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Miss Lizzie #1
Miss Lizzie
Jedes Kind in ganz Neuengland, ja in den ganzen USA, kennt den berühmten Knittelvers: Lizzie Borden mit dem Beile Hackt Mama in 40 Teile. Das Ergebnis freut sie sehr, Bei Papa wird's ein Teil mehr. Und in den Sommerferien des Jahres 1921 rennt die dreizehnjährige Amanda in Drummonds Süßwarengeschäft Lizzie Borden buchstäblich in die Arme. Es entsteht eine heimliche Freundschaft, die jäh auf eine häßliche Probe gestellt wird. Amandas verhaßte Stiefmutter wird ermordet aufgefunden, erschlagen mit einem Beil ...
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
26 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Walter Satterthwait
50 books31 followersWalter Satterthwait (b. 1946) was an author of mysteries and historical fiction. A fan of mystery novels from a young age, he spent high school immersed in the works of Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane. While working as a bartender in New York in the late 1970s, he wrote his first book: an adventure novel, Cocaine Blues (1979), about a drug dealer on the run from a pair of killers.
After his second thriller, The Aegean Affair (1982), Satterthwait created his best-known character, Santa Fe private detective Joshua Croft. Beginning with Wall of Glass (1988), Satterthwait wrote five Croft novels, concluding the series with 1996’s Accustomed to the Dark. In between Croft books, he wrote mysteries starring historical figures, including Miss Lizzie (1989), a novel about Lizzie Borden, and Wilde West (1991), a western mystery starring Oscar Wilde. His most recent novel is Dead Horse (2007), an account of the mysterious death of Depression-era pulp writer Raoul Whitfield.
After his second thriller, The Aegean Affair (1982), Satterthwait created his best-known character, Santa Fe private detective Joshua Croft. Beginning with Wall of Glass (1988), Satterthwait wrote five Croft novels, concluding the series with 1996’s Accustomed to the Dark. In between Croft books, he wrote mysteries starring historical figures, including Miss Lizzie (1989), a novel about Lizzie Borden, and Wilde West (1991), a western mystery starring Oscar Wilde. His most recent novel is Dead Horse (2007), an account of the mysterious death of Depression-era pulp writer Raoul Whitfield.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 6, 2020
I read this book nearly 20 years ago — so long ago that I read it on cassette tapes from my public library! I loved it then, but I had forgotten nearly all of the details, including who the murderer was.
It would be too easy to spoil this book, so I won’t go into the backstory at all. (You can read the book blurb.) But I loved this novel all over again: the humor, the knowledge of human nature and failings, the re-creation of a patrician world that was already disappearing in 1922, the depiction of two amazing, courageous, clever heroines, Lizzie Border and Amanda Burton. But more amazing is the lyrical prose that readers don’t expect from mystery novels. I wish I could give this book six stars on this second reading!
It would be too easy to spoil this book, so I won’t go into the backstory at all. (You can read the book blurb.) But I loved this novel all over again: the humor, the knowledge of human nature and failings, the re-creation of a patrician world that was already disappearing in 1922, the depiction of two amazing, courageous, clever heroines, Lizzie Border and Amanda Burton. But more amazing is the lyrical prose that readers don’t expect from mystery novels. I wish I could give this book six stars on this second reading!
December 5, 2017
Lizzie Borden as a next-door neighbor, not homicidal, at least, except for her parents.
June 13, 2017
Amanda and her family are at a holiday house near the shore. Next door is the aquited but still suspected Miss Lizzie Borden. When Amanda's stepmother is horribly murdered by a hatchet and her brother suspected of the crime, Miss Lizzie takes charge and shelters Amanda and hires a lawyer and the Pinkerton agency to help find the killer. However, it is Miss lizzie's insights and deductions that help solve the crime.
I really enjoyed this book and its unusual pairing. it was interesting and fun.
I really enjoyed this book and its unusual pairing. it was interesting and fun.
June 4, 2023
Wirklich nette Verknüpfung einer fiktionalen Geschichte mit einem historischen True-Crime-Fall. Die Auflösung hat mich wirklich überrascht und das kommt nicht allzu oft vor.
May 5, 2020
It’s 1921, and the Burton family is vacationing on the shores of Massachusetts. Mr. Burton is a stockbroker in Boston. His 2 children, 13-year-old Amanda and 19-year-old William, have joined him. When the children were quite young, the first Mrs. Burton died. Mr. Burton subsequently suffered from poor health and remarried his nurse, a dreadful woman by the name of Audrey who the children hate.
One of the most interesting facets of the vacation neighborhood is the fact that the family is living next to the infamous Lizzie Borden:
Lizzie Borden took an axe
and gave her mother forty whacks
and when she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.
Although the crime took place in 1892 and Miss Lizzie was acquitted of the deed, the town still believes that was the killer. By accident, Amanda and Miss Lizzie meet; and a fast friendship is formed. Amanda visits her neighbor often, and Miss Lizzie teaches her card tricks. They never talk directly about what happened to Miss Lizzie’s parents, but Amanda steadfastly believes in her innocence.
One day, Audrey Burton viciously attacks the children with scathing observations about their behavior. She begins to hit William, over and over again. Shortly thereafter, Amanda finds her stepmother brutally murdered with, as it turns out, over 25 whacks of an axe. Of course, immediate suspicion falls on Miss Lizzie, as well as on William, who has disappeared.
Assisted by a wonderfully handsome lawyer by the name of Mr. Slocum (who Amanda is convinced that she is going to marry) and a rough-hewn Pinkerton man by the name of Boyle who looked like a short, overweight, middle-aged former prize fighter, Miss Lizzie manages the investigation.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Although the narrative is centered around the murder of Audrey Burton, the majority of the book focuses on the wonderful relationship between Amanda and Miss Lizzie. Told from the point of view of Amanda, we delight in seeing the world through her somewhat naïve but never unintelligent 13-year-old eyes. Satterthwait does a terrific job in characterization, description, plot and dialog. What an engaging book and a most interesting ending.
One of the most interesting facets of the vacation neighborhood is the fact that the family is living next to the infamous Lizzie Borden:
Lizzie Borden took an axe
and gave her mother forty whacks
and when she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.
Although the crime took place in 1892 and Miss Lizzie was acquitted of the deed, the town still believes that was the killer. By accident, Amanda and Miss Lizzie meet; and a fast friendship is formed. Amanda visits her neighbor often, and Miss Lizzie teaches her card tricks. They never talk directly about what happened to Miss Lizzie’s parents, but Amanda steadfastly believes in her innocence.
One day, Audrey Burton viciously attacks the children with scathing observations about their behavior. She begins to hit William, over and over again. Shortly thereafter, Amanda finds her stepmother brutally murdered with, as it turns out, over 25 whacks of an axe. Of course, immediate suspicion falls on Miss Lizzie, as well as on William, who has disappeared.
Assisted by a wonderfully handsome lawyer by the name of Mr. Slocum (who Amanda is convinced that she is going to marry) and a rough-hewn Pinkerton man by the name of Boyle who looked like a short, overweight, middle-aged former prize fighter, Miss Lizzie manages the investigation.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Although the narrative is centered around the murder of Audrey Burton, the majority of the book focuses on the wonderful relationship between Amanda and Miss Lizzie. Told from the point of view of Amanda, we delight in seeing the world through her somewhat naïve but never unintelligent 13-year-old eyes. Satterthwait does a terrific job in characterization, description, plot and dialog. What an engaging book and a most interesting ending.
November 22, 2008
Thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery featuring one Miss Lizbeth A. Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts. Takes place many years after the unfortunate events of August 4, 1892. An unpleasant woman is murdered with a hatchet, the body found by her stepdaughter, who runs next door to her friend Miss Borden for help. Atmospheric, nicely paced, clues to the murderer that are fair but not obvious, interesting characters.
October 12, 2021
I recently watched the '70s-era movie about Lizzie Borden, the one starring Elizabeth Montgomery. It was every bit as fascinating as I remembered it from way back then. A friend recommended this book to me and I'm glad she did because this was quite fun!
Lizzie Borden is summering at the shore (having been acquitted of the brutal murders of her father and stepmother years before), as is young Amanda Burton and her family, in the house next door. Amanda's stepmother is murdered in a rather similar fashion as the murders Lizzie was accused of and the search for the killer ensues, with Miss Borden leading the charge. Lizzie and Amanda have become friends and Lizzie's protective instincts towards Amanda make her determined to find the killer. Perhaps a measure of vindication for her own life.
There's a cast of enjoyable characters, including the lawyer Darryl Slocum and Pinkerton man Boyle, both hired by Miss Borden. It's as much Amanda's coming-of-age story as it is an intriguing murder mystery.
There is no heavy lifting here; it's just an enjoyable read. It is nicely written. I particularly liked this:
"'Animals,' he said with absolute conviction, 'don’t bother you if you don’t bother them.' Over the years I have learned that, with the exception of sharks and human beings, he was quite right."
I see that there is a second book in which Lizzie and Amanda join forces again. I will definitely be reading that one, too!
Lizzie Borden is summering at the shore (having been acquitted of the brutal murders of her father and stepmother years before), as is young Amanda Burton and her family, in the house next door. Amanda's stepmother is murdered in a rather similar fashion as the murders Lizzie was accused of and the search for the killer ensues, with Miss Borden leading the charge. Lizzie and Amanda have become friends and Lizzie's protective instincts towards Amanda make her determined to find the killer. Perhaps a measure of vindication for her own life.
There's a cast of enjoyable characters, including the lawyer Darryl Slocum and Pinkerton man Boyle, both hired by Miss Borden. It's as much Amanda's coming-of-age story as it is an intriguing murder mystery.
There is no heavy lifting here; it's just an enjoyable read. It is nicely written. I particularly liked this:
"'Animals,' he said with absolute conviction, 'don’t bother you if you don’t bother them.' Over the years I have learned that, with the exception of sharks and human beings, he was quite right."
I see that there is a second book in which Lizzie and Amanda join forces again. I will definitely be reading that one, too!
April 18, 2023
Jedes Kind in ganz Neuengland, ja in den ganzen USA, kennt den berühmten
Gelesen als Buddy-Read mit einer lieben Bookloverin. Der Austausch über den Roman war mindestens genauso spannend wie die Lektüre selbst. Der Schreibstil war sehr flüssig, teils auch humorvoll. Die Charaktere waren überwiegend sympathisch oder zumindest auf sympathische Art beschrieben.
Trotz einer gewissen Vorhersehbarkeit eine spannende Lektüre und der zweite Teil steht schon auf der Merkliste.
Gelesen als Buddy-Read mit einer lieben Bookloverin. Der Austausch über den Roman war mindestens genauso spannend wie die Lektüre selbst. Der Schreibstil war sehr flüssig, teils auch humorvoll. Die Charaktere waren überwiegend sympathisch oder zumindest auf sympathische Art beschrieben.
Trotz einer gewissen Vorhersehbarkeit eine spannende Lektüre und der zweite Teil steht schon auf der Merkliste.
September 4, 2011
Ein Kriminalroman der etwas anderen Art.
Von Anfang an ist man gefesselt von der Geschichte der 13jährigen Amanda Burton, die während eines Sommerurlaubs an der See miterlben muss wie ihre verhasste Stiefmutter ermordet wird.
Zusammen mit ihrer eher ungewöhnlichen Nachbarin und Freundin, Miss Lizzie, von der behauptet wird, dass sie vor Jahren ihre Eltern mit einem Beil ermordet hat, macht sie sich auf die Suche nach dem Täter.
Wie in einem guten Krimi tauchen immer mehr Figuren auf der Bildfläche auf, die mal mehr und mal weniger ein Motiv für die Tat haben könnten. Amandas kindliche Neugier und naive Art Dinge zu betrachten, machen diesen Krimi zu einer leichten Lektüre mit Suchtcharakter. Man wird hineingezogen in die frühen Zwanzigerjahre an die amerikanische Küste.
Mit viel Liebe zum Detail schildert Satterthwait die Umgebung, die damaligen Lebensumstände und formt seine Charaktere.
Spannend, witzig, amüsant.
"das [...] Gefühl des Abschlusses, der Beerdigung [...], das man empfindet, wenn man das letzte Kapitel gelesen hat und das Buch, mit einem Lächeln oder auch einem kleinen Seufzer, schließt" - bei mir war es beides: ein Lächeln, weil das Buch so schön geschrieben ist und ein Seufzer weil es wirklich - wie jedes Buch - einmal ein Ende finden muss.
Von Anfang an ist man gefesselt von der Geschichte der 13jährigen Amanda Burton, die während eines Sommerurlaubs an der See miterlben muss wie ihre verhasste Stiefmutter ermordet wird.
Zusammen mit ihrer eher ungewöhnlichen Nachbarin und Freundin, Miss Lizzie, von der behauptet wird, dass sie vor Jahren ihre Eltern mit einem Beil ermordet hat, macht sie sich auf die Suche nach dem Täter.
Wie in einem guten Krimi tauchen immer mehr Figuren auf der Bildfläche auf, die mal mehr und mal weniger ein Motiv für die Tat haben könnten. Amandas kindliche Neugier und naive Art Dinge zu betrachten, machen diesen Krimi zu einer leichten Lektüre mit Suchtcharakter. Man wird hineingezogen in die frühen Zwanzigerjahre an die amerikanische Küste.
Mit viel Liebe zum Detail schildert Satterthwait die Umgebung, die damaligen Lebensumstände und formt seine Charaktere.
Spannend, witzig, amüsant.
"das [...] Gefühl des Abschlusses, der Beerdigung [...], das man empfindet, wenn man das letzte Kapitel gelesen hat und das Buch, mit einem Lächeln oder auch einem kleinen Seufzer, schließt" - bei mir war es beides: ein Lächeln, weil das Buch so schön geschrieben ist und ein Seufzer weil es wirklich - wie jedes Buch - einmal ein Ende finden muss.
May 19, 2008
Not overly exciting. Told from the viewpoint of a young girl and most of it takes place in Lizzie Borden's house. The setting changed so rarely, it could've been a play. The ending was pretty good, but all in all, I thought it was rather slow and boring... something I wouldn't expect of a book with Lizzie Borden as a main character. I will say that the character of Lizzie was quite well drawn out and developed. I liked her, but somehow felt something was missing. This book took place years after the Fall River murders of her parents with "Miss Lizzie" as an older woman. Here, she's something of an amateur sleuth trying to solve the shocking murder of her next door neighbor... a hatchet murder that has striking similarities to the ones Miss Lizzie was accused of committing years earlier in Fall River.
August 27, 2010
This book lulls you into a false sense of security. Sure there's a bit of a graphic murder early in the book. But then most of the book is kind of a gentle period mystery. Wealthy people at the shore, Pinkerton men, Lizzie Borden. Lots and lots of interviewing people. A very quiet sort of mystery- until the grand conclusion which left me shocked, a little dizzy and afraid to turn out the light. Consider yourself forewarned- this is the sort of book which will make you jump at every creak of a floorboard for days after you finish it. That aside, it was really well-written. I loved the narrator- a woman looking back on herself at thirteen honestly. I loved the complexity of the plot, the characters. I love the simple irony of a girl running to Lizzie Borden for help when she finds her stepmother murdered.
August 31, 2007
A young girl who hates her stepmother finds out her next door neighbor is none other than Lizzie Borden. This novel is one of WS's very best, so much so that I decided to write a preface for the French edition (the French do not know who LB was, so the novel as such was not publishable, which seemed a real pity.)
November 6, 2016
(I have no idea why the description for this book is in German. The book is in beautifully written English.)
This book was out of print until reprinted a few years ago by the Authors Guild. I'm delighted they chose to bring it back.
The conceit -- that the young narrator becomes friends with Lizzie Borden many years after her murder trial, a friendship that becomes of central importance when the narrator's step-mother is hacked to death -- is clever. The characters are uniformly well drawn. Satterthwait has a gift for unexpected and pithy turns of phrase. (He may occasionally overdo the injection of such, but that's easily forgiven.) He also sprinkles the narrative with many details that convey the social and political shape of the era.
As for the plot and how it unfolds: it's hard for me to assess how well this is done. I read too fast as a rule, and therefore fail to absorb details. One of the details I read and immediately forgot turned out to be pivotal. More alert and retentive readers may, when the resolution is revealed, have the satisfactory feeling of "Oh, THAT's it!" instead of my own experience of "Huh?"
This book was out of print until reprinted a few years ago by the Authors Guild. I'm delighted they chose to bring it back.
The conceit -- that the young narrator becomes friends with Lizzie Borden many years after her murder trial, a friendship that becomes of central importance when the narrator's step-mother is hacked to death -- is clever. The characters are uniformly well drawn. Satterthwait has a gift for unexpected and pithy turns of phrase. (He may occasionally overdo the injection of such, but that's easily forgiven.) He also sprinkles the narrative with many details that convey the social and political shape of the era.
As for the plot and how it unfolds: it's hard for me to assess how well this is done. I read too fast as a rule, and therefore fail to absorb details. One of the details I read and immediately forgot turned out to be pivotal. More alert and retentive readers may, when the resolution is revealed, have the satisfactory feeling of "Oh, THAT's it!" instead of my own experience of "Huh?"
May 5, 2020
A charming, refreshing murder mystery. Some adult themes, apparent to any adult reader, pass blissfully over the head of the 13-yr-old protagonist Amanda as she relates them in the narrative of her limited understanding. Nevertheless the young narrator is intelligent, inquisitive, appealing, and her inner monologue is at times laugh-out-loud amusing and sweetly touching. Because of our innocent heroine, the story is palatable to those of us weary of gratuitous language and gore in the genre of horror/mystery. And this does verge deliciously on horror. (However, it’s NOT a kid’s novel.) The story pulls no punches and wraps up quite satisfyingly. One might call the novel almost droll, for it does tackle the fantastical premise of a summer seaside friendship with THE notorious Lizzie Borden. The author has pulled this off very well. I’ve not been so entertained in a long time. A true page-turner.
P.S. The author has included a fascinating reference to real-life actress Nance O’Neil, a close friend, historically rumored to be a very close friend, of Lizzie Borden’s circa 1904.
P.S. The author has included a fascinating reference to real-life actress Nance O’Neil, a close friend, historically rumored to be a very close friend, of Lizzie Borden’s circa 1904.
May 19, 2025
A young girl named Amanda and her family are spending the summer near the shore. She has an older brother and her father has recently remarried. Their next door neighbor is the infamous Lizzie Borden, years after she was acquitted of killing her parents. Amanda does not like her new stepmother and begins spending afternoons with Lizzie who is teaching her magic tricks. Lizzie does not treat Amanda like a child, as her stepmother does. One day, Amanda's brother gets in a fight with the stepmom and disappears. When Amanda awakes from an afternoon nap, she finds that her whole world has changed and the only person protecting her is Miss Lizzie. I really enjoyed the relationship between Amanda and Lizzie. The suspense was also good and they tried to find who committed the crime.
July 21, 2025
A fascinating, clear look into the making of Miss Lizzy as we know her through history. This visit into the 1920s - 1940s is sharply brought to life for us as we journey through the eyes of young Amanda Burton in search of the real Miss Lizzy Bordon. We will find her, in all her glory, and understand better this period of history between the great wars. This is the first of four novels featuring Lizzy brought to us by Walter Satterthwair. I can't wait to read them all.
REVIEWED on July 21, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub.
REVIEWED on July 21, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub.
September 7, 2019
"Lizzie Borden took an axe...." We've all heard that small verse about a heinous crime in the late 1890's and wondered, did she hack her step-mother and father to death or not? On a summer vacation by the sea, a 13 year old Boston girl befriends her next door neighbor, the infamous Lizzie Borden, only to find her own step-mother murdered with an axe. Could it have been her beloved new friend or another who rid her world of an evil step-mother?
March 12, 2023
La giovane Amanda scopre purtroppo il cadavere della matrigna in un lago di sangue. Si rifugia dalla vicina, la famigerata Lizzie Borden, protagonista di una discutibile filastrocca che la incolpa dell'omicidio dei propri genitori con una scure.
La silenziosa vicina si rivelerà piena di affetto e di senso materno verso la giovane tredicenne proteggendola in più di un'occasione, senza mai però far svanire i sospetti.
Un bel giallo classico da leggere sotto il sole.
La silenziosa vicina si rivelerà piena di affetto e di senso materno verso la giovane tredicenne proteggendola in più di un'occasione, senza mai però far svanire i sospetti.
Un bel giallo classico da leggere sotto il sole.
January 26, 2019
An independent murder mystery, featuring a older Lizzie Borden.
The story is told as a recollection by the step daughter of the victim, and the author is successful in portraying both the fascination and horror of our naive teenage protagonist.
I really enjoyed the details from the 1920s and the twists and turns.
The story is told as a recollection by the step daughter of the victim, and the author is successful in portraying both the fascination and horror of our naive teenage protagonist.
I really enjoyed the details from the 1920s and the twists and turns.
January 13, 2022
Oh my, what an interesting book. It had a rather dramatic and somewhat frightening ending, which startled me. I loved the little girl who is summering next door to Lizzie Borden, thirty years after her parents were axed. Then Amanada's evil stepmother gets axed.. oh my. This takes place shortly after world war I, at the shore for the summer. Miss Lizzie befriends Amanda.. and things happen.
November 11, 2024
An interesting work of historical fiction centered around the viewpoint of young Amanda who wakes up after a nap to discover her stepmother "hacked" to death from a hatchet. Did I mention that Lizzie Borden is her next door neighbor?
September 6, 2017
Really enjoyed this book. Well written and amusing in places even though the murder was rather horrific.
May 11, 2020
A real page turner that had me intrigued all the way. Each character has their own distinct personality. Very well-written
March 30, 2022
Fantastic!! Loved it! Couldn’t put it down!
June 6, 2022
Aus meinem Bestand in den Bücherschrank.
July 31, 2024
Liked the storyline, athough some things were just a wee bit weird. A nice cosy murder, all be it a gruesome one.
August 9, 2016
Walter Satterthwaits Kriminalroman beginnt eher still und leise und entwickelt sich erst im Laufe der Geschichte zu einem großartigen Werk über Freundschaft, Loyalität und einen Mord. Dabei ist dieser stille Anfang keinesfalls langweilig, sondern aus meiner Sicht für den späteren Verlauf der Geschichte sehr wichtig, da man Amanda und ihre Familie kennenlernt.
Die Charaktere, allen voran Amanda und Miss Lizzie, haben mir unheimlich gut gefallen. Die beiden sind sehr liebevoll dargestellt, so dass ich sie einfach gerne haben musste. Amandas Gedankengänge sind sehr ehrlich und haben mich mehr als einmal schmunzeln lassen. Doch auch die anderen Charaktere konnten mich durch ihre authentische Darstellung überzeugen. Einige der Nebendarsteller sind recht stereotyp, was mich jedoch nicht gestört hat, sondern positiv zur Geschichte beigetragen hat.
Das Gewisse Etwas verleiht der Autor seiner Geschichte durch die klugen, weisen und manchmal auch einfach nur lustigen Dialoge zwischen Amanda und Miss Lizzie.
„Warum klatschen die Leute so viel?“
„Klatsch ist wie Klebstoff. Er hält die Menschen zusammen.“
„Wie denn?“
„Nun“ sagte sie, „wenn zwei Menschen über einen anderen klatschen, beweisen sie einander und sich selbst, dass sie sich ähnlich sind. Dass sie die gleichen schrecklich wichtigen Anliegen haben und die gleichen schrecklich untadeligen Maßstäbe.“
„Aber manchmal ist Klatsch nicht sehr nett.“
Miss Lizzie lächelte. „Wenn er nett wäre, wäre es kein Klatsch.“
(Seite 255)
Im Vordergrund der Geschichte steht der Mord an Amandas Stiefmutter, welche ich so fies fand, dass ich nur wenig Mitleid mit ihr hatte. Es gibt keine Spur darauf, wer der Täter ist und der Autor gibt dem Leser auch keine Anhaltspunkte, weswegen ich auch keine Vermutung hatte, wer denn der Täter ist. Somit ermittelt man quasi gemeinsam mit Amanda und Miss Lizzie und deckt gemeinsam mit ihnen die Wahrheit auf. Dabei gelingt es dem Autor einen Spannungsbogen aufzubauen, welcher sich bis zum Ende hält.
Die Freundschaft zwischen Amanda und Miss Lizzie mag vielleicht ungewöhnlich erscheinen, wird vom Autor jedoch absolut überzeugend dargestellt. Auf Grund von Miss Lizzies Vergangenheit wird bedingt durch den Mord an Amandas Stiefmutter Amandas Loyalität auf eine harte Probe gestellt. Amanda lernt mit falschen Anschuldigungen umzugehen und Miss Lizzie stärkt ihr Selbstbewusstsein. Der Autor geht auf sehr schöne Weise mit dieser Thematik um, und es gefällt mir, dass er zeigt, wie wichtig Loyalität ist.
Fazit:
Erwartet habe ich einen Krimi mit lustigen Elementen. Da der Autor genau meinen Humor getroffen hat und auch die Spannung nicht zu kurz kommt, wurden meine Erwartungen in dieser Hinsicht erfüllt. Nicht gerechnet habe ich vorab damit, dass das Buch voller Klugheit und Lebensweisheiten ist, womit der Autor all meine Erwartungen an das Buch völlig übertroffen hat. „Miss Lizzie“ von Walter Satterthwait hat mir beim Lesen große Freude bereitet und ich freue mich schon darauf, die Fortsetzung „Miss Lizzie kehrt zurück“ zu lesen.
Die Charaktere, allen voran Amanda und Miss Lizzie, haben mir unheimlich gut gefallen. Die beiden sind sehr liebevoll dargestellt, so dass ich sie einfach gerne haben musste. Amandas Gedankengänge sind sehr ehrlich und haben mich mehr als einmal schmunzeln lassen. Doch auch die anderen Charaktere konnten mich durch ihre authentische Darstellung überzeugen. Einige der Nebendarsteller sind recht stereotyp, was mich jedoch nicht gestört hat, sondern positiv zur Geschichte beigetragen hat.
Das Gewisse Etwas verleiht der Autor seiner Geschichte durch die klugen, weisen und manchmal auch einfach nur lustigen Dialoge zwischen Amanda und Miss Lizzie.
„Warum klatschen die Leute so viel?“
„Klatsch ist wie Klebstoff. Er hält die Menschen zusammen.“
„Wie denn?“
„Nun“ sagte sie, „wenn zwei Menschen über einen anderen klatschen, beweisen sie einander und sich selbst, dass sie sich ähnlich sind. Dass sie die gleichen schrecklich wichtigen Anliegen haben und die gleichen schrecklich untadeligen Maßstäbe.“
„Aber manchmal ist Klatsch nicht sehr nett.“
Miss Lizzie lächelte. „Wenn er nett wäre, wäre es kein Klatsch.“
(Seite 255)
Im Vordergrund der Geschichte steht der Mord an Amandas Stiefmutter, welche ich so fies fand, dass ich nur wenig Mitleid mit ihr hatte. Es gibt keine Spur darauf, wer der Täter ist und der Autor gibt dem Leser auch keine Anhaltspunkte, weswegen ich auch keine Vermutung hatte, wer denn der Täter ist. Somit ermittelt man quasi gemeinsam mit Amanda und Miss Lizzie und deckt gemeinsam mit ihnen die Wahrheit auf. Dabei gelingt es dem Autor einen Spannungsbogen aufzubauen, welcher sich bis zum Ende hält.
Die Freundschaft zwischen Amanda und Miss Lizzie mag vielleicht ungewöhnlich erscheinen, wird vom Autor jedoch absolut überzeugend dargestellt. Auf Grund von Miss Lizzies Vergangenheit wird bedingt durch den Mord an Amandas Stiefmutter Amandas Loyalität auf eine harte Probe gestellt. Amanda lernt mit falschen Anschuldigungen umzugehen und Miss Lizzie stärkt ihr Selbstbewusstsein. Der Autor geht auf sehr schöne Weise mit dieser Thematik um, und es gefällt mir, dass er zeigt, wie wichtig Loyalität ist.
Fazit:
Erwartet habe ich einen Krimi mit lustigen Elementen. Da der Autor genau meinen Humor getroffen hat und auch die Spannung nicht zu kurz kommt, wurden meine Erwartungen in dieser Hinsicht erfüllt. Nicht gerechnet habe ich vorab damit, dass das Buch voller Klugheit und Lebensweisheiten ist, womit der Autor all meine Erwartungen an das Buch völlig übertroffen hat. „Miss Lizzie“ von Walter Satterthwait hat mir beim Lesen große Freude bereitet und ich freue mich schon darauf, die Fortsetzung „Miss Lizzie kehrt zurück“ zu lesen.
August 22, 2011
The eponymous Miss Lizzie is non other than Lizzie Borden, but this is not a novel about the events that propelled her into national notoriety, the murders in Falls River, Massachusetts, for which she was tried and controversially acquitted. Rather it is set a generation later,in 1921, in a small coastal resort where she is now living.
The Burton family take up residence for the Summer, and the narrator of the novel is 13 year old Amanda Burton who is very bright, inquisitive and quick witted. Her father is frequently absent in Boston and the rest of the family consists of her older brother William, plus her stepmother Audrey. Audrey is disliked by the children and she in turn dislikes them. It is a loveless marriage on all sides. Amanda is thrown much upon her own devices and befriends the reclusive and notorious Lizzie who teaches her card tricks, among other things, and her expertise being the result of hours of solitary practice, a by-product of loneliness. Then, one hot August day, murder rears its ugly head yet again. The stepmother is murdered--cut to pieces with an axe. The local police chief suspects Lizzie, based on past experience (he was an officer in Falls River during the Borden murders). There are other suspects however. William and Audrey quarreled violently on the day of the murder and he has gone missing; nor does Mr. Burton have a watertight alibi. The town has racial tensions and some would like to pin the crime on a local black tradesman named Charlie seen in the area while others are persuaded it was the work of anarchists. Employing a shrewd local lawyer, and a Pinkerton agent Lizzie resolves to uncover the mystery as much for her own safety as anything else --she is pelted by the mob who hover ghoulishly outside her home) It builds to a climax whose qualities are slightly at odds with the tone of the bulk of the book. The author teases us with the possibility of her guilt both for the crime in the book and Falls River-similarities between the two are pointed out (The death of a step-parent; the MO. The very hot weather; the physical similarities of the dwellings in which the murders took place).
It is satisfying as a mystery, has a convincing narrator and leaves the figure of Lizzie Borden what it should always be--a fascinating enigma .
Well written and satisfying on every level. I listened to this book on CD, and was most impressed with the narrator used as the voice. Very well done.
The Burton family take up residence for the Summer, and the narrator of the novel is 13 year old Amanda Burton who is very bright, inquisitive and quick witted. Her father is frequently absent in Boston and the rest of the family consists of her older brother William, plus her stepmother Audrey. Audrey is disliked by the children and she in turn dislikes them. It is a loveless marriage on all sides. Amanda is thrown much upon her own devices and befriends the reclusive and notorious Lizzie who teaches her card tricks, among other things, and her expertise being the result of hours of solitary practice, a by-product of loneliness. Then, one hot August day, murder rears its ugly head yet again. The stepmother is murdered--cut to pieces with an axe. The local police chief suspects Lizzie, based on past experience (he was an officer in Falls River during the Borden murders). There are other suspects however. William and Audrey quarreled violently on the day of the murder and he has gone missing; nor does Mr. Burton have a watertight alibi. The town has racial tensions and some would like to pin the crime on a local black tradesman named Charlie seen in the area while others are persuaded it was the work of anarchists. Employing a shrewd local lawyer, and a Pinkerton agent Lizzie resolves to uncover the mystery as much for her own safety as anything else --she is pelted by the mob who hover ghoulishly outside her home) It builds to a climax whose qualities are slightly at odds with the tone of the bulk of the book. The author teases us with the possibility of her guilt both for the crime in the book and Falls River-similarities between the two are pointed out (The death of a step-parent; the MO. The very hot weather; the physical similarities of the dwellings in which the murders took place).
It is satisfying as a mystery, has a convincing narrator and leaves the figure of Lizzie Borden what it should always be--a fascinating enigma .
Well written and satisfying on every level. I listened to this book on CD, and was most impressed with the narrator used as the voice. Very well done.
April 22, 2012
First Line: The days were longer then, in that long-ago summer at the shore, and the air was softer, and the sunlight more golden as it winked and wobbled off a bluer sea.
It is 1921 and Prohibition has just begun. Thirteen-year-old Amanda Burton is staying with her father, stepmother and older brother in a house along the Massachusetts coast.
Amanda finds out their next-door neighbor is the notorious Lizzie Borden, the woman who was acquitted of taking a hatchet and cutting her father and stepmother to pieces. Amanda meets Lizzie, and they become friends-- meeting almost every day so Lizzie can teach the young girl card tricks.
Amanda and her brother loathe their stepmother, and when Amanda wakes up on the hottest day of the summer to find the woman hacked to bits in a bedroom in their house, suspicion falls squarely on the shoulders of neighbor Lizzie. Amanda doesn't believe that Lizzie did it (she doesn't believe Lizzie killed her parents either), and with Miss Lizzie taking the initiative to hire both a lawyer and a Pinkerton detective, the unlikely pair sets out to find the real killer. Their investigation uncovers a nest of secrets. All they have to do is find the guardian who's willing to kill to keep his--or her-- secrets hidden.
Satterthwait's writing style captured me from the first paragraph, and another scene set in the fog actually had the hair standing on the back of my neck. The story is told by a much older Amanda who seems very nostalgic for the innocence she had during those days. As the story progresses and suspicion shifts from one person to another, the reader can easily begin to doubt all the characters-- even Amanda herself.
Satterthwait's poetic style brings the era to life in a swiftly moving plot that shifts nimbly through the fog of secrets and suspicions until the reader is deliciously lost. Amanda and Miss Lizzie are now one of my favorite detective duos, and I have more of the author's books on their way to my doorstep.
It is 1921 and Prohibition has just begun. Thirteen-year-old Amanda Burton is staying with her father, stepmother and older brother in a house along the Massachusetts coast.
Amanda finds out their next-door neighbor is the notorious Lizzie Borden, the woman who was acquitted of taking a hatchet and cutting her father and stepmother to pieces. Amanda meets Lizzie, and they become friends-- meeting almost every day so Lizzie can teach the young girl card tricks.
Amanda and her brother loathe their stepmother, and when Amanda wakes up on the hottest day of the summer to find the woman hacked to bits in a bedroom in their house, suspicion falls squarely on the shoulders of neighbor Lizzie. Amanda doesn't believe that Lizzie did it (she doesn't believe Lizzie killed her parents either), and with Miss Lizzie taking the initiative to hire both a lawyer and a Pinkerton detective, the unlikely pair sets out to find the real killer. Their investigation uncovers a nest of secrets. All they have to do is find the guardian who's willing to kill to keep his--or her-- secrets hidden.
Satterthwait's writing style captured me from the first paragraph, and another scene set in the fog actually had the hair standing on the back of my neck. The story is told by a much older Amanda who seems very nostalgic for the innocence she had during those days. As the story progresses and suspicion shifts from one person to another, the reader can easily begin to doubt all the characters-- even Amanda herself.
Satterthwait's poetic style brings the era to life in a swiftly moving plot that shifts nimbly through the fog of secrets and suspicions until the reader is deliciously lost. Amanda and Miss Lizzie are now one of my favorite detective duos, and I have more of the author's books on their way to my doorstep.
August 3, 2018
A delight to re-read this book for the first time in several years. It's a murder mystery story related in the first person by a fictional character, 13 year old Amanda Burton, who forms an unlikely friendship with the infamous Lizzie Borden, set in 1921, almost 30 years after the murder of her father and step-mother. As with other novels I've read by Walter Satterthwait, I enjoyed his style of writing, the characters in "Miss Lizzie" are interesting and engaging, and the plot provided a very enjoyable read.
I only recently discovered that a couple of years ago (and more than 25 years after the publication of this book), Satterthwait had written a second novel featuring the two main characters, so I wanted to read this again before diving into the new book, "New York Nocturne: The Return of Miss Lizzie". My only quibble about a second book is that Amanda says she never saw Miss Lizzie again after the events of 1921, so I suppose I'll just have to ignore that and hope for another enjoyable story.
I only recently discovered that a couple of years ago (and more than 25 years after the publication of this book), Satterthwait had written a second novel featuring the two main characters, so I wanted to read this again before diving into the new book, "New York Nocturne: The Return of Miss Lizzie". My only quibble about a second book is that Amanda says she never saw Miss Lizzie again after the events of 1921, so I suppose I'll just have to ignore that and hope for another enjoyable story.
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