What do you think?
Rate this book
Sam Clair #4
A Howl of Wolves
“Whip-smart” (Louise Penny) amateur sleuth Samantha Clair returns in the newest mystery from Judith Flanders, the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of A Murder of Magpies.
Sam Clair figures she’ll be a good sport and spend a night out at the theater in support of her upstairs neighbors, who have small parts in a play in the West End. Boyfriend (a Scotland Yard detective) and all-round good sport Jake Field agrees to tag along to what is apparently an extra-bloody play filled with dramatic, gory deaths galore. So Sam expects an evening filled with faux fatalities. Until, that is, the curtain opens to the second act, revealing a dummy hanging from the rafters, who’s been made up to look suspiciously like Campbell Davison, the director of the production.
When Sam sees the horrified faces of the actors onstage, she realizes that this is indeed not a dummy, but Davison himself—and this death is not part of the show. Now everyone wants to know: who killed Campbell Davison? As Sam learns more about the murdered man, she discovers that he wasn’t all that well-liked amongst the cast and crew, so the suspect list grows. The show must go on—but Sam knows a murderer must be apprehended, so she sets out to find out what happened, and why.
New York Times bestselling author, Judith Flanders once again brilliantly fuses mystery with humor in the fourth installment of her critically acclaimed Sam Clair series.
Sam Clair figures she’ll be a good sport and spend a night out at the theater in support of her upstairs neighbors, who have small parts in a play in the West End. Boyfriend (a Scotland Yard detective) and all-round good sport Jake Field agrees to tag along to what is apparently an extra-bloody play filled with dramatic, gory deaths galore. So Sam expects an evening filled with faux fatalities. Until, that is, the curtain opens to the second act, revealing a dummy hanging from the rafters, who’s been made up to look suspiciously like Campbell Davison, the director of the production.
When Sam sees the horrified faces of the actors onstage, she realizes that this is indeed not a dummy, but Davison himself—and this death is not part of the show. Now everyone wants to know: who killed Campbell Davison? As Sam learns more about the murdered man, she discovers that he wasn’t all that well-liked amongst the cast and crew, so the suspect list grows. The show must go on—but Sam knows a murderer must be apprehended, so she sets out to find out what happened, and why.
New York Times bestselling author, Judith Flanders once again brilliantly fuses mystery with humor in the fourth installment of her critically acclaimed Sam Clair series.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2018
50 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Judith Flanders
33 books536 followersJudith Flanders was born in London, England, in 1959. She moved to Montreal, Canada, when she was two, and spent her childhood there, apart from a year in Israel in 1972, where she signally failed to master Hebrew.
After university, Judith returned to London and began working as an editor for various publishing houses. After this 17-year misstep, she began to write and in 2001 her first book, A Circle of Sisters, the biography of four Victorian sisters, was published to great acclaim, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. In 2003, The Victorian House (2004 in the USA, as Inside the Victorian Home) received widespread praise, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards History Book of the Year. In 2006 Consuming Passions, was published. Her most recent book, The Invention of Murder, was published in 2011.
Judith also contributes articles, features and reviews for a number of newspapers and magazines.
After university, Judith returned to London and began working as an editor for various publishing houses. After this 17-year misstep, she began to write and in 2001 her first book, A Circle of Sisters, the biography of four Victorian sisters, was published to great acclaim, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. In 2003, The Victorian House (2004 in the USA, as Inside the Victorian Home) received widespread praise, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards History Book of the Year. In 2006 Consuming Passions, was published. Her most recent book, The Invention of Murder, was published in 2011.
Judith also contributes articles, features and reviews for a number of newspapers and magazines.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
May 10, 2018
First Sentence: “There are thirteen dead people here.” Jake was accusing.
Book editor Sam Clair takes her Scotland Yard detective partner, Jake, to a West End play in which her neighbor. Kay, and her son, Bim, have small parts, along with the play’s director, Campbell Davison. The play is chock full of faux murders, until one is not faux at all. As Sam learns about Davison, the list of suspects grows. With another death, the need to find the killer becomes imperative.
Now this is an opening that will get your attention. After the first sentence, it’s the author’s voice which draws one in—“’I don’t make up dead people.’ I replayed the sentence in my head. It sounded worse the second time around.’”—and her protagonist, Sam, is a character with whom many of us can identify—“I spend so much time inside my own head that imperiled animals would have to claw their way up my leg, sit on my shoulder and bat at my nose before I looked up from my book long enough to notice them.”
It is nice to have Sam’s partner be with Scotland Yard as it gives veracity to her being involved in the investigation. It’s also nice that they clearly have such a good relationship—“He looked me over. ‘You should be fine. You’re clean.’ That cut through my exhaustion. ‘I’m always clean.’ He held up a palm against my outrage. ‘Sorry, I had a man moment. …I like the way you look, and you look the way you always look. Which I like.’”
Another wonderful character is Mr. Rudiger, the resident of the top-floor flat in Sam’s building. He’s a former architect who is agoraphobic, but smart, and resourceful. Sam’s mother isn’t necessarily someone one would want for a mother, but she is an excellent character.
Flanders thoroughly dissuades any thought one might have of a book editor’s job being a glamorous one. However, she also does a very good job of defining the role of an editor, while providing a clear picture of the misogamy women face every day—“Bruce and I were roughly the same age, in our mid-forties. When he was angry, he shouted, and people were obliged to listen. When I raised my voice, however, it was called “being upset,” and people could refuse to listen. In my twenties, if I’d been angry charmingly enough, I might have got away with being called feisty. Now I was just a bitch.”
Her writing is wonderfully visual—“The rain the previous night had diminished to the odd shower, and it was clear now, but still wet enough that Bim could hopscotch his way across the pavement, aiming for the centre of each puddle as we went.” Her dialogue is a treat—“I snarled, but, being Miranda, she ignored it, concentrating on essentials: “’Maybe we could set up a pool, have a sweepstake about who you’re going to blast next.’ There was only so much a person could take. ‘For goodness sake,’ I snapped. ‘Whom. Whom you’re going to blast next.’”
