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32nd out of 49 books
—
5 voters
The Cruel Ever After (Jane Lawless #18)
by
Ellen Hart
The shock that Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless is in for when Chester Garrity, her ex-husband, returns to a city that he swore he'd never see again is nothing compared to Chester's own. After their divorce many years ago, he took off with his inheritance to travel the world, leaving Jane with enough seed money to open her first restaurant, which worked out well for J...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
December 7th 2010
by Minotaur Books
(first published November 29th 2010)
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This, Hart’s nineteenth Jane Lawless mystery, is probably the darkest and most shocking of the series. Difficult to read it is chock full of, painful, difficult relationships and actions. The extensive cast of characters, many of whom fans will have met before, are almost all revealed to have seriously dangerous dark sides. And even when those troublesome and even illegal dimensions of their characters are revealed and confronted by other individuals in the book, they persist in their ways, ways...more
I think that Ellen Hart should be on the bestsellers lists. Her books are always enjoyable, funny, well plotted and have some of the best characters that you will want to come to back again and again. Her last book, Sweet Poison, was wonderful, one of the better mysteries last year. It is one of those books that reaches out a hand to me and speaks to me and me alone.
Jane Lawless is the owner of a restaurant and a night club in Minneapolis accompained by a diva best freind and a, to-say-the-least...more
Jane Lawless is the owner of a restaurant and a night club in Minneapolis accompained by a diva best freind and a, to-say-the-least...more
This was my first book by Ellen Hart, and now I'm wondering what I've been missing. I requested this book from the library, apparently because I'd heard good things about it somewhere else. I do that sometimes, without really knowing anything about the book. Sometimes I'm disappointed in what I get, but this time I was pleasantly surprised.
I thought the book was well written and the characters interesting and fully formed. As someone pointed out in another review, Jane Lawless and some of the s...more
I thought the book was well written and the characters interesting and fully formed. As someone pointed out in another review, Jane Lawless and some of the s...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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The Cruel Ever After
By: Ellen Hart
Copyright December 2010
Publisher Minotaur Books
Jane Lawless, Minneapolis restaurateur has been in a bit of a slump lately. She is just a few degrees off of normal, what with her love life almost nonexistent, and staying on top of two restaurants while still planning her father’s birthday party. It’s no wonder she’s ready to jump out of her skin when her ex husband Chester Garrity shows up at her restaurant looking for help.
Chester is someone who would qualify as...more
By: Ellen Hart
Copyright December 2010
Publisher Minotaur Books
Jane Lawless, Minneapolis restaurateur has been in a bit of a slump lately. She is just a few degrees off of normal, what with her love life almost nonexistent, and staying on top of two restaurants while still planning her father’s birthday party. It’s no wonder she’s ready to jump out of her skin when her ex husband Chester Garrity shows up at her restaurant looking for help.
Chester is someone who would qualify as...more
Although in the end I mostly enjoyed this read, as usual I found believability issues with this book. I never want- or really believe- that Jane is as clueless as she is. It's hard for me to imagine, for instance, that she would marry someone she didn't love to get money. I would think as the sleuth that she is that she would read people better, but she doesn't...not Chess and not her lovers/ex-lovers/potential lovers. As a Twin Citian, I do like that her book has familiar places.
I was shocked when our local library- had this author. Cinci Ohio is not exactly known for it's tolerance of gays/lesbians.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Jane. I did feel as though I should have started not this far into the series, I felt like I missed a lot in some of the subplots, but I really enjoyed this book anyways.
This book was a definite winner.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Jane. I did feel as though I should have started not this far into the series, I felt like I missed a lot in some of the subplots, but I really enjoyed this book anyways.
This book was a definite winner.
Near broke, Chester Garrity returns to the one place he swore he would never go: Minneapolis. Chester is planning on making his fortune back by selling a priceless artifact that was recently stolen from the Bagdhad Museum. Unfortunately the sale falls through when Chester wakes up the next morning with no recollection of what happened the night before, and his mark dead beside him. Chester runs from the area, but returns to try to clean up the mess he made. However he comes back to a tidy home a...more
Jane was kind of putting her sleuthing skills to work, but it was subtle. she really didn't want to get involved though. i'm kind of sad about chess for some reason i liked him. Jane needs to open her eyes about Julia. its not that hard to see that she still loves her or maybe i should call it an obsession. overall this is one of my favorites. Irina was certified crazy!!!
When The Cruel Ever After focuses on Jane and her friends and family, it’s light and enjoyable. But much of the story focuses unlikeable characters, putting a damper on the fun.
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
One thing I enjoy about Ms. Hart is her ability to keep me guessing. When I THINK I know the ending, the characters, or the resolution, she throws something in there that I hadn't concidered. I think that is an ART~especially after writing so many in this series!
Mar 11, 2011
Jacquelynn Fritz
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jacquelynn by:
Omaha Public Library
First time I read this author and found her characters interesting. I got involved in the mystery and liked the ending. The main characters are lesbians so don't read if this bothers you.
Didn't grab me as much as some of her previous ones, but still well written. As always, I wish St. Martin's would hire a decent copyeditor and a decent proofreader.
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Solid Jane Lawless mystery. After so many years of reading Ellen Hart's books, I've really gotten to like the characters, especially Cordelia.
Highly recommend if you like mysteries, books set in the Twin Cities, etc.
Highly recommend if you like mysteries, books set in the Twin Cities, etc.
After a couple of summer bike rides down the steep hill (coasting) efforts, Hart gets back to the clever mystery with her vulnerable, interesting characters. You won't see the twist coming, you'll wonder how the character's ongoing dilemmas will be resolved, and you'll convince yourself you knew all along whodunit--and that Jane should be with Kenzie and not get back together with that nutjob Julia!
good read, a little lacking the luster of previous ones.
Better than I expected. Quick read and fun.
Another delightful mystery by Ellen Hart
not great
This book was so bad, it's laughable. Hart is out of control.
I liked it. It gave some more history about Jane Lawless, which was interesting. Sometimes these stories are a little formulaic, but I do enjoy them for an easy read.
I usually like Ellen Hart's mysteries and have read most (maybe all) of the Jane Lawless books---but this is my least favorite of all of them because I felt Jane's actions were inconsistent with her character. She usually shows a little common sense.
Best Jane Lawless I've read in a long time. Lots if suspense and a couple of plot twists that I didn't see coming. This book reminded me of the early books in the series which was a pleasant surprise.
LOVED this book! Many twists and turns and for the first time in a long time, it was a book that just kept me guessing and wanting more.
May 23, 2013
Rhonda Gilliland
marked it as to-read
May 21, 2013
vee
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Toni
marked it as to-read
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Ellen is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, as well as a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction. Entertainment Weekly recently named her one of the "101 movers and shakers in the gay entertainment industry." For the last eleven years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary...more
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