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Sarah Deane Mystery #5
Dude On Arrival
Professor Sarah Deane and her boyfriend Alex try to entertain Sarah's aunt at a posh Arizona dude resort, but things go haywire when suspicious acts of vandalism occur and the trio finds a mysterious oasis in the middle of the desert
306 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
J.S. Borthwick
19 books14 followersJ. S. Borthwick is the pseudonym of Jean Scott Creighton. She lives on the Maine coast. She is the creator of 'Sarah Deane', a professor of English and amateur sleuth.
Series:
* Sarah Deane Mystery
Series:
* Sarah Deane Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 14, 2012
This book could be placed the the "cozy" genre or just ordinary mystery genre. This is a Christmas themed mystery which is how it came to be on the top of my TBR pile.
I am not familiar with J.S. Borthwick's series. This one is the 5th in the series. Sarah and her fiance Alex are amateur sleuths that evidently find themselves frequently in the middle of some crime/murder drama. This book finds Sarah accepting an invitation to a dude ranch/resort from her aunt Julia. Julia has been staying at the resort, located in Arizona, since Thanksgiving and wants Sarah to spend Christmas with her as her guest. The resort has been plagued with some childish practical jokes and as time goes on the pranks appear to be escalating into more and more dangerous territory until finally a murder takes place. Sarah, Alex and Aunt Julia work with other guest of the resort to get to the bottom of the things, while also rescuing a few horses that are destined for an early demise.
At first, I would have thought a more appropriate title for this novel would have been Dud on Arrival. The character of Julia was the saving grace of the book. Since I haven't read any of the previous installments, I'm not sure what Sarah and Alex are normally like. But, for me, Sarah was a little dull, and Alex was a little arrogant, and I didn't really warm up to him.
I loved the plot about the horses and the rescue since I love animals and love to see them included in mysteries. I also enjoyed Aunt Julia's choice of reading being a Dick Francis novel. There are a few chuckles here and there. The stories are a bit busy. There are three different story lines going. The trick is to decide if they are all related to the murders. I didn't guess who was behind the murders . That's always a plus, but the truth was I didn't get much time to think about it that hard. The plot had too many people and too many things going on.
A very light read. Overall a C-
I am not familiar with J.S. Borthwick's series. This one is the 5th in the series. Sarah and her fiance Alex are amateur sleuths that evidently find themselves frequently in the middle of some crime/murder drama. This book finds Sarah accepting an invitation to a dude ranch/resort from her aunt Julia. Julia has been staying at the resort, located in Arizona, since Thanksgiving and wants Sarah to spend Christmas with her as her guest. The resort has been plagued with some childish practical jokes and as time goes on the pranks appear to be escalating into more and more dangerous territory until finally a murder takes place. Sarah, Alex and Aunt Julia work with other guest of the resort to get to the bottom of the things, while also rescuing a few horses that are destined for an early demise.
At first, I would have thought a more appropriate title for this novel would have been Dud on Arrival. The character of Julia was the saving grace of the book. Since I haven't read any of the previous installments, I'm not sure what Sarah and Alex are normally like. But, for me, Sarah was a little dull, and Alex was a little arrogant, and I didn't really warm up to him.
I loved the plot about the horses and the rescue since I love animals and love to see them included in mysteries. I also enjoyed Aunt Julia's choice of reading being a Dick Francis novel. There are a few chuckles here and there. The stories are a bit busy. There are three different story lines going. The trick is to decide if they are all related to the murders. I didn't guess who was behind the murders . That's always a plus, but the truth was I didn't get much time to think about it that hard. The plot had too many people and too many things going on.
A very light read. Overall a C-
November 12, 2024
Ditzy self-styled detective (snoop?) Sarah Deane, followed by her boyfriend Alex, leave snowy Maine to spend the Christmas holidays at a dude ranch in Arizona with her Aunt Julia - but there’s all sorts of hijinks and downright nasty pranks being sprung on the ranch and its visitors…and then somebody decides dead bodies should be part of the seasonal decor.
This effort is of a piece with Borthwick’s other outings, a frothy but enjoyable mystery, and the cast of characters is really fun to visit with, especially Sarah’s aunt, Julie Clancy - what a hoot! My fifth of the 13 in the series, and I know I’ll enjoy the next as well.
This effort is of a piece with Borthwick’s other outings, a frothy but enjoyable mystery, and the cast of characters is really fun to visit with, especially Sarah’s aunt, Julie Clancy - what a hoot! My fifth of the 13 in the series, and I know I’ll enjoy the next as well.
June 9, 2020
Rescuing meat-packing-bound horses takes a backseat to a US senator's murder in this Christmas mystery set on an Arizona dude ranch.
March 19, 2022
Fairly convoluted. Even more amateur meddling than usual. It had a couple sections that had a slightly different writing style that confused me.
December 16, 2025
3.5 stars
I think dude ranches are probably my absolute least favorite setting for a book. Luckily I always seem to enjoy this series.
I think dude ranches are probably my absolute least favorite setting for a book. Luckily I always seem to enjoy this series.
May 12, 2010
An enjoyable read and keeps you interested. I enjoyed the character of the aunt, she's fun and spunky without being over the top.
My only complaint is the frequent change of perspective. You'll be reading through the female lead's point of view, then mid-paragraph it will jump to the male lead's viewpoint and then maybe it will jump back to the female lead's or to the aunt's. Not a huge deal but one of my pet peeves.
My only complaint is the frequent change of perspective. You'll be reading through the female lead's point of view, then mid-paragraph it will jump to the male lead's viewpoint and then maybe it will jump back to the female lead's or to the aunt's. Not a huge deal but one of my pet peeves.
August 23, 2009
Sarah Deane #5
March 31, 2011
complex, humorous
June 28, 2012
A fun read. Lots of horse related events.
December 17, 2012
Pretty good Christmas mystery set at a Dude Ranch.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews