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19th out of 67 books
—
10 voters
Well-Offed in Vermont (Pret’ Near Perfect Mystery #1)
by
Amy Patricia Meade (Goodreads Author)
In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she's fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed with leafpeepers—int...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
November 8th 2011
by Midnight Ink
(first published November 1st 2011)
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“Well-Offed in Vermont” by Amy Patricia Meade
Nick and Stella Buckley decide it’s time to leave the big city and move to Vermont where they purchase an 1890 white clapboard farmhouse.
Settling in doesn’t take long and the couple decide to christen their home, but are interrupted by a “well-meaning” nosey neighbor bringing cupcakes to welcome them to the neighborhood. After she leaves, Nick and Stella are ready to resume their earlier plans, after Stella washes her hands of the sticky stuff that w...more
Nick and Stella Buckley decide it’s time to leave the big city and move to Vermont where they purchase an 1890 white clapboard farmhouse.
Settling in doesn’t take long and the couple decide to christen their home, but are interrupted by a “well-meaning” nosey neighbor bringing cupcakes to welcome them to the neighborhood. After she leaves, Nick and Stella are ready to resume their earlier plans, after Stella washes her hands of the sticky stuff that w...more
I ordered this book thinking it was the next one in Ms. Meade's excellent murder mystery series "Marjorie McClelland." To my delight, this was a new series. What joy! And, to my profound happiness, the book was just that, a joy to read!
Stella and Nick Buckley have shed their city clothes and are beginning a new chapter in their lives. They move to Vermont, in order to allow Nick to have his dream job, "Forest Ranger." The first five years of marriage they followed Stella's career, a museum curat...more
Stella and Nick Buckley have shed their city clothes and are beginning a new chapter in their lives. They move to Vermont, in order to allow Nick to have his dream job, "Forest Ranger." The first five years of marriage they followed Stella's career, a museum curat...more
I picked this up hoping for a nice cosy mystery set in Vermont - and relatively near the part of Vermont where I live, no less.
Well, it IS that, but it's sadly disappointing otherwise.
When the characters are allowed to banter, the dialogue is cheeky and funny; Nick and Stella (I keep wanting to call her Nora, for obvious reasons) have a good back-and-forth and a cute little relationship, for the most part, although Nick get sadly stereotyped, especially in the really unfortunate side-track about...more
Well, it IS that, but it's sadly disappointing otherwise.
When the characters are allowed to banter, the dialogue is cheeky and funny; Nick and Stella (I keep wanting to call her Nora, for obvious reasons) have a good back-and-forth and a cute little relationship, for the most part, although Nick get sadly stereotyped, especially in the really unfortunate side-track about...more
Feb 08, 2012
Kaye
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-challenge,
kindle-book
(kindle deal of the day $1.99 02/04/12) A fun read with two new home owners, Stella and Nick, who just want to move into their new home. Unfortunatly, a dead body is found in their well and the police tell them they can't move in until the case is solved. Sheesh! Now what?
It's leaf-peeping season and tourists are over running the bucolic little Vermont town. Nary a motel room is to be found so when the offer of a hunting camp is made, they grab it. At least they'll have shelter; that's about it...more
It's leaf-peeping season and tourists are over running the bucolic little Vermont town. Nary a motel room is to be found so when the offer of a hunting camp is made, they grab it. At least they'll have shelter; that's about it...more
1 like · like · see review
Well-offed, is a cute cozy mystery and a really fast read. If you want something to read over a weekend or on the plane this will get you thru. Meade sets her book in Vermont with the lead characters of "flatlanders" Stella and Nick Buckley. Well-Offed in Vermont is a great way to feed your love for a quirky NE town and its newest residents from New York.
