. (It was also easy to figure out where one particular subplot was heading.) On the other hand, I did enjoy the bits about what goes on at a mystery conference, and what to expect if you're trying to get your book published. All in all, an entertaining 3 star read.