To Perish in Penzance: A Dorothy Martin Mystery (Dorothy Martin Series, 7)

Rating:
Summary: Parallel Perils in Penzance
Review: An unlikely plot, and dialogue that crosses over into trite way too often, still an interesting travelogue and glimpse into the coastal town of Penzance. Dorothy Martin is a retired American schoolteacher and recent newlywed to retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt. Escaping the constant rain in their cathedral town, this unlikely pair of sleuths head for the sunshine at the seaside, and another peek at a decades old crime. The likelihood of a repeat of that crime is a stretch, and Dorothy crosses the line between caring and interested into nosy and bossy one time too many for this reader. The story has moments of charm and a sense of place, but could have benefited from a map (most books could?). Not a strong recommendation, but still an interesting escape.

Rating:
Summary: wooden dialogue and improbable coincidences
Review: This latest entry in the Dorothy Martin series is characterized by wooden dialogue and improbable coincidences. It completely lacks the charm of the earlier entries in the series.

The married couple whose unlikely detective antics are at the center of this series are dull and preachy in this book. Their activities are farfetched in most of the books, but their charm and the atmosphere of their village make the books enjoyable. Unfortunately, this book lacks both charm and atmosphere. Instead of the glorious side of Cornwall, we see Cornwall as a center of illegal drug activity. Instead of charming interplay between Alan and Dorothy, we see preaching and the discussion of topics which most married couples (or even dating couples) would long have exhausted between them. There is an awful lot about Alan that Dorothy does not know, ranging from how he feels about criminals and capital punishment to what he did in the military. How could they not have discussed such topics? Alan is often patronizing to his wife, and Dorothy for the first time seems relatively unintelligent.

The mystery itself is the real weakness in this novel. It is based on the most unbelievable set of coincidences. This string of coincidences begins with the fact that Dorothy proposes a trip to Cornwall to try to solve a mystery that Alan had failed to solve thirty years earlier, and they (by chance) end up staying in the hotel with the daughter of the murder victim. Help!

I kept reading, and finished the book, but I do not recommend it. The characterizations in it are as superficial as the relationship Alan and Dorothy apparently have, and the plot is absurd.

Rating:
Summary: Not like the others
Review: This was not a bad mystery at all, but it lacked the coziness of her other books. Instead, it brought in a lot of the sordidness of society that exists today that I really prefer not to have in my books. I read for enjoyment and entertainment; if I went something more true to life, I'll find it in the newspapers. The author brought in a lot of the sadness people feel in the excessive use of drugs and alcohol by those in the younger age group, and the knowledge that nothing can be done about it. I hope that in her following books the author returns to her more familiar cozies that don't leave you feeling so despondent.