Murder and the Mad Hatter

by Barbara Jaye Wilson

Book Overview

When slimy low-rent talent agent Lemon B. Crenshaw entangles Brenda in a terrible legal bind, the mad-as-heck milliner decides to get even by stealing Lemmy's beloved brassiere collection. But during... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380803577
• ISBN13: 9780380803576
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Is this really the sixth Brenda Midnight mystery already?

Wow, time flies when you enjoy a series. This sixth edition involves a pretty good mystery, a marriage of convenience, revenge, time travel, and friendship willing to go the illegal distance. I could hardly believe the blurb that came with the book saying Brenda married her ex-boyfriend's slim ball agent Lemmy Crenshaw, but it looks like it's true, and knowing Brenda, there's one heck of a story behind it. It seems Lemmy came to Brenda with a problem. She agreed to help out under certain conditions. When off and on love interest Johnny Verlone finds out, he reveals all creating a vengeful mad hatter. Brenda's anger and frustration at being tricked is apparent in her language and demeanor, a perfect mood for revenge certain to backfire. To get back at Lemmy, Brenda becomes a bra napper, and just her luck, in mid-revenge, she becomes a possible murder witness. During the mystery, her relationship with Johnny spins like a whirling derby with so many breaks up in one storyline that it's dizzying. The same familiar characters return with Brenda. Elizabeth, her neighbor and friend, Ralph, her doorman and protector, Chuck Rily, who has this time travel thing going on, and of course Dweena who wouldn't dare be left out of the action, illegal or otherwise. It's amazing what one will do for those one associates with, especially in acts of revenge. It certainly makes for great entertainment, and readers will be entertained with Brenda and her cohorts' revenge until about chapter eleven when the mystery begins. Brenda turns to Detective's Turner and McKinley who have to deal with a department problem named Duxman. The characters personal lives and the mystery play well simultaneously. The murder mystery, with some great light moments, is pretty impressive. The turns fooled me, and the murderer revealed took me by surprise. Ms. Wilson has a great sense of humor and it shows - even through Brenda's intense moments. It's a fun series.

An off beat but delightful amateur sleuth tale

If Brenda Midnight used her brain she would have said no when her boyfriend's sleazy agent Lemon B. Crenshaw asked her to marry him. He wins her hand in matrimony by persuading her that he illegally resides in this country, but not for long as the INS has caught up with him. If deported, Lemon explains that he will not be able to rejuvenate her boyfriend's sagging career. Unbelievably, Brenda falls for the entire sad sack story and marries Lemon even though they keep separate residences.Brenda becomes furious when she learns she must remain married to Lemon for six months. Her ire rises to stroke levels when she finds out he actually needed to wed her to win a bet. Determined to get even with the slimy Lemon, Brenda breaks into husband's apartment and steals her husband's valuable brassiere collection. A thump in the apartment above frightens Brenda who flees Lemon's apartment. At the elevator, she runs into a rude stranger. At home Brenda learns that someone murdered the wealthy philanthropist who lived above Lemon. She knows what the thump was and tracks down her fellow elevator rider. Each accuses the other of murder to the bewildered police.Barbara Jaye Wilson writes humorous mysteries that will appeal to fans of cozies and amateur sleuth tales. Some of the one-liners throughout MURDER AND THE AND HATTER will leave the audience deeply laughing. Whimsical characters from previous works augment a tender feeling of familiarity while propelling the complex mystery forward without giving many clues to the reader. Ms. Wilson makes reading fun.Harriet Klausner