Dying to Be Murdered (Jennifer Marsh Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: Murder and Mayhem in Macon
Review: Aspiring, though still unpublished writer, Jennifer Marsh, has gotten herself into a real mess. At the request of a fellow writer and good friend, she's taken the job of "babysitting" aging Macon socialite, Mary Bedford Ashton and keeping a careful record of everything that goes on in her house. Ms Ashton is convinced that her deceased husband's sister, Eileen McEvoy, is about to kill her so that the house and Ashton fortune will be returned to its "rightful" owner and she wants Jennifer to make sure the killer doesn't get away with murder. Ms McEvoy has already taken her to court, but that didn't work and now Mary is finding threatening notes telling her the end is near. Jennifer moves into the mansion thinking Ms Ashton is a bit senile and nothing's going to happen, but she couldn't be more wrong. On her very first night in residence, Jennifer's awakened by Mary's terrible screams and when she finally makes her way to Mary's room, finds the bedding soaked in blood and Mary's body missing. Now Jennifer feels obligated to keep her promise and find Mary Ashton's killer..... Judy Fitzwater has really honed her craft and this is the best Jennifer Marsh mystery to date. Her writing is witty, crisp and very entertaining, her fast paced plot, full of twists, turns and surprises and her original characters, just terrific. This is a mystery that has it all...a huge old mansion, creepy housekeeper, colorful victim, tight lipped suspects who seem to know more than they're telling and a hardworking, likeable, though sometimes inept detective. Dying to be Murdered is the fifth book in this delightful series. For those new to Jennifer Marsh and company start at the beginning with Dying to get Published and read them all. For those who are already fans, you certainly won't be disappointed this time out.

Rating:
Summary: Murder and Mayhem in Macon
Review: Aspiring, though still unpublished writer, Jennifer Marsh, has gotten herself into a real mess. At the request of a fellow writer and good friend, she's taken the job of "babysitting" aging Macon socialite, Mary Bedford Ashton and keeping a careful record of everything that goes on in her house. Ms Ashton is convinced that her deceased husband's sister, Eileen McEvoy, is about to kill her so that the house and Ashton fortune will be returned to its "rightful" owner and she wants Jennifer to make sure the killer doesn't get away with murder. Ms McEvoy has already taken her to court, but that didn't work and now Mary is finding threatening notes telling her the end is near. Jennifer moves into the mansion thinking Ms Ashton is a bit senile and nothing's going to happen, but she couldn't be more wrong. On her very first night in residence, Jennifer's awakened by Mary's terrible screams and when she finally makes her way to Mary's room, finds the bedding soaked in blood and Mary's body missing. Now Jennifer feels obligated to keep her promise and find Mary Ashton's killer..... Judy Fitzwater has really honed her craft and this is the best Jennifer Marsh mystery to date. Her writing is witty, crisp and very entertaining, her fast paced plot, full of twists, turns and surprises and her original characters, just terrific. This is a mystery that has it all...a huge old mansion, creepy housekeeper, colorful victim, tight lipped suspects who seem to know more than they're telling and a hardworking, likeable, though sometimes inept detective. Dying to be Murdered is the fifth book in this delightful series. For those new to Jennifer Marsh and company start at the beginning with Dying to get Published and read them all. For those who are already fans, you certainly won't be disappointed this time out.

Rating:
Summary: They keep on getting better!
Review: I greatly enjoyed the latest Jennifer Marsh mystery. I read it at the beach and it was heavenly to sit in the warm sun while the kids were dug a bottomless hole in the sand, sipping on a cold one and reading this funny, quick-paced book.

As always, the characters were real, the plot delicious and, of course, Jennifer solved the crime with her usual mix of humour, luck and brains.

Thank you, Judy Fitzwater. Keep 'em coming. Just one question though -- will poor Jennifer EVER get published?

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining who-done-it
Review: In Macon, her writing group partner Monique Dupree obtains a job for unpublished mystery author Jennifer Marsh. Wealthy senior citizen Mary Bedford Ashton is offering a thousand dollars for Jennifer to keep a journal of her last week of life. Though in good health, Mary believes her sister- in-law plans to kill her and wants her murderer apprehended. Reluctantly, Jennifer agrees to serve as a scribe spending an entire week including nights at the Ashton mansion and vows to catch her host's killer.

Jennifer expects nothing to happen because she believes the elderly woman is paranoid or senile. However, that first night, Jennifer hears screams that sound like someone is assaulting Mary. Jennifer tries to run to the woman, but is locked inside her bedroom. When she manages to become free, Jennifer sees a ton of blood in Mary's bed, but no body. The police arrive and question Jennifer as if she is the culprit. Unable to sit idly on the sidelines due to guilt for failing to take Mary seriously and because of her vow to catch a killer, Jennifer begins her own investigation, not yet aware of the danger from an unknown source.

