The Victory Dance Murder: A Homefront Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Awesome research put to terrific use!
Review: If you're of a certain age and remember the 40s and especially the beginning years of WWII, you should love this book! You'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement with casually-tossed out remarks like "Here's a dime, go buy yourself a toy at Woolworth's" or you might find yourself humming the tune to a popular song of the era --Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else but Me-- as it is woven into the rich texture of this era that serves as a backdrop to this nostalgic, easy-going and gentle book.

It takes you back to a time when patriotism really meant something, not just the newest Olympics coming up, or the current one being plastered all over the TV, which of course, was only the merest figment of anyone's imagination at that time. This was a time of sacrifice and doing without, of sharing, and all over America, the inhabitants of small towns like Robinsville, Pennsylvania, banded together to 'beat the Axis'.

The heroine, Kate Fallon, is a working girl, waiting for her fiancé to return from the Army. An avid reader of mystery novels, she uses her native intelligence and puzzle-solving abilities to help the authorities bring a multiple killer to justice. A wonderful group of secondary characters are so real, you expect to hear them speak out loud at any moment.

Awesome is the only word that can describe the research exhibited here. The writing and the story should hold the interest of anyone who enjoys reading something other than fast-paced shoot-em-ups or car chases. With none of the ubiquitous four-letter words, either. Hooray!

Rating:
Summary: Ddifferent mystery series that takes place during WWII
Review: Residents of quiet Robinsville, Pennsylvania are doing whatever they can to help America win World War II. Not too long after Pearl Harbor, the townsfolk hosts a victory rally and dance where supplies and money can be donated to support the war effort. Book Nook owner Ms. Beatrice Bradshaw and mystery enthusiast Kate Fallon are sponsoring the event.

A few days before the festivities occur, tragedy strikes. Kate's friend Nancy Edinger is found murdered one day after she informs Kate she is going to meet her two-timing boyfriend. The police suspect the boyfriend Freddy Johnson of murder. Kate knows he could never hurt anyone. When the town troublemaker is also killed, the police link Freddy to both crimes. A third murder occurs involving an author writing the true crime story of local burglary turned deadly. Kate believes all four killings are related with a diabolically clever person trying to pin the rap on Freddy.

THE VICTORY DANCE MURDER captures the atmosphere of small town America just after the Pearl harbor attack. Though the era comes alive, the book lacks tension and thus loses reader interest for periods of time. Conversely, Kate is a great character who will gain fan support, especially if M.T. Jefferson can turn up the heat with the promising "Homefront" mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A decent mystery that gets a little sidetracked
Review: World War II has interrupted Kate Fallon's life. While her fiancée and brother are fighting overseas, she's doing all she can to help the war cause from her small town in Pennsylvania. But when a high school friend is found dead in lover's lane, Kate must use her love of mystery novels to find out who is really behind the killing. Meanwhile, she must also adjust to her new job in the man's world of the steel plant.

This book really does a great job of setting time and place. I missed the 40's by a number of years, but I still felt like I was right there. And the main characters are well drawn. I really felt for Kate, wanting her family to come home from the war safe.

However, as a mystery, I was a disappointed. The book starts out well. But about half way through it gets sidetracked. There is too much time spent around Kate's first days working at her new job at the steel plant. While interesting, they slow down the pace of the story. When the book kicked into high gear for the climax, I felt something got glossed over in the hurry to finish the story within the correct number of pages. Still, the story did come to a satisfactory end, and I was interested enough to pick up the next book in the series.