The plot is very well done with plenty of effective twists. Flanders does an excellent job of taking the story from suspense and dread, to lightness and humor, without its ever being forced, but feeling realistic.
“A Howl of Wolves” is a wonderfully-written mystery with humor, suspense, twists--including the motive--and an inside look at the world of publishing.
A HOWL OF WOLVES (Trad Mys- Sam Clair-London-Contemp) - Ex
Flanders, Judith - 4th in series
Minotaur Books – May 2018
Book editor Sam Clair takes her Scotland Yard detective partner, Jake, to a West End play in which her neighbor. Kay, and her son, Bim, have small parts, along with the play’s director, Campbell Davison. The play is chock full of faux murders, until one is not faux at all. As Sam learns about Davison, the list of suspects grows. With another death, the need to find the killer becomes imperative.
Now this is an opening that will get your attention. After the first sentence, it’s the author’s voice which draws one in—“’I don’t make up dead people.’ I replayed the sentence in my head. It sounded worse the second time around.’”—and her protagonist, Sam, is a character with whom many of us can identify—“I spend so much time inside my own head that imperiled animals would have to claw their way up my leg, sit on my shoulder and bat at my nose before I looked up from my book long enough to notice them.”
It is nice to have Sam’s partner be with Scotland Yard as it gives veracity to her being involved in the investigation. It’s also nice that they clearly have such a good relationship—“He looked me over. ‘You should be fine. You’re clean.’ That cut through my exhaustion. ‘I’m always clean.’ He held up a palm against my outrage. ‘Sorry, I had a man moment. …I like the way you look, and you look the way you always look. Which I like.’”
Another wonderful character is Mr. Rudiger, the resident of the top-floor flat in Sam’s building. He’s a former architect who is agoraphobic, but smart, and resourceful. Sam’s mother isn’t necessarily someone one would want for a mother, but she is an excellent character.
Flanders thoroughly dissuades any thought one might have of a book editor’s job being a glamorous one. However, she also does a very good job of defining the role of an editor, while providing a clear picture of the misogamy women face every day—“Bruce and I were roughly the same age, in our mid-forties. When he was angry, he shouted, and people were obliged to listen. When I raised my voice, however, it was called “being upset,” and people could refuse to listen. In my twenties, if I’d been angry charmingly enough, I might have got away with being called feisty. Now I was just a bitch.”
Her writing is wonderfully visual—“The rain the previous night had diminished to the odd shower, and it was clear now, but still wet enough that Bim could hopscotch his way across the pavement, aiming for the centre of each puddle as we went.” Her dialogue is a treat—“I snarled, but, being Miranda, she ignored it, concentrating on essentials: “’Maybe we could set up a pool, have a sweepstake about who you’re going to blast next.’ There was only so much a person could take. ‘For goodness sake,’ I snapped. ‘Whom. Whom you’re going to blast next.’”
The plot is very well done with plenty of effective twists. Flanders does an excellent job of taking the story from suspense and dread, to lightness and humor, without its ever being forced, but feeling realistic.
“A Howl of Wolves” is a wonderfully-written mystery with humor, suspense, twists--including the motive--and an inside look at the world of publishing.
A HOWL OF WOLVES (Trad Mys- Sam Clair-London-Contemp) - Ex
Flanders, Judith - 4th in series
Minotaur Books – May 2018
June 2, 2018
I previously enjoyed the first three books featuring Sam Clair who is a book editor that gets drawn into solving murders. She is smart and witty. The cast of supporting characters makes me as reader want to keep up with their lives. One finds out about the life of an book editor which is interesting. However, this book was slow for me and I had trouble keeping interested in it. It seemed like not much was happening after the initial murder where a director was hanging on a hook in a play. It was suppose to be a dummy. Sam was watching over her neighbor's son who had a small part in the play while his mother had a somewhat larger role in the play. I am not sure that I will continue with this series if there is a fifth book due to my lack of interest in this book. I was looking forward to this book.
May 24, 2018
Book editor Samantha Clair and her significant other, CID Inspector Jake are at the first night of a play, The Spanish Tragedy, in which their neighbor has a small part, when a dead body is found right on the stage. Instead of saying more about the plot, however, I want to mention how wonderful it is to read something that is really well-written. Most of the time, we settle (or at least I do) for something that's more or less grammatical and well-punctuated if it tells an enjoyable story. Some writers are better than this standard; some, unfortunately, are worse. But Flanders is superb--narrator Sam is intelligent, witty, conflicted sometimes, but her voice is always distinctive and her thoughts are well-expressed. I sat laughing at some of Sam's descriptions even as the body count rose. Brava, Ms Flanders!
July 2, 2018
This is the fourth “Sam Clair” mystery, and my least favourite. There’s not a lot of action - much of the novel is Sam rehashing and or mulling over the “mystery”. And the now familiar secondary characters - her boyfriend, mother, assistant and neighbors- play their parts but don’t progress in any meaningful way. Frankly, the nuances of how Sam operates within the world of book editing intrigued me more than the murder plot.
February 11, 2021
I actually could gush. 4.5 stars and Helena was in this one just about as much as Sam and Jake. Plus Bin and the people upstairs are daily seen and the entire building has gotten to the point of being like family.
Yet the case and crimes themselves were the most difficult in the series so far to discern. They were for me. Plus all the stage and play preps scenarios made this come alive with drama vs reality. Much harder to capture in print than you might perceive for that process. It was done well here- and have I read many fiction novels for which the stage was done poorly- in every technical/prop/ set or actor eyes extent it could be botched. Flanders knows so much about so much. In her writing this is extremely obvious. The pace here was not as crisis cored re Sam alone as the others too. I loved that it was smoother in progression than the couple that had her in major crisis for 20 plus pages.
