Murder Well-Done

Hemlock Falls Mysteries #4

by Claudia Bishop

The acclaimed author of A Taste for Murder, A Dash of Death and A Pinch of Poison brilliantly captures the charms of small-town life in Upstate New York. Big trouble comes to Hemlock Falls when a sleazy ex-senator holds his wedding reception at the Inn at Hemlock Falls. It's a success--until his body is found tied to a barbecue spit.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Cooking, Fiction

257 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1996

About the author

Claudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.

Reviews

[Linda C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hemlock Falls Inn is preparing for the wedding of an ex-Senator and a plumbing heiress while the town of Hemlock Falls is suffering under a major political feud between the genders. Sisters Meg and Sarah are trying to run the Inn amongst the hoopla. When a TV newscaster looking for dirt is murdered and Sarah is framed the town becomes more divided.

This story was part slap-stick, part 'Godfather', and part pathetic romance. The first half of the book the heroine is mopey, whinny, and indecisive. When she is arrested she stands around like a dunce while first one then another tells her what to do. Then her boyfriend (ex-sheriff) who she dumped comes back to town to her rescue and suddenly she can think and tries to solve the mysteries. I almost quit the book, but some of the side characters were interesting. So far this series has been about 50/50 for me. Not sure if I'll read any more.

[Emily Cullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Innkeepers Sarah ("Quill") Quilliam and her sister Meg host the wedding of a shady ex-senator when a news reporter and the town's new sheriff end up murdered, and it's up to the two ladies to bring order to Hemlock Falls. This is a fun cozy mystery series with a great cast of characters. I would start off at the beginning, "A Taste For Murder" if you plan on getting in to it.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consistently enjoyable series

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but I guessed thr killer halfway through.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice "cosy" mystery--easy read.

[Kathy Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun series!

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep reading those even though I don’t necessarily love them. The main character Quill and her modern-day feminism really annoy me. I’m just reading for the side characters at this point.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 4 of the Inn at Hemlock Falls series. I thought the division of the townspeople along gender lines was interesting, especially the men's group. The men were pretty funny at times. The murders were semi-interesting, and the mentioned in the blurb on the book jacket doesn't happen until the next-to-last chapter, so it was less important than they were trying to lead us to believe. Although it was the most interesting in terms of the way the body was found. The sisters were their usual bickering and annoying selves. Quill and Myles were off-again on-again with their relationship, as they are in every book. Just the typical week in Hemlock Falls...

[Caitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm on page 100 and I'm quitting. This is my first attempt at this series and am not sure about a second. This has been a very uncomfortable read so far and that is not my feeling of choice for a HOLIDAY cozy. I cannot really attach to the main character and while I don't find her unlikeable, none of the other characters seem to like her much nor support her, including her own sister. I also haven't felt drawn to any of the other characters. The cast is negative and grouchy. By this point I'm feeling infuriated by the events that have taken place so far and it's just not enjoyable.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

After A Pinch of Poison I wasn't sure I ever wanted to read another one of this books. However I started the series, so I had to finish it. I'm so glad I did as I loved it. I mean at first it wasn't very good, and there were all these things that were silly or so different it felt like I was missing a book! However, as I continued reading it got better and better, making me read faster and faster to find out who the murderer could be.

[Pam Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, this is a great culinary cozy mystery series. Set in Hemlock Falls, New York, the characters are well written and the murders are well thought out. This could be the series for you. This is number four in the series.

[Sharyl Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

You really need to read the series in order because there are a lot of characters and the first part of the book is talking about stuff and people that happened before. Very boring and confusing but liked the main character and wanted to see what happened.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good installment from a lovely series. It was a quick read. The characters were likable and the mystery was well-developed. I'm looking forward to more books in the series.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun series with recipes

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and enjoyable.
Inn to host a wedding.
Chamber of Commerce broke into two groups, male and female.
Town is in an uproar.

[Christine Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summer read

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

cleaver and fun, the relationships are what drives the books

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bishop brings readers to small-town New York, Hemlock Falls to be exact, and lets the reader peek in on the inn and its owner/operators: sisters Sarah ("Quill") Quilliam and Meg, and John. Meg is the chef and Quill is a formerly well-known artist who's supposed to run the day-to-day, but she lets the mail pile up on her desk, including a citation, which lands her in court...and then in jail. A news reporter who's in town for the wedding, presumably, gets killed by someone wearing Quill's coat and hat, and the video is the evidence against Quill. While she's in jail, the crooked sheriff gets stabbed and shoved into her cell with her till someone rescues her. Meanwhile, the inn is hosting the wedding of an ex-senator (who insists on being called Senator, which tells a lot about his character).
Lots going on, not all of it muddle-free. Maybe because this is #4 and I haven't read the first 3 in the series. Quill seems befuddled throughout most of the book; she should concentrate on her life, not on solving the murder...though with a corrupt sheriff, who could sit back and let "justice" take its course?