Rating: 
Summary: Thank you Earlene Fowler!
Review: I have enjoyed all of the previous Benni Harper books and this one is no exception. There is something about the relationships between Benni and her husband, family, and friends that strikes a cord in me. I read the books as much to get to know these characters better as for the mysteries, which very well written. This book will always be my favorite because of the way the author made a point to reassure the readers of the continuation of Benni's and Gabe's relationship. Lately several of the authors whose books I have been reading for years have killed off the main character's love interest and I now find myself starting each new book of an established series with trepidation. I have limited time for pleasure reading and shock, grief, and sadness are not emotions I am interested in feeling when I sit down to be entertained. So, thank you Earlene Fowler. I look forward to the next Benni Harper book.
Rating:
Summary: Mariners Compass
Review: I have just finished reading Mariners Compass. I have also read the 5 previous books in the Benni Harper series. This one is is the best by far! Although there is no murder mystery to solve in this one, the plot and the characters make for a fascinating read and the end, though not exactly a bombshell, is creditable and heartwarming in a real life sort of way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward now to reading Seven Sisters and then Arkansas Traveler!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I have rarely read a book that kept me as inthralled as this one did. Earlene Fowler has let Bennie Harper mature and grow. I find myself thinking about it even though I finished it several days ago. I can hardly wait for her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Benni and Gabe on Geritol???
Review: I loved all the Benni and Gabe books. They are great characters and the books are so well written the characters come alive. Ms. Fowler had a great sense of humor. However, I was disappointed in the prologue. Gabe is one of the sexiest characters in literature and the thought of him in his eighties is disconcerting!!
Rating: 
Summary: A mystery, but not about quilting
Review: I picked this up at at quilt show because it played up the "quilting" angle on the cover -- but quilting is tangential, at best. The mystery keeps you turning the pages, but I agree with the other reviewers that Benni is the empty center of the book -- the "supporting" characters are far more interesting. Benni never really comes alive; she's just an annoying twerp asking questions and jumping to the wrong conclusions, only to get rescued by the more interesting characters. I was more concerned when her dog was missing that when she was seemingly being tailed by a couple who seemed to be more (or less) than they claimed. I doubt I'll bother with the other books in the series, and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool mystery buff (and quilter).
Rating:
Summary: A mystery, but not about quilting
Review: I picked this up at at quilt show because it played up the "quilting" angle on the cover -- but quilting is tangential, at best. The mystery keeps you turning the pages, but I agree with the other reviewers that Benni is the empty center of the book -- the "supporting" characters are far more interesting. Benni never really comes alive; she's just an annoying twerp asking questions and jumping to the wrong conclusions, only to get rescued by the more interesting characters. I was more concerned when her dog was missing that when she was seemingly being tailed by a couple who seemed to be more (or less) than they claimed. I doubt I'll bother with the other books in the series, and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool mystery buff (and quilter).
Rating:
Summary: Benni is an engaging sleuth; don't miss this book
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Mariner's Compass, the first book I have read in this series. Benni Harper is a great heroine, self determined, smart and still caring of the people around her. The plot was very well done; I enjoyed trying to figure out with Benni why Jacob Chandler, someone she never met, bequeathed his house to her. As a condition of the will, she had to live in the house and follow the clues he set out for her. As he planned, she did learn about him and his life, with some intrigue and danger built in. The characters were great--I loved her sassy grandma who led a sit in at a local museum and her handsome hispanic sheriff husband. I do care about these characters and Benni and I will read more of this series.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Characters and Mystery
Review: I'm a little sleepy this morning, having read way past my bedtime last night to get to the end of this book. Not only is it a good, involving mystery, it is also a journey of self-examination. As Benni begins the journey, we go along with her, wondering what we would do in our own life if something we had always believed to be true were not so. There is a lot of believable human emotion here, and it's easy to relate to the characters. Tempering the emotion is humor, and the two balance the book very well.This is a wonderful series, and this entry is one of the best in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Agatha Award Winner -- Definitely worth a read.
Review: I've decided to try reading all those nominated for best mystery novel awards. Earlene Fowler's "Mariner's Compass", won the Agatha Award for Best Novel in the year 2000. I'm glad it did, because I might not have otherwise discovered this mystery writer, and Fowler's definitely worth reading. The title, "Mariner's Compass", refers not only to an inheritance pointing out a complex scavenger hunt touching investigator Benni Harper's past, but to an old, historic quilt design. The interaction between the hunt for certain objects, their interrelationship with the people who hold them and Benni, and Benni's own personal journey is extremely well done and makes for a gripping novel. Fowler's descriptions of small seaside California towns are very evocative, and refreshingly positive. The novel's Prologue is touching and worth the price of the book. Put some logs in the fireplace, get yourself a cup of hot cocoa and your favorite quilt, and curl up with this first rate yarn. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Agatha Award Winner -- Definitely worth a read.
Review: I've decided to try reading all those nominated for best mystery novel awards. Earlene Fowler's "Mariner's Compass", won the Agatha Award for Best Novel in the year 2000. I'm glad it did, because I might not have otherwise discovered this mystery writer, and Fowler's definitely worth reading. The title, "Mariner's Compass", refers not only to an inheritance pointing out a complex scavenger hunt touching investigator Benni Harper's past, but to an old, historic quilt design. The interaction between the hunt for certain objects, their interrelationship with the people who hold them and Benni, and Benni's own personal journey is extremely well done and makes for a gripping novel. Fowler's descriptions of small seaside California towns are very evocative, and refreshingly positive. The novel's Prologue is touching and worth the price of the book. Put some logs in the fireplace, get yourself a cup of hot cocoa and your favorite quilt, and curl up with this first rate yarn. You won't regret it.
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