Rating: 
Summary: M.I.A. Regulars but still enjoyable
Review: "Broken Dishes" is another example of talented writing with no distasteful innuendoes or violent interludes that curl the hair and curdle the stomach. With each installment Benni Harper gets pluckier, saucier but still has an undisguised vulnerability toward friends, family and especially her husband police chief, Gabe Ortiz. Arriving at a cattle ranch converted to a guest ranch(called The Broken Dis(hes), Benni encounters a group of liberated ladies attending a quilting seminar,a young married couple in financial straits, a head wrangler who is an emotional timebomb, and (why are we not surprised ?) a skeletal dead body.
An additional complication is Detective "Hud" Hudson, a combination of professional nemesis with a begrudging admiration and affection for Benni, who is assigned to investigate the mystery. The anxiety over an unknown "Mystery Traveller", a travel critic who could make or break the ranch financially could present another distracting ingredient.The writing is breezy without being cloying, the bantering is clever without being caustic and the characterization is droll without being outlandish. My one main criticism is how many times does Benni and Gabe's marriage have to be tested? There is a slight element of personal tension between Hud and Benni that obviously creates a jealous atmosphere with Gabe. It seems that Ms Fowler has driven down this road before and perhaps it is time to inject in their relationship a different approach. I also missed Dove, Benni's grandmother and her tried and true ,loving wisdom which keeps Benni's spirit and emotions in necessary balance. "Broken Dishes", while not being the strongest installment in the series will maintain readers' enthusiasmm but make them long for the more familiar, regular characters whose appearances are minimal in this book
Rating:
Summary: M.I.A. Regulars but still enjoyable
Review: "Broken Dishes" is another example of talented writing with no distasteful innuendoes or violent interludes that curl the hair and curdle the stomach. With each installment Benni Harper gets pluckier, saucier but still has an undisguised vulnerability toward friends, family and especially her husband police chief, Gabe Ortiz. Arriving at a cattle ranch converted to a guest ranch(called The Broken Dis(hes), Benni encounters a group of liberated ladies attending a quilting seminar,a young married couple in financial straits, a head wrangler who is an emotional timebomb, and (why are we not surprised ?) a skeletal dead body.
An additional complication is Detective "Hud" Hudson, a combination of professional nemesis with a begrudging admiration and affection for Benni, who is assigned to investigate the mystery. The anxiety over an unknown "Mystery Traveller", a travel critic who could make or break the ranch financially could present another distracting ingredient.The writing is breezy without being cloying, the bantering is clever without being caustic and the characterization is droll without being outlandish. My one main criticism is how many times does Benni and Gabe's marriage have to be tested? There is a slight element of personal tension between Hud and Benni that obviously creates a jealous atmosphere with Gabe. It seems that Ms Fowler has driven down this road before and perhaps it is time to inject in their relationship a different approach. I also missed Dove, Benni's grandmother and her tried and true ,loving wisdom which keeps Benni's spirit and emotions in necessary balance. "Broken Dishes", while not being the strongest installment in the series will maintain readers' enthusiasmm but make them long for the more familiar, regular characters whose appearances are minimal in this book
Rating: 
Summary: fowler's at it again
Review: Another (11th) installment in the life and times of Benni Harper, quilter & rancher extraordinaire. This time she is trying to help a friend of the family get their guest ranch off the ground. She and her family arrange a quilting expedition for the guest ranch, a combination of quilting lessons with a renowned quilter, and ranching experiences. Unfortunately one of the experiences of the women share is the discovery of a skeleton while on a trail ride. This brings in Det. `Hud' Hudson, a former acquaintance of Benni's, who would love for Gabe to be out of the picture - permanently. Tensions soar among the staff at the guest ranch - money and sex seem to stir things up. To top it all off, rumors abound about a mysterious travel critic being present....
Rating:
Summary: a shallow grave
Review: As a murder mystery, this is quite a page-turner. A human bone found, and then a shallow grave on Benni's friends' dude ranch. With some amateur sleuthing, Benni must help find the killer while at the same time keep the ranch guests from being scared away and the ranch from financially going under. Soooo, here again enter Detective "Hud". For someone like me fascinated by the old South and the cowboy mystique, I like the Western setting of the story too. I can't wait to read another Fowler mystery. This is great writing.
