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Cheating at Solitaire (Gregor Demarkian Mystery #23)

by Jane Haddam

3.54 · rating details · 131 ratings · 26 reviews

The small, exclusive Massachusetts island of Margaret’s Harbor gets its fifteen minutes of fame when aging teen stars Arrow Normand and Marcey Mandret pay a visit to local celebrity heiress, Kendra Rhode. The girls’ drunken, disorderly behavior is being eaten up by the press…until an even bigger media storm erupts.

During a blizzard, Arrrow finds herself staggering aro

...more

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published March 31st 2009 by Minotaur Books (first published April 15th 2008)

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Apr 20, 2010

Joyce Lagow rated it

· review of another edition

#22 in the Gregor Demarkian series.[return][return]Haddam always picks some more or less socially relevant theme to hammer on; in this book, it s the irrelevance of celebrity-ism, assuming such a word exists.[return][return]The plot revolves around a film being shot in Martha s Vineyard, and the drunkenness and over-the-top behavior of two of the actresses and a Paris Hilton-type hanger-on, all celebrities not so much because of talent but because of manufactured celebrity status.. Naturally...more#22 in the Gregor Demarkian series.[return][return]Haddam always picks some more or less socially relevant theme to hammer on; in this book, it s the irrelevance of celebrity-ism, assuming such a word exists.[return][return]The plot revolves around a film being shot in Martha s Vineyard, and the drunkenness and over-the-top behavior of two of the actresses and a Paris Hilton-type hanger-on, all celebrities not so much because of talent but because of manufactured celebrity status.. Naturally, there s a murder. Naturally, Demarkian is called in. And the whole paparazzi-led celebrity industry is somehow under suspicion for the death.[return][return]The past 4-5 books have seen a quantitative jump in Haddam s writing which, combined with excellent plots and a good set of recurring characters, has made the series a real pleasure to continue reading. But this book drops the ball.[return][return]Too often, Haddam will take a point and pound and pound and pound until you just wish the whole thing would go away. Heaven knows I agree with her point of view the lives of these people are meaningless and the industry that they ve spawned is parasitic and worse. But. [return][return]Her characterizations of whatever groups she s seeking to point up or at times, such as in this book, demonize, are never very broad; in this book, the celebrities don t make it even to one-dimensional.[return][return]In addition, Demarkian comes across as a confused idiot, thanks to the preparations for his wedding with Bennis. The whole wedding thing has dragged on over about 3 books now, and that s about 2 1/2 too many. Just bite the bullet and get it over with. The other members of the Cavanaugh Street group don't make strong enough appearances to count.[return][return]The plot itself is good, and if you can grit your teeth and ignore the all-too-obvious bias, it has its high points. There is one scene in particular with the paparazzi acting like a gutter mob that is outstanding.[return][return]Overall, however, this definitely is not one of Haddam s best installments in the series.(less)

· see review

Sep 29, 2011

Janet rated it

· review of another edition

There were things I liked about this book and things I didn't like about this book. What I liked were the setting and the characters. What I didn't like were the setting and the characters. Why was Jane Haddam so shy about just coming out and calling the setting Martha's Vineyard instead of "Margaret's Harbor"? Edgartown instead of "Oscartown"? Come on-if you're going to invent a setting that's based on an actual place, for heaven's sake don't be coy with the names you gi...moreThere were things I liked about this book and things I didn't like about this book. What I liked were the setting and the characters. What I didn't like were the setting and the characters. Why was Jane Haddam so shy about just coming out and calling the setting Martha's Vineyard instead of "Margaret's Harbor"? Edgartown instead of "Oscartown"? Come on-if you're going to invent a setting that's based on an actual place, for heaven's sake don't be coy with the names you give it.

The characters-while it was kind of fun to wonder exactly who the circling-the-drain-career-wise twits are modeled on, it was obvious that Kendra Rhode was modeled on Paris Hilton. However, being somewhat anal about spelling, some of the names annoyed me. "Marcey"-now, most Marcies I've ever heard of spelled it Marcy without an E. "Mandret"-I kept reading that as "Mandrel". "Arrow Normand"-half the time I was just annoyed that the character was called Arrow and the rest of the time I was annoyed that there was a D at the end of Norman, the actress Mabel Normand notwithstanding. And "Stewart Gordon" was so obviously modeled on Patrick Stewart, from the baldness and Scottishness (Patrick Stewart is actually from Yorkshire), to the having starred as a captain on a big sci-fi TV series to his straight-backed stride.

