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Lily Bard #2
Shakespeare's Champion
Shakespeare, Arkansas, is a small Southern town with plenty of secrets, and Charlaine Harris’s Lily Bard, fresh from her acclaimed debut in Shakespeare’s Landlord , is just one more of its residents–albeit one harboring a few secrets of her own–with a desire to live quietly.
Lily keeps to herself, between her job as a cleaning woman for several townspeople and her visits to the gym, where she’s a devotee of karate and bodybuilding. These two pursuits seem a bit odd for the petite Southern woman, but as work and play, they keep her focused and balanced.
When a fellow gym member is found dead after a workout with a barbell across his throat, Lily wants to believe it’s an accident. But looking at the incident against the background of other recent events in Shakespeare, including a few incidents that appear to be racially motivated, she’s afraid it could be a part of something much, much bigger–and more sinister…in Shakespeare's Champion .
Lily keeps to herself, between her job as a cleaning woman for several townspeople and her visits to the gym, where she’s a devotee of karate and bodybuilding. These two pursuits seem a bit odd for the petite Southern woman, but as work and play, they keep her focused and balanced.
When a fellow gym member is found dead after a workout with a barbell across his throat, Lily wants to believe it’s an accident. But looking at the incident against the background of other recent events in Shakespeare, including a few incidents that appear to be racially motivated, she’s afraid it could be a part of something much, much bigger–and more sinister…in Shakespeare's Champion .
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1997
233 people are currently reading
5081 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
337 books36.8k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 782 reviews
April 15, 2017
There are certain books that haven't appealed to me because of the descriptions of the main character's hobby or job because in order to make the character "real", we need to see them doing these things with details on the activity. That is the case with Lily Bard. She does two things a lot: cleaning and working out. I have no problem with these things, exactly, but I find it dull to read about the minutia of doing them.
It's a sickness..
So, get used to the idea of reading about every rep she does at the gym and the order in which she cleans houses every few pages and you will be good.
This story is super racially-charged. It was written a while back so there are a lot of politically incorrect attitudes and words used. I was actually kind of surprised to think that attitudes were still so backwards back then. I feel like I rarely encountered racism during that time period in California, so I wondered if it was a regional thing. Of course, being the whitest white person around, maybe I just didn't notice and POC were struggling a lot more than I knew in my area. Maybe that was my white privilege, to be able to be unaware of problems. Anyway, it sucked to be black in this town. Even the people who weren't outwardly racist assholes still held some pretty stupid beliefs - including Lily.
Preach!
Lily is trying to figure out how a guy died at her gym, and then she finds herself being exploded. I hate when that happens. Again, stay away from the gym, kids! I can't stress this enough. Nobody likes this guy:
Hmmm, well, we like him. We just don't need to know how the sausage was made.
Lily also addresses her love triangle from the last book by dumping both of them. I have to say that I really like that method. More book characters should follow this example. Except, then she gets a new guy right away. Since I like him, I'll allow it. This time.
Aww, don't be jelly old guy!
Overall, the story was pretty good. There was a lot of action and our girl gets her ass handed to her several times, but I was entertained. Unfortunately, I knew who the bad guy was and a few details because one of the characters, Bobo (WTF? Who names their kid Bobo?) is here in his younger days and he is later a main character in Midnight, Texas. Still, it was okay.
It's a sickness..
So, get used to the idea of reading about every rep she does at the gym and the order in which she cleans houses every few pages and you will be good.
This story is super racially-charged. It was written a while back so there are a lot of politically incorrect attitudes and words used. I was actually kind of surprised to think that attitudes were still so backwards back then. I feel like I rarely encountered racism during that time period in California, so I wondered if it was a regional thing. Of course, being the whitest white person around, maybe I just didn't notice and POC were struggling a lot more than I knew in my area. Maybe that was my white privilege, to be able to be unaware of problems. Anyway, it sucked to be black in this town. Even the people who weren't outwardly racist assholes still held some pretty stupid beliefs - including Lily.
Preach!
Lily is trying to figure out how a guy died at her gym, and then she finds herself being exploded. I hate when that happens. Again, stay away from the gym, kids! I can't stress this enough. Nobody likes this guy:
Hmmm, well, we like him. We just don't need to know how the sausage was made.
Lily also addresses her love triangle from the last book by dumping both of them. I have to say that I really like that method. More book characters should follow this example. Except, then she gets a new guy right away. Since I like him, I'll allow it. This time.
Aww, don't be jelly old guy!
Overall, the story was pretty good. There was a lot of action and our girl gets her ass handed to her several times, but I was entertained. Unfortunately, I knew who the bad guy was and a few details because one of the characters, Bobo (WTF? Who names their kid Bobo?) is here in his younger days and he is later a main character in Midnight, Texas. Still, it was okay.
July 6, 2023
I'm glad Charlaine Harris and I are pals again. I was hoping that would happen if I picked up some of her older stuff. Lily Bard is a great character: taciturn, blunt, brave and tough. In the first two books, I've enjoyed seeing her come out of her shell, befriending (or more accurately, allowing herself to be befriended by) both men and women after keeping to herself for so long. And it's all because of murder. Thank you, murder!
This time around, I didn't figure out anything before it was revealed except that Jared This is another twisty-turny one. The mystery is better plotted than the romance, which plays out at a dizzying speed. Even that doesn't really bother me to any great extent, because I like Lily so much, and the mysteries have been good so far. It's nice to see that CH can write more than one female protagonist (although the number of times Sookie and Lily get the crap kicked out of them in one novel is disturbingly similar, and Lily seems to bounce back almost as soon as Sookie does with supernatural help).
On to the next!
This time around, I didn't figure out anything before it was revealed except that Jared This is another twisty-turny one. The mystery is better plotted than the romance, which plays out at a dizzying speed. Even that doesn't really bother me to any great extent, because I like Lily so much, and the mysteries have been good so far. It's nice to see that CH can write more than one female protagonist (although the number of times Sookie and Lily get the crap kicked out of them in one novel is disturbingly similar, and Lily seems to bounce back almost as soon as Sookie does with supernatural help).
On to the next!
May 20, 2022
I'm letting the series go here, I've tried but it wasn't my cup of tea.
April 14, 2014
[Editing because I slipped into the descriptors of race used in the book, which I shouldn't have done. Not good.]
As I said in my brief write-up of the first Lily Bard book, I had to try not to be too critical just because I was comparing this series to Julia Spencer-Fleming's series. The second book was less slight as a mystery, but it had more of the problems that had bothered me in the first, as well as a whole new set.
Firstly, there was the slut-shaming, with Deanna, as before, the chief shamee. It's not just her though, and there's a really odd bit with Pardon's niece, who appears in the karate class, where she's - I don't even remember her belt-level - but she's the most highly qualified in the class, and immediately after saying something about how she respects her for it, Lily is talking about her overly-heavy make-up, her long, long blond hair, and her too-tight exercise clothes which are attracting all the guys' attention. Give me a bloody break. I was thinking about it after and there are two women of roughly Lily's age who aren't dismissed as slutty, and one of them is , and the other the never-described-as-in-any-way-sexy but certainly dedicated town doctor, Carrie.
Then there's Lily herself, who is irresistible to all the decent men in the town, of course, and is leered at by the others. The distinction between the two isn't quite as solid as it might be, though, especially when Mysterious Stranger's first real conversation with Lily contains "I get a hard-on every time I see you." It was especially messy as Lily had just figured out who he was (from the pictures of him in the news a few years ago), and he'd also figured out who she was, and this implied that he was turned on by her past abduction/rape/torture. I don't think this was actually the case, but the whole scene just went very wrong. His story is hardly one that seems likely to make her trust him, but hey - sexy times with no-longer-mysterious still-stranger were apparently irresistible to her too.
So, these were not good elements of the book, but then there's the racial question. I do understand that the book was published in '97, and that levels of awareness of white (and class) privilege were even lower than they are today. It's also got to be difficult to write a book at least in part about racial tension and hatred without giving excessive voice to the racists. I'm still not okay with the use of the n-word, which happens several times. There's more that's problematic here though, starting with Lily's saying something about how she had been comfortable with the slow pace of change in Shakespeare, as things were pretty okay; some of the black people had good jobs and even nice houses. (I do have to rely on memory, meaning I'm probably not quoting accurately, as the app for listening to library digital loans is woeful.) Ouch. This is pretty basic privilege stuff, but while Lily herself is clearly not racist, and the book shows the real racists as despicable in every way, there's more negative than positive in the overall effect. (Again, I am not saying that the author herself is bigoted, just because I feel that the book kind of fails in this area.) The thing that happens very near the end, which really pulls together everything I think makes this aspect of the book a fail, is spoilery in just about every way it can be.
I might have given just one more of the books a try, but then I saw that book 4 is called "Shakespeare's Trollop", and the blurb indicated just who gets killed in this one, and - no.
As I said in my brief write-up of the first Lily Bard book, I had to try not to be too critical just because I was comparing this series to Julia Spencer-Fleming's series. The second book was less slight as a mystery, but it had more of the problems that had bothered me in the first, as well as a whole new set.
Firstly, there was the slut-shaming, with Deanna, as before, the chief shamee. It's not just her though, and there's a really odd bit with Pardon's niece, who appears in the karate class, where she's - I don't even remember her belt-level - but she's the most highly qualified in the class, and immediately after saying something about how she respects her for it, Lily is talking about her overly-heavy make-up, her long, long blond hair, and her too-tight exercise clothes which are attracting all the guys' attention. Give me a bloody break. I was thinking about it after and there are two women of roughly Lily's age who aren't dismissed as slutty, and one of them is , and the other the never-described-as-in-any-way-sexy but certainly dedicated town doctor, Carrie.
Then there's Lily herself, who is irresistible to all the decent men in the town, of course, and is leered at by the others. The distinction between the two isn't quite as solid as it might be, though, especially when Mysterious Stranger's first real conversation with Lily contains "I get a hard-on every time I see you." It was especially messy as Lily had just figured out who he was (from the pictures of him in the news a few years ago), and he'd also figured out who she was, and this implied that he was turned on by her past abduction/rape/torture. I don't think this was actually the case, but the whole scene just went very wrong. His story is hardly one that seems likely to make her trust him, but hey - sexy times with no-longer-mysterious still-stranger were apparently irresistible to her too.