Rating:
Summary: Benni helps a friend
Review: Benni Harper's father was best friends with a man named Joe who owned a ranch which is nicknamed "Broken Dishes". After Joe's death, the ranch goes to his daughter Shawna and her husband Johnny. The are having a difficult time making a go of it, so Benni helps out by proposing a weekend with a quilting camp, and lots of other activities. Immediately things start to go wrong and Shawna and Johnny fear that they will lose the ranch when an old set of human bones is found during a trail ride. They fear that this grisly discovery will upset their guests and that none of them will want to come back. Also mysterious things begin to happen, such as a fire and the escape of a prize bull. There are a number of interesting minor characters, including Victory, a well-known quilter who gives lectures, and an interesting foursome of female cousins who enjoy the company of Hud, the investigator sent to uncover the mystery of the bones. Earlene Fowler seems to like romantic triangles and she perhaps overdoes this in creating tension between Gabe, Hud, and Benni, as well as Shawna, Johnny, and Whip, a cowboy whom Shawna's father had taken under his wing. Also there are a few loose ends, such as why the fire was started and whether the bull's escape was an accident or not. Other than that, this is a good read and an enjoyable entry in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Benni helps a friend
Review: Benni Harper's father was best friends with a man named Joe who owned a ranch which is nicknamed "Broken Dishes". After Joe's death, the ranch goes to his daughter Shawna and her husband Johnny. The are having a difficult time making a go of it, so Benni helps out by proposing a weekend with a quilting camp, and lots of other activities. Immediately things start to go wrong and Shawna and Johnny fear that they will lose the ranch when an old set of human bones is found during a trail ride. They fear that this grisly discovery will upset their guests and that none of them will want to come back. Also mysterious things begin to happen, such as a fire and the escape of a prize bull. There are a number of interesting minor characters, including Victory, a well-known quilter who gives lectures, and an interesting foursome of female cousins who enjoy the company of Hud, the investigator sent to uncover the mystery of the bones. Earlene Fowler seems to like romantic triangles and she perhaps overdoes this in creating tension between Gabe, Hud, and Benni, as well as Shawna, Johnny, and Whip, a cowboy whom Shawna's father had taken under his wing. Also there are a few loose ends, such as why the fire was started and whether the bull's escape was an accident or not. Other than that, this is a good read and an enjoyable entry in the series.
Rating:
Summary: --Quilting classes, Trail Rides and An Old Mystery--
Review: BROKEN DISHES is the 11th book in the Benni Harper mystery series. The title is the nickname for the Broken DIS Ranch where this story takes place. Benni Harper Ortiz and her family are helping some old friends turn their family cattle ranch into a guest ranch. The timing is bad because Joe Darnell, the owner of Broken DIS, died prior to the opening of the ranch. Joe's daughter, Shawna, and her husband, Johnny, are now in charge of the endeavor. Benni has the idea to add a quilting seminar as an extra attraction for visitors. Victory Simpson, a well know quilting teacher, is hired to conduct classes for the guests. The events include trail rides, photography lessons, quilting, a domino competition and other joint activities. Benni's, Grandma Dove is also involved helping out at Broken DIS and, as usual, she provides some comic relief. A lost goose attaches himself to Dove and becomes her self-proclaimed protector. He follows her everywhere and viciously attacks any man who comes near. After the guests arrive, a lot of things go wrong at Broken DIS, including a stable fire, a runaway bull and the discovery of an unmarked grave. Shawna and Johnny are worried because one of the guests is a nationally known vacation writer who checks out new vacation spots. A poor review of the dude ranch could be disastrous for Broken DIS. This story brings back Detective Ford "Hud" Hudson, a handsome man that Benni's husband dislikes for good reason. Hud is very attracted to Benni and doesn't hide it. There are some fun characters in this book, including Loretta, Reba, Pinky and Gaynelle, four female cousins from Georgia, who have Detective Hudson on their most wanted list. Gabe Ortiz, Benni's husband, has a very small part in this book and I believe it left somewhat of a void in the story. He's become as important as Grandma Dove to this series.
Rating:
Summary: Earlene Fowler just keeps getting better!
Review: Broken Dishes, like Mariner's Compass, approaches murder from a new angle, one that is integral to the plot, but not your usual who-done-it style. I read Earlene for her incredible ability to populate the town of San Celina with such interesting characters and making me care about everyone (even Hud). The death of her first husband seems to be floating to the top of her last 3 books, and I admire her ability to touch on that while moving the story forward. It would be fun to read a "prequel" to this series back when Jack was alive. I loved Socrates! And the ending was just terrific. I think she could spin another series off several of the characters in this book. If I had a vote in the mystery awards, this would be the book I'd recommend. Should be six stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Rethink the Characters
Review: Having read most of Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper books (five, I think--I started them because I love quilting) I must say I'm getting tired of the dialogue between Benni and Gabe. The conversations are either anger, wisecracks, or double entendre. Come on. Do spouses converse like this all the time? I don't think so. And why bring in this Hud person again. We know Benni isn't going to have a relationship with him. (I can't believe we had the "have to stay the night together in a storm" scenario which has been in hundreds of books and movies). We don't need that sexual tension and leering to advance any of the story. It doesn't make sense. This book was boring and tedious. Most of the characters are cartoon like and predictable and there were far too many characters in this one. It was difficult to sort them all out. At least the author does come up with a slight plot twist at the end.
And why does Benni always hide things from Gabe? I'm tired of Benni and Gabe and his smoldering Latin temperament. Talk about stereotyping. The best book the author did was "Steps to the Altar." And least we saw the characters in more depth going through crises. I believe the author needs fewer characters who are examined in more depth.
Rating:
Summary: I missed Gabe...
Review: I am an ardant fan of Earlene Fowler. However, I was exhausted trying to sort out all the different characters, who belonged to who, who knew who when...I missed reading about her core characters. The plot was good, stumbling across skeletal remains was a nice twist. Hud's comment about Gabe was fabulous and unexpected, I laughed out loud. I will be reading the book again and will probadly enjoy it more now that I am familiar with the different characters.
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