DYING TO BE MURDERED, the fifth Marsh amateur sleuth tale, retains the warmth of the key cast members and the enjoyment of a clever puzzle. The who-done-it is entertaining, as several twists will keep the audience and Jennifer the bulldog fooled (I realize this is Macon not Athens). Fans will take pleasure in this story while newcomers will be dying to obtain Judy Fitzwater's previous works.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: They keep on getting better!
Review: Jennifer Marsh is asked by an eccentric society matron to chronicle what she says are her last days. She thinks someone is going to kill her. On Jennifer's first night in the spooky (and some say haunted) house, she hears screams and is locked in her room. When she frees herself, she finds the old lady's bloodsoaked and empty bed. Who killed Mary?

This was a very fast moving and interesting mystery. It has romance, ghosts both historical and recent, family drama, and a great murder mystery. This is Fitzwater's best book so far.

Rating:
Summary: This book has it all!
Review: Jennifer Marsh is asked by an eccentric society matron to chronicle what she says are her last days. She thinks someone is going to kill her. On Jennifer's first night in the spooky (and some say haunted) house, she hears screams and is locked in her room. When she frees herself, she finds the old lady's bloodsoaked and empty bed. Who killed Mary?

This was a very fast moving and interesting mystery. It has romance, ghosts both historical and recent, family drama, and a great murder mystery. This is Fitzwater's best book so far.

Rating:
Summary: Never Spend The Night In A Haunted House
Review: Jennifer Marsh, part-time caterer and full time, still trying to be published mystery writer is doing her friend Monique a favor. Monique wants her to take a temporary job with Mrs. Ashton.

Society Matron Mary Bedford Ashton wants to hire Jennifer for $1,000.00 a week to come and live with her in her historic mansion and record everything that happens to her. It sounds strange to Jennifer, but not as strange as when Mrs. Ashton tells her that the reason she wants this done, is because someone is trying to kill her. She wants Jennifer to promise that when she is murdered that the killer won't get away with it.

Jennifer thinks she might be nuts, even though she had passed a competancy hearing several months before which had been brought by her sister-in-law Eileen, who is the person Mary thinks is trying to kill her.

It also doesn't help when Jennifer's friend Leigh Ann tells her all about the houses haunted past.
Jennifer doesn't have to worry long about any of this, because on the first night she's staying at the house, Jennifer wakes up to Mrs. Ashton screams. After breaking out of her room (which was mysteriously blocked), she finds Mrs. Ashton's bedroom dripping in blood and the elderly lady missing.

Is she dead? Was she murdered? And who would want to kill her?

There are certainly enough suspicious characters. Her housekeeper Melba, her cook, Arthur. Her sister-in-law Eileen? Or did it have something to do with her stepdaughter Juliet's suicide, nearly 30 years ago?

Jennifer feels like she has to solve the crime, since Mrs. Aston already paid her the $1,000.00, so she gathers her friends and starts her own investigation.

Highlights:

Jennifer's writers group, which is always a highlight of each book. Leigh Ann's funny telling of the haunting of the Ashton mansion, which she seems to believe. Teri's description of her new romance mystery novel, which involves a female dog sledder in the wilds of Alaska. And April, who unbelievably has gotten a contract for her children's novel (The Case Of The Missing Nuts), about Billy and his sidekick Barney the flying squirrel. I think the story would have been better with her original idea, where Barney was his friendly bat.

Jennifer and her writer's group on a late night search for a secret passageway in the Ashton mansion. They had a previous middle of the night search in the last book, (Dying To Remember) that was also very funny.

Sam, Jennifer's reporter almost permanant boyfriend, who is a calming influence over everyone.

Lowlights:

Once again the mystery was too easy to solve. But the writing and humor are good enough that it still makes the story interesting to read.

Good Series.

If you like this review, I have listed my previous ones in the About Me Section. These are the ones I wrote before Amazon changed this section so you can now see all new reviews going forward.


Rating:
Summary: great read
Review: The plot of this novel has already been detailed rather nicely, so I'll just stick to what I liked. To begin, "Dying To Be Murdered" is quite the page turner, and the chapters that deal with Jennifer's first visit to Ashton mansion, and her overnight stay, are quite atmospheric -- a mansion that fairly reeks of secrets and decay; a very sinister housekeeper; and the very fact that Jennifer is given the bedroom of Mary Bedford Ashton's dead stepdaughter! A room that only locks from the outside, and has not seen any redecorating since the girl's suicide!! You don't get much more atmospheric than that! Another thing I liked about this mystery novel was all the twists and turns the plot took. Jennifer starts out thinking that Mary Bedford Ashton is senile and a little paranoid, but likable, but soon realises that she has been expertly manipulated, and that Mary may not be all that nice after all. As usual all the members of Jennifer's writers's group is at hand to provide help, support and wacky deductions, thus adding fun quota to the novel. And what I most liked about "Dying To Be Murdered" was that if you really paid attention to all that is said by the suspects and to Jennifer's stream of consciousness manner of thinking, you actually solve the mystery before the final chapter!

The pacing of the novel was taught and brisk; the plot unfolded in a very satisfactory and logical manner; and the characters were all neatly portrayed. "Dying To Be Murdered" is a really fun read, and I think that it is the best Jennifer Marsh mystery to date.