So, these were not good elements of the book, but then there's the racial question. I do understand that the book was published in '97, and that levels of awareness of white (and class) privilege were even lower than they are today. It's also got to be difficult to write a book at least in part about racial tension and hatred without giving excessive voice to the racists. I'm still not okay with the use of the n-word, which happens several times. There's more that's problematic here though, starting with Lily's saying something about how she had been comfortable with the slow pace of change in Shakespeare, as things were pretty okay; some of the black people had good jobs and even nice houses. (I do have to rely on memory, meaning I'm probably not quoting accurately, as the app for listening to library digital loans is woeful.) Ouch. This is pretty basic privilege stuff, but while Lily herself is clearly not racist, and the book shows the real racists as despicable in every way, there's more negative than positive in the overall effect. (Again, I am not saying that the author herself is bigoted, just because I feel that the book kind of fails in this area.) The thing that happens very near the end, which really pulls together everything I think makes this aspect of the book a fail, is spoilery in just about every way it can be.
I might have given just one more of the books a try, but then I saw that book 4 is called "Shakespeare's Trollop", and the blurb indicated just who gets killed in this one, and - no.
September 4, 2015
Shakespeare's Champion
4.5 Stars
Still waters run deep in Shakespeare, Arkansas and when Lily Bard finds the corpse of the local body building champion, little does she know that the discovery will uncover a web of the most heinous evil in her seemingly innocuous small town.
The second installment in this cozy mystery series is just as appealing as the first, although the mystery is definitely darker and more violent with several truly sad and shocking moments. At this point, it is necessary to provide a warning that the book deals with issues of race, which some readers may find offensive. Personally, I believe that these topics should be faced head on and treated realistically (which they are here) for to deny that prejudice and evil exist, or to conceal them out of misplaced sense of political correctness, is to allow them to grow and to fester.
Now that that is out of the way …
Charlaine Harris is a very skilled writer who makes even the most mundane of activities, such as house cleaning and gym workouts seem exciting. Her character development is also excellent and each of the residents of Shakespeare, good, bad or ugly, is fleshed out well and contributes to both the small town atmosphere and the message inherent in the story.
In terms of the romance, there is a significant improvement as Lily parts ways with her uninspired love interest from book #1 and closes the door on another potential beau (which was a little disappointing as he is quite sweet). Instead, she becomes involved with a rather mysterious stranger who turns out to have scars of his own and is a much better fit for Lily’s tough and stalwart persona. It is obvious that she would eat any other less dominant man alive.
Julia Gibson’s narration makes for pleasant listening and she does a good job with the male and female voices. There are still some gaps between sections (albeit shorter than in book 1) and Gibson does swallow audibly one or two times, which is distracting.
In sum, this is a very enjoyable sequel and Lily with her mix of strength and vulnerability is a lovely character.
4.5 Stars
Still waters run deep in Shakespeare, Arkansas and when Lily Bard finds the corpse of the local body building champion, little does she know that the discovery will uncover a web of the most heinous evil in her seemingly innocuous small town.
The second installment in this cozy mystery series is just as appealing as the first, although the mystery is definitely darker and more violent with several truly sad and shocking moments. At this point, it is necessary to provide a warning that the book deals with issues of race, which some readers may find offensive. Personally, I believe that these topics should be faced head on and treated realistically (which they are here) for to deny that prejudice and evil exist, or to conceal them out of misplaced sense of political correctness, is to allow them to grow and to fester.
Now that that is out of the way …
Charlaine Harris is a very skilled writer who makes even the most mundane of activities, such as house cleaning and gym workouts seem exciting. Her character development is also excellent and each of the residents of Shakespeare, good, bad or ugly, is fleshed out well and contributes to both the small town atmosphere and the message inherent in the story.
In terms of the romance, there is a significant improvement as Lily parts ways with her uninspired love interest from book #1 and closes the door on another potential beau (which was a little disappointing as he is quite sweet). Instead, she becomes involved with a rather mysterious stranger who turns out to have scars of his own and is a much better fit for Lily’s tough and stalwart persona. It is obvious that she would eat any other less dominant man alive.
Julia Gibson’s narration makes for pleasant listening and she does a good job with the male and female voices. There are still some gaps between sections (albeit shorter than in book 1) and Gibson does swallow audibly one or two times, which is distracting.
In sum, this is a very enjoyable sequel and Lily with her mix of strength and vulnerability is a lovely character.
January 27, 2016
Kind of annoying when, as you're reading the first part of a book, you are thinking it's a four-star read, but in the second half it bumps itself down to three stars.
First - it's a small thing, but I was surprised and a bit bummed everyone in town found out her secret since the last book. I'm guessing it was from wagging tongues at the police department. The tension of everyone not knowing added an interesting twist.
Lily is awesome in ways, annoying in others. Unlike Sookie, she is without much emotion. Considering her past and stuff, this makes a good deal of sense. BUT I do think some of this is due to author weakness and not just character portrayal. I think when she does have emotion, it's coming across a wee bit too distant because of Harris' writing technique. She didn't have that issue with Sookie, so not sure what that issue is.
This book took a strange turn in the romance department. Book one set up a potential, subtle love triangle. Book two buried both. Unsure how I feel about that, especially with one I was rooting for. And then enters a third guy who Lily is actually interested in, while I myself am sitting there thinking, what the bloody hell? Where did THIS guy come from? Who IS he? Why does she have this huge connection with him but didn't with others she knew already that had actual development? (cough *Micah in Anita series, anyone?* /cough)Dislike.
The mystery wasn't strong force because it involves a large group of evil-doers, and they're pretty obvious about it. I don't think the pull of this one was a genuine mystery, but instead...well, not sure, I guess just a good story. Racism is prelevant in this one and works well with small southern town un-charm. The race issues were some of the more interesting areas of the story.