But the metaphors and similes! They are all good to excellent, but in this book they are pure 5's.
I've my whole life been like Samantha- not much caring about fashion or what I wear as long as its clean. Some of the costume, or other looks comments in this one! Most working days when I worked 2 jobs or had too much kid stuff on my plate, I would feel exactly as tired as she described in this book. Also in pale face, like Sam. When she looks at herself in the mirror here. "like one of Dracula's office group, if they had a dressed down Friday."
Candy, candy read supreme. Jake is also getting to know Sam. Very well. Helena is at Lincoln's Inn too for parts of this. Terrific to hear about all her threads and court on top of it.
Oh, I'm so sad that there is not Sam #5. Hopefully!
Yet the case and crimes themselves were the most difficult in the series so far to discern. They were for me. Plus all the stage and play preps scenarios made this come alive with drama vs reality. Much harder to capture in print than you might perceive for that process. It was done well here- and have I read many fiction novels for which the stage was done poorly- in every technical/prop/ set or actor eyes extent it could be botched. Flanders knows so much about so much. In her writing this is extremely obvious. The pace here was not as crisis cored re Sam alone as the others too. I loved that it was smoother in progression than the couple that had her in major crisis for 20 plus pages.
But the metaphors and similes! They are all good to excellent, but in this book they are pure 5's.
I've my whole life been like Samantha- not much caring about fashion or what I wear as long as its clean. Some of the costume, or other looks comments in this one! Most working days when I worked 2 jobs or had too much kid stuff on my plate, I would feel exactly as tired as she described in this book. Also in pale face, like Sam. When she looks at herself in the mirror here. "like one of Dracula's office group, if they had a dressed down Friday."
Candy, candy read supreme. Jake is also getting to know Sam. Very well. Helena is at Lincoln's Inn too for parts of this. Terrific to hear about all her threads and court on top of it.
Oh, I'm so sad that there is not Sam #5. Hopefully!
June 16, 2019
Another fun contemporary mystery featuring Sam Clair, the London book editor who resolutely thinks of herself as antisocial while constantly meeting glamorous friends for lunch and attending all the best parties.
Her crowd is high-brow: the murder here is in a theater, while in earlier books we’ve had deaths connected to a museum and an art gallery.
Her crowd is high-brow: the murder here is in a theater, while in earlier books we’ve had deaths connected to a museum and an art gallery.
May 29, 2018
Starting at the end of a series like a champ, and strangely enough another book featuring murders committed during the staging of a play. A fine enough lay on the couch over a long weekend read.
July 16, 2018
This is a very chatty first-person narrator. Apparently the reader is supposed to be charmed by the notion that for her a murder mystery is what happens while she's busy with life's usual routine, and she's determined to chat about lots of life's usual routine details. Unfortunately her chat is not particularly interesting and I've heard her jokes before.
September 2, 2018
I gave this a 5 because of the humour which was a nice contrast to the tracking down of a murderer or murderers. Narrator Sam Clair is not a detective ; her live in partner is. But she gets subtly drawn in to the mystery of who killed the director of the play she and many others attended , all of whom witnessed the body as it was strung up onstage during the performance. Many thought it was a dummy with great makeup. Sam carries on with her job as an editor in a publishing business in London while sneaking time to track down clues the police might have missed and feeding them to her partner who is on the theatre case. She also sometimes babysits a six yr. old neighbour who is in the play and consults with her formidable mother who is a solicitor. As she says when in publishing you learn how to research well. Many of the characters are conveniently close to home or accessible through others close to her and that feels just a little too convenient but it's an amiable read and involves a lot of knowledge of the theatre and publishing world. There's even a reference to research that will please librarians. I would immediately read another of the previous 3 Sam Clair books if I didn't already have far to many books in a pile waiting to be read. I have no idea why it's referring to wolves in the title. A reviewer said that there were no references to magpies in one of the other books either. Maybe they are all references to something sinister or deathly.
August 9, 2018
I wanted to love this book, I really did, and I thought I would. Narrator Sam has a great sense of humor, the characters are memorable and lovable, and as someone who's worked in theatre, the setting was fun. I appreciated that even though Sam had a boyfriend, the subplot wasn't centered around their romance, but rather Sam's career as an editor. The story was a comfortable length as well.
Unfortunately (minor spoiler), the killer's reveal was seriously underwhelming. The clues that were dropped throughout were not just glossed over, but entirely painted over. There wasn't enough build-up at the end to understand that they were closing in; instead it felt like they were just standing around and out of nowhere the killer revealed themselves. There's such a thing as a surprise, but this reveal felt like falling asleep on the bus and waking up in a different city. Part of it may have been the writing style; while I love humor in books, the jokes and wit often seemed to get in the way of clarity, and I found myself having to reread sentences multiple times to get what was actually happening in the scene.
If you care more about the main characters, snappy dialogue and irreverent wit than following along with the case or playing "whodunit", you'll probably like this book.
Unfortunately (minor spoiler), the killer's reveal was seriously underwhelming. The clues that were dropped throughout were not just glossed over, but entirely painted over. There wasn't enough build-up at the end to understand that they were closing in; instead it felt like they were just standing around and out of nowhere the killer revealed themselves. There's such a thing as a surprise, but this reveal felt like falling asleep on the bus and waking up in a different city. Part of it may have been the writing style; while I love humor in books, the jokes and wit often seemed to get in the way of clarity, and I found myself having to reread sentences multiple times to get what was actually happening in the scene.
If you care more about the main characters, snappy dialogue and irreverent wit than following along with the case or playing "whodunit", you'll probably like this book.
Read
December 4, 2019I found this less entertaining than the other three, for the simple reason that she refers to the other books in the series, and I really didn't need to be reminded in the scope of a 230 page book what had happened in previous 230 page books. She is an amazing writer and her fiction is as hilarious as her historical work is informative.
