Secondhand Smoke (Ulverscroft Large Print)

by Karen E. Olson

Book Overview

Smoke, rubble and the body of an unidentified woman are all that remains of a favourite New Haven eatery. Misisng is the restaurant's owner, a man known as much for his perfect penne as he is for his hand in an illegal gambling operation. Crime reporter Annie Seymour can't pass up a golden opportunity for the perfect story and the chance to pound the pavement she knew as a child. But for Annie, home is NOT where the heart is and a cold reception...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1846178231
• ISBN13: 9781846178238
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.2" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

Great follow-up to Sacred Cows

Second in the Annie Seymour, reporter in New Haven, CT mystery series. When a restaurant in Annie's neighborhood burns down with a body inside, everyone assumes it was the owner, Sal, since he is missing. But when it turns out to be his bookkeeper and assistant, LeAnn--AND the autopsy reveals that she'd been shot, the chase is on to figure out who killed her. Of course Annie's ex-boyfriend Tom, a police detective, is on the case. And Sal's wife hires PI Vinnie DeLucia (Annie's wanna-be boyfriend--who's engaged to someone else) to find him. And of course Annie herself is nosing around trying to find the real story for the newspaper. Then her father, a casino owner, shows up out of the blue from Las Vegas. Why? Her father's connection to the case is another mystery--and one that Annie isn't sure she wants to know the answers to. And what is with all the references to the chickens? "Are the chickens dead, too?" a seemingly crazy man asks Annie the night of the fire. Huh? The last book had cows, this one has chickens--if the next one has pigs, I'm going to start singing "ei-ei-o" and thinking maybe Old MacDonald is a serial killer! LOL This book was as enjoyable as the first book in the series with a bad guy that I didn't figure out until the last minute, though the clues were there had I chosen to assimilate them. This is such an unusual occurance for me (I typically spot the bad guy very early on) that when it happens, I always sit up and take notice. There is some romance/sexual tension but it's done well and not sappy or over-the-top, nor does it dominate the book. Thank heavens, because nothing will turn me off faster than a romance novel disguised as a mystery. The quirky, somewhat adult-flavored humor is also well-done and not "forced" which is another turn-off of mine. This is an all-around excellent read. I like Annie a lot and am very interested in seeing how her character develops over the course of the series. The setting in the book is also very picturesque. I've never been to New Haven, CT but Olson's descriptions assure me that she is very familiar with the area and make me want to visit, especially for the food. I wonder if the Chamber of Commerce has her on their payroll? If they don't, perhaps they should! :-)

Second Hand Smoke

This is the second book by Karen Olson that I have read and I liked both very much. I went to school in New Haven, CT (early 80's) and it brings me right back to the city. I love the stories, but knowing where the story is taking place to have a vibe for the area just makes it so much better. I no longer live in CT (born and raised in Norwalk, Ct) but I have found a few series to read that take place in either New Haven or Fairfield County and they bring me right back home every time. Great job, I can't wait to read the next book.

Arson in Wooster Square

Secondhand Smoke is the second installment in Karen E. Olson's series of journalism procedurals. (See my review of Olson's Sacred Cows, the first book in the series.) Her protagonist, Annie Seymour, is a crime reporter for the New Haven Herald (the fictional stand-in for the author's former real-life employer, the New Haven Register). Annie lives in New Haven's historic Italian section, Wooster Square, the home of a great number of Italian restaurants, including a pair of nationally celebrated pizzerias. This time around her work keeps her close to home: an early-morning fire consumes the restaurant across from her brownstone, and a dead body is found in its ashes. The crimes bring the FBI, the mob, and Annie's enigmatic step-father to town. Annie investigates the arson and murder--her neighbors closing ranks to keep her in the dark about what's really been going on--while navigating an uncertain relationship with Vinnie DeLucia--marine biologist turned private eye--whom we encountered already in the first book of the series. Annie is a hard-edged character, a bit foul-mouthed, callous and world-weary, and sick of her job after years of reporting on New Haven's criminal class. She seems to go to some trouble to hide her humanity from herself and others, but it's not clear to me precisely why she so armors herself. It's true that her relationship with her mother is strained, and her job as a reporter necessarily distances her from would-be newsmakers who don't want their peccadilloes showing up in the paper. The job contributes to Annie's identity as an outsider in her own neighborhood. But I'm not sure these sufficiently explain her cynical detachment. It would be nice, at any rate, to see her character develop some emotional nuance in subsequent outings. Olson offers up a decent mystery her second time out, with a twist at the end you almost certainly won't see coming. And as with the first book--and as a New Haven native--I much appreciate that her series is so firmly rooted in the area: Wooster Square and the Q Bridge and Claire's Cornucopia figuring as backdrops this time around, Yale's Sterling Library and Sleeping Giant State Park in book one. I look forward to seeing where the next Annie Seymour mystery takes us.

Great read, put on your bunny slippers and get comfy

I'm really enjoying Karen Olson's Anne. Its very "Plumesque", a high compliment from me. Engaging characters and interesting action. More please!!!

fun to inhale

In New Haven, reporter Annie Seymour is shocked to see the inferno engulf her favorite Italian restaurant Prego. Arson is suspected especially when a charred corpse is found in the wreckage. The police assume that the missing owner, Sal Amato, has been located or that is what is left of him. However, they quickly learn their error as the victim turns out to be the restaurant's hostess, LeeAnn Hayward. Annie wonders if the local mob is involved as LeeAnn had some connections to them or perhaps the deceased's violent prone boyfriend, Prego's chef, Mickey, who the police arrest for the homicide. Annie is confused as her father Sal who has come to town from Vegas and the FBI is investigating the arson murder for no apparent reason by either her dad or the Feds. Soon her father becomes the prime suspect so Annie joins already hired by Sal's wife private detective Vinny DeLucia to investigate the crime only to learn that the Prego owner ran a chicken tic-tac-toe gambling operation with no pay offs to the mob. In her second appearance (see SACRED COWS), Annie retains the same impish impudence that makes her a fun investigative reporter. Though some might balk at how often Vinny comes to her rescue, she is an intrepid person who daringly follows clues. The story line is action-packed as the audience begins to learn what really happened at Prego, to and by whom. This is one time that SECONDHAND SMOKE is fun to inhale. Harriet Klausner