Stella and Nick drive up the road to their new life and new home in Vermont. Nick is starting a new job and Stella is wondering what she is goi...more
Stella and Nick drive up the road to their new life and new home in Vermont. Nick is starting a new job and Stella is wondering what she is goi...more
This book is set during the first week of October in Vermont (where I live), so I enjoyed sharing a physical setting with a book. While Well-Offed fulfills most of the Cozy Mystery requirements, the reliance on Vermont stereotypes for what little characterization there was, was perplexing at times, unfathomable at others, and always annoying. There was also no, absolutely no, action at all. Even the discovery of the body is "tell, not show". The book is one long series of completely unrealistic...more
The lack of consistency is why only two stars for this one. Early on there is comment made that she need not be concerned about being shot with a rifle because it was currently Bow season and then throughout the remainder of the book spoke of hunting season in terms of rifle season. Also the needle point vs cross stitch inconsistency mentioned previously. Then the town being so small but yet there are scenes of scads of shoppers in the town center. Where are these people shopping in this small t...more
A light mystery set in Vermont, USA. From other reviews I'm guessing the devil is in the details - any time you read a novel set in a place someone knows well the locals get upset hat the description isn't accurate. So unless authors only write abou where they live they are going to get picked on. I also know nothing about stitchery so dint notice faults with terminology. I enjoyed the mystery and found the reasoning behind Nick and Stella looking into the murder a good one as often this is the...more
This was an easy read cozy. Stella Thornton and her husband Nick have just moved from New York city to a small town in Vermont. On their first night in the new house they find a body. The local plumber is found head first in their well. What they thought at first was an accident is quickly found to be murder when it is discovered that he was shot. The couple have to move to a hunting cabin with no facilities while the murder is investigated. They drive a smart car and that takes them everywhere...more
I was excited about the prospect of a Vermont-based mystery series but this one was annoying and not particularly well-written. The main characters, Stella and Nick, have picked up and moved from Manhattan to a small Vermont town but apparently know nothing about Vermont...leaf peepers? A country store? Bars that don't serve appletinis? Huh. The day they arrive to move in to their house, a dead body is found in their well. The house becomes a crime scene and Nick and Stella take it on themselves...more
Feb 17, 2012
Jim
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller,
read-2012
I enjoyed this easy going mystery. My initial attraction was the Vermont setting. As an ex-New Englander I must admit my fondness for rural New England and Vermont is particularly beautiful. The author tells a nice little story but I just didn't feel the male characters rang true. I'd like to think we men fall somewhere in between what the ladies say we are and what they want us to be. But, that won't stop you from enjoying this if you can just keep picturing the lovely countryside. The author e...more
Nick and Stella move to Vermont and immediately find a body in their well. The love-lorn sheriff closes off their house, and only the kindness of strangers gets them a bed in an unimproved (no electricity or phone) fishing camp. So they explore their new home town by investigating the murder of the body in the well, who turns out to be a much-disliked local contractor. I really enjoyed Meade's other series, and I love Vermont, but Nick and Nora--I mean Stella--left me cold with their cute cross-...more
This is the first book that I have not finished in a long time. I read about half and decided not to take any more time with it. I borrowed it form my library via Amazon to read while traveling.
The premise is not realistic--couple moving to Vermont from NY, murder occurs on their property so it is off limits to them. While they wait to get back, the wife decides to try to solve the crime. It is not the best way to get to know one's neighbors and just makes no sense to me. Characters are not dev...more
The premise is not realistic--couple moving to Vermont from NY, murder occurs on their property so it is off limits to them. While they wait to get back, the wife decides to try to solve the crime. It is not the best way to get to know one's neighbors and just makes no sense to me. Characters are not dev...more
This was a fun read. The author was able to illustrate the difference between "flatlanders" and true Vermonters without being insulting or condescending of either. If "Mystery Novels Set in Vermont" were a genre, this is definitely a good addition. Not nearly as good as Archer Mayor, but a different viewpoint as it is the outsiders looking in. It is a straight forward murder mystery, couple from New York move to their dream house in Vermont and discover a body. With nothing else to do since thei...more
Not fabulous, but the characters are interesting enough that I will probably read the next book in the series just to see where the story goes.