Overall a good book but nothing special. I'm already forgetting it. Have the next few to read so I hope they're better.
First - it's a small thing, but I was surprised and a bit bummed everyone in town found out her secret since the last book. I'm guessing it was from wagging tongues at the police department. The tension of everyone not knowing added an interesting twist.
Lily is awesome in ways, annoying in others. Unlike Sookie, she is without much emotion. Considering her past and stuff, this makes a good deal of sense. BUT I do think some of this is due to author weakness and not just character portrayal. I think when she does have emotion, it's coming across a wee bit too distant because of Harris' writing technique. She didn't have that issue with Sookie, so not sure what that issue is.
This book took a strange turn in the romance department. Book one set up a potential, subtle love triangle. Book two buried both. Unsure how I feel about that, especially with one I was rooting for. And then enters a third guy who Lily is actually interested in, while I myself am sitting there thinking, what the bloody hell? Where did THIS guy come from? Who IS he? Why does she have this huge connection with him but didn't with others she knew already that had actual development? (cough *Micah in Anita series, anyone?* /cough)Dislike.
The mystery wasn't strong force because it involves a large group of evil-doers, and they're pretty obvious about it. I don't think the pull of this one was a genuine mystery, but instead...well, not sure, I guess just a good story. Racism is prelevant in this one and works well with small southern town un-charm. The race issues were some of the more interesting areas of the story.
Overall a good book but nothing special. I'm already forgetting it. Have the next few to read so I hope they're better.
February 8, 2023
Dobra rozrywka i szybko się czyta
June 11, 2024
The eponymous champion is one Del Packard, a blond body builder who came in second in a regional body-building extravaganza in Little Rock last year. He won’t be competing this year, unfortunately, as he’s been murdered.
Who would kill a dim-witted, unoffending clerk in a sporting goods store in little ol’ Shakespeare, Ark.? Observant cleaner Lily Bard doesn’t intend to get involved, but the murder happened in the gym she visits nearly every day, and she notices more and more odd occurrences. But what’s going on is much, more worse than she could have anticipated.
I adored this twisty page-turner even more than the first book in the series, the five-star Shakespeare’s Landlord — and that’s high praise indeed.
Who would kill a dim-witted, unoffending clerk in a sporting goods store in little ol’ Shakespeare, Ark.? Observant cleaner Lily Bard doesn’t intend to get involved, but the murder happened in the gym she visits nearly every day, and she notices more and more odd occurrences. But what’s going on is much, more worse than she could have anticipated.
I adored this twisty page-turner even more than the first book in the series, the five-star Shakespeare’s Landlord — and that’s high praise indeed.
May 29, 2017
I would rate this book just a touch below the first book, maybe 3.5 stars, perhaps because I am now familiar with the setting and with Lily. I still like Lily a lot and she continues to surprise me. Harris introduced a love triangle at the end of the first book and I was anxious to get reading to see where it went. Boom!
It’s a treat to read about a woman who can protect herself and develop her strength to overcome past trauma. However, I’m a bit disturbed by her current love-interest, who also has a traumatic past, knows Lily’s situation, and seems drawn to her because of it. I will be interested to see if he lasts in the relationship for more than one book. I’m also hoping that Lily can come out of her hard, protective shell a bit more. At least in this book, she is starting to allow people into her life gradually, even if she has mixed feelings about it. There is true potential for this series to pass the Bechdel test.
On the other hand, after protecting her personal secrets in book one, all of a sudden it seems that everyone and their pet cat knows about Lily’s past in this book. Which is an uncomfortable situation if you’re still sensitive about the details (it seems Lily is, though it was no fault of her own) and you live in a very small community. Lily has been a discreet cleaning lady ever since she came to Shakespeare, but suddenly people are questioning whether they want someone “like her” to clean for them. Another way of blaming the victim, something we can read about in the current media.
An enjoyable sequel and I shall look forward to the next installment when I have the time to read it.
It’s a treat to read about a woman who can protect herself and develop her strength to overcome past trauma. However, I’m a bit disturbed by her current love-interest, who also has a traumatic past, knows Lily’s situation, and seems drawn to her because of it. I will be interested to see if he lasts in the relationship for more than one book. I’m also hoping that Lily can come out of her hard, protective shell a bit more. At least in this book, she is starting to allow people into her life gradually, even if she has mixed feelings about it. There is true potential for this series to pass the Bechdel test.
On the other hand, after protecting her personal secrets in book one, all of a sudden it seems that everyone and their pet cat knows about Lily’s past in this book. Which is an uncomfortable situation if you’re still sensitive about the details (it seems Lily is, though it was no fault of her own) and you live in a very small community. Lily has been a discreet cleaning lady ever since she came to Shakespeare, but suddenly people are questioning whether they want someone “like her” to clean for them. Another way of blaming the victim, something we can read about in the current media.
An enjoyable sequel and I shall look forward to the next installment when I have the time to read it.
