When cleaning lady Lily Bard discovers the dead body of her nosy landlord, her plan of starting a quiet new life may end in her death.
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Apr 05, 2008
Wendy
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Being a fan of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and having just finished reading the first book in her Harper Connelly series, Grave Sight, I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. Expecting fluff, I was very impressed with this book, which, while being a lot darker than her other books, had so much more depth and character than I was expecting.
I love the main character, Lily Bard, who after living through a very traumatic past, which scarred her both physically and emotional More...
I love the main character, Lily Bard, who after living through a very traumatic past, which scarred her both physically and emotional More...
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Dec 15, 2007
Minsma
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When I read Dead Until Dark and fell madly in-love I began scouring the internet for other books by Charlaine Harris. I found a couple of mystery series she'd written. This is the first book in her Lily Bard series. In some ways, these books are amongst my favorites. They're darker than her Sookie Stackhouse books but explore her themes to perfection: the outsider trying to make her way through the hypocrisy of self-satisfied conventional society, the flawed heroes and understandable villai
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Jan 15, 2011
AH
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There’s a nice little comforting feel I get when I enter one of Charlaine Harris’ worlds. I know that her characters will be realistic – even her paranormal characters have a touch of the mundane. I know I will be in a nice, down home, small town world.
This down home comfort feel is most evident in her Lily Bard series. Shakespeare’s Landlord seems to be a novel about ordinary people living their ordinary lives in a small, ordinary town. Well, at least until someone gets murdered.
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This down home comfort feel is most evident in her Lily Bard series. Shakespeare’s Landlord seems to be a novel about ordinary people living their ordinary lives in a small, ordinary town. Well, at least until someone gets murdered.
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Nov 25, 2011
Colleen
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Shakespeare's Landlord is really short; a combination of this and the shortcomings in Harris's writing makes the mystery in this particularly boring and without climax.
Lily Bard, on the other hand, is a powerfully written character. Her past is haunting and scary and her convictions and personality that emerge within this story are actually heartbreaking. Lily Bard (spoilerz) is a past victim of random acts of sexual and other physical violence. Her particular story might not be extre More...
Lily Bard, on the other hand, is a powerfully written character. Her past is haunting and scary and her convictions and personality that emerge within this story are actually heartbreaking. Lily Bard (spoilerz) is a past victim of random acts of sexual and other physical violence. Her particular story might not be extre More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Vanessa
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Lily Bard is a series Charlaine Harris started before the Sookie Stackhouse series. Lily had suffered from a random, violent assault years ago and has since spent time keeping people from getting close and living a quiet and nearly anonymous life as a cleaning woman and karate student in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. Harris has said the series (she has written five) is likely on permanent hiatus as she found them too difficult to write given the assault in her own past. Don't let that
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Dec 11, 2011
Book Chick City
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Originally posted on Book Chick City. 7/10 on the blog.
"Shakespeare's Landlord" is a really good start to what I hope will be a fun, addictive mystery series. It has all the elements to be so, with a great heroine and supporting cast, and a cosy town where they all live weaving in and out of each others lives.
Lily Bard has a dark past that Harris only hints at, by the end of the book I still really didn't know what had happened to Lily to make her run and set u More...
"Shakespeare's Landlord" is a really good start to what I hope will be a fun, addictive mystery series. It has all the elements to be so, with a great heroine and supporting cast, and a cosy town where they all live weaving in and out of each others lives.
Lily Bard has a dark past that Harris only hints at, by the end of the book I still really didn't know what had happened to Lily to make her run and set u More...
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Mar 03, 2011
Courtney
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I am going to reveiew the entire 5 books series with one review. I have enjoyed all of them. I like Lily Bard better that the Aurora Teagarden character. And I think this series is better written that the previous one. I like the relationship Lily has (books 2 - 5) with Jack. As well as how she fits into the Shakespeare community.
I really like how strong Lily Bard is (both physically and emotional). What she overcame is pretty amazing. I've read that this was a hard series for Charla More...
I really like how strong Lily Bard is (both physically and emotional). What she overcame is pretty amazing. I've read that this was a hard series for Charla More...
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Nov 02, 2011
Niki
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 01, 2011
Mlle.
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I have one piece of advice to anybody interested in Shakespeare's Landlord: buy it, borrow it, whatever, just read it as soon as possible. Put it at the top of your pile. You'll be glad you did.
