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Claire Malloy #16
Damsels in Distress
A Renaissance Fair is coming to the relatively quiet college town of Farberville Arkansas, which is not the sort of news that usually sets local bookseller Claire Malloy's heart racing. But with Caron, Claire's perpetually petulant teenage daughter, being pulled into volunteering (or face the horror of doing homework over the summer) and her fiance, Police Lieutenant Peter Rosen, away, Claire finds herself drawn into the strange inner workings of the group putting on the fair.
But just as Claire has decided that her time might be better spent fretting over the details of her upcoming nuptials, one of the volunteers helping with the Ren Fair falls victim to arson, her body found burned in the wreckage of her rented home. Even stranger, none of the members of the local chapter of The Association for Renaissance Scholarship and Enlightenment (ARSE) - the group putting on Farberville's first RenFair - had ever met the woman in the flesh and can't provide any information about who she is and where she came from. However, someone is definitely dead and the fire looks very suspicious - but is it murder? When the fair opens, tensions expose the dark secrets and malevolent schemes that lurk beneath the superficial congeniality of the ARSE members. The lords are leaping, the ladies are lying, and the knights are fighting--while someone is committing murder most heinous. And with Claire's dreams of a blissful wedding hanging in the balance, she has no choice left but to fling herself into the battle and match wits with the killer "
But just as Claire has decided that her time might be better spent fretting over the details of her upcoming nuptials, one of the volunteers helping with the Ren Fair falls victim to arson, her body found burned in the wreckage of her rented home. Even stranger, none of the members of the local chapter of The Association for Renaissance Scholarship and Enlightenment (ARSE) - the group putting on Farberville's first RenFair - had ever met the woman in the flesh and can't provide any information about who she is and where she came from. However, someone is definitely dead and the fire looks very suspicious - but is it murder? When the fair opens, tensions expose the dark secrets and malevolent schemes that lurk beneath the superficial congeniality of the ARSE members. The lords are leaping, the ladies are lying, and the knights are fighting--while someone is committing murder most heinous. And with Claire's dreams of a blissful wedding hanging in the balance, she has no choice left but to fling herself into the battle and match wits with the killer "
293 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Joan Hess
115 books338 followersJoan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.
Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime
Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.
Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
October 24, 2018
I wish I knew just what it is that makes me dislike the Claire Malloy mysteries. Sometimes I think they’re mildly misogynistic...but this time I think it’s really that they’re misanthropic in general. The characters, who ought to be zany, are far darker and meaner-spirited than that. They have an oozing dark center, lie without compunction, Malloy goes nosing around with a rather unkind interest, and since she’s so good at solving mysteries I can’t figure out why the police haven’t encouraged her to join rather than trying to restrain her. Her relationship with her daughter is very well done, though. I guess I just like more fantasy (that is...trustworthy people) in my mystery series. Plus everything is held up for mean-spirited ridicule here, from Ren Faires to teachers to community theatre to mothers to people who make their own soap. Mean mean mean.
Read via Hoopla from my public library, excellent audio by C J Critt who really makes the characters more appealing than I find them on the page.
Read via Hoopla from my public library, excellent audio by C J Critt who really makes the characters more appealing than I find them on the page.
September 7, 2020
2 stars for a book in which the protagonist is annoying and not particularly believable. Amateur sleuths always need a connection to someone in law enforcement but it is not okay for said sleuth to break the law as this one does while engaged to a detective. No way would they still be together. I'm all for independent women but Malloy shows little respect for her lover and, since this is #16, he would have been fired long before this for allowing/condoning Malloy's illegal activities.
December 27, 2011
Rating: 3.25* of five
Claire Malloy, bookselling sleuth of the Farberville Book Depot, returns for her umpty-zillionth murder investigation (well, okay, only the sixteenth) but this time at a *shudder* Renaissance Faire!
Now seriously. Have any of y'all been to a Renaissance Faire? Have you not wished intensely for a lethal weapon and civil and criminal immunity? Milady Larchblossom and the Baron Quonsethut, oof! So as Claire snooped about, I found myself squirming in discomfort at the faux olde-tyme speak the cultists used (though not consistently, to the editor's lasting shame) and the instant sense memory of being at one of these events in Texas in heat just like Hess describes.
I can't think how anyone could *want* to don Northern European clothing from the era before central heating in the American South. My daughter, who belongs to one of these organizations and is quite renowned for her fighting prowess, will end up being Lanya (one of the characters) but hopefully with better-behaved children.
The mystery here is a murder; well, two; and the resolution was neat and tidy and strained credulity to the absolute minimum possible in a series where the sleuth is engaged to a police officer who does not chain her to her doorhandle to prevent her from messing around with crime.
I recommend this book without a blush. Newbies, start with "Strangled Prose" and move forward as haphazardly as you wish.
Claire Malloy, bookselling sleuth of the Farberville Book Depot, returns for her umpty-zillionth murder investigation (well, okay, only the sixteenth) but this time at a *shudder* Renaissance Faire!
Now seriously. Have any of y'all been to a Renaissance Faire? Have you not wished intensely for a lethal weapon and civil and criminal immunity? Milady Larchblossom and the Baron Quonsethut, oof! So as Claire snooped about, I found myself squirming in discomfort at the faux olde-tyme speak the cultists used (though not consistently, to the editor's lasting shame) and the instant sense memory of being at one of these events in Texas in heat just like Hess describes.
I can't think how anyone could *want* to don Northern European clothing from the era before central heating in the American South. My daughter, who belongs to one of these organizations and is quite renowned for her fighting prowess, will end up being Lanya (one of the characters) but hopefully with better-behaved children.
The mystery here is a murder; well, two; and the resolution was neat and tidy and strained credulity to the absolute minimum possible in a series where the sleuth is engaged to a police officer who does not chain her to her doorhandle to prevent her from messing around with crime.
I recommend this book without a blush. Newbies, start with "Strangled Prose" and move forward as haphazardly as you wish.
November 23, 2024
I didn’t love this book. I think I got it from a “friends of the library” sale. But I suppose I’d give Claire Malloy another chance to get into the flow of the series.
It seems that Claire and her daughter Caron have an interesting dynamic. And Claire’s fiancé, Peter, being a Police Lieutenant adds to the complexity of Claire being a chronic investigator of intrigue. Claire herself, though? I’m sad to say she’s not very likeable. Pros: owns a bookstore. Cons: About everything else.
This is one of those books that isn’t tied up until the last 5 pages. I also was a little confused about some of the conclusions and had to go back to read the original dialogue and say “where did they come up with that?”
Anyway, if you like Renaissance Fairs, mystery intrigue without gore, and a snarky main character you might enjoy this.
It seems that Claire and her daughter Caron have an interesting dynamic. And Claire’s fiancé, Peter, being a Police Lieutenant adds to the complexity of Claire being a chronic investigator of intrigue. Claire herself, though? I’m sad to say she’s not very likeable. Pros: owns a bookstore. Cons: About everything else.
This is one of those books that isn’t tied up until the last 5 pages. I also was a little confused about some of the conclusions and had to go back to read the original dialogue and say “where did they come up with that?”
Anyway, if you like Renaissance Fairs, mystery intrigue without gore, and a snarky main character you might enjoy this.
May 13, 2015
Maybe this is my fault for reading this book without reading any others in the series, but it didn't really hang together that well for me. The motivations of the characters were a bit hard to follow- why are the main characters angry with each other? Why is everyone falling over themselves to befriend the main character, who clearly dislikes them? And it may be a small thing, but why did no-one seem to have a mobile phone? I kept thinking this was written a lot earlier because of the ways the characters acted... Though maybe it's more a reflection of my age. And no-one had heard of Renaissance Fairs?
It was fun though, I thought the characters had potential (maybe they would be more fun to read in earlier books in the series) and can't go past the premise of the bookshop owning sleuth. Wouldn't mind reading others, wouldn't go out of my way to do so.
It was fun though, I thought the characters had potential (maybe they would be more fun to read in earlier books in the series) and can't go past the premise of the bookshop owning sleuth. Wouldn't mind reading others, wouldn't go out of my way to do so.
February 17, 2009
The mystery part was reasonably interesting. The main character however was awful. She was unpleasant, pretentious, and utterly mirthless. I found myself actively rooting for her to get jailed. She gave enough cause, between the breaking and entering, the impersonation to illegally gain access to private mental health files, and of course the hacking into a state government database. The idea that any police detective would marry her, and compromise his job, is unbelievable. She didn't have a single good quality that would mitigate the sneakiness, abrasiveness, and pomposity that defined her actions throughout the book.
May 15, 2014
Just an okay mystery. The characters are funny but there were so many characters that it was difficult to keep everyone straight. The conversations between characters seemed at sometimes to be stilted. Who talks like that? Otherwise enjoyable.
April 21, 2018
Rating PG-13 appropriate for middle school through adult.
1st person narrative
Limited strong language. Instead, the main character, Claire, will report that she used a variety of Anglo-Saxon words to express herself. (Thank you Ms. Hess)
No sex
No graphic violence - this is a whodunit not a police procedural.
Plot - no spoilers
Once again Claire is present or uncomfortably nearby when a crime or two are committed -- much to the disgust of her long-suffering detective fiancé, Peter. This time it's in the midst of a Renaissance Fair among its eccentric participants.
I personally enjoy the amusing descriptions of situations provided by Joan Hess as well as the verbal sparring between Claire and her often-obnoxious teenage daughter Caron.
My Rant:
Amazon.com do something!
This book needs editing. Joan Hess is too seasoned a writer to have been responsible for the mistakes found in the kindle version, therefore whoever was supposed to have formatted it for the E-Book did a substandard job. A clue that sloppy writing is not the culprit is that the mistakes are not of the standard spelling errors such as mixing up there/their/they're or its/it's.
1.) Throughout the book one character is variously referred to as Angie or Angle, though oddly enough never Angel.
2.) Within a biker group's description "gay" was added for no apparent reason, confusing the reader.
3.) Random extra letters or numbers were added to words as well as (weirdest of all!) the letter g in subscript, which shows up every once in awhile after the period at the end of sentences.
4.) The numeral 1 and the letter I are not interchangeable nor are they near one another on a keyboard.
Ignoring the formatting problems, this is one fun book to read.
It's not Shakespeare, although the Bard is referenced.
Enjoy
1st person narrative
Limited strong language. Instead, the main character, Claire, will report that she used a variety of Anglo-Saxon words to express herself. (Thank you Ms. Hess)
No sex
No graphic violence - this is a whodunit not a police procedural.
Plot - no spoilers
Once again Claire is present or uncomfortably nearby when a crime or two are committed -- much to the disgust of her long-suffering detective fiancé, Peter. This time it's in the midst of a Renaissance Fair among its eccentric participants.
I personally enjoy the amusing descriptions of situations provided by Joan Hess as well as the verbal sparring between Claire and her often-obnoxious teenage daughter Caron.
My Rant:
Amazon.com do something!
This book needs editing. Joan Hess is too seasoned a writer to have been responsible for the mistakes found in the kindle version, therefore whoever was supposed to have formatted it for the E-Book did a substandard job. A clue that sloppy writing is not the culprit is that the mistakes are not of the standard spelling errors such as mixing up there/their/they're or its/it's.
1.) Throughout the book one character is variously referred to as Angie or Angle, though oddly enough never Angel.
2.) Within a biker group's description "gay" was added for no apparent reason, confusing the reader.
3.) Random extra letters or numbers were added to words as well as (weirdest of all!) the letter g in subscript, which shows up every once in awhile after the period at the end of sentences.
4.) The numeral 1 and the letter I are not interchangeable nor are they near one another on a keyboard.
Ignoring the formatting problems, this is one fun book to read.
It's not Shakespeare, although the Bard is referenced.
Enjoy
September 1, 2025
Stopped reading this after chapter 3. Too slow and the jokes fell flat for me. Tights? Cod-pieces? Worse, the ‘petulant’ daughter struck me as more grounded and coherent than the protagonist did. The frequent references to a Dark Age device called a ‘telephone’ also rang my alarm bells. That is an anachronism for a book published in 2007.
This seems to involve a barbed parody of the Society of Creative Anachronism. That is why I gave the charity shop my $2 coin- I wanted to see where this went. Instead, I was astonished that this irascible sleuth met people who changed clothes and offered her false identities – and yet she didn’t immediately call the FBI. What ICC warrant are these people avoiding? 😉
The Renaissance fair’s chaotic development also didn’t stack up for me. I expect to be dropped into a story in Chapter One. I am not much interested in who rented the tents. To quote Julie Andrews’ song in the musical ‘Camelot’- Take me to the Fair.
This seems to involve a barbed parody of the Society of Creative Anachronism. That is why I gave the charity shop my $2 coin- I wanted to see where this went. Instead, I was astonished that this irascible sleuth met people who changed clothes and offered her false identities – and yet she didn’t immediately call the FBI. What ICC warrant are these people avoiding? 😉
The Renaissance fair’s chaotic development also didn’t stack up for me. I expect to be dropped into a story in Chapter One. I am not much interested in who rented the tents. To quote Julie Andrews’ song in the musical ‘Camelot’- Take me to the Fair.
September 30, 2019
I picked this book up in one of those "little free libraries" on my street. It is not really something I normally would have looked for. It was a decent enough book; my first time reading this author.
At times, the humour factor was really great and I found myself actually laughing out loud in places. The story line was unique and rather interesting as well. But my major criticism is that the vast list of characters tended to be confusing. The author did not take enough time familiarizing the reader with the long list of secondary characters before delving deeply into a plot line involving so many names. I was often left scratching my head and flipping back a few pages to try to sort it all out. I don't like that in a book. I like a book that is set up so well, it flows. For that reason, I can't give it a rating of four.
At times, the humour factor was really great and I found myself actually laughing out loud in places. The story line was unique and rather interesting as well. But my major criticism is that the vast list of characters tended to be confusing. The author did not take enough time familiarizing the reader with the long list of secondary characters before delving deeply into a plot line involving so many names. I was often left scratching my head and flipping back a few pages to try to sort it all out. I don't like that in a book. I like a book that is set up so well, it flows. For that reason, I can't give it a rating of four.
August 30, 2022
Why do authors make the bookstore owner heroines so utterly dislikeable? This book seemed to have a great setting, a Renaissance fair. The possibilities were endless. The book was endless, it couldn't come quick enough. It just was an all over the place story. Claire is utterly despicable. Her fiancé should run. Her daughter should run. Her best friend is a piece of work. The characters are all losers.
I started this book a day before I had an accident. I took it to the hospital with me and should have finished it easily there. Nope. A week of bed rest should have polished it off. Nope. I could muster more than a few pages at a time. Reading should never be a chore and this book was. Straight to the donate pile it goes.
I started this book a day before I had an accident. I took it to the hospital with me and should have finished it easily there. Nope. A week of bed rest should have polished it off. Nope. I could muster more than a few pages at a time. Reading should never be a chore and this book was. Straight to the donate pile it goes.
December 24, 2021
Peter is out of town for an FBI training session and Claire is in the slow summer time at her bookstore and she is somewhat planning their wedding. Claire's daughter Caron is told by her AP History teacher that she'll have to write a boring paper if she doesn't help out at the new Farberville Renaissance Faire. Claire ends up letting the faire organizers advertise in front of her store and ends up becoming enmeshed in the main group organizing the faire. Then people connected to the faire begin being murdered. This was an enjoyable enough book in the series and Caron is finally growing up some and becoming less annoying. I do like the series and will read the rest of the books.
September 18, 2017
I enjoyed the story line of this book and most of the characters in the book. Have you ever read a book where you get so involved that a character just ticks you off? Her daughter is a brat and needs a wake up call and hope she rethinks her relationship with her fiance. Other than them, I really enjoyed the book
January 13, 2019
This was my first Claire Malloy mystery. I enjoyed the comedy and wit between characters like the jester's dialogue with Claire about the unicycle. However, I did fine that this story dragged in the middle. I liked Claire's clever solution to the hostage situation and the ending, but think the story would have benefitted from being more compact.
September 1, 2022
My favorite Claire Malloy book. The story was great. Almost makes me want to read more, but I read the next one awhile ago and it wasn’t even close to as clever and fun as this one. And I’m a stickler for grammatical errors. This one had many. Too hard to forgive in a novel about a literary woman who owns a bookstore. That’s me. Read this book because it’s fun.
May 5, 2020
Claire Malloy is the most unlikable and unreal character I have met in a detective story. I could spend page listing the things I didn't like, but this isn't worth it. Follow my advice and don't read it.
February 12, 2025
I listened to this while getting ready for surgery on a broken elbow and read the last chapter on kindle at the hospital. Really, I think my dislike was from the over enthusiastic narrator! I’m planning on reading the rest!
February 22, 2025
This book is enjoyable if you can overlook the fact that the main character, Claire, has no business investigating the murder. The book could also use some serious editing. It’s way too long for the story.
The relationship and dialogue between Claire & her teenage daughter is very entertaining.
The relationship and dialogue between Claire & her teenage daughter is very entertaining.
June 3, 2017
I had forgotten how excellent and amusing Hess's stories can be. Outstanding audio narration.
March 7, 2018
Fun plot and amusing characters. Claire Molloy isn't a perfect mom so she's very relatable.
