Generous Death: A Jenny Cain Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Intresting debut of the long running Jenny Cain series
Review: Having read a couple of the Jenny Cain series at random, it was fun to finally read the book that set up the series. Indeed, I found myself liking Jenny a good deal more in this book than in some of the others. She displays a charming dry wit that I really enjoyed.

This book sets up the earmarks of the series. For me, a westerner, the clearest distinction is the strong sense of New England that permeates this book and series. Not that it is a foreign country, but certainly it is its own place. It's also fun to get insights on how foundations work -- a setting I haven't seen in other books.

Bottom line -- a debut book that is a good read in its own right.

Rating:
Summary: The first in a great series...
Review: Nancy Pickard hasn't written a Jenny Cain novel in a long time, so I was "forced" to start re-reading the series to get my fix. I started at the beginning, with Generous Death. I'd forgotten just how much I like this series, and this book. Ms. Pickard did a great job introducing the characters without overwhelming with too much wordy detail. I found myself rooting for Jenny, but also caring about what happened to the rest of the characters as well. The mystery itself is not heavy but there's still a lot of suspense and danger. And yes, there is a relationship in this story, but it's not overdone and does a lot to advance the story while giving insight into the characters.

Ms. Pickard followed in the footsteps of trail-blazers like Marcia Muller and Sara Paretsky with this series, which features a first person female protagonist who loves men but doesn't need one to be happy. If you like those authors, you should definitely give the Jenny Cain series a try. But I would encourage anyone who likes mysteries to add Nancy Pickard to the list of authors you read.