A Midsummer Night's Scream : A Jane Jeffry Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Jane is back!
Review: I don't know what was going on in Ms. Churchill's life during the writing of BELL, BOOK, AND SCANDAL (a real dog of a book), but whatever it was seems to be over. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SCREAM is back up to her old standards and I, for one, couldn't be happier. While the premise for why Jane and Shelley are involved with a group of thespians from a college drama group is a little thin, the story line is not. From the snotty director Professor Imry to the pseudo celebrity acting couple, the story is, at least this time, 100 times more interesting than her previous book. I'm still not ready to give her 5 stars - the improvement may be only temporary - but at least this one is readable.


Rating:
Summary: Another disappointment -- I'm about ready to give up!
Review: I have read every one of Jill Churchill's books, both from the Jane Jeffry series and the "Grace and Favor" series. I've always thought of the Jane Jeffry books as special treats -- each a quick read loaded with good characters, humor, a dead body or two (usually offed in a creative way), and a great friendship between Jane and Shelly. Jane has always seemed like, well, me! She is a stay-at-home mom, who is happily involved in her kids' lives, in her romance with Mel, and in many local crimes. OK, so the crime part isn't at all like my own life, but the rest of the stuff is! The last book, "Bell, Book, and Scandal" was just awful. I reluctantly picked up this book, hoping that maybe whoever had been masquerading as Jill Churchill for "Bell, . . ." had been exorcised and that Jill herself was back! But alas, this book is only marginally better than the last.

Jane is helping Shelly evaluate caterers at a theatre Shelly's husband has donated to the local college. A lackluster play is being produced, and a member of the production is killed. No one seems to care much, and Mel actually asks Jane and Shelly for their opinions on the case -- a big departure from the character's usual behavior, where he constantly warns Jane to keep her nose out of his murder investigation. Why the change? I couldn't tell you, because it was never clear to me in the book. There is very little suspense, the case is solved, and Jane and Shelly work on needlepoint.

I am really disappointed, because I miss the old Jane and Shelly, and Mel. None of the characters seem to have the depth that they used to, and the writing has become so stilted I still believe that Jill Churchill is letting someone else write the book. I just can't get over the change in writing style -- it doesn't make sense.

I don't know if I'm going to read the next Jane Jeffry book, whenever that comes out. I'll still read the "Grace and Favor" books, because those have been consistently entertaining. Again, this is where I get confused because why is there such a difference between the two series?

Rating:
Summary: Better than the previous installment
Review: I like Jane. I want to like this series. However, after reading the latest offering, I'm hard pressed to muster much, if any, enthusiasm for the one that will follow this book.

One thing, right off the bat was that I had no way to picture Mel at all. It was stressed that he is very good looking and a swell dresser. That didn't narrow it down much for me. Can't say as I recall details of Jane or Shelley's looks either; but, that wasn't as much of an issue - perhaps because their parts are so character-driven.

The mystery angle was OK (standard cozy). The premise that Paul bought the theater "on impulse" was a bit contrived and out-of-character; Shelley wouldn't be quite so fatalistic about the fact that the building was unusable (thus the donation as a loss-cutting mechanism). The catering issue was a bit weak, but buy-into-able (though transparently so), to get Jane involved with the murder mystery.

The book deal sub-plot was more than I could swallow though. Without re-reading the previous story, here's that chronology as I understand it ...

Jane had been working on her story for several years, off and on, before deciding to bring an outline and sample chapters to a mystery convention (a few months before this current story begins); registrants are provided the opportunity to present their ideas to a couple of editors for review. One of the editors likes what she saw of Jane's work, suggesting Jane send her a finished manuscript when the entire book is complete. Felicity, a noted mystery writer with whom Jane becomes friends is also favorably impressed with Jane's proposal. So far, so good. Credibility intact.

In this book, Jane mentions to Shelley that she sent the manuscript to Felicity for feedback, who sent back her suggestions for revision (chiefly, moving the "mystery" angle up by 100 pages). Jane tells Shelley that she spent "two days" on revision, and then sent a second draft out to the editor (note that Felicity's is the only feedback Jane gets on her work before sending it out) Two days? I would think that one would need a lot more revision (AND feedback!) than that.

I realize that this is fiction, but Jane's good fortune here was mind-boggling. The editor dropped what she was doing (in late July!) to devote her attention to convincing the marketing department to accept Jane's story for immediate acceptance. Within a couple of weeks of receiving a second draft from an unpublished fiction author (granted they met at the conference), the editor calls Jane offering a contract? Moreover, when a stunned Jane asks about changes, Melody tells her she doesn't need any? She then insists that Jane get an agent to negotiate the contract.
HEL-LO? If Melody's so concerned about not negitiating directly with a [new] author, shouldn't she have advised Jane to get an agent at their initial meeting back at the convention? Wouldn't Felicity have advised her to send a [final] draft to potential agents, with advice to stress to that Melody had liked what she saw?

I understand that the author is trying to set Jane up as a literary success, which is fine. However, unless Jane is incredibly talented, these events unfolded in a totally bizarre fashion. It would have been much more realistic for Melody to have returned the manuscript with a cover letter containing some very positive comments (and suggested changes), and informing Jane that she (Melody) was looking forward to receiving the next draft directly from an agent. That would have been entirely credible to me.

The epilogue format was odd, and really left me wondering about the author's intentions for the balance of the series.


Rating:
Summary: Series going downhill
Review: I used to love the Jane Jeffry series, but the last two installments were really disappointing. I'm certain if that was her first manuscript, Jill Churchill would never be a published author. The mystery takes backseat to needle point instructions, the characters are lifeless and the dialog forced. Someone listening to Jane and Shelley's conversations would never in a million years guess those two are best friends. The biggest disappointment is the lack of the laugh-out-loud humor which was so endearing in the earlier books in the series. A real shame...

Rating:
Summary: entertaining police procedural
Review: Jane Jeffrey and Shelley Novak have been neighbors and best friends for years and now with their children grown they have time to do any project they want to for fun. Shelley's husband bought a run down theatre thinking he can renovate it and use it for storing food supplies but it wasn't cost effective so he donated it to the community college's theater department. Shelley is in charge of hiring different caterers for the rehearsals, a job she wants because she hopes to find some good companies that would cater Shelley and her husband's business affairs.

The cast detests the nasty uncouth director- playwright Steven Imry. When one of the actors, Denny Roth is murdered everyone wants Imry accused of the crime, but lead detective Mel VanDyne (Jane's long time lover) has no evidence to arrest the man. Mel asks Jane's opinions about the various cast members. When the janitor is attacked, Mel instinctively knows that it is the work of the same person who killed Denny, but remains at a total loss for a viable suspect until he finds a safety deposit key that unlocks all the secrets that are needed to solve the case.

Between helping Shelley audition caterers, watching the play several times, working on her book and taking stitching lessons, the protagonist is a busy person. Mel plays a prominent role as the audience sees things from his point of view as well as that of Jane. Jill Churchill has written an entertaining police procedural that emphasizes finding the killer as much as it does on the daily activities of Jane and Shelley. Fans of this series will thoroughly enjoy this charming work.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Pleasant "cozy"
Review: Jane Jeffry and her best friend Shelley decide that they must take up some new hobbies so that when their children move out, they will not have "empty nest" syndrome. Shelley supplies the first project when her husband donates a theater to the local college for their dramas. Shelley needs to try out some caterers for her husband's business dinners so she agrees to be in charge of arranging catered small suppers for the cast and crew of the first play which the college is producing. Jane is persuaded to help her out and they are soon involved in meeting the egotistical writer/director of the play and his cast of interesting characters. A second hobby which they take up is needle point and they enjoy sharing lessons with some of the other people in the play. While all this is happening, Jane receives the exciting news that her first book is going to be published. Of course no mystery would be complete without a dead body and soon one shows up at the theater. Jane and Shelley "help" Jane's detective boyfriend solve the murder and everything is tied up neatly at the end. Churchill's plots are always simple and it's not too difficult to discern the murderer, but her books make for a pleasant read.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: The Jane Jeffry series, while not towering classics, have generally been decent reads. Sadly, that is not the case in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SCREAM. This reads like someone's first attempt at writing a mystery novel. The dialogue is stilted, the characters are flat, and who wants to read about needlepoint lessons! I could hardly get through the book... A complete waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: not a very interesting or engaging read
Review: When Shelley Novak's husband donates a run-down theatre to the community college, a novel idea strikes her. The college is about to feature a play by one of its professors, Steven Imry, and Shelley has volunteered to provide the food for the rehearsals. What she has in mind is to get a few caterers to provide the food (a different caterer each night) and then pick the best one to cater for her husband's annual managers' dinner. Shelley wants Jane to help her sample the food and take note of how the caterers handle things. And as a bonus, Jane and Shelley will be able to watch the rehearsals. While not completely enthusiastic, Jane allows herself to be persuaded and soon the two friends are sitting in on what must be one of the worst plays of the century. The play is awful and half-baked, the playwright-director is an oaf, and the actors, save for the professional aging actress, the likable Ms Bunting, are mediocre at best. So that the last thing Jane or Shelley was expecting was for one of the actors to get murdered. And while neither Jane nor Shelley feel much of a bond to those involved in this murder investigation, they naturally feel a little curious as to why this particular actor was murdered. And then a few days later the janitor is attacked. This time Mel Van Dyne (the detective in charge of the homicides and Jane's longtime lover) in eager to hear Jane's insights. And so once again, Jane and Shelley find themselves delving into a murder investigation...

I remember the first Jane Jeffry mystery I read, "The Class Menagerie." I liked it so much that I went back to the bookstore the next day to get the other books in the series. Sadly, this will probably be the last Jane Jeffry mystery I read. It feels as if the heart has gone out of this series. The story plods along, the mystery in this particular installment was barely discernible, the other characters in this book (other than Ms Bunting) are not "fleshed out" and remain shadowy at best, and even Jane and Shelley seem lacking in enthusiasm and interest in discovering what's going on. All in all, "A Midsummer Night's Scream" was not a very interesting read.