April 4, 2021
Funny, great dialog, and good, interesting characters. This entry in the Sam Clair series included a lot of detail about the publishing business, which was especially enjoyable. And I really liked spending time with one of the last people in the universe who knows when to use "whom" (and I'm sure when not to). Need I add that this book is very well written?
June 12, 2018
Love the main character and all those around her. This is a great, clever, well-written series. Here Sam helps solve a theatrical mystery.
December 3, 2018
Prepare yourself for smart characters and witty dialogue in A HOWL OF WOLVES, the fourth and latest book in Judith Flanders’ critically acclaimed mystery series.
Samantha Clair, also known as Sam, is a book editor for a publishing house in London who loves research and how stories unfold. She shares a flat with her boyfriend, Jake Field, and her neighbors are a host of characters who readers will know from previous books. A HOWL OF WOLVES revolves around two of these neighbors: Anthony and his wife, Kay, who are actors. Their current gig is a modern production of a 16th-century play, and their son, Bim, also has a part in it.
Sam and Jake attend the opening night. The play is a particularly grizzly one, and they count up the murders as the action progresses. Theater can be macabre, but there turns out to be an actual dead body on stage. The victim is Campbell Davison, the director of the production. Jake, who works as a Detective Inspector in London, is on the scene and begins his investigation.
Despite her busy work life, Sam can’t seem to shake her curiosity about the murder. After all, the actors are her friends. When visiting the theater as she accompanies Bim to a rehearsal, Sam notices sketches on a wall that includes the costume drawings on display for the play. She takes pictures with her phone but is asked to stop. Sylvia Sanders, the set designer, has ordered that no photos be taken of any of the drawings.
Sam, who has a knack for research, asks for help from a friend who is a fashion journalist. They discover that the drawings may belong to a German designer, Richard Maurer, who died in 1971. How did they become part of the play, and how did Sylvia obtain them? Did Maurer know Campbell? When Sylvia is found dead, Sam begins to wonder if and how the deaths are linked. She reaches out to her mother, who happens to be a solicitor, for more information about the heirs to Maurer’s work. The investigation leads Sam to details about Campbell’s past that shed light on the murders, but there are still too many unanswered questions.
Things take another turn when Bim is kidnapped, and Sam’s focus and talent are tested as she sets out to find him. She does. However, Sam cannot rest as she must understand the plot behind the murders and the abduction. Little does she know that her determination to figure out the motive could be putting her own life in jeopardy.
Murder and mayhem often go hand in hand, and this story handles it all with a sense of humor. The art world --- from literature to theater to fashion --- is a clever part of the backdrop. Flanders provides insightful moments about working with creative people that are endearing and charming, and delivers a twisty plot that would make book editor Sam smile. I cannot wait for the next installment in this fun series.
Reviewed by Jennifer McCord
Samantha Clair, also known as Sam, is a book editor for a publishing house in London who loves research and how stories unfold. She shares a flat with her boyfriend, Jake Field, and her neighbors are a host of characters who readers will know from previous books. A HOWL OF WOLVES revolves around two of these neighbors: Anthony and his wife, Kay, who are actors. Their current gig is a modern production of a 16th-century play, and their son, Bim, also has a part in it.
Sam and Jake attend the opening night. The play is a particularly grizzly one, and they count up the murders as the action progresses. Theater can be macabre, but there turns out to be an actual dead body on stage. The victim is Campbell Davison, the director of the production. Jake, who works as a Detective Inspector in London, is on the scene and begins his investigation.
Despite her busy work life, Sam can’t seem to shake her curiosity about the murder. After all, the actors are her friends. When visiting the theater as she accompanies Bim to a rehearsal, Sam notices sketches on a wall that includes the costume drawings on display for the play. She takes pictures with her phone but is asked to stop. Sylvia Sanders, the set designer, has ordered that no photos be taken of any of the drawings.
Sam, who has a knack for research, asks for help from a friend who is a fashion journalist. They discover that the drawings may belong to a German designer, Richard Maurer, who died in 1971. How did they become part of the play, and how did Sylvia obtain them? Did Maurer know Campbell? When Sylvia is found dead, Sam begins to wonder if and how the deaths are linked. She reaches out to her mother, who happens to be a solicitor, for more information about the heirs to Maurer’s work. The investigation leads Sam to details about Campbell’s past that shed light on the murders, but there are still too many unanswered questions.
Things take another turn when Bim is kidnapped, and Sam’s focus and talent are tested as she sets out to find him. She does. However, Sam cannot rest as she must understand the plot behind the murders and the abduction. Little does she know that her determination to figure out the motive could be putting her own life in jeopardy.
Murder and mayhem often go hand in hand, and this story handles it all with a sense of humor. The art world --- from literature to theater to fashion --- is a clever part of the backdrop. Flanders provides insightful moments about working with creative people that are endearing and charming, and delivers a twisty plot that would make book editor Sam smile. I cannot wait for the next installment in this fun series.
Reviewed by Jennifer McCord
April 4, 2021
Excellent! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. I love the snarky voice of Sam, which hides a very soft heart, especially for the family she has found for herself and, beneath their rapier repartee, even her mother. Sam's extended family includes her partner, Jake, who, conveniently for a curious person who happens to be the main character in a cozy mystery series, is a detective with Scotland Yard. They have a unique and interesting relationship.
I tell you that guy is a keeper! He totally gets "Sam-speak." And he provides reasonable ways for the author to divulge important information for solving the crime(s). He is also wise enough to use Sam's research skills and insights. They make a great team, along with the others in their "family" unit, including Helena.
While the crimes and their resolutions are interesting and well-thought through with sufficient red herrings, it is really the relationships around Sam that provide the most interesting part of this series. The occupants of Sam's building have truly become a family for her. Helena, her mother, while technically family, provides a different and unique relationship still in process. An inside look at the publishing and theater worlds, and work relationships in general, is an added bonus. In the end, the real question is how you define family and what does that mean to you?
