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Shakespeare's Trollop (A Lily Bard Mystery #4)
Shakespeare, Arkansas, is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colorful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/cleaning woman with a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets.
But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shake...more
But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shake...more
Mass Market Paperback, 194 pages
Published
May 4th 2004
by Berkley Prime Crime
(first published August 14th 2000)
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"I really enjoy the Lily Bard series as a whole, and I think this is a good contribution to the series. In this one, a minor character in previous books is ""elevated"" to the status of murder victim - if you've read those books, the title will probably tell you who it was.[return][return]Due to the nature of the victim (i.e., ""trollop""), everyone simply assumes she slept with the wrong guy, and pretty much got what was coming to her. Since Lily kno...more
In the fourth book of the Lily Bard series, another murder has taken place in Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily moved to the sleepy town of Shakespeare to escape the spotlight after her brutal rape in Memphis four years earlier. But Shakespeare turns out not to be so sleepy, after all.
Lily finds the body of Deedra, a local “trollop” for whom she used to clean, and is pressured by the police to try to help find the killer. Since it looks like a crime of sexual passion, the suspects ar...more
Lily finds the body of Deedra, a local “trollop” for whom she used to clean, and is pressured by the police to try to help find the killer. Since it looks like a crime of sexual passion, the suspects ar...more
Poor housecleaner Lily Bard once again finds herself coming across the body of one of her employers. This time the body is that of Deedra Dean, a young woman who has a reputation for entertaining most of the unmarried men in Shakespeare, Arkansas. It was clear the murderer knew of her reputation because poor Deedra was not just murdered ... her body was also left in a violated condition in her own car on an out-of-the-way road. Everyone quickly assumes the murderer was one of her beaus.
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I've discovered that one of the things I like about all of Charlaine Harris series is that the characters change, and grow.
When we first meet Lily Bard in the first book of the series she is an almost totally isolated victim of a horrific crime. But almost without her noticing it some things have changed. She is no longer running from town to town trying to be invisible. She has created a cleaning business from scratch, even though she calls herself a maid and even though she only ha...more
When we first meet Lily Bard in the first book of the series she is an almost totally isolated victim of a horrific crime. But almost without her noticing it some things have changed. She is no longer running from town to town trying to be invisible. She has created a cleaning business from scratch, even though she calls herself a maid and even though she only ha...more
This is the fourth book in The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus, and I once again really enjoyed it. This series is very cool. I really like Lily. She's not your conventional heroine and doesn't hide her flaws, or sugarcoats how she really feels. Although, I have to say that there's been a huge change in her attitude towards other people since the first book... which is awesome. Character growth is always an awesome thing. :)
Deedra Dean enjoys the company of men. A lot of different men. ...more
Deedra Dean enjoys the company of men. A lot of different men. ...more
This books started with an almost poetic opening. It was different than any of the other books, which gave me really high hopes. It didn't take long for me to figure out who was behind the killing, but I kept hoping I was wrong. Reading mystery books is a lot more fun when you're still guessing right up until the end. Even at the end, I was saying to myself "There are five more pages! Hit me with something unexpected!" Nothing ever happened like that.
This is the 4th in the...more
This is the 4th in the...more
This was a good mystery. I liked Lily's observations about various townspeople and how she comes to terms with her preconceived notions about the victim. There was also a nice twist at the end as not everything is as it seems.
Just realized I skipped the third book by mistake. Luckily, it didn't seem to matter. These books are amazing in their way-- very tightly written, with deft plotting and pacing and an engaging transparent prose style. Lily Bard's character is always entertaining (if unlikely). Although they seem light and fluffy and are very quick reads, their simplicity is deceptive. Harris handles the difficult issues of sexual violence against women and racism thoughtfully. She also manages within the limitat...more
Featuring cleaning woman/karate expert Lily Bard, Charlaine Harris's series puts a unique spin on the traditional cozy to create mysteries that "work on every level. The writing and plotting are first rate [and:] Lily is appealing in her own prickly way" (Washington Times).In the latest installment, Lily discovers lifelong Shakespeare resident Deedra Dean murdered inside a car parked in a woodsy area outside town. Determined not to get involved, Lily wants to leave the police work to S...more
Definately not as good as the first two books but enjoyable all the same. The 4th book in the Lily Bard series and she's a character that never fails to capture my interest. Short and easy to read I got through it super quick but I always feel Lily's story is moving forward and there's plenty to think about including lots of suspects even if none some to hae a strong motive.
This is the first mystery book where I've actually guessed whodunnit and did so in the first half of the book. Ev...more
This is the first mystery book where I've actually guessed whodunnit and did so in the first half of the book. Ev...more
Every book I read in this series just makes me want to get to the next as soon as possible. I love this story for much the same reason as I love all of the other books by Charlaine Harris: they're just really good (sometimes supernatural) mystery/thriller books. What sets this series apart from her the Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly series is the protagonist: Lily Bard. She's just an ordinary woman who has gone through extraordinary hardship and become pretty badass as a result. Trollop i...more
The murder mystery set up in this book is quite different from previous stories. Deedra, a client of Lily's and the town's sexually adventurous woman, was discovered murdered in her car. She was naked and had a beer bottle inside her. Lily was the unfortunate soul who found the body. However, the police force took a much more active role in this investigation and Lily simply brooded over the facts as she knew them.
Since Lily was not in the foremost investigator role we learnt of other...more
Since Lily was not in the foremost investigator role we learnt of other...more
a good, solid summer ready. Very easy, but I found completely engrossing. I wish the woman who died had not had to do so, and I hope the author doesn't start killing off every one of the residents of this tiny, little town, just for something to write about. But I love how Lily is now trusting her boyfriend SO much, they are talking about living together! I really do hope this relationship works out, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!! The bad guys, btw? Totally yanked out the aut...more
I can't think of a better way to recover from surgery than with a good book. And this series got me through some rough days. In this book Lily finds the body of her neighbor,who is also the town trollop. There are too many suspects and the sheriff thinks Lily might be one of them. It is in her best interest to find the real killer. She also wants to understand just why someone would kill Deedra. She might have been a "loose woman", but she was also harmless as far as Lily could t...more
This is not the best of the Lily Bard books. I felt it was the weakest of all of the books, for a few reasons. First, I felt like there was nothing to draw Lily into this mystery until the very end. She usually doesn't want to solve them, but this plot had to go out of its way to rope her in.
The second thing that bothered me about the book is the notion, promoted by Lily, that the town slut somehow brought her fate upon herself for being promiscuous. It's later contradicted, but ...more
The second thing that bothered me about the book is the notion, promoted by Lily, that the town slut somehow brought her fate upon herself for being promiscuous. It's later contradicted, but ...more
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Lily returns in this fourth book in the Lily Bard (Cozy) Mystery series.
Another murder has taken place in Shakespeare, Arkansas. This time it's Deedra Dean, a well-known woman about town who's known for her somewhat promiscuous ways. Has her lifestyle finally managed to get her done in? And if so, it's not going to be easy for a small town police department to find her killer among the many men of Shakespeare who've been to her bed.
Of course, being the local cleaning...more
Another murder has taken place in Shakespeare, Arkansas. This time it's Deedra Dean, a well-known woman about town who's known for her somewhat promiscuous ways. Has her lifestyle finally managed to get her done in? And if so, it's not going to be easy for a small town police department to find her killer among the many men of Shakespeare who've been to her bed.
Of course, being the local cleaning...more
I like this series. I am sad that Ms. Harris only wrote 4 books in this series; I feel like this story could go so much further. Then again I am not a writer. I like this character more than I liked Aurora Tea garden. I feel this series is a better written set of books than the aforementioned series. Lilly is a strong female lead and I wouldn't want to meet up with her in a dark alley.
I liked this one, but aside for the shocking double life of the murderer I felt the book was pretty...more
I liked this one, but aside for the shocking double life of the murderer I felt the book was pretty...more
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A cozy read. Lily is caught up in the death of a woman for which she worked. The reader gets more information about Lily's past abduction but still there are pieces missing. The reader also gets a bit more information about Jack's past. In this story Lily and Jack decide to co-habit. But, then that is the side story, and the murder must be solved. Again, a really interesting story with lots of side characters that are interesting and an ending that was hinted at earlier but not enough for me to ...more
Myfavoritegeorgie
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This was a decent read, typical of the series. This one was a little less satisfactory to me and I found the ending also somewhat unsatisfactory. I find that Lily is to me becoming too self involved and I get tired of hearing endlessly about her past. I know one could not get over such an incident, but constantly replaying it over and over to herself (and the reader) is counter-productive. Also, I thought it was obvious "who did it" about halfway through the book.