November 22, 2011
The Lily Bard is my least favorite Harris creation (mostly because of her ludicrously violent backstory and Harris's dull descriptions of weight training and martial arts) , but I decided to give her second book in the series a try nonetheless. This mystery was more promising and more entertaining than the the first, but I found myself deeply troubled by Harris's creation of a strong female character who has the desire to do right (and who always ultimately does the right thing), but has fundamental problems with being labeled an "activist." Certainly, when Lily intervenes to save a young African American man who is being publicly beaten by a gang of white (supremacist) boys she acts knowing that the beating is racially motivated. Thus she begins her journey to becoming Shakespeare's champion. But when her heroic acts become labeled "activism," Lily backs down and attempts, unsuccessfully, to fade back into the margins of the town. And of course, she gets badly beaten in the process.
Harris, of course, deals with civil rights issues of another kind with a similarly (metaphorically) "scarred" heroine in Sookie Stackhouse. But again, Sookie's interest in vampire rights stems primarily from her love of a vampire (though in private company, she frequently professes her belief in equal rights for vampires); Sookie would also shy away from radical labels like "activist."
It's a small itch, but I still have to scratch it. I find it problematic that our fictional heroines, our "strong" female characters can maintain that strength only if it is circumstantial and situational.
Harris, of course, deals with civil rights issues of another kind with a similarly (metaphorically) "scarred" heroine in Sookie Stackhouse. But again, Sookie's interest in vampire rights stems primarily from her love of a vampire (though in private company, she frequently professes her belief in equal rights for vampires); Sookie would also shy away from radical labels like "activist."
It's a small itch, but I still have to scratch it. I find it problematic that our fictional heroines, our "strong" female characters can maintain that strength only if it is circumstantial and situational.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2011
Digging into my mystery book stacks, basically choosing the books by blindly picking a random one I came across this second part of a series by Charlaine Harris.
I must confess that the first couple of pages were everything but promising. Dead body in the local gym and the heroine Lily Bard is heavily into workout herself. Not exactly the kind of starting point I warm up to easily. But then, after more pages I simply couldn't put the book down. While Lily is far from being a likable person, she is an amazingly deep and real character, a rare finding in your plain old mystery book these days. And the engaging and truly thrilling plot and the fabulously developed characters work together so well. I finished the book in one sitting and after I put the book away I simply had to run to the computer and check on other works by Charlaine Harris. Imagine my surprise to find out she's the one behind True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse books!?
In short: The Lily Bard Omnibus with all five books of the series will have to go on my wishlist. Definitely!
I must confess that the first couple of pages were everything but promising. Dead body in the local gym and the heroine Lily Bard is heavily into workout herself. Not exactly the kind of starting point I warm up to easily. But then, after more pages I simply couldn't put the book down. While Lily is far from being a likable person, she is an amazingly deep and real character, a rare finding in your plain old mystery book these days. And the engaging and truly thrilling plot and the fabulously developed characters work together so well. I finished the book in one sitting and after I put the book away I simply had to run to the computer and check on other works by Charlaine Harris. Imagine my surprise to find out she's the one behind True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse books!?
In short: The Lily Bard Omnibus with all five books of the series will have to go on my wishlist. Definitely!
November 3, 2014
I quite like Lily, and I like how Harris creates these small town USA locations with a dark side.
This book was pretty slow, and there were some pretty shocking small-minded characters, but I had to keep reminding myself of the book setting and when it was written. The audio narrator does a great job, and I enjoy listening to this on the commute. A pretty solid addition to the series, and I will continue on to book 3 as I've become invested in Lily's future ;)
This book was pretty slow, and there were some pretty shocking small-minded characters, but I had to keep reminding myself of the book setting and when it was written. The audio narrator does a great job, and I enjoy listening to this on the commute. A pretty solid addition to the series, and I will continue on to book 3 as I've become invested in Lily's future ;)
February 24, 2019
This is the second book in this series and the author has brought up difficult subjects in both books. It was a quick read, but not a very surprising ending.
February 6, 2018
I discovered this series late last year when I was reading some books dealing with Christmas. I am nearly compulsive about starting a series with the first book, but SHAKESPEARE'S CHRISTMAS is the third book of this series. I enjoyed it so much, I have now gone back to read the first two and will continue with the others. Lily Bard is an interesting woman who is recovering from a violent physical attack, and has chosen to live quietly supporting herself by cleaning houses. And she is developing her strength and safety by learning martial arts. I really do like the series, and the audio is very well done
July 29, 2020
Shakespeare's Champion (Lily Bard #2) by Charlaine Harris is shaping up to be a pretty good mystery series so far. I've read quite a few books by Harris so far, and while this isn't a favorite series yet it's still nice to see what her non fantasy/ paranormal style is like with a real world set mystery. I will say that of this installment that the first half of this book is a solid 4 star read but the second half knocks it down to a 3 unfortunately. The mystery is pretty solid even if it spirals out of control, and I wasn't all that interested in the developments in the romance element at all. I'm still interested in seeing where this goes in book three with Shakespeare's Christmas.
August 30, 2025
After a few weeks of adjusting to being more a part of her Shakespeare community, keeping busy with her cleaning and errand business, and dipping her pinky toe into the waters of romance, abuse and kidnapping survivor, Lily Bard, stumbles upon another body. Charlaine Harris’ first Lily Bard mystery had me swiftly progressing to the second installment in the series which has plenty of ongoing connections making it best read in order.
Shakespeare’s Champion opens with Lily and Bobo Winthrop, a young fitness buff and new employee at Marshall Sedaka’s gym coming across a body builder who was working out in prep for a chance at the championship. Lily might have left this murder up to the cops, but something insidious is happening around the town and she’s been unsettled since the brutal beating to death of a young black man and follow-up death of a local white farmer. Both deaths remain unsolved and now this one. Then there are the mutterings, flyers, and hostilities happening from some whites toward the black community. What is happening to her adopted small town?