I do hope the author has another book of Sam’s world in the works. What would the collective noun be- A Smattering of Sams? One can only hope, as I put this one down with a very contented sigh.
"How are you?"
I didn't open my eyes, but, "On a scale of on to ten, where one is bunnies and duckies and sunshine and skipping ropes, and ten is the day after the death-star apocalypse, I'm at eleven thousand, three hundred, and ninety-seven." I paused, but I'd been well brought up, so I added "Thank you for asking. How are you?"
He kissed my forehead. "I'm fine, which is annoying so I won't tell you."
I tell you that guy is a keeper! He totally gets "Sam-speak." And he provides reasonable ways for the author to divulge important information for solving the crime(s). He is also wise enough to use Sam's research skills and insights. They make a great team, along with the others in their "family" unit, including Helena.
While the crimes and their resolutions are interesting and well-thought through with sufficient red herrings, it is really the relationships around Sam that provide the most interesting part of this series. The occupants of Sam's building have truly become a family for her. Helena, her mother, while technically family, provides a different and unique relationship still in process. An inside look at the publishing and theater worlds, and work relationships in general, is an added bonus. In the end, the real question is how you define family and what does that mean to you?
I do hope the author has another book of Sam’s world in the works. What would the collective noun be- A Smattering of Sams? One can only hope, as I put this one down with a very contented sigh.
March 3, 2018
This book is due out May 15, 2018, so if you have not read the earlier books, begin with A Murder of Magpies, because you will want to read them all., in order.
Couldn't put it down, even though I was reading an eGalley on my phone, and it made me laugh aloud more than once. What more do you need to know?
I quite enjoyed another visit with Sam and her recurring characters who are working their way toward 3-dimentionality, and are getting closer with each book.. A Howl of Wolves takes us into the world of the theater, where neighbor Kay is cast in a major play and has gotten her son, Bim a part as well. Sam attends opening night -- where the curtain falls on a scene not quite as intended by the dramatist -- it was meant to end with another murder, the plot has many of them, -- but not with a real dead body onstage.
The best part of these books are the characters, beginning with Sam, and her snarky and very funny observations about London in general and the world of publishing in particular. The subplot about what sells in fiction is contemporary and interesting, though a bit more could have been made of it, and I hope Miranda will play a bigger role in the next book.
SPOILER SPACE
They are also quick page turners, though you will find that both Sam and Ms. Flanders may have neglected to tell you something vital to the solving of the crime -- these are not for the puzzle-solver fans, but for those who like cozy mysteries that are well written and have characters with whom you want to spend time.
The murderer seemed to come out of left field, and not in a good way, though Ms. Flanders is better at red herrings than many of her contemporaries, it needs to be possible for the reader to figure out the murderer from the available evidence. I would still recommend it, and I look forward to the next one.
Couldn't put it down, even though I was reading an eGalley on my phone, and it made me laugh aloud more than once. What more do you need to know?
I quite enjoyed another visit with Sam and her recurring characters who are working their way toward 3-dimentionality, and are getting closer with each book.. A Howl of Wolves takes us into the world of the theater, where neighbor Kay is cast in a major play and has gotten her son, Bim a part as well. Sam attends opening night -- where the curtain falls on a scene not quite as intended by the dramatist -- it was meant to end with another murder, the plot has many of them, -- but not with a real dead body onstage.
The best part of these books are the characters, beginning with Sam, and her snarky and very funny observations about London in general and the world of publishing in particular. The subplot about what sells in fiction is contemporary and interesting, though a bit more could have been made of it, and I hope Miranda will play a bigger role in the next book.
SPOILER SPACE
They are also quick page turners, though you will find that both Sam and Ms. Flanders may have neglected to tell you something vital to the solving of the crime -- these are not for the puzzle-solver fans, but for those who like cozy mysteries that are well written and have characters with whom you want to spend time.
The murderer seemed to come out of left field, and not in a good way, though Ms. Flanders is better at red herrings than many of her contemporaries, it needs to be possible for the reader to figure out the murderer from the available evidence. I would still recommend it, and I look forward to the next one.
July 10, 2018
About the only disagreeable thing I have to say about A Howl of Wolves is that the mystery took a while to get going, but then I didn't particularly care. This is a series in which I love the main character, and I love the way the author writes so I can forgive some things that other readers cannot.
Samantha Clair is basically a good person who's worked in a self-absorbed business for years... so that self-absorption rubs off from time to time. I adore her sense of humor, and I think I could live very happily inside her head (even though her paragon of a mother, Helena, would rapidly drive me around the bend). One of the perks of this series, I believe, is all the inside information readers glean, and this time A Howl of Wolves delivers twofold. Not only do we learn more about Sam's world of publishing, we're taken behind the scenes in the world of theatre.
This insider information helps to carry one of the themes that runs throughout the book: how society views the place of older women in the world. As Flanders expounded on her theme, I found myself with blood boiling one second and wanting to laugh and cheer the next.
Sam proves to be so good in digging up the dirt on the dead that I got caught up in the flow of the story and forgot to wear my deerstalker cap, so the killer's identity came as a bit of a surprise. (See what happens when one doesn't pay attention?) Now that I've devoured A Howl of Wolves, I find myself in a familiar position: waiting patiently for Samantha Clair to put down her editing pen and start investigating murders once more.
Samantha Clair is basically a good person who's worked in a self-absorbed business for years... so that self-absorption rubs off from time to time. I adore her sense of humor, and I think I could live very happily inside her head (even though her paragon of a mother, Helena, would rapidly drive me around the bend). One of the perks of this series, I believe, is all the inside information readers glean, and this time A Howl of Wolves delivers twofold. Not only do we learn more about Sam's world of publishing, we're taken behind the scenes in the world of theatre.