Lily Bard is one of the most compelling and, frankly, admirable heroines I have ever come across. She's got a very dark past, and from the very first page it's clear how much sheer will it has taken for her to make a new life for herself. Lily is independent, blunt, ass-kicking, solitary, and s More...
Lily Bard is one of the most compelling and, frankly, admirable heroines I have ever come across. She's got a very dark past, and from the very first page it's clear how much sheer will it has taken for her to make a new life for herself. Lily is independent, blunt, ass-kicking, solitary, and s More...
May 09, 2011
Sarah (saz101)
rated it:
"But that's the movies. This is Shakespeare!"
Lily Bard is hiding from her past in the small town Shakespeare. A quiet, anonymous existance is all she wants. But when she witnesses a shadowed figure disposing of a body in the wee hours of the morning, she's unwittingly drawn into a murder investigation, and her web of secrets is starting to unravel.
Arguably some of Charlaine Harris' darker work, the Lily Bard mysteries follow our titular heroine as she overcomes a ve More...
Lily Bard is hiding from her past in the small town Shakespeare. A quiet, anonymous existance is all she wants. But when she witnesses a shadowed figure disposing of a body in the wee hours of the morning, she's unwittingly drawn into a murder investigation, and her web of secrets is starting to unravel.
Arguably some of Charlaine Harris' darker work, the Lily Bard mysteries follow our titular heroine as she overcomes a ve More...
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Jan 13, 2011
Yolanda
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I suppose it was just a matter of time. This is the only series by Charlaine Harris that I had yet to sample, and now I have. And I wasn't disappointed!
Lily Bard is a woman who likes to spend time alone, but is rarely lonely. She lives in the small town of Shakespeare and has been there for four years now. She's a cleaner, with a full workload. She enjoys going for walks at night and keeps fit by going to the gym regularly. She lifts weights, and is total kick-ass when it comes to se More...
Lily Bard is a woman who likes to spend time alone, but is rarely lonely. She lives in the small town of Shakespeare and has been there for four years now. She's a cleaner, with a full workload. She enjoys going for walks at night and keeps fit by going to the gym regularly. She lifts weights, and is total kick-ass when it comes to se More...
Aug 22, 2010
Tonya
rated it:
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I'm truly glad I read it. The main character is a strong woman who, while she has been shaped a lot by her past, is not broken by it and has found a way to cope. I really appreciated how it showed, not only told, how Lily kept people at a distance and was distrustful of the world around her. As the book progressed, I found it easier and easier to connect with Lily as she became slightly more open and started to deliberately interact more with the p
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Apr 20, 2010
Wendi
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I'm not a fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books because I think Sookie is an annoying character - a tease and always a damsal in distress and then argues when someone tries to save her but wonders when someone will save her. Stupid.
But not so with Ms. Lily Bard. At first I wasn't really sure about Lily Bard. She was completely not what I was expecting. I mean, who writes a series based on the extremely private life of a cleaning lady?
Lily is the complete oppos More...
But not so with Ms. Lily Bard. At first I wasn't really sure about Lily Bard. She was completely not what I was expecting. I mean, who writes a series based on the extremely private life of a cleaning lady?
Lily is the complete oppos More...
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Mar 10, 2010
Aaron
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Lily Bard has settled in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, and set herself up as a a housekeeper and odd-jobber. She is happy with her quiet life since it has allowed her to escape a horrible experience she had while living in Memphis.
Things quickly get exciting when one evening she comes across the body of her former landlord after seeing someone dump the body among a series of garbage bags. She quickly makes an anonymous phone call to the police to report the incident, but s More...
Things quickly get exciting when one evening she comes across the body of her former landlord after seeing someone dump the body among a series of garbage bags. She quickly makes an anonymous phone call to the police to report the incident, but s More...
Nov 14, 2009
Gerald
rated it:
I was so attached to the characters of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series that I was a bit reticent about starting another of her series. Shakespeare's Landlord turned out to be really great, a lot of fun and an engrossing setting, things I expect from this author.
I read primarily for characters, not setting, plot, tone, message or style. My favorite thing about this author is that she manages to write light reads with well developed characters. Having read one of her later s More...
I read primarily for characters, not setting, plot, tone, message or style. My favorite thing about this author is that she manages to write light reads with well developed characters. Having read one of her later s More...
