Rating: 
Summary: Harwin is well on her way to being a favorite author of mine
Review: That's high prize given that she's only published this one book, but this book was excellent. After 50 pages or so, I couldn't put it down. I suspect that the author was writing with her tongue firmly in cheek -- having fun with all the conventions of the English Cozy Mystery (including the rustic gardener whose English is almost incomprehensible because of a heavy rural accent and the manor house), and yet she has a vicar who confounds all the conventions of the "cozy" -- he's young, abrasive, and doesn't fit in. He wants to tear down the old church and build a modern worship center! The plot involves an older American woman, Catherine Penny, who has moved to a picturesque cottage in the Cotswolds following her divorce. She has a daughter and grandchild in England, and after her husband's betrayal, feels the need to start over somewhere new. The picturesque cottage is marred only by a decrepit cottage across the road, inhabited by the hermit-like and cantankerous George Crocker -- who Catherine insists upon trying to help. Meanwhile, she gets to know all the stock characters of the English cozy, including the people who live in the manor house and the woman who runs the village shop. She has hardly begun to settle in before there is a murder -- she has difficulty convincing anyone that murder has taken place because murders aren't supposed to happen in this little village. She sets out (driven by a sense of justice?) to discover who the killer is. Meanwhile, she's trying to care for her daughter's toddler, and butting heads with her daughter in the process -- so Catherine's personal life is intertwined with her detective work. I also was surprised by the ending -- totally -- something that doesn't happen very often -- and yet it all made sense (no holes in this plot!) This book quickly developed into a real page turner, because it is well written and carefully plotted -- and because you care for and like Catherine. I can hardly wait until the next book to come out, but will have to wait for over a year!
Rating: 
Summary: Child Rearing Manual?
Review: The central mystery in this book is an average story. It is a good book for a lazy weekend, but I would not waste any precious reading time on it.
However, it truly bothered me that the main character could not stop harping on her daughter's parenting skills. As a new mother myself, I found this to be extremely irritating. It seems that Ms. Harwin had to go out of her way to make the daughter seem crazy (expecting ANYONE to stay INDOORS all day with a very active two year-old without turning on the TV)just so that her older, "wiser" character could criticize. Some older readers may feel a camaraderie with the main character, but I find enough advice from busy-body relatives on my own. I don't need it in a light read!
Rating:
Summary: Write Faster.....Please!
Review: The constant theme in the favorable reviews of "Arson and Old Lace" is that readers can't wait for the next book, "Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow" in this brand new series by Patricia Harwin.
The writing is superb and the plot and outcome take some unexpected twists. Moreover, I found the main character, Catherine Penny, to be so realistic and indicative of older women in our society today. After a long, successful marriage, she has abruptly been left by her attorney husband for a younger woman. She is angry and bitter, but is also determined to get on with her life and start anew. Moving to England to live in a small English village that she fell in love with when they visited their daughter, Catherine has wiped the slate clean. She looks forward to being near her daughter and grandson and is charmed by her new village cottage. What she isn't prepared for are the memories that sometimes overwhelm her of the times that she spent with her husband there. She isn't expecting the murder and mayhem that the sleepy, tranquil village awakens either!
I personally loved how her daughter Emily was portrayed. Her daughter has always kept her emotions in check and cannot fathom why her mother cannot do the same. Emily is a new mother and a take-charge psychotherapist who has very definite ideas on child rearing. Many of these ideas are "unrealistic," but so true of some new mothers! Especially since Emily is assertive and maybe a little bit of a control freak. She is totally consumed with her new son and is pretty uptight about how he should be raised. The one area that made me dislike Emily, somewhat though, was her totally disregard when her mother was almost killed. However, I can also understand that many people mask their fear with anger instead. So even though it didn't make me fond of her, I found it to be very realistic.
I think that Catherine Penny is in a niche that would appeal to all readers, but especially readers in their 20's and up. If you have to read about beautiful, young heroines with torrid love interests in each chapter, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy reading about a mature woman with realistic dialogue and plot, as well as a clever and enjoyable mystery - you will join the ranks of Patricia Harwin's fans.
Ms. Harwin: Write faster! Take care of your health! If you smoke - please stop! Eat your veggies and get plenty of exercise because I want you to be writing for a LONG time. An excellent, excellent first novel!
Rating:
Summary: fine for some
Review: this is a novel that was obviously planned to appeal to a certain demographic and to capitalize on the popularity of another series with an american woman protagonist living in england. i like cosies, and this is not badly written, except for a few minor points that ruined it for me.
the motivation is about three generations out of date. please, england not only entered the 20th century some time ago, there are signs that the english are aware that we are now in the 21st century. i would make other comments about this, but i hate people who give away plot details, and won't be one.
the slang is not quite as out-dated, but is certainly 40 years or so old.
the characters are unattractive to me, though the american characters are based on fairly common types. their relationships are well drawn. the dialogue is usually good, in that it reveals character. the descriptions and plot development are well handled. and though some might find this point unimportant, the writing is grammatical. it's nice to know that there are still americans who can handle verb tenses and know an adjective from an adverb.
the author is clearly talented. and maybe writing this book was her break into publication. but i think she is capable of better.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent debut
Review: This is the first installment in a brand new series by a new authour (Patricia Harwin), and what a thoroughly enjoyable read "Arson and Old Lace" proved to be! Set in a small little village just outside Oxford (Far Wychwood), "Arson and Old Lace" fits comfortably within the parameters of what an English "cozy" should be. Patricia Harwin obviously knows exactly what ingredients should go into an English "cozy," as well as what to add/change so that "Arson and Old Lace" manages (and rightly so) to come across as something fresh and vibrant. I enjoyed reading this mystery novel immensely and am feeling really both disappointed and impatient since I will have to wait a whole year in order to be able to read the next Catherine Penny mystery novel. Bitter, angry and saddened by her sudden divorce, sixty-something Catherine Penny has decided to leave her old life in New York City behind her and move into a charming little 17th century cottage at Far Wychwood, near Oxford. Of course Catherine won't be really all alone since her daughter, Emily, and her family lives there as well. Determined to put the memory of her failed marriage and her ex-husband, Quinn, behind her, the very notion of moving to another country definitely had its appeal. But Catherine is little prepared for the odd characters that she encountered in her new home. People like her immediate neighbour, senile old George Crocker, who seems to have been left to cope with things all by himself by both his family and the village; or the zealot-like new vicar, Ian Laribee, who seems intent on removing all signs of the village church's historical past. Fortunately most of the villagers seem to be nice and welcoming, and Catherine soon begins to feel that her decision to immigrate was the right one. That is until old George Crocker is found dead in his burning cottage. Thanks to Catherine, the police quickly discover enough evidence to conclude that George was murdered. You'd think that having convinced the police that old George had been murdered would have been enough for Catherine, but Catherine finds that she has a burning urge to discover for herself who had murdered George and why. But in a village that goes back hundreds of years and where the villagers all seem to have roots that also go back as long, Catherine just might dig up more than she has bargained for... I love English "cozies" and it was a real treat to discover "Arson and Old Lace." The story was a good one, dealing evenly with how Catherine tries to cope with her hurt over the breakup of her marriage; the difficulties she faces with her daughter, Emily; how she adapts to life in Far Wychwood, and how she keeps finding herself deeply involved in trying to unmask George's murderer. The pacing was even and fairly swift -- nothing got bogged down -- and there was enough plot twists and red herring suspects so that mystery buffs shouldn't feel too shortchanged. "Arson and Old Lace" is wonderful first installment in a brand new series that is worth recommending that everyone buy/read and keep an eye out for future installments. This truly was an excellent buy and read.
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