This insider information helps to carry one of the themes that runs throughout the book: how society views the place of older women in the world. As Flanders expounded on her theme, I found myself with blood boiling one second and wanting to laugh and cheer the next.
Sam proves to be so good in digging up the dirt on the dead that I got caught up in the flow of the story and forgot to wear my deerstalker cap, so the killer's identity came as a bit of a surprise. (See what happens when one doesn't pay attention?) Now that I've devoured A Howl of Wolves, I find myself in a familiar position: waiting patiently for Samantha Clair to put down her editing pen and start investigating murders once more.
July 25, 2022
3.5 stars. As always, with this series, I enjoyed this book.
I like Sam's wry sense of humor/turns of phrase and her drama free outlook on life.
P.S. I'm not a huge mystery reader, so not particularly widely read in the genre. But with that caveat, I think I enjoy reading Judith Flanders because her books remind me of both of Sheila Simonson and Ngaio Marsh, both of whose mystery series I've glommed and enjoyed in the past.
I like Sam's wry sense of humor/turns of phrase and her drama free outlook on life.
P.S. I'm not a huge mystery reader, so not particularly widely read in the genre. But with that caveat, I think I enjoy reading Judith Flanders because her books remind me of both of Sheila Simonson and Ngaio Marsh, both of whose mystery series I've glommed and enjoyed in the past.
March 28, 2019
I’ve enjoyed following the travails of Sam Clair, but this fourth installment in Judith Flanders’ mystery series had some sloppy plot points and plodded along. Ms. Flanders’ prior mysteries in the series were page-turners, while unfortunately this one sat for long stretches on my bedside table. If there’s more Sam Clair to come, I hope the next story is more like Bed of Scorpions and Cast of Vultures.
May 29, 2021
This is the fourth in the Sam Clair Mystery Series by renowned historian Judith Flanders. The regular cast of characters are all in perfect form here, and a delight to meet again.
While attending opening night of an Elizabethan era play by Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, in which neighbor Kay and her 6 yr. old son Bim are both appearing, Sam and her boyfriend DI Jake Fields discover that one of the many stage bodies at the end is actually the murdered director Campbell Davidson. He's been hanged but the cause of death is by a severe allergic reaction to peanuts - an allergy that is well known to everyone in the cast and crew.
Davidson was an aging lothario, but a good director known for staging old plays, none modern, with highly stylized staging done by a woman he'd worked with for years. He was good, but he was also hated. In this production the play is set in Soviet Russia. While the murder is shocking, and Jake starts the investigation, the play is restated with a different ending, and Bim still one of the children cast.
But we all know Sam can't keep out of this and she starts trying to put the pieces together with the help of her redoubtable Solicitor mother, Helena, her upstairs neighbor Mr. Rudiger, best friend Kit, and others. Helena, with her worldwide network of contacts, starts to dig into just who is financing the play. It seems there is a mostly unknown connection between the hidden investor and the dead director.
Then just when they start to uncover their main suspect and the proof to mount, she too turns up murdered. Back to square one! But the rest of the squares don't come easy as we are caught in a play, within a play fraught with misdirection, greed, tragedy, and "murder most foul". If anything reads like a Shakespearean tragedy it's this one. It really comes down to the last few pages to unravel the mystery and save Sam, and little Bim who goes missing!
When reading Judith Flanders one must always be prepared to stop occasionally and look up references. In this case Thomas Kyd, a contemporary of Marlowe and Shakespeare. Kyd is considered a very important figure in tragic theater of the 16th century. His most important work is The Spanish Tragedy, in which the bodies just piled up. He was arrested and tortured for practicing the Airian heresy. It considered Jesus as not equal to God the father. Just a bit of interesting trivia.
While attending opening night of an Elizabethan era play by Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, in which neighbor Kay and her 6 yr. old son Bim are both appearing, Sam and her boyfriend DI Jake Fields discover that one of the many stage bodies at the end is actually the murdered director Campbell Davidson. He's been hanged but the cause of death is by a severe allergic reaction to peanuts - an allergy that is well known to everyone in the cast and crew.
Davidson was an aging lothario, but a good director known for staging old plays, none modern, with highly stylized staging done by a woman he'd worked with for years. He was good, but he was also hated. In this production the play is set in Soviet Russia. While the murder is shocking, and Jake starts the investigation, the play is restated with a different ending, and Bim still one of the children cast.
But we all know Sam can't keep out of this and she starts trying to put the pieces together with the help of her redoubtable Solicitor mother, Helena, her upstairs neighbor Mr. Rudiger, best friend Kit, and others. Helena, with her worldwide network of contacts, starts to dig into just who is financing the play. It seems there is a mostly unknown connection between the hidden investor and the dead director.
Then just when they start to uncover their main suspect and the proof to mount, she too turns up murdered. Back to square one! But the rest of the squares don't come easy as we are caught in a play, within a play fraught with misdirection, greed, tragedy, and "murder most foul". If anything reads like a Shakespearean tragedy it's this one. It really comes down to the last few pages to unravel the mystery and save Sam, and little Bim who goes missing!
When reading Judith Flanders one must always be prepared to stop occasionally and look up references. In this case Thomas Kyd, a contemporary of Marlowe and Shakespeare. Kyd is considered a very important figure in tragic theater of the 16th century. His most important work is The Spanish Tragedy, in which the bodies just piled up. He was arrested and tortured for practicing the Airian heresy. It considered Jesus as not equal to God the father. Just a bit of interesting trivia.
May 13, 2018
A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders is the fourth installment in A Sam Clair Mystery series. Sam Clair and Jake Field are attending the opening night of The Spanish Tragedy in a West End theater. Their neighbor, Kay and her son, Bim are in the production. It is a macabre play with thirteen "deaths" and a lot of blood. In the beginning of the second half, the curtain pulls back to reveal the tenth faux body, and everyone is shocked when it is not the dummy. Someone has replaced the dummy with the play's director, Campbell Davison. Jake, as a detective with Scotland Yard, is on the case. But we all know that Sam cannot stay out of a mystery. The more Sam digs into Campbell Davison's life, the more secrets she discovers. He was not well liked by the cast and crew which adds to the suspect list. Sam must work through the clues to catch the evildoer especially after he ups the game by taking an innocent. Who is behind the murder of Campbell Davison? Can Sam and Jake catch the culprit before he takes another life?
A Howl of Wolves is written in the first person, so we experience the story through Sam's eyes. It was interesting to find out more about the life of a book editor. There is more to the job than reading manuscripts (wouldn't that be a dream job) and, like with many jobs, there are politics at play. I enjoyed the setting of London which gives this cozy a unique feel. I would recommend reading A Murder of Magpies before embarking on A Howl of Wolves. The author does not provide the necessary backstory on Sam. I like that Sam is a smart, generous woman with a natural curiosity. A Howl of Wolves is hard to get into (slow starter) and the pace does not improve. Judith Flanders is good at misdirection. She does send readers down a rabbit hole. Unfortunately, the misdirection only works if the reader has not solved the mystery first. I knew the who and why before I was a quarter of the way through the book (glaring clues). The investigation was not active. It involved more research than questioning. There are pages devoted to Sam's thoughts on the case and speculation (which I started skimming through). Bim was a cute character and the neighbors are lucky that Sam is a willing babysitter (not sure why, but she is). I am giving A Howl of Wolves 3 out of 5 stars. I am not the right audience for A Sam Clair Mystery series. I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it is the book for you (we all have different preferences).
A Howl of Wolves is written in the first person, so we experience the story through Sam's eyes. It was interesting to find out more about the life of a book editor. There is more to the job than reading manuscripts (wouldn't that be a dream job) and, like with many jobs, there are politics at play. I enjoyed the setting of London which gives this cozy a unique feel. I would recommend reading A Murder of Magpies before embarking on A Howl of Wolves. The author does not provide the necessary backstory on Sam. I like that Sam is a smart, generous woman with a natural curiosity. A Howl of Wolves is hard to get into (slow starter) and the pace does not improve. Judith Flanders is good at misdirection. She does send readers down a rabbit hole. Unfortunately, the misdirection only works if the reader has not solved the mystery first. I knew the who and why before I was a quarter of the way through the book (glaring clues). The investigation was not active. It involved more research than questioning. There are pages devoted to Sam's thoughts on the case and speculation (which I started skimming through). Bim was a cute character and the neighbors are lucky that Sam is a willing babysitter (not sure why, but she is). I am giving A Howl of Wolves 3 out of 5 stars. I am not the right audience for A Sam Clair Mystery series. I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it is the book for you (we all have different preferences).
August 23, 2018
Sam(antha) Clair makes her fourth appearance in this mystery. Set in London and involving the theater and theater people (make that theatre since this is British through and through), the plot makes a cracking good start with the director of Thomas Kyd's 16th Century play The Spanish Tragedy being found suspended, dead, and in costume and stage makeup, when the curtain opens the third act. Based on other reviews I've read, this isn't the first theater-based mystery from this author.
Sam narrates in the first person with a witty stream of mostly self-effacing barbs. The author is a master of hyperbole. I would say mistress, but that sounds too salacious so I'll settle for the sexist "master." But then, a sexist master sounds salacious, too. Oh well. Anyway, every description is cleverly overstated. Sam has known earthworms with more upper body strength than she has. She picks up enough Chinese food to feed a few battalions. Her solicitor (that's a "lawyer" for us Yanks) mother Helena is so formidable the mere tappety-tap of her heels produces "frissons of fear even in the hearts of Supreme Court Judges." You get the idea. The style is lighthearted but there's still a rather good murder mystery there. Sam has the advantage of having a husband at Scotland Yard and the aforementioned bulldog lawyer-mom to sweep away those niggling obstacles to crime-solving, like access to confidential lab results, interview notes, and other police material. If you're looking for blood and guts, gunfights, and passionate sex scenes, you won't find them here (except quite a bit of fake blood in the play, apparently).
The pace could have been faster and the ending less mundane, but the witty style kept the story going well enough to suit me. The aha moment was too contrived for my taste, dependent on Sam seeing something the reader couldn't see, or at least which isn't described well enough for the reader to pick up on as the critical clue. That puts this mystery in the "unfair" class by my book, but the intelligence of the writing style and the inside knowledge of the theater were more than enough to overcome that.
Sam narrates in the first person with a witty stream of mostly self-effacing barbs. The author is a master of hyperbole. I would say mistress, but that sounds too salacious so I'll settle for the sexist "master." But then, a sexist master sounds salacious, too. Oh well. Anyway, every description is cleverly overstated. Sam has known earthworms with more upper body strength than she has. She picks up enough Chinese food to feed a few battalions. Her solicitor (that's a "lawyer" for us Yanks) mother Helena is so formidable the mere tappety-tap of her heels produces "frissons of fear even in the hearts of Supreme Court Judges." You get the idea. The style is lighthearted but there's still a rather good murder mystery there. Sam has the advantage of having a husband at Scotland Yard and the aforementioned bulldog lawyer-mom to sweep away those niggling obstacles to crime-solving, like access to confidential lab results, interview notes, and other police material. If you're looking for blood and guts, gunfights, and passionate sex scenes, you won't find them here (except quite a bit of fake blood in the play, apparently).
The pace could have been faster and the ending less mundane, but the witty style kept the story going well enough to suit me. The aha moment was too contrived for my taste, dependent on Sam seeing something the reader couldn't see, or at least which isn't described well enough for the reader to pick up on as the critical clue. That puts this mystery in the "unfair" class by my book, but the intelligence of the writing style and the inside knowledge of the theater were more than enough to overcome that.