Nov 13, 2009
Angie
rated it:
A few years ago I was twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the new Sookie Stackhouse book to come out, when I decided to see what else Charlaine Harris had written. Turned out she'd written a lot of other books, including three other mystery series featuring similarly intrepid heroines. My eye immediately settled on the Lily Bard series of mysteries also known as the "Shakespeare" mysteries because main character Lily lives in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, and because each book
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Sep 04, 2011
Ayu
rated it:
Buku tentang cozy mystery yang menarik. Yang paling membuat saya tertarik adalah karakter tokoh heroinenya yang tangguh, dan maksud saya, benar-benar tangguh. Lily Bard digambarkan sebagai wanita skeptis yang tidak mempercayai siapa pun karena masa lalunya yang kelam. Biasanya, tokoh gelap seperti ini akan membuat karakternya jauh dari pembaca, tapi saya merasa bisa bersimpati pada Lily dan cara pandangnya yang sinis.
Untuk masalah misterinya sendiri, karena ini menurut saya adalah genr More...
Untuk masalah misterinya sendiri, karena ini menurut saya adalah genr More...
Feb 09, 2011
Truly
rated it:
“Ada mayat seorang pria di taman yang terletak di seberang jalanmu”
Ada seseorang yang mendorong sesosok mayat ke dalam arboretrum
Jangan mengharapkan kisah ala Sookie Stackhouse yang berurusan dengan kaum vampir dan sejenisnya dalam buku ini. Tokoh dalam buku ini Lily Bard justru merupakan wanita yang jauh dari urusan percintaan apa lagi dengan kaum vampir. Ia justru berurusan dengan pembunuh.
Lily Bard merupakan sosok yang misterius. Tak banyak yang mengetahui siapa dir More...
Ada seseorang yang mendorong sesosok mayat ke dalam arboretrum
Jangan mengharapkan kisah ala Sookie Stackhouse yang berurusan dengan kaum vampir dan sejenisnya dalam buku ini. Tokoh dalam buku ini Lily Bard justru merupakan wanita yang jauh dari urusan percintaan apa lagi dengan kaum vampir. Ia justru berurusan dengan pembunuh.
Lily Bard merupakan sosok yang misterius. Tak banyak yang mengetahui siapa dir More...
Jan 21, 2010
Heather
rated it:
Lily Bard has lived in Shakespeare, Arkansas for four years. She cleans houses for a living, goes to the gym and the grocery store, and otherwise keeps herself to herself. She doesn't want to be noticed, because then she might be recognized.
One night, unable to sleep, Lily takes a late walk through Shakespeare. It's a familiar route, one she takes on her bad nights when she knows sleep will be slow in coming. Near her home she sees a figure carrying something in her trash bin c More...
One night, unable to sleep, Lily takes a late walk through Shakespeare. It's a familiar route, one she takes on her bad nights when she knows sleep will be slow in coming. Near her home she sees a figure carrying something in her trash bin c More...
May 08, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
Being a big fan of Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" series, I really wanted to read some of her other, non-vampire series. With a coin-toss, Lily Bard came up first.
I absolutely LOVE the Lily Bard character. She is a true survivor. With a horrific event in her past that would leave most people heavily medicated and in straight jackets, Lily lives her life quietly, but she prepares herself to take down anybody who tries to do the same to her. I found it odd that she ta More...
I absolutely LOVE the Lily Bard character. She is a true survivor. With a horrific event in her past that would leave most people heavily medicated and in straight jackets, Lily lives her life quietly, but she prepares herself to take down anybody who tries to do the same to her. I found it odd that she ta More...
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Nov 12, 2011
Chanda
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Ever on the hunt for a series that will fill the requirement for light and brainless reading I gave another Charlaine Harris creation a try. Sookie Stackhouse remains Harris' greatest written accomplishment but this wasn't a bad story. It isn't a good replacement for Sookie or Lisa Lutz's Spellman series but those are admittedly, big literary shoes to fill. There is no humor in main character Lily Bard but she does inspire the desire to take a karate class or eat more stir fry. Very few of my li
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Sep 30, 2011
Sue
rated it:
These middle of the road books are really the hardest to comment on. They're neither bad nor astounding, so you don't want to pan it nor do you want to overly praise them either. I have to admit, mind you, that I was expecting something a little more ......what's the word here.....something that I could have sunk my teeth into (sorry for the really bad true blood pun there....... I couldn't resist). Anyways, I know I'll have to continue on with more of the books just to be sure it's not a 'fi
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May 08, 2011
Reading
rated it:
Review Written by Andrea @ Reading Lark
I am a huge fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and Harper Connelly series so I thought that I would give this series a try. This series follow Lily Bard, small town cleaning lady, as she lives and works in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. I love that Harris sets her novels in the South. There is just something familiar and comforting about novels set in this region of my birth. However, while an entertaining read, this serie More...
