The Unkindest Cut

Bridge Club Mystery #2

by Honor Hartman

Emma Diamond, a recent widow with a passion for bridge, takes a retreat to the Texas Hill Country with her friends. The trip proves to be quite a thrilling spectacle in ways they never anticipated, because it's also playing host to two battling bridge instructors. These professional contenders are infamous enemies and only one will survive the weekend...

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Womens, Suspense, Procedural

244 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

About the author

Honor Hartman is the pseudonym for a mystery author who has lived in Houston, Texas for over twenty-five years, has two cats and thousands of books, and plays bridge as often as possible.

Series:
* Bridge Club Mystery

Also writes as Dean James, Jimmie Ruth Evans, and Miranda James

Reviews

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Camilla Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not into playing bridge, but I love the author's books. Great mysteries, where I rarely have the culprit pegged.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book, the second, and unfortunately to the best of my knowledge the last in the A Bridge Club Mystery series. I loved the Bridge theme. I used to play years ago and this was so much fun to “play” vicariously with Emma and her friends.

The series premise is a widow moves to a new home to be closer to her best friend for support and gets involved in a local bridge club. Through her activities with the club she stumbles on murders which she solves. The character of Emma is very believable and likable. She is a widow and still grieving and that is dealt with in a realistic manner, but the book is not depressing at all. Her friends make up an eclectic group and support her sleuthing activities.

In this episode, Emma travels to a bridge conference to support a friend and learn more. At the conference, a “celebrity” is murdered and Emma is right in the middle of it. The mystery is will crafted and has many probable suspects to spread suspicion among.

A very enjoyable read and I am sorry that there are not going to be more in this series!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I know like NOTHING of Bridge!! I was afraid to start this because I don’t play Bridge but YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLAY BRIDGE TO ENJOY THIS BOOK!!!! There were some bridge tips at the end of the book…..because the main character had bought a History of Bridge book during the story --- I did learn some interesting things about the history of cards! The characters in this book were believable, fun and could be your best friends and have never thought about week long Bridge Tournaments or Boat Cruise Bridge Tournaments – the hotel they stayed at was more than interesting and pleasant, just a GREAT GOOD cozy read!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Widowed Emma and her friends Marylou and Sophie go to a country hotel to attend a bridge week. Marylou's friend Paula has convinced her to attend, to give moral support as Paula breaks up with her husband and goes back to her first husband. But when her current husband is found dead, there are so many suspects that the police can't even concentrate on Paula--there's his first wife, his son, Paula's first husband, the nasty receptionist at the hotel, and almost anyone else who has encountered him.

[Dana Gill-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the lates in the series and cannot wait to read more. Emma is a great heroine and the authour has placed her in one of my facvorite places HOUSTON! I love this series and cannot wait for more.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lot of fun! I was worried I might not like it but no worry! The characters were people I would love to be friends with and the story moved along at a good pace. Unusual and enjoyable I would suggest it to anyone! I've read both and can't wait for there to be another in this series!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book but I'm not a bridge player and the clues for solving it at the end were equally as cryptic to me. I had little knowledge of the biblical references for solving the mystery. The 3 main characters were likable but almost every other character seemed over the top.

[Meg]

2nd book by this author, enjoy the topic. Not very good bridge book

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good but not as good as the books he writes under his other names. The Wanda Nell Culpepper books under his psuedonym Jimmie Ruth Evans are better.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but I think all the bridge talk was a bit much for me. The mystery was good though. I'd maybe give it a 3.5 if I could.

[Sandybear76]

another hobby mystery book. 3 friends travel to a bridge retreat in Texas. One of the famous bridge teachers is found dead in his hotel room.

[Krystle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooo many typos, and boring characters. Wouldn't read anything else by this author.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable. It would be far less so without knowledge of playing bridge.