Shakespeare’s Champion raises the issues of race, gender, and, of course, abuse of justice along with Lily’s private struggle recovering from kidnapping, rape and abuse that drove her to live off on her own in Shakespeare. I appreciated how Charlaine Harris addressed those concerns while putting forward a darker, suspenseful mystery for Lily who, again, due to her work cleaning and working behind the scenes in several homes and businesses around town, gets the inside scoop on people.
In the previous book, Shakespeare’s Landlord, Lily started something up with gym owner and karate instructor, Marshall Sedaka, and there were hints of an attraction with police chief, Claude Friedrich, but I appreciated how this installment brings closure to both of those while leaving her more healed from her past ordeal- not even completely over that kidnapping and rape, but able to engage more with other people- and introduces a new possibility with the new mysterious guy in town who she bumps into at the gym, at the Wynthrop home, and working at the Wynthrop’s outdoor store. His presence has her curious and the zing she gets when they meet eyes is nothing to the stunning twists he adds to that darker mystery she is working on in Shakespeare.
Julia Gibson continues to narrate the series and I really like what she brings to the story. Lily is a complicated character and there is a large and varied cast that she handles well.
Lily is forced to experience some big suspenseful moments that leave her beaten down and having to show her grit to keep going. There were things I saw coming as the mystery unwound, but a couple surprises were also in store. Again, I’m left eager to rush toward the next installment to see what murder mystery Lily is faced with next.
My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 9.20.25.
Shakespeare’s Champion opens with Lily and Bobo Winthrop, a young fitness buff and new employee at Marshall Sedaka’s gym coming across a body builder who was working out in prep for a chance at the championship. Lily might have left this murder up to the cops, but something insidious is happening around the town and she’s been unsettled since the brutal beating to death of a young black man and follow-up death of a local white farmer. Both deaths remain unsolved and now this one. Then there are the mutterings, flyers, and hostilities happening from some whites toward the black community. What is happening to her adopted small town?
Shakespeare’s Champion raises the issues of race, gender, and, of course, abuse of justice along with Lily’s private struggle recovering from kidnapping, rape and abuse that drove her to live off on her own in Shakespeare. I appreciated how Charlaine Harris addressed those concerns while putting forward a darker, suspenseful mystery for Lily who, again, due to her work cleaning and working behind the scenes in several homes and businesses around town, gets the inside scoop on people.
In the previous book, Shakespeare’s Landlord, Lily started something up with gym owner and karate instructor, Marshall Sedaka, and there were hints of an attraction with police chief, Claude Friedrich, but I appreciated how this installment brings closure to both of those while leaving her more healed from her past ordeal- not even completely over that kidnapping and rape, but able to engage more with other people- and introduces a new possibility with the new mysterious guy in town who she bumps into at the gym, at the Wynthrop home, and working at the Wynthrop’s outdoor store. His presence has her curious and the zing she gets when they meet eyes is nothing to the stunning twists he adds to that darker mystery she is working on in Shakespeare.
Julia Gibson continues to narrate the series and I really like what she brings to the story. Lily is a complicated character and there is a large and varied cast that she handles well.
Lily is forced to experience some big suspenseful moments that leave her beaten down and having to show her grit to keep going. There were things I saw coming as the mystery unwound, but a couple surprises were also in store. Again, I’m left eager to rush toward the next installment to see what murder mystery Lily is faced with next.
My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 9.20.25.
January 14, 2011
This is the second book in The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus, and I enjoyed it as much as the first one. It starts off with a pretty macabre murder, and things only get more dire from that point.
Lily Bard is a maid. She cleans the houses of a lot of the families around the small town of Shakespeare. She's content with her job, enjoys keeping other people's homes tidy and making money for herself. But more importantly, it's a job she can do on her own, without having to work with or for anyone. Her personal life isn't so tidy, though.
She's been seeing Marshall, the gym owner, but things aren't going so well so she distances herself from him. Then there's her good friend, Claude, who also happens to be the Chief of Police. She appreciates that he helped her when she was recovering after being attacked, and really enjoys his company, but isn't interested in anything more. He is, which makes things a little more difficult than they need to be. Then there's the mysterious new guy in town--the one with the dark ponytail. He appears to be everywhere she goes, and she can't help but wonder where she knows him from. Or ignore that she's attracted to him.
The mystery in this installment involved the death of a fellow gym member, who was killed in the gym. Lily happened to be the one to find him, but this time she wasn't alone. Though, he's not the only one turning up dead. Before too long, Lily once again finds herself in the middle of one dangerous situation after another. As it's clear that a lot of racial tension is growing within Shakespeare and a lot of people are going to get hurt, unless the small group is captured.
Shakespeare's Champion is another interesting mystery book that hooked me from the very beginning. I really wanted to know what was going on in Shakepeare, and couldn't wait for Lily to solve it. She once again goes about her seemingly average life filled with average tasks, but kept me engrossed in the story anyway. There were several unpredictable things that 'blow up', and a lot that I didn't expect, but Lily stays strong and determined through everything that life throws her way. And she keeps picking up the scars to prove every one of her battles, too.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the other three...
