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Rating: 
Summary: A welcome and funny return.
Review: A Conventional Corpse is a welcome return of Claire Malloy. Only Dear Miss Demeanor beats it as the best of the series. In A Conventional Corpse, problems fall on poor Claire's shoulders. When the head organizer of Murder Comes to Campus winds up in the hospital, Claire is roped into taking over. On top of that, she has Peter, her ex-boyfriend popping up at inconvenient times. Claire's slightly sardonic and dry sense of humor had me laughing. Though the plot wasn't extremely technical (it had to have been simple in order to solve it before the authors left at the end of the weekend), it was suspenseful. I'm also itching to find out what real life mystery authors are represented by the characters. Overall, a great read. I look forward to the next Claire Malloy book.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome and funny return.
Review: A Conventional Corpse is a welcome return of Claire Malloy. Only Dear Miss Demeanor beats it as the best of the series. In A Conventional Corpse, problems fall on poor Claire's shoulders. When the head organizer of Murder Comes to Campus winds up in the hospital, Claire is roped into taking over. On top of that, she has Peter, her ex-boyfriend popping up at inconvenient times. Claire's slightly sardonic and dry sense of humor had me laughing. Though the plot wasn't extremely technical (it had to have been simple in order to solve it before the authors left at the end of the weekend), it was suspenseful. I'm also itching to find out what real life mystery authors are represented by the characters. Overall, a great read. I look forward to the next Claire Malloy book.
Rating: 
Summary: Cat, Kids and Authors
Review: A new Claire Malloy mystery is a reason to celebrate. A Conventional Corpse is an excellent addition to the series. The backdrop of a convention attended a group of eccentric authors is perfect for murder. The characters are delightful and well written. The teenagers add spice. The frightfully spoiled cat was a hoot. Joan Hess always entertains but I think her plot twists in this book were especially clever. Also her character's anger toward her on again off again boyfriend rang true. Although as an incurable romantic I wanted to see them get together. In fact it is my hope that one book will contain a wedding and another perhaps a honeymoon with murder of course. I recommend this book to all the Claire Malloy fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best effort
Review: Although I enjoyed Joan Hess' latest Claire Malloy mystery, I have to say that it is not her best work. One expects Claire to spend a lot of time rushing around, but her hyperactivity really begins to grind in this book. Additionally, the other characters in the book--the writers at the convention, the innkeeper, Claire's co-organizers--are not particularly appealing. Even the normally-irrepressible Caron was somewhat subdued. Add to that a rather strange ending, and you have a disappointed fan. We'll just have to wait for the next one!
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I could hardly wait for the next Claire Malloy book. I'm just glad I didn't waste money on the hardcover. Instead of funny quips and jabs Claire is just plain annoying. Has Joan Hess run out of new things to say? I finished the book because I paid money for it but it was a difficult read, I'm sad to say. I always looked forward to her Arly Hanks and Claire Malloy series, but next time I'll check them out at the library so I don't dish out the cash.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I have been reading Joan Hess' books for many years now. You can always count on this author for a very fun read. A Conventional Corpse is no exception. I found many places where I laughed out loud. Claire Malloy's straight forwardness is so funny at times that I find myself re-reading the lines for another laugh. The messes that seem to find Claire are great. The supporting characters are solidly developed and used well to move the plot along. I'm so glad that Ms. Hess brought Arnie back, I love that character. In this installment, Arnie is fleshed out more and we understand him much better. Thank you for that that Ms. Hess. Oh, yes there is a murder or two. To those readers who found the ending confusing, I suggest that you read the last few pages again. I didn't find it confusing at all! I understood what had happened and what was happening. I won't give the ending away, but it was the only way for Ms. Hess to end this mystery and have the happy ending. And a very good way, I might add. So my hat is off to Joan Hess for another wonderful installment in her Claire Malloy Series. Looking forward to another one soon.
Rating:
Summary: Not as much fun as I'd hoped for.
Review: I'm a big fan of this series, which features widowed bookstore owner Claire Malloy, and I have been eagerly awaiting this latest entry for some time. Although it was enjoyable to visit with these characters again, the laughs were fewer and farther between than I'm used to from this writer, and the mystery was quite a let-down. The titular "convention" is a mystery convention with five major mystery writers arrived in Farberville from out of town. Claire, who hopes to make a small fortune in book sales during the convention, ends up in charge when the organizer is hospitalized. Between herding the errant authors from one place to the next while keeping track of her own teenage daughter, Claire hardly has time to rebuff the apologetic overtures of her estranged boyfriend, Lieutenant Peter Rosen. But convention chaos becomes the least of Claire's worries when a conference attendee dies under suspicious circumstances. There's a lot of Hess's trademark charm in this book, including the characterization of the mystery authors, each a unique and interesting personality. Claire is a wonderful character, and her relationship with her daughter is fun and realistic. Unfortunately, the plot just isn't strong enough. Hess goes to a great deal of trouble to depict the complex and frequently hostile relationships between the authors, even though these relationships have very little to do with the mystery. The resolution of the mystery is startlingly weak and poorly thought out. And the bizarre subplot involving Peter Rosen, which is presumably meant to be humorous, is so far out of character as to be contrived and distracting. Hess doesn't need to work this hard for laughs. Despite the disappointing ending to this book, I hope I don't have to wait too long for the next Claire Malloy mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Who is the real Roxanne?
Review: Why not Mystery characters who are writers? I found this book truly delightful. The convention gave a very different view of authors than the public usually views. Just how much of the characterization of these writers is fiction is intriguing in itself. I found the book well written and worth the wait. Caron and Inez came through as usual - the ditzy teens. I read the book and then reread it hunting for clues I had missed. The other mystery of me as a layman would be did the character of Roxanne have a real counterpart that only authors would be privy to knowing? Perhaps! Also for those critics that don't believe the ending - maybe it's not the truth. It wouldn't be the first untruth in fact or fiction.
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