MacPherson's Lament

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, and exciting
Review: I read this book, and liked it. It really seems to grab your attention...It has everything in it... the setting of the Appalachians...a murder mystery...Sharyn McCrumb puts all of these together in one great book. I enjoyed the parts on how Sharyn described in detail the characters. She describes perfectly the "southern" style, and the "southern" talk... Read this book and you will enjoy it very much.

Rating:
Summary: Continuing saga of the MacPherson family
Review: I was all set to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Ms. McCrumb's later Appalachia series. Unfortunately, I found that her earlier work does not compare to the work that she produces today.

MacPherson's Lament is a continuation of the series about forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson and the travails of her southern family. This book concerns her brother, Bill, who unwittingly sets himself up for charges of fraud when he sells an antebellum mansion for a group of Southern ladies to a Yankee fortune hunter. He finds out later that the house really belongs to the State of Virginia--his clients disappearing to parts unknown.

Elizabeth helps him out of this predicament in addition to helping his law partner, A. Powell Hill, with a murder case she is trying in court.

One review says that the book would lead to "a Civil War secret that may be the key to the ugly truth...." I did not find one at all, just a series of misunderstandings and disappointment.

For those who like them, this would make a very enjoyable cozy mystery read. I was expecting more, though, and like one reviewer I really saw no mystery in the book. But, I still like Sharyn McCrumb's work and plan to read the further adventures of Elizabeth MacPherson.

Rating:
Summary: Partial Lamenting over MacPherson's Lament
Review: I was all set to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Ms. McCrumb's later Appalachia series. Unfortunately, I found that her earlier work does not compare to the work that she produces today.

MacPherson's Lament is a continuation of the series about forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson and the travails of her southern family. This book concerns her brother, Bill, who unwittingly sets himself up for charges of fraud when he sells an antebellum mansion for a group of Southern ladies to a Yankee fortune hunter. He finds out later that the house really belongs to the State of Virginia--his clients disappearing to parts unknown.

Elizabeth helps him out of this predicament in addition to helping his law partner, A. Powell Hill, with a murder case she is trying in court.

One review says that the book would lead to "a Civil War secret that may be the key to the ugly truth...." I did not find one at all, just a series of misunderstandings and disappointment.

For those who like them, this would make a very enjoyable cozy mystery read. I was expecting more, though, and like one reviewer I really saw no mystery in the book. But, I still like Sharyn McCrumb's work and plan to read the further adventures of Elizabeth MacPherson.

Rating:
Summary: Appalachian Setting
Review: McCrumb greatly sets her books in the Appalachian. She is very detailed about the surroundings in the appalachia.

Rating:
Summary: No lament for this fine mystery
Review: Newly minted attorney Bill MacPherson sets up shop in Southside Virginia with law partner A.P. Hill (yes, she is descended from the General). As A.P. busies herself in a murder case, Bill finds himself in hot water when some old ladies whose house he's just sold just maybe don't own the house. And just why did they want the money wired to the Cayman Islands? And where are they? It falls to sister Elizabeth to sort things out.

Quick moving, an easy read. Even though as a lawyer myself (Virginia, too), stories about a lawyer's troubles are not entertainment for me, it was still an enjoyable read. ...

Somewhat of an annoyance for me were a number of errors McCrumb made about Virginia law--for example, the prosecutor would be referred to as the Commonwealth's Attorney. More an annoyance than anything else but it displays a lack of research detail.
Well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: A funny book...
Review: This is the seventh book in the series about amateur sleuth/forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson. While it is an enjoyable read, Elizabeth doesn't appear on the scene until over half-way through the book! This time the book focuses on Elizabeth's older brother, Bill MacPherson, who is not as captivating a character as his younger sister or his new law partner, A.P. Hill.

The main story involves Bill as he begins his law career as a partner in the firm of MacPherson & Hill. Bill's first case is to handle his parents divorce. After dealing with that, he figures that helping the sweet old ladies at the Home for Confederate Women sell their house will be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Bill ends up getting charged with fraud, theft, and murdering 8 elderly women.

At this point Bill's younger sister, Elizabeth, returns to Virginia in order to save her brother's name and career; and try to stop her parent's divorce proceedings. Armed with a clue from cousin Geoffrey, Elizabeth rushes across the south in an effort to locate the Confederate Women and save the day.

This is an enjoyable book, but the charm of the Elizabeth MacPherson series is the unbridled lunacy and fun as Elizabeth stumbles into trouble wherever she goes; from her cousin's wedding, to the Scottish games, or an archaeological dig in the outer Scottish islands. Unfortunately, in an effort to branch out the series, Ms. McCrumb decided to focus on another member of the MacPherson clan. If she decides to branch out again in the future, I recommend concentrating on eccentric cousin Geoffrey Chandler!

Rating:
Summary: Continuing saga of the MacPherson family
Review: This series is quite different from the Appalacian Ballard series but vive la difference. There is a lot of sly humor tucked away, especially if you have read the others (not necessarily in any particularly order). Think more of the family and friends saga of Stephanie Plum but with more literary wit and you have the gist of it. I am waiting impatiently for the next book (PMS Outlaws was the last) to see where Bill and AP are going, what cousin Jeffrey is up to and how Elizabeth will reinvent herself.