Lily Bard is a maid. She cleans the houses of a lot of the families around the small town of Shakespeare. She's content with her job, enjoys keeping other people's homes tidy and making money for herself. But more importantly, it's a job she can do on her own, without having to work with or for anyone. Her personal life isn't so tidy, though.
She's been seeing Marshall, the gym owner, but things aren't going so well so she distances herself from him. Then there's her good friend, Claude, who also happens to be the Chief of Police. She appreciates that he helped her when she was recovering after being attacked, and really enjoys his company, but isn't interested in anything more. He is, which makes things a little more difficult than they need to be. Then there's the mysterious new guy in town--the one with the dark ponytail. He appears to be everywhere she goes, and she can't help but wonder where she knows him from. Or ignore that she's attracted to him.
The mystery in this installment involved the death of a fellow gym member, who was killed in the gym. Lily happened to be the one to find him, but this time she wasn't alone. Though, he's not the only one turning up dead. Before too long, Lily once again finds herself in the middle of one dangerous situation after another. As it's clear that a lot of racial tension is growing within Shakespeare and a lot of people are going to get hurt, unless the small group is captured.
Shakespeare's Champion is another interesting mystery book that hooked me from the very beginning. I really wanted to know what was going on in Shakepeare, and couldn't wait for Lily to solve it. She once again goes about her seemingly average life filled with average tasks, but kept me engrossed in the story anyway. There were several unpredictable things that 'blow up', and a lot that I didn't expect, but Lily stays strong and determined through everything that life throws her way. And she keeps picking up the scars to prove every one of her battles, too.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the other three...
September 13, 2010
2.5 stars. This book is just not good very dissapointing. I would have quit the book if I hadn't bought it. At least I did not know who the murderer was until the end, and I do enjoy how Harris writes Lily's daily task and duties. Harris has a knack for writing about daily chores -- like cleaning, cooking and exercising and making them not only interesting to read about but inspiring as well. After reading a Lily Bard mystery I always feel like cleaning, exercising and cooking! However, everything else in this book was just bad. The whole issue with the town and its racial tensions was just unbelievable. I do think she could have written racial strife in a much more believable manner. The love triangle she created did not keep me interested -- it has no tension. And really are all the men in Shakespeare interested in Lily?
June 22, 2017
I like Lily Bard a lot. She is cranky and complicated. I had read this a few years ago and I didn't recall all of the racism in it. Lilly Bard isn't racist but I guess it endemic in Arkansas and this book explicitly looks at this issue.
Lily Bard ends up caught in an investigation into a group trying to form a white supremacist militia. It's ugly stuff. This was written 20 years ago and I don't suppose it's any better. If anything it is worse. I think my awareness of this ugliness is heightened by the current political climate. I don't think it will get any better any time soon.
I did enjoy this but not as much as the first one. I thought she and her new lover spent way to much time beating each other up. I did like that Claude moved on to someone new in short order. I liked him and wanted him to be happy. Ditto for Marshall. I'm not sure where the next book will end up.
Lily Bard ends up caught in an investigation into a group trying to form a white supremacist militia. It's ugly stuff. This was written 20 years ago and I don't suppose it's any better. If anything it is worse. I think my awareness of this ugliness is heightened by the current political climate. I don't think it will get any better any time soon.
I did enjoy this but not as much as the first one. I thought she and her new lover spent way to much time beating each other up. I did like that Claude moved on to someone new in short order. I liked him and wanted him to be happy. Ditto for Marshall. I'm not sure where the next book will end up.
April 28, 2018
BOBO! 😭
January 7, 2019
I loved The Sookie series and so tried Lily Bard. I read #1, which I thought was pretty good. Number 2, maybe not so much. For one thing, I don't like Lily nearly as much as I did before. I liked that she was independent, but now she's hopping into bed with people she barely knows. What's with that? The race issues, too, were a problem. Lily is supposedly "Shakespeare's Champion," but I was not so impressed. I did enjoy the mystery itself and felt it was well-plotted. We all knew Charlaine Harris can write! I'm still on the fence about reading #3, "Shakespeare's Christmas." I did load it onto my Kindle.
August 5, 2023
Czyste szaleństwo to tytuł, które idealnie odwzorowuje treść, bo dokładnie taka była ta książka! Działo się naprawdę dużo i zdecydowanie ten tom podobał mi się bardziej niż pierwszy! Fakt faktem, że nie jest to literatura wysokich lotów i jak na taką małą objętość wydarzeń jest naprawdę dużo, przez co czasami łapałam sie na tym, że myślę, jakie to wszystko jest w sumie absurdalne. Choć z drugiej strony idealnie pasowało mi do klimatu małego miasteczka - nie wiedzieć czemu w takich zawsze dzieją się najdziksze akcje.
Ale nie zmienia to faktu, że słuchało się świetnie i bawiłam się przednio i już nie mogę się doczekać kolejnych tomów. Oby były równie dobre!
Ale nie zmienia to faktu, że słuchało się świetnie i bawiłam się przednio i już nie mogę się doczekać kolejnych tomów. Oby były równie dobre!
August 3, 2025
I don't really remember much from the first one, so it took a bit to get into this one. A lot happens and I was a bit flustered trying to remember everyone. Lily is the local cleaning woman and she does karate and working out. Lots of racism and white supremacy in this one. Being black gives you a huge target on your back in this town. Even being associated to black people gives you a target. I know I'm definitely not doing this justice, but I will continue with the series. Hopefully they'll become more memorable to me.
