Death Pays the Rose Rent: A Tori Miracle Mystery

Tori Miracle #1

by Valerie S. Malmont

Death Pays the Rose Rent marks the start of a delightful new mystery series featuring Tori Miracle - New York City crime reporter turned novelist - and the charming setting of Lickin Creek, a Civil War town nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania's Amish country. When Tori accepts an invitation from her dearest friend, Alice-Ann, and her husband, Richard, to visit them in Lickin Creek, she gladly leaves behind the hustle and bustle of New York City for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Yet the intended vacation quickly becomes a by-the-seat-of-the-pants lesson in sleuthing - and survival. Upon her arrival, the town is buzzing with preparations for Rose Rent Day, an annual celebration honoring the town founder who donated land to the churches for a most unusual rent: one red rose. Though the tradition has lived on for decades, this year it is broken when the guest of honor turns up dead. Though at first no one suspects foul play, Tori has reason to believe otherwise. Searching for clues in a town so small that everyone is a suspect, Tori finds love on the run with a distractingly handsome police detective who guides her through the grand castles and underground caves which hold the closely guarded secrets of this historic town. As Tori gets closer to the truth, the death toll mounts . . . until she becomes the target of a killer obsessed with keeping Lickin Creek's past buried - forever.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Cozy, Murder Mystery

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Valerie Skuse Malmont grew up in a foreign service family and lived in several different Asian countries. She now lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Kavita · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is it with these modern American cosy mystery writers that really gets on my nerves? The characters always seem to be really nasty, misogynist and stupid, and this book was no different. The main female character, Tori Whatshername goes barging into other people's homes and behaves badly with the host. The host, in his turn, also behaves badly with our 'heroine'. Then soon enough, everyone is behaving badly with each other and it's a perfect fest of badly behaved small town people.

Speaking of badly behaved people, why do these books always have a disgusting macho character who makes fun of the female lead character and firmly puts her in her place and then they fall in love? Really? How exactly is it gentlemanly to push a woman you asked out on a date into the car so that she falls on her face? And then proceeding to laugh and joke about 'women who can handle themselves'? WHY do authors have to do this? It's disgusting, it's not funny. If anyone's even listening, please don't do it.

The plot was mediocre. The first hundred pages were a snoozefest, but it picked up after that and how! The corpses began to fall faster and faster as you turn the pages. Sadly, some of the murder situations were pretty contrived. The background to the murder was rather - supernatural, and this NOT being a supernatural story, the author simply could not make it believable.

The writing was good. The descriptions and some of the events were interesting and if only the characters had been better, I might have actually enjoyed the book in spite of the stupid plots.

Overall, a book much better left unwritten, and definitely better left unread.

[Mystereity Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Tori Miracle was an aspiring crime reporter in New York City when, after being shunted to the unwanted role of fashion reporter, quit her job to become a novelist. After penning her first novel, The Mark Twain Horror House, she waits in her tiny, rundown apartment to hit it big. After an invitation from her best friend, Alice-Ann, to visit her in rural Pennsylvania, Tori packs up her clothes, her cats and her typewriter and jumps on a bus. Soon after arriving, she learns her friend is having marital issues with her husband, Richard. Not long after, Richard is found dead and Alice-Ann is the prime suspect.

I really enjoyed this book, from the easy style of writing to the characters to the rich plot. It was easy to sink into and I really liked the off-beat but likeable characters. The only issue I had with the story is that Tori makes several references to prior events, making it sound as though there was an earlier book in the series. It's too bad there isn't, because it sounds like it would make an even better book than this one. Just a touch of the supernatural in this story, and also caves. I like caves. I would love to be exploring all those paths under the town!

I have to say, I did figure out who the bad guy was because they were constantly ignored on the list of suspects. Just a bit obvious, but like I said, the rich plot was so great that I couldn't stop reading.

I deducted half a star because of all the Edison idolizing. I'm not a fan of Edison, he was less a brilliant inventor and more a fraud who took credit for the discoveries of many of his employees, like Nicola Tesla for example. Ugh. Stop the idolizing, please!

Overall, a really great start to a series and recommended for anyone looking for a light read and a great mystery.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had actually read #2 some years ago and just got around to reading the first in the series. This one was a bit complicated...murders, caves, a machine that supposedly lets one communicate with the dead. Tori is an investigative journalist and writer (having completed her first novel) and out of work, so she travels to see her friend in Lickin Creek. I found the authors naming of some of the towns a bit ludicrous, but all in all this was a pretty good mystery. However, we do have the romance building after just a week's time.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I was constantly flipping back and forth on who did the murders, there were several comments about overweight people that just hit me the wrong way. It was constant within the first half of the book. It was meant to be offensive as some of the characters used the weight of other characters to hurl insults. Also, the romance was a bit rushed. They only knew each other for a day or so, and all of a sudden they care deeply about each other.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting setting, enjoyable characters, unusual mystery.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a fictional town in a fictional county somewhere between the real Adams and Franklin counties in Pennsylvania, but sounding more like an outsider's stereotypical misconceptions of rural West Virginia or Tennessee, this series has its flaws, most notably (in my opinion) the rather condescending description of the colorful locals. I live here, I know these people, and while most of them aren't urban sophisticates, they're a lot more three-dimensional and less hickish than portrayed in these books. But putting that aside, if you like mildly humorous cozy mysteries, I think this series will keep you entertained.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #55 read in 2007

Although I thought this was slow-going at times, I really enjoyed the story. I like Tori Miracle a great deal because she was a little self-conscious and funny. She seemed "real". The supporting cast was okay too. I will read more in this series.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read with interesting characters and location.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book - I think I'd like to read more in this series.

[Pam Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book one in the Tori Miracle mystery series, this was a nice read.