"In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she's fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed w...more
"In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she's fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed w...more
This is the story of Stella and Nick who buy a house in Vermont. Before they can unload their truck, a body is found in their well. The police make their house a crime scene and the only way to move things along and move into their house is to solve the mystery of who killed Allen Weston. Nick and Stella start questioning the locals and it turns out, lots of people had reason to hate and even kill Mr. Weston. With lots of quirky characters, this book was lots of fun to read.
Stella and Nick Buckley have traded in life in New York City for a small town in Vermont. But when they arrive at their new home, they find a dead man in their well. Since they can't move in until the murder is solved, they dig in to catch the killer themselves. I enjoyed this debut, especially the main characters. Unfortunately, I felt the momentum in the beginning was slowed down by back story that could have been slipped in better later.
My full review at Epinions.
My full review at Epinions.
This book was not special enough to continue on with the series. It was a quick and pleasant read but my biggest complaint was how a couple that had just moved to Vermont were able to ingratiate themselves with the townspeople as well as the sheriff. My other little nitpick, and only because I am a stitcher, was when Nick asked Stella if she wanted her needlepoint. Later on in the book Stella pulled out her cross stitching. Even my husband would know the difference.
A young couple moves to Vermont, to where the husband will start his new forestry job. Imagine the couple's shock on moving day when the kitchen faucet dispenses blood instead of water. Their home is marked off as a potential crime scene, leaving this couple bored and homeless. What to do but join the crime investigation!
This was a light mystery, more in the cozy genre. It did have some incredulous moments regarding police procedure, but overall this was a quick and fun read.
This was a light mystery, more in the cozy genre. It did have some incredulous moments regarding police procedure, but overall this was a quick and fun read.
This was a pleasant read for a quiet weekend. A couple move to Vermont only to discover a body in their well. They spend the next few days discovering who dunit so they can finally move into their new home and get on with their lives.
Recommended to those who enjoy cozy mysteries.
Recommended to those who enjoy cozy mysteries.
Took my chance with a Staff Picked selection at the library. This was definitely a miss. The characters aren't explained thoroughly, and I feel like this book was probably written too quickly. I lost interest about halfway through it, and I don't plan on picking it back up.
Stella & Nick move to a picturesque Vermont village only to find a body in their well. The dialogue between Stella & Nick is fun to read, but I just had to shake my head at the nonsensical goings-on as these two amateurs attempt to "solve" the murder.
This was a special rate ebook on Amazon for the Kindle, and it was not worth the $.99. The book is mostly dialogue with very little description. The dialogue was juvenile. I had not read any book set in Vermont, and this book was sadly disappointing.
Was a .99 book on the daily kindle deals email. Thought to myself, why not. I typically read fantasy. Turned out to be a quick, fun, murder mystery that is set in a quiet twin in Vermont. A quick read.
the writing was a little cliched and the dialogue was a little off sometimes, as if the writer had read an urban dictionary for New England and was trying to encorporate as many phrases as possible.
Meh. Relies heavily on stereotypes of Vermonters. No real tension or suspense (unless you consider whether or not our heroes will ever get their air mattress inflated suspense).
It was a pretty good book. Kind of predictable and drawn out. Living in the area the book was set in was something that made it a little more interesting probably.
Since I am new to this genre, I was kept guessing till the big reveal.
http://luhathoughts.blogspot.com/2012...
http://luhathoughts.blogspot.com/2012...
This would have been better if the officials hadn't said the site of the murder was a crime scene indefinitely. That was very unrealistic.
Enjoyable weekend read. Lovely setting - Vermont; nice couple - Stella and Nick. Look forward to more 'pret' near perfect' mysteries.
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Amy Patricia Meade graduated cum laude from New York Institute of Technology with degrees in both English and Business. She currently lives in Vermont, where she enjoys classic films, travel, cooking, and entertaining friends and family. Amy is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
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Oct 27, 2011 07:28pm