I am a huge fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and Harper Connelly series so I thought that I would give this series a try. This series follow Lily Bard, small town cleaning lady, as she lives and works in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. I love that Harris sets her novels in the South. There is just something familiar and comforting about novels set in this region of my birth. However, while an entertaining read, this serie More...
May 08, 2011
Andrea (Reading Lark)
rated it:
Review Posted on Reading Lark 5/8/11
I am a huge fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and Harper Connelly series so I thought that I would give this series a try. This series follow Lily Bard, small town cleaning lady, as she lives and works in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. I love that Harris sets her novels in the South. There is just something familiar and comforting about novels set in this region of my birth. However, while an entertaining read, this series d More...
I am a huge fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and Harper Connelly series so I thought that I would give this series a try. This series follow Lily Bard, small town cleaning lady, as she lives and works in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. I love that Harris sets her novels in the South. There is just something familiar and comforting about novels set in this region of my birth. However, while an entertaining read, this series d More...
Jan 07, 2012
Melisande
rated it:
Je tiens tout d’abord à remercier Nyx Shadow (oui encore une fois) de m’avoir prêté son épreuve de ce futur roman à paraître aux éditions J’ai lu, en février. Après avoir lu l’avis de Némésis (lu en VO), Tan et ensuite de Nyx, j’ai su qu’il fallait que je lise ce livre dès sa sortie parce que ça avait l’air très bien. Et étant donné que j’avais beaucoup aimé l’autre série policière : Les Mystères d’Harper Connelly, il était évident qu’il fallait que j’essaye de lire cette nouvelle série dans le
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Nov 21, 2011
Ellie
rated it:
Lily Bard chose the quiet Arkansas town of Shakespeare to escape as the name appealed to her on the map. She's suffered in the past and wishes to keep it there, so she busies herself with her cleaning job and keeping out of trouble. Until one night she sees a body being dumped in the park near her home. Being a cleaning lady she is privy to the secrets of many and her curiosity leads her to investigate further.
I do like Charlaine Harris's easy-going writing style and this was a enjoy More...
I do like Charlaine Harris's easy-going writing style and this was a enjoy More...
Jun 29, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
Ok in the beginning of reading this book it was pretty slow. It took 4 chapters before it started to get interesting. But by the time I got past that part it finally became a page turner and now I'm pretty interested in the Lily Bard Series. I would say that if you like Charlaine Harris yo will like this book.
Here's some information about my book from my blog at bookwormboone.blogspot.com check it out and follow me on there.
Shakespeare's Landlord
As of Tuesday 6/ More...
Here's some information about my book from my blog at bookwormboone.blogspot.com check it out and follow me on there.
Shakespeare's Landlord
As of Tuesday 6/ More...
May 17, 2010
melydia
rated it:
First of all, forget old Willie; the title comes from Shakespeare, Arkansas, where our story takes place. The landlord in question is the murder victim. The protagonist is Lily Bard, a standoffish housecleaner with a dark past, whose only hobbies appear to be working out at the gym, taking martial arts classes, and obsessing over whether or not people have learned her secrets. When she happens to see the body being transported using her garbage cart one dark evening she quickly discovers that
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Jan 27, 2010
Jan C
rated it:
I had no previous experience with Charlaine Harris so I had no expectations to live up to or down to. I had heard of this series though, and in a good way.
Lily Bard is a tough chick who has been through a lot. She is now working as a maid in Shakespeare, Arkansas but she has a bit of a past from Memphis, which we learn about through the course of the book. She has insomnia and so she walks at night. One night, she is coming back from her walk and she sees someone wheeling a body out More...
Lily Bard is a tough chick who has been through a lot. She is now working as a maid in Shakespeare, Arkansas but she has a bit of a past from Memphis, which we learn about through the course of the book. She has insomnia and so she walks at night. One night, she is coming back from her walk and she sees someone wheeling a body out More...
Jul 21, 2009
Amanda
rated it:
I was a little unsure about reading this book based on the fact that most of the first books in the author's series are usually slow and difficult to get into. However, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more of the books in the series.
This book was alot darker then most of the authors other books but the content was very interesting. There are two mysteries happening at the same time. As the reader you are trying to determine what happened in the main characters pa More...
This book was alot darker then most of the authors other books but the content was very interesting. There are two mysteries happening at the same time. As the reader you are trying to determine what happened in the main characters pa More...