March 19, 2024
I really like Lily, she's a survivor, a fighter and has a strong and clear moral compass. Romance addict that I am I had a happily ever after all pick out for her, but Ms. Harris had a much, much better idea.
I was taken aback by the difficult subject matter in this book, white supremacists, hate crimes, and worse. It made me check the publication date and I thought, 1997 things like that were happening then. It was a shock to remind myself that things like that are still happening.
I was taken aback by the difficult subject matter in this book, white supremacists, hate crimes, and worse. It made me check the publication date and I thought, 1997 things like that were happening then. It was a shock to remind myself that things like that are still happening.
December 29, 2020
This is so not for everyone. Lily continues to be strong in finding ways to be herself. No to create a new self that she can live with. That she can be protective off. There are delicate moments when you see a happy person and then she’s gone and it is delicious.
January 9, 2018
The first part of the book was quite good, I did consider (for a moment) giving it 4 stars, later on settling for 3, but as you can see in the end well... at least it is more than one star, right? Let's look at this in a positive way - I didn't hate it. But did I like this one? Honestly, I don't have an answer to that.
September 9, 2015
Another adventure in the world of Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily stumbles upon a fellow resident, Del Packard, dead inside Body Time. It appears that his death may have been accidental, as he is found on a weight bench with the bar fallen on his neck. She is automatically pulled into the mystery because a) she was the one who found him, and b) she can't leave well enough alone.
There is also trouble brewing in Shakespeare. A young black man by the name of Darnell Glass was murdered (his murder didn't take place in the book, it was just mentioned.). Darnell was the unfortunate victim of a hate crime, as his attackers were white. Lily and many other residents thought that the small town bigotry that runs so rampant in the south didn't affect their small town. They were wrong. There are unsettled folks on both sides - the black residents are holding peace meetings, the angry whites are passing around flyers calling for action. Times are tense in Shakespeare, and Lily is seeing many people for who they really are. Needless to say, it isn't pretty.
Lily also meets with someone from her past, her "old life". Funny that he should end up in Shakespeare,
No matter that I know what happens, I enjoy this series enough to figure out how they get there.
There is also trouble brewing in Shakespeare. A young black man by the name of Darnell Glass was murdered (his murder didn't take place in the book, it was just mentioned.). Darnell was the unfortunate victim of a hate crime, as his attackers were white. Lily and many other residents thought that the small town bigotry that runs so rampant in the south didn't affect their small town. They were wrong. There are unsettled folks on both sides - the black residents are holding peace meetings, the angry whites are passing around flyers calling for action. Times are tense in Shakespeare, and Lily is seeing many people for who they really are. Needless to say, it isn't pretty.
Lily also meets with someone from her past, her "old life". Funny that he should end up in Shakespeare,
No matter that I know what happens, I enjoy this series enough to figure out how they get there.
September 13, 2009
A man is found dead in the gym where Lily regularly works out. At first it's written off as an accident (the body found suffocated under the weight of a barbell), but later it appears to be a part of a larger series of racially motivated crimes.
This is by far the worst of Charlaine Harris's books I've read. The beginning of the book feels true to the first book in Lily Bard series, but gradually the story just gets simply out of control. Church bombing, torture, hate crimes, way too much crime to suddenly descend on a tiny town of Shakespeare. The racial element although compelling just comes out of nowhere and is way overdone. The introduction of a new "love interest" is messy. I even had to get back to check if I missed a few pages. Lily in a matter of days becomes a sex kitten every man in town lusts after. The mystery itself isn't that mysterious at all. What's the point, if we know that all crimes are committed by a group of white racists by the middle of the book? Finally, too many plot holes and loose ends.
I will give this series another chance, but if this is the direction it's going to take throughout all 5 books, I am definitely done with it after book 3.
This is by far the worst of Charlaine Harris's books I've read. The beginning of the book feels true to the first book in Lily Bard series, but gradually the story just gets simply out of control. Church bombing, torture, hate crimes, way too much crime to suddenly descend on a tiny town of Shakespeare. The racial element although compelling just comes out of nowhere and is way overdone. The introduction of a new "love interest" is messy. I even had to get back to check if I missed a few pages. Lily in a matter of days becomes a sex kitten every man in town lusts after. The mystery itself isn't that mysterious at all. What's the point, if we know that all crimes are committed by a group of white racists by the middle of the book? Finally, too many plot holes and loose ends.
I will give this series another chance, but if this is the direction it's going to take throughout all 5 books, I am definitely done with it after book 3.
May 10, 2017
I listened to this book every second I could! In the car, at the grocery store, while cooking, while folding laundry so I finished it in less than 24 hours! I'm loving this series! It starts with Dell Packard but ends with sooooo much more!! This book was a maze of mystery! One thing I didn't get...there was a semi backstory about Jack but it wasn't enough for me. It so did not explain why Lily immediately felt so close to him...when he was just another scandalized Memphis-ite. I didn't see their previous connection, it wasn't explained well enough so that whole situation felt odd. The Winthrops are quite a mystery even after this whole debacle. The events in this book are horrifyingly real. The racism is so appalling and given what just happened in Orlando, it was a bit hard to listen to. I just can't wrap my head around how people can be prejudiced in this day and age. *sigh* It's disgusting. I like Claude a lot so I'm not happy with how his tale is playing out. Ready for book 3!
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