A Better Class of Murder

Lady Margaret Priam & Betty Trenka Mystery #1

by Joyce Christmas

For the first time ever, Lady Margaret Priam and Betty Trenka join forces--to solve a high-tech Manhattan murder among the very rich.

To her delighted surprise, suburban sleuth Betty Trenka finds herself ensconced in a luxurious New York City hotel--preparing to investigate the wealthy, ruthless computer entrepreneur Gerald Toth for her country neighbor, Ted Kelso. An expert tester of software programs, Ted has been offered a suspiciously large sum to approve Toth's top secret new brainchild.

But a murder on a foggy Connecticut beach ups the ante especially when an unmarked computer disk is found at the crime scene. Suddenly Betty and her newfound friend, the elegant Lady Margaret Priam, are surfing the social scene for a cunning killer--and playing real-life computer games where death is only a mouse click away. . . .

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 28, 2000

About the author

Joyce Christmas is the author of 11 mysteries published by Fawcett Gold Medal, eight featuring expatriate Brit in Manhattan, Lady Margaret Priam. A ninth Lady Margaret book, Going Out in Style, is scheduled for summer 1998. Her second series stars retired office manager, Betty Trenka, a senior sleuth who's facing the problems of aging, and finding a new life for herself. The most recent, Downsized to Death, was published in November, 1997, for a total of three in the series so far.

Reviews

[Kelcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story had potential but many of the pages were just pointless descriptions...kinda made the story drag

[Katy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2025 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book set at a luxury resort or hotel.

First of all, this isn't a murder mystery. Yes, there's a murder, but barely any time is spent on it and it's obvious fairly early on who did it. The motive is a bit suspect, though, as it doesn't really make any sense.

Most of the book is spent with Betty (who prefers to be called Elizabeth and it's unclear why the author, her creator, doesn't respect this) planning her trip to New york. She has to do some shopping, arrange for cat care, etc. It's all quite riveting as you may well imagine. Once she gets there she is treated like royalty just because they think she knows the owner of the hotel and then someone jumps to the conclusion that she's Czech nobility and she just goes along with it because apparently that's what people do?

Elizabeth and Margaret actually do seem like people I would enjoy knowing in real life, however, in the book, they are just boring because there's no real plot to the book.

[Connlou Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

(c)2000 This was a murder mystery. A body is found on the Connecticut beach, not to mention the death of a wealthy computer entrepreneur and a computer disk found on the beach. Some parts were a slow read but the mystery of how it ties in made it an interesting read.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Got 3/4 through and didn’t even care enough to skim to the end

[Barbara Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story seems to be intended for fans who just want to spend time with the characters, and to have that fanfic joy of two favourite characters meeting. But if so, the unnecessary and repetitive background material could surely have been omitted? After the third or fourth time reading about Betty's relationship with her former employer, I wanted to put on a hard-hat to save myself from being beaten over the head with any more irrelevant 'character development'.
The mystery itself is a poor undernourished thing, and I understand the author's need to pad it out to book-length, but couldn't she have padded it out with something interesting?
If you already love everything about Trenka and Priam in their separate books, you will love this one. You'll be all excited by Betty buying a slinky black dress, and by Margaret dithering over whether to reignite an old flame. You won't mind the clunky expository style of the narrative, with everything explained to you as you go along.
If you aren't a Christmas fan, I doubt this book will make you one.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this series of books, there is a tinge of mystery and murder in the books, but in this one Elizabeth never even saw the body! Was fun watching this Sr. Citizen enjoying her trip to New York and her such common-sense opinions about almost everything she runs in to.......interesting and enjoyable!

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable cozy mystery in the high class society of New York. Lots of twists and turns and rather an unsatisfactory conclusion but an interesting tale.