In this book Lily is learning to lean on other for support. Having gone through what she has experience this is a hard task that she is easing into. While out on a morning jog, Lily stumble upon the body a client and calls the police. From here Lily becomes involved in solving the murder and helping police eliminate suspects, which is not an easy task as the victim was promiscuous. It was a nice read and it is fun watching Lily transform and letting her dark past rest.
Another well-done Lily Bard mystery. Lily is reminding me of Jessica Fletcher--she lives in such a small town, yet she keeps coming across murder victims. These audio-books are very calmly read, no sound effects or multiple readers, yet they continue to hold my attention.
In this story, not only does Lily help solve the murder, but her personal life develops a little more. I have enjoyed listening to this series on my IPOD and I look forward to listening to the next one.
In this story, not only does Lily help solve the murder, but her personal life develops a little more. I have enjoyed listening to this series on my IPOD and I look forward to listening to the next one.
The best thing about this series is that the books are very short and can be finished in an evening. Lily Bard is not very sympathetic even with her traumatic past experience, but she is a strong and competent woman. I like that she chooses to be a house cleaner, but I don't like the constant descriptions of house cleaning. My least favorite part is the long explanations of family connections of all the characters--it is like listening to my grandmother.
Still easy reads, but mostly fun.....
Shakespeare, Arkansas, is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colorful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/cleaning woman with a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets.
But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shakespearean to die. [close:]
Shakespeare, Arkansas, is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colorful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/cleaning woman with a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets.
But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shakespearean to die. [close:]
I have to admire the author for her writing here: Lily Bard is a reticent soul, closed off from the world around her to the extent she can (and rightly so, I gather, given the backstory). Harris writes in a prose which is likewise reticent; the book fights the reader. It's not an easy nor indulgent pleasure, but it is admirable. That written, no, I don't feel really close to Lily Bard, although I did enjoy dropping into her world.
This one had a pretty twisty surprise, which I started getting a feeling for but would have caught on much more quickly had I been paying better attention.
Lily is such a strong women, no matter how tormented her soul. When I'm reading these older books from Charlaine, I'm looking to get lost and try to just float...hence, I was paying the attention I should. Next time through the series, I definitely will.
Lily is such a strong women, no matter how tormented her soul. When I'm reading these older books from Charlaine, I'm looking to get lost and try to just float...hence, I was paying the attention I should. Next time through the series, I definitely will.
i didn't end up reading #2 and #3 in the series, as the ring got stalled and I wasn't interested enough to hunt them down..but, I didn't feel lost in this book. They still are not my favorite books (Harris' Southern Vampire series is better...by the way, anyone watching TrueBlood on HBO??) However, I did enjoy the mystery (although like several others I thought I had it figured out, then that twist...nice)
The fourth in the Lily Bard series. Lily Bard is a great character. She works cleaning people's houses, she has a very interesting past that I won't spoil here, and she grows and changes throughout the series. Other characters in the series are also interesting and dimensional. The series is gritty, in a certain way - the deaths that happen feel real, and you feel for the victims.
Lily Bard seems like she is in the wrong place every time. In the fourth book in the Lily Bard series, she finds her neighbor dead inside her car in a very remote area of Shakespeare. Lily does not want to be involved, but finds that she can not help but find out what happened. I really have enjoyed this series and can not wait to read the next book which is the last in the series.
This is the third one in the series that I've read, although it's actually the fourth book. And I think, my favorite so far. Maybe because I'm starting to understand Lily better or she has just grown on me? She seems more grounded/stable in this one and her boyfriend Jack (who we met in Shakespeare's Champion) moves in with her. I also liked that I did not guess the ending.
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Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.
Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Char...more
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Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Char...more
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“We can’t leave this world without leaving a lot of detritus behind. We never go out as cleanly as we come in; and even when we come in, there’s the afterbirth.”
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