Getting back to my being anal about spelling, I have often wondered why books have glaring errors in them, whether they're typos or the author didn't know and didn't bother to look up the correct spelling. How about editors? or people who are supposed to read the proofs before they go to the printer? Really, now, when you're talking about historical figures, it pays to double-check. In this book, she calls (H.R. Haldeman) and (John) Ehrlichman "Halderman" and "Erlichman". Even when you're using famous people's names in a passing thought a character has, getting it right is important-at least to me.

Aside from wondering whether in real life, people pause in mid-conversation to have long ruminations on life then get back to their conversation without the other person looking at you as though you've had a petit mal seizure, the only other question I had was why a previous borrower of the library book underlined passages in two places-once in green felt tip and once in pen, and write "Leigh" in the margins, as if what was underlined brought whoever "Leigh" is to mind.

Other than those little gripes, I liked the book enough to finish it without skipping more than a couple of pages. (less)

· see review

Jul 24, 2011

Monica rated it

· review of another edition

This is the third "Gregor Demarkian" book I have read by Jane Haddam. I have enjoyed each one. They are well-written by someone who understands the proper construction of an English sentence. The puzzle central to any great mystery novel is well-constructed and holds my attention to the end.

What I really love about all of her books that I have read so far is her characters. Her characters are not minimal black-or-white cardboard cut-outs constructed to carry a plot. Eve...moreThis is the third "Gregor Demarkian" book I have read by Jane Haddam. I have enjoyed each one. They are well-written by someone who understands the proper construction of an English sentence. The puzzle central to any great mystery novel is well-constructed and holds my attention to the end.

What I really love about all of her books that I have read so far is her characters. Her characters are not minimal black-or-white cardboard cut-outs constructed to carry a plot. Even the people we are meant not to like very much are portrayed with honesty - the author knows that even the "worst" people see themselves as heros of their own stories to some extent, or at least sympathetic and pitiful victims. Her depiction of what police forces and forensic teams and high-priced "consultants" like her main detective character actually do is much more honest and realistic than usual, unlike so much of what I read in modern mysteries or see in television shows these days. It is great to see that it is possible to write great mysteries without having fantasy forensic teams who can get instant DNA results or do spectacular analyses of mysterious substances in minutes.

This book in particular was intriguing to me because it takes place on a mythical island named "Margaret's Harbor" which is actually a thinly-veiled Martha's Vineyard. I live close to, but have never yet actually been to, Martha's Vineyard. I plan to visit it for the first time this summer in the company of relatives coming from the deep south for vacation who want to go and visit the famous island, so well-known as a playground of the rich and/or famous in the summer months. I will be curious to see how much "Margaret's Harbor" is portrayed just like Martha's Vineyard. I am also curious as to why she felt the need to thinly veil the location at all, and the novel does not give me that answer. Perhaps I can found out some other way.

The plot involves a type of celebrity that I have never understood: those men and women who constantly seem to have their photos on the covers of trashy magazines blazoned with large headlines that mention them by first name or nickname only...as though everyone is supposed to know these people and why they are famous. The celebrity magazines seem to be particularly interested in those types of people whose celebrity has lead them to personal meltdowns of various sorts. I have found such "celebrity" unworthy of my attention and simply ignored it in all its forms. I don't read the magazines that publish and promote it. I don't watch the television shows or listen to the radio programs that obsess about these people. I don't know who these people are, or why they are famous. I have also found it distressing that the fading remnants of royal families in various countries around the world have joined this category of "celebrity" lately...and it's sad because I think it is mostly unintentional on their parts. There are many options for my personal entertainment out there, and I don't feel the need to waste my time on this one. Having said all that, I found the plot and characters in this novel fascinating, even when several of the main characters were firmly in this (to me) particularly objectionable category of "celebrity."

Nonetheless, I have sometimes wondered why there is a large segment of the population interested in such "celebrity", and for the first time I am finding a coherent description of why it has happened as a national and even international phenomenon and why there is appeal there for so many, and even why a perfectly ordinary young woman or young man would chose to willingly become that type of "celebrity." Within the pages of a work of fiction, Jane Haddam has done her research, asked herself the same questions I have asked about this awful phenomenon, and sought reasonable answers that actually make sense. I will still continue to avoid connection to this sort of "celebrity" - the explanation in the novel is cogent and compelling, and I think it is actually true, but still not appealing to me personally.

That said, Jane Haddam also explores other variations on the celebrity theme in the course of this novel, celebrity without the quote marks, the sort of celebrity I understand and do not find objectionable. This too I found very appealing, especially when the sanest, best of the celebrities-without-the-quote-marks characters in this mystery novel turns out to be "Stewart Gordan" - a thinly-veiled version of Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame (in the novel, he was "Captain Rees of the Starship Intrepid"). I am an old-fashioned Trekkie and if the real Patrick Stewart is anything at all like Stewart Gordan as portrayed in this novel, then he is certainly worthy of his celebrity-without-the-quote-marks.