September 2, 2018
A fast fun read in between some heavy books :)
January 25, 2020
Lots of characters, with two names. Tough to keep everything straight. Enjoyed the read.
Read
May 27, 2020fair read
July 29, 2020
Another delightful, clever romp by Joan Hess.
June 20, 2021
twists and turns and maybe a bit much on the asides and repartee, but still fun
August 8, 2022
Quick and predictable with some ridiculousness but good
October 26, 2023
Fun, especially since I have a daughter involved in the Renessance group
May 16, 2024
Fun and family drama and hysterics from the teenybopper. Lots of laughs, lots of backstabbing, and so much drama!
May 1, 2018
What I like about cozy mysteries is that you get the fun of solving a puzzle without the danger and fear of a truly frightening (or realistic) situation. A friend recommended this to me when I needed a light-hearted read, and since cozy mysteries lift me right up, I took her advice. To be honest, I wasn't fond of any of the characters. Claire Malloy has very strong opinions without much justification; men seem to fawn over her constantly; and her teenage daughter does nothing but complain. However, I like Renaissance Fairs, and Hess's mystery was intricate and well-developed. This did the trick of giving me a break. I probably won't be reading another Claire Malloy mystery, but I will recommend this one and try another book or series by Joan Hess!
March 3, 2011
A Renaissance Fair is coming to town, and Claire and Caron get roped into helping by a purple-tights-clad Fool. But as they meet the local "nobility" and experience the fun and silly delights of the Fair itself, they realize there are numerous undercurrents. When someone is killed at the Fair, Claire tries her best to keep out of it for a while, but then, once again, delves into the mystery.
I had a harder time accepting Claire's brash actions in this book. She did more illegal things and seemed to care less about them, which, considering the issue her fiancé, Lieutenant Rosen, has with that, seemed especially out of character. Their wedding being only two months away and all. It felt like, to accomplish this plot, the author put Rosen out of town because he wouldn't have let Claire do what she did, and the only reason Claire had to do what she did was because the author purposely wants to portray Claire as Chaotic Neutral in this book. Mission accomplished.
The Ren Fair characters were all larger than life, as well as improbably horny. Sure, any good Ren Fair is full of suggestive jokes, but to imply that everyone involved is taking that literally, well, it felt unnecessary.
The character set felt a little imbalanced. There were the locals, there were the Ren Fair folks, and there were the victims/murderer, who crossed lines left and right, but those who were involved in the crimes felt unnaturally close-knit and isolated. It felt like a letdown to have them feature so largely in the final details.
Having attended the Renaissance Faire at Black Rock religiously during my college years, I was excited to get into this book. Probably too excited. The Fair portrayed in the book played a very small role, and most of the characters from it spent their pages in other locations. The plot focuses on their interpersonal relationships quite heavily, which made for a whole new set of mysteries, but I was sad not to spend more time goggling at the awesomeness of the Fair.
The writing was smooth, with only a sprinkling of errors, but, yes, I noticed them, as always. It baffles me that people paid to make sure books are flawless do a worse job of it than I do as a casual reader.
I had a harder time accepting Claire's brash actions in this book. She did more illegal things and seemed to care less about them, which, considering the issue her fiancé, Lieutenant Rosen, has with that, seemed especially out of character. Their wedding being only two months away and all. It felt like, to accomplish this plot, the author put Rosen out of town because he wouldn't have let Claire do what she did, and the only reason Claire had to do what she did was because the author purposely wants to portray Claire as Chaotic Neutral in this book. Mission accomplished.
The Ren Fair characters were all larger than life, as well as improbably horny. Sure, any good Ren Fair is full of suggestive jokes, but to imply that everyone involved is taking that literally, well, it felt unnecessary.
The character set felt a little imbalanced. There were the locals, there were the Ren Fair folks, and there were the victims/murderer, who crossed lines left and right, but those who were involved in the crimes felt unnaturally close-knit and isolated. It felt like a letdown to have them feature so largely in the final details.
Having attended the Renaissance Faire at Black Rock religiously during my college years, I was excited to get into this book. Probably too excited. The Fair portrayed in the book played a very small role, and most of the characters from it spent their pages in other locations. The plot focuses on their interpersonal relationships quite heavily, which made for a whole new set of mysteries, but I was sad not to spend more time goggling at the awesomeness of the Fair.
The writing was smooth, with only a sprinkling of errors, but, yes, I noticed them, as always. It baffles me that people paid to make sure books are flawless do a worse job of it than I do as a casual reader.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews