Miss Melville Returns

Miss Melville #2

by Evelyn E. Smith

Quondam professional assassin Miss Susan Melville, now an equally successful artist, has the role of amateur sleuth thrust on her when she unintentionally stumbles upon arson, drug smuggling, and murder

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Novels, Adult

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Evelyn E. Smith was an American author of Science Fiction. During the 1950s, her works appeared regularly in magazines such as Galaxy and Fantastic Universe. In the 1980s, she wrote a number of novels featuring the character Miss Melville, a middle-aged assassin.

She also wrote as Delphine C. Lyons and Christopher Grimm.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A piece of highly entertaining fluff that was just right for someone banged up in bed with a fluey cold over the New Year's Eve Weekend.

Once upon a time Susan Melville was an unsuccessful artist. Then, for reasons explained in this novel's predecessor (which I haven't read), she became a hitwoman. As a consequence of that career she has now become a very successful artist. As such, she's been asked to give a talk at the preview for the inaugural exhibition of a new NYC commercial art gallery. When it's the turn of the artist himself to give a speech, however, he drops like a stone in the middle of it and soon thereafter dies. The official conclusion is that what killed him was the cocktail of booze and drugs he was putting into himself at the party. But Miss Melville isn't so sure, and subsequent events -- including another death -- prove that her suspicions were perfectly correct . . .

I grinned most of the time while reading this, and chuckled more than a few times, especially at the backdrop details on the 1980s NYC arts scene. The mystery element isn't particularly complicated, but the writing's spry and the black comedy effective.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One advantage of re-reading for Bingo: I get around to finally writing up books I loved once upon a time. These books are every bit as charming as I recall. Miss Melville, like Miss Marple and an infinite string of other Misses of a certain age, is overlooked and discounted, still. When artists keep ending up dead, she notices, she listens, she figures it out.

It's a little funny to me that I liked these so much as a college student. Now it makes sense: there aren't nearly enough middle-aged heroines around. And Miss Melville is always so polite, so well-brought-up, so pleasant that no one seems to notice how very clever she is.

While this would suit a number of squares, including Cozy Mysteries, I picked Amateur Sleuth, because a retired assassin and lauded professional painter amuses me as a sleuth. Also, I really love the word "sleuth"

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading "Miss Melville Regrets" I find book # 2 to be a bit of a letdown. I enjoyed Susan Melville. the artist, and her agent, Jill Turkel. Many of the characters from the first book are now missing. Alex, her former employer, now supposedly her brother, is married with a wife expecting twins. What I found confusing was the plot, the mystery to be solved. I got mixed up between Rafael and Roland and Baltazar. The plot revolves around the art world, galleries, artists, curators, artist reps, etc. I have to admit not understanding much of the business of that world. The explanations could be tedious and not very illuminating. The solution was just as complex. I already own books 3 and 4 so I will see what comes up next. I hope Ms. Smith returns to the spoof-type story of book 1.

[Marj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Miss Melville series. Miss Melville is an artist, who has an interesting past, that she prefers not to talk about.

Brought up in high society in New York, Miss Melville finds it difficult to be rude to friends, or even acquaintances. This often puts her in situations she would rather not be in.

She is giving a speech at a gallery opening, because she did not want to exhibit her paintings there, and felt obligated. While at the opening, a man dies. Due to his death Miss Melville becomes involved with several rather odd people, and finds herself curious about the deceased.

She ends up finding out several things about people she had known for a while, and is disappointed in things they had done, but none the less continues to investigate.

I found this fairly interesting, and will probably read the next in the series.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a recommendation, I was happy to find three of this series at library today and sat down with this one and found it utterly silly but not amusing. I speed read through and promptly returned the books to the shelf. Not worth carrying home!

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Connie Mollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow but a great ending

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and the latter part of this book are fun, but there is such a long slow part in between, but I soldiered on. So far I'm finding the third book better, but I'll have to see how it goes; it's funnier, that's for sure, although I haven't laughed aloud. The blurb was disappointing because it made it sound as though most of the book would be about Susan solving this murder, but that doesn't start happening for a long time. I finished this about a week ago, but remember plenty--no need to get into details or the nitty gritty.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A so-so mystery involving art, drugs, lies, and a cat with an emerald collar

[Anirban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good cozy mystery in the style of old school Golden Age crime fiction. This book was the second in the series of crime novels featuring Susan Melville, a paid assassin turned painter.
The plot was good, nothing great but nothing to want to stop reading. In a way, it never offered much and made me satisfied with what it actually gave back. The pace of the book was fast, the clues were generously provided and the red herrings were present where they would have mattered most.
The ending could have been better. Taking into the fact that the plot showed promise of a good ending. The culprit at the end confessed the crime, which was a damper. The way in which Miss Melville was connecting the dots and creating the final picture, it would have been better had she been the one to figure it all out.
All in all, an enjoyable read. Recommended, though not highly, to anyone who likes good mysteries, numerous characters, less blood and gore and little twists i.e. cozy mystery lovers.

[MaryJo Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having the opportunity to obtain 3 nice hard cover copies of the Miss Melville mysteries, I took the risk. A little research uncovered the fact Evelyn Smith wrote 5 mysteries about a middle-aged lady turned successful artist and secret assassin.

Sadly, this venture into the unknown was a bust. The two stars are because it is well-written, and certainly there are people who will enjoy these stories.

I found Susan Melville very annoying, secretly putting up with a lot of people she didn't like, going to a lot of events she didn't want to attend, putting up money for ventures she wasn't interested in, etc.
Then there was the issue of the 1980's New York culture at its worst....
This is one of these books where into chapter seven I hardly care if the murderer of the very disgusting artist gets caught or not.

Give me Mrs. Pollifax over Susan Melville any day.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that she’s really not the hit lady she was I just don’t care for the books. I miss the guy she worked with, as a supposedly brother-in-law he stinks and Jill is just plain boring. I don’t care for art, other to look at an awful lot of boring detail that just was a waste of time reading plus really difficult to believe she could be making what she is per painting, she ought to go back to being an assassin.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A genteel mystery in the vein of Mrs. Polifax meets Murder, She Wrote. The most frustrating thing about this book is that, as the plot drags and drags for the first 100+ pages, it is full of allusions to interesting things that happened in the two previous volumes. Should have started at the beginning.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't finish the second one, much less hang in for three and four. Maybe one day. I've moved on to other books.
The Glass Rainbow and his latest one - James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors. Gonna go back and read some of the ones I missed.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting character premise-- Miss Melville is a successful middle aged artist formerly a highly paid assassin. But the emphasis in this book is on the art world which isn't as interesting to me as the protagonist's former life.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not as good as the first one and it dragged on a bit. I have the next two in the series to read so I will see how they go. I was disapointed in the ending and in her reactions to the situations.

[Mark Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing sequel. No longer a free-lance hitman, Miss Melville turns classic upper class sleuth. The mystery is uninteresting, the pace slow and without the hitman angle, there's none of the tension and caper-like fun that made the first novel a good read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bored now that she is no longer an assassin, Miss Melville nevertheless finds herself involved in what might be a murder. Or is it an accidental death? And everyone seems to have secrets. Will she be able to unravel all the threads and solve the mystery?

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine outing with Miss Melville. three and a half stars

[ChrisGA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan was sleuths rather than assassin...tired of her referring to her superior manners due to her upbringing

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, it was more of a traditional mystery than the first Miss Melville, but still fun.