I plan to read other Gregor Demarkian novels by this author.(less)

· see review

May 23, 2010

Maddy rated it

Shelves: 2008-reads

RATING: 2.5

Anyone who's ever had to prepare for a big wedding can identify with how Gregor Demarkian is feeling about his impending nuptials to longtime love Bennis Hannaford. The whole thing is turning into a production; there is nothing more that he would like to do than escape from Philadelphia to a desert island until it's time to say "I do". His wish almost comes true when an old friend, actor Stewart Gordon, asks him to take an assignment from the authorities on Marga...moreRATING: 2.5

Anyone who's ever had to prepare for a big wedding can identify with how Gregor Demarkian is feeling about his impending nuptials to longtime love Bennis Hannaford. The whole thing is turning into a production; there is nothing more that he would like to do than escape from Philadelphia to a desert island until it's time to say "I do". His wish almost comes true when an old friend, actor Stewart Gordon, asks him to take an assignment from the authorities on Margaret's Harbor, a wealthy enclave near Cape Cod. There's a movie being shot there – more importantly, one of the grips has been murdered and the one-man police department is making no headway in identifying the perpetrator.

Normally in the winter, Margaret's Harbor is relatively secluded, with very few of the tourists who visit in milder weather. But what Gregor finds is as far from a Winter Wonderland as you could imagine – the cast and crew have taken over the island, and there are throngs of paparazzi following the principles' every move. Among them are several young starlets of the Britney Spears/Lindsay Lohan/Paris Hilton school of celebrity – beautiful, self-absorbed and not very intelligent. One of them was with the victim when he died and has been arrested for his murder. It doesn't seem likely that she is the killer; but then again, there is no real motivation that Gregor is able to uncover for anyone else either.

Cheating at Solitaire is a 400 page book that should have been 300 pages or less. Over and over again, Haddam hammers home the situation that these unworthy celebrities face. Their lives are essentially empty; they live for the spotlight and often are very self destructive in their behavior. The paparazzi are like buzzards pouncing on road kill. It really wasn't necessary to have this situation described again and again – it was boring, redundant and certainly didn't generate any sympathy from the reader. Much ado was also made about the fact that the female actors did not wear underwear – I didn't understand why this was repeated and reacted to several times in the book. None of the characters had enough emotional depth to carry the narrative, including the protagonist.

The big miss for me in this book was Gregor's actual investigation of the crime. There really wasn't one. It was well over 200 pages before he did anything at all. He is a highly paid consultant and former FBI agent; I never saw any indication of the skills that he must have had to earn the sterling reputation that is implied. He asked a few questions, and that was about it. As the book ended, he laid out who did what and why, but there was no revelation of how he arrived at his conclusions. It certainly wasn't through rigorous interrogation and analysis of the evidence.

I've never read any of the books in this series before, so I don't know if this approach to solving crimes is typical or not. Cheating at Solitaire is the 22nd book in the series; I was hesitant to read it because I thought I would not have the necessary background to understand the characters and their motivations. However, that wasn't the case; the book stood alone and was quite understandable without the necessity of having any prior knowledge of the characters and their history. Truthfully, I didn't enjoy the Cheating very much. I may try one of the earlier ones to see if this book is an anomaly in the long-running series, but I'm not in a hurry to do so.

(less)

· see review

Jul 25, 2009

Anne Slater rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: only someone who was desperate

This was a "Good girl, you've cleaned up the house. Now go sit down for a while" book. Beach reading. And if you have connections to Philadelphia's Main Line, or to Nantucket, it has interesting reverberations in the character development.
But, damn it! Minotaur Books (of St Martin's Press) needs to do something about the editing of its books.

(Warning: Rant follows)

There were grammatical lapses that jumped out and bit me ("She was one of those women w...more

· see review

Dec 02, 2011

Eunira rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: available-to-lend

I love the characters that Jane Haddam creates and the twists in the plots.

Book description from Amazon

The small, exclusive Massachusetts island of Margaret’s Harbor gets its fifteen minutes of fame when aging teen stars Arrow Normand and Marcey Mandret pay a visit to local celebrity heiress, Kendra Rhode. The girls’ drunken, disorderly behavior is being eaten up by the press…until an even bigger media storm erupts.

During a blizzard, Arrrow finds herself stagge...more

· see review

Feb 04, 2012

Bethj rated it

· review of another edition

I have read EVERYTHING by Jane Haddam, including her early stuff under her real name (Orania P), and I have enjoyed almost all. This one however isn't a favorite. The characters are forgettable and show you nothing new, and the story does not grab you at all. Usually you get sucked into her books right away, but it took me MONTHS to even read past the first chapter.

· see review

Jan 04, 2010

Laurie rated it

· review of another edition

Ok, I tend to find an author I like and then read them to death. So now I'm on Haddam, thanks to Pam (also because I seemed to get on a mystery phase this past year). This was an intriguing read as the characters seemed to be patterned after the "celebrities" of this generation who haven't really done anything to be famous (e.g., Paris Hilton et al.).

· see review

Feb 25, 2009

Pam rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, fiction

Actually a good read. I haven't read any of Haddam's Demarkian mysteries in 15+ years. It was a treat. I had no idea who did it. Good observations about the 24x7 news media turning society into a big high school (more like JHS in my mind).

· see review

Dec 07, 2010

Meg Benjamin rated it

· review of another edition

Haddam is always skillful, and the book has some dry asides about celebrity, but for once I figured out the mystery far too quickly. And I found I really didn't care very much about the murderer or his victim.

· see review

Mar 02, 2010

Troy rated it

· review of another edition

Not a great book. I didn't feel bad for reading it but it didn't grab me or even interest me that much in terms of plot, character development, word choice.

· see review

Sep 19, 2011

Jason rated it

· review of another edition

Loved the set up and the construction of the the story. My only issue was that there wasn't a whole of detection happening in the book, and I figured it out half way through. Still, great characters and well written.

· see review

Jun 12, 2009

Mary added it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

I will save this one for another day. I just couldn't get into it right now. Usually, I love any of the Gregor Demarkian novels.

· see review

Mar 01, 2010

Bridget rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-for-mpls-city-book-club

I just didnt connect with this book. I thought it was written poorly - the author doesnt seem to know any other word for young women besides "twits". I had never heard of Gregor Demarkian, but wasnt impressed with him as a character.

· see review

Sep 20, 2011

Tory Wagner rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

An easy read, but nothing to make me want to read another.

· see review

Mar 21, 2009

Cindy added it · review of another edition

great contemporary mystery

· see review

Jul 26, 2010

Tina Jurgaitis rated it

unimaginative

· see review

May 23, 2009

Maryann rated it

· review of another edition

I really don'twant to know more about Gregor Demarkian. We just didn't click!

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Jun 07, 2008

Mascanlon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-challenge

I have always enjoyed this series. The latest story centers around the world of cult celebrity, the paparazzi and a mystery surrounding 3 young women with a host of motives. The latest Gregor Demarkian is very satisfying, the plot is complex, the commentary on current state of the press is right on target and leaves the reader thinking about how the public contributes to the problem. Elegant and stylish as usual.

· see review

Sep 19, 2010

Janet rated it

· review of another edition

I love this series, love Jane Haddam.

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Jun 22, 2009

Karen rated it

Shelves: mysteries

Her characters are really interesting, and fairly compelling. I still think the least interesting character is the detective himself, but I suppose he has to be reasonably normal.

· see review

Apr 28, 2008

Sue johnson rated it

· review of another edition

Always a great read by Jane Haddham. I love Gregor Demarkian and his friends. This book was not quite so unpredictable as past editions, or maybe I am beginning to think like Gregor.

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Nov 10, 2008

Jennifer added it · review of another edition

It was a good read, first time reading anything by this author.

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Feb 06, 2011

Ruie rated it

· review of another edition

This was a pretty good mystery. A great beach read.

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Jul 26, 2008

Nancy Zinn rated it

· review of another edition

Always enjoy Jane Haddam, but miss her line drawings

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Oct 16, 2008

Aunt Sissy rated it

· review of another edition

Not her best.

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Feb 03, 2012

Obkenobe rated it

· review of another edition

Jan 30, 2012

Sheila rated it

· review of another edition

Jan 29, 2012

Ann marked it as to-read

Shelves: at-home

Jan 28, 2012

Dee Ann marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Jane Haddam

Jane Haddam, whose pen name is Orania Papazoglou, has written over 20 mysteries and is a regular contributor to magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Family Circle, and Parents. She lives in Watertown, Connecticut. Wife of William L DeAndrea.

More about Jane Haddam...

Books by Jane Haddam

Not a Creature was Stirring (Gregor Demarkian Mystery, #1)

Precious Blood (Gregor Demarkian Mystery, #2)

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Cheating at Solitaire (Gregor Demarkian Mystery #23)

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