Do Unto Others

Rating:
Summary: Very humorous, with a very believable setting.
Review: Despite the seemingly dark plot (the murder of an ultra religious lady in a small town's library), this is in fact a very humorous, very funny story. Although the events in the last few chapters are perhaps revealed too abruptly, compared to the rest of the book, the ability of the author to think up so many interesting and intriguing events and twists in a small town setting is to be admired.

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters and Great Storyline
Review: Everyone who has ever lived in a Southern town will relate to the characters and the relationships. This author is outstanding and just seems to get better with each book

Rating:
Summary: Almost likable, but it didn't add up for me.
Review: I managed to keep at it to the end, but I was tempted to abandon "Do Unto Others" several times. Many of the characters are stereotypical and not credible, and the book as a whole left me wishing I was finished long before I got to the last page.

The murder victim is an over-the-top whacked-out nut-job fundamentalist Christian who attends a Southern Baptist Church and runs many of the church's activities. Whatever good or ill anyone may think of fundamentalist Christians in general and Southern Baptists in particular, this character's specific frame of mind and perspective just do not fit with the doctrinal philosophy of the denomination she's supposed to have belonged to for many years.

When a murder happens in the library, causing it to be closed for a few days and leaving the librarian as the chief suspect, the protagonist (the library director), operates as though it's his private business, and neither his boss the mayor nor other city officials (except the police chief) make an appearance to deal with such unorthodox activities ocurring on city property.

The police chief is dimwitted but well-meaning, the DA is too stupid to tie his shoes properly, and the killer transforms from mild-mannered and ordinary into shrewd and powerful ubervillain faster than Superman ever changed into a cape and leotard.

Incidentally, the protagonist works awfully hard to convince readers he's heterosexual, but I thought he protested too much.

The basic plot is a little better than mediocre, and there is an occasional high point as the book's various elements play out and come together, but on the whole, the characters are just too contrived for me to believe in them enough to care what happens to them.

Oddly enough, the two characters I liked the most (I can't name them without ruling them out as suspects for anyone who still plans to read the book) are used by the author as minor red herrings and then abandoned when they are no longer needed to enlarge the list of potential killers.

Someone gave me four of the books in this series. I read this one -- I believe the first -- and page one of the second book, and then reminded myself life is too short to spend it reading books that ring as false as this one does, so I returned them politely and and suggested maybe someone else would enjoy them. If I'd actually bought the book, I'd have been really disappointed, instead of only mildly put-out at having wasted time reading it.

I was delighted to discover the series, and I wanted very much to like this book and the others, but I couldn't get there.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Mystery With Even Better Characters!
Review: If you were raised in a small town in Texas (or most southern states), you will undoubtedly recognize most of the characters in this book. The main character, Jordy Poteet is engaging and funny. The mystery is well crafted and the writing style is easygoing. Jeff Abbott started a winning series with this book!

Rating:
Summary: Delightful debut novel
Review: Jeff Abbott catches the atmosphere of small-town Texas to perfection in this, his first novel. His hero is Jordy Poteet, just returned from Boston to care for his mother who has Alzheimer's. In contrast to his job as editor in Boston, Jordy becomes the head librarian in his old hometown. His nemesis is Beta Harcher, a religious zealot who is singlehandedly attempting to censor many of the best books in the library. Jordy and Beta have a loud disagreement, and the next day Beta is found murdered. Jordy's old schoolmate Junebug, now the town sheriff, fingers Jordy as the chief suspect. Jordy sets out on his own investigation as an act of self-defense. He discovers a list of townspeople which Beta compiled and beside each name is a scripture reference. Jordy talks to each person on the list and looks up the Bible verses, in an attempt to solve the murder. This book is well-written and has interesting characters and a well-conceived plot.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful debut novel
Review: Jeff Abbott catches the atmosphere of small-town Texas to perfection in this, his first novel. His hero is Jordy Poteet, just returned from Boston to care for his mother who has Alzheimer's. In contrast to his job as editor in Boston, Jordy becomes the head librarian in his old hometown. His nemesis is Beta Harcher, a religious zealot who is singlehandedly attempting to censor many of the best books in the library. Jordy and Beta have a loud disagreement, and the next day Beta is found murdered. Jordy's old schoolmate Junebug, now the town sheriff, fingers Jordy as the chief suspect. Jordy sets out on his own investigation as an act of self-defense. He discovers a list of townspeople which Beta compiled and beside each name is a scripture reference. Jordy talks to each person on the list and looks up the Bible verses, in an attempt to solve the murder. This book is well-written and has interesting characters and a well-conceived plot.

Rating:
Summary: Action-packed but stereotypical...
Review: Jeff Abbott's "Do Unto Others" is certainly an impressive mystery debut, but while the thrills add to the story, many stereotypical "small-town" characters subtract from it. Basically, according to this book: all "Christian" characters are hypocrites, extortionists or psychotic killers. The more interesting(and sympapathetic ones) is a Vietnam vet/drug dealer, a car salesman with a dirty secret(one of this book's better subplots), and a nurse character. This book does realisticly portray Alzheimer's, so that's a plus. 3 stars

Rating:
Summary: Action-packed but stereotypical...
Review: Jeff Abbott's "Do Unto Others" is certainly an impressive mystery debut, but while the thrills add to the story, many stereotypical "small-town" characters subtract from it. Basically, according to this book: all "Christian" characters are hypocrites, extortionists or psychotic killers. The more interesting(and sympapathetic ones) is a Vietnam vet/drug dealer, a car salesman with a dirty secret(one of this book's better subplots), and a nurse character. This book does realisticly portray Alzheimer's, so that's a plus. 3 stars

Rating:
Summary: What a TREAT !!!!!!!!!
Review: Jordy Poteet runs afoul of the local religious fanatic in his little Texas town. Since he's the head librarian, she sees him as the main purveyor of filth in their small community. When she wallops him with a copy of DH Lawrence's Women in Love, he makes a threat that will come back to haunt him. She's found dead in the library of a wallop from a baseball bat. A list of names followed by Bible verses leads to Jordy uncovering a multitude of sins among the population. And why is his mother, an Alzheimer's patient, on the list? The answer to that question leads to a profound change in Jordy's life. Distinctively Southern in tone, Abbott's debut talks with a Dixie accent. His small town characters ring true-- from the local police force to the little old lady who writes steamy romances to the preacher and his wife. This is a promising start. I've already begun the followup and, so far, it is just as enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: A Texas Cozy
Review: Jordy Poteet runs afoul of the local religious fanatic in his little Texas town. Since he's the head librarian, she sees him as the main purveyor of filth in their small community. When she wallops him with a copy of DH Lawrence's Women in Love, he makes a threat that will come back to haunt him. She's found dead in the library of a wallop from a baseball bat. A list of names followed by Bible verses leads to Jordy uncovering a multitude of sins among the population. And why is his mother, an Alzheimer's patient, on the list? The answer to that question leads to a profound change in Jordy's life. Distinctively Southern in tone, Abbott's debut talks with a Dixie accent. His small town characters ring true-- from the local police force to the little old lady who writes steamy romances to the preacher and his wife. This is a promising start. I've already begun the followup and, so far, it is just as enjoyable.