July 10, 2018
Sam Clair finds herself knee-deep in backstage intrigue when she and her boyfriend, a Scotland Yard detective attend a West End play, staged by famous director Campbell Davison. Her upstairs neighbors, Kay and Anthony, have small parts. Even their six-year-old, Bim, has a role in the play. Sam knows that the theater piece is called The Spanish Tragedy and is replete with gore, death, and revenge. The play more than lives up to its reputation when the final body is displayed, suspended from the rafters. The body is not a dummy, but the famous director himself. Campbell Davison was not universally loved, but who among the cast and crew might have hated him so much?
I always look forward to a new Sam Clair mystery. She is a bright and witty book editor in London and a grown-up in her mid-forties. Part of the series' enjoyment is Sam's somewhat jaded view of the publishing industry with its never-ending meetings, sales conferences, and maneuvering for position. The other attractions include the ongoing characters: Kay and Anthony, their son Bim, Jake the detective boyfriend, Sam's terrifyingly efficient mother, Helena, and Sam's other neighbor, the reclusive Mr. Rudiger. A Howl of Wolves is perhaps not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of the earlier books but still a fun and engaging read.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I always look forward to a new Sam Clair mystery. She is a bright and witty book editor in London and a grown-up in her mid-forties. Part of the series' enjoyment is Sam's somewhat jaded view of the publishing industry with its never-ending meetings, sales conferences, and maneuvering for position. The other attractions include the ongoing characters: Kay and Anthony, their son Bim, Jake the detective boyfriend, Sam's terrifyingly efficient mother, Helena, and Sam's other neighbor, the reclusive Mr. Rudiger. A Howl of Wolves is perhaps not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of the earlier books but still a fun and engaging read.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
July 29, 2018
This is a series built on mystery, humor, great characters, and enough snark from Sam’s mother Helena to keep readers coming back.
Being the supportive neighbor she is, Sam Clair agrees to go to the opening night of a new play in which Kay and her son Bim are appearing. Apparently, it is ghastly and grisly but no one was expecting the body dangling from the hook to be real. Yet it turns out to be the director, Campbell Davison strung up and covered in green makeup.
Days later the costume designer is dead and someone has kidnapped Bim. Yes, things keep piling on, but though Sam swears she is not getting involved in yet another murder investigation, she is front and centers much to the chagrin of her boyfriend homicide detective Jake Field. An investigator whom she has to keep explaining things to since everything get a bit twisty and she is just short of drawing a murder board with names, strings, and timelines.
All the while Sam is trying to get into the office at a reasonable time and having the right words and passion to fight for the talent she represents and going toe to toe with an editor-in-chief and sales director who think women of a certain age are un-promotable. Clair might have a way around that and taking a chapter from her mother’s book of how to play with the boys club, comes to the aid of those she believes in.
Being the supportive neighbor she is, Sam Clair agrees to go to the opening night of a new play in which Kay and her son Bim are appearing. Apparently, it is ghastly and grisly but no one was expecting the body dangling from the hook to be real. Yet it turns out to be the director, Campbell Davison strung up and covered in green makeup.
Days later the costume designer is dead and someone has kidnapped Bim. Yes, things keep piling on, but though Sam swears she is not getting involved in yet another murder investigation, she is front and centers much to the chagrin of her boyfriend homicide detective Jake Field. An investigator whom she has to keep explaining things to since everything get a bit twisty and she is just short of drawing a murder board with names, strings, and timelines.
All the while Sam is trying to get into the office at a reasonable time and having the right words and passion to fight for the talent she represents and going toe to toe with an editor-in-chief and sales director who think women of a certain age are un-promotable. Clair might have a way around that and taking a chapter from her mother’s book of how to play with the boys club, comes to the aid of those she believes in.
November 7, 2021
Well be careful what you wish for! I had wanted a bit more elbow room for the characters and a little less rushing and I got it in spades - maybe a bit too much. This was a bit slower and noticeably so. But I enjoy the writing, the structure, and the author's mastery and framing of her backgrounds both in publishing and acting. We seem to have lost some of the more amusing elements of the edgy irritability of the first book and I remain unclear as the basis for the series book titles, although I like them. And I think there is enough in the books that there should be a TV series one day.
Sam is once again in the midst of a murder, first on the sidelines and then pulled in closer to the center. Her mother and Kit are useful in bringing their expertise and contacts into play. And both Jake and Sam seem to have resolved any prior conflict about when/what to share in a situation where they both are involved.
The machinations at the publishing company were lightly handled and amusing and, tbh, I would happily read more about that without any mystery at all. Surehanded, literate, an enjoyable read for me. 3.5 because it was a little slow but rounded to 4.
Sam is once again in the midst of a murder, first on the sidelines and then pulled in closer to the center. Her mother and Kit are useful in bringing their expertise and contacts into play. And both Jake and Sam seem to have resolved any prior conflict about when/what to share in a situation where they both are involved.
The machinations at the publishing company were lightly handled and amusing and, tbh, I would happily read more about that without any mystery at all. Surehanded, literate, an enjoyable read for me. 3.5 because it was a little slow but rounded to 4.
January 31, 2024
You can read descriptions of this book in other reviews. It is the 4th in the series. Character development really demands that you start from the beginning with "A Murder of Magpies". The stories are delightful and make for great reads. What I love the very most about this series is also what I hate about so many other books, the proofreading/editing. When reading a book with errors that interfere with continuity, i.e., Character A takes off her outer shirt, then 2 pages later, Character A takes off her outer shirt (The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver). This stops me in my tracks and I go back (sometimes 100+ pages) to find the original entry and reread both entries multiple times, followed by considering whether to write down the contradictory parts and message the author. This series, however, centers around Sam (Samantha) Clair, an editor in a book publishing house. There are none of the continuity errors I find so jarring. Aside from a total lack of editing errors, these books are really great and the regular other characters are wonderful people with whom you want to be friends.
April 9, 2018
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2018/04...
I like the Sam Clair mysteries—about an editor who keeps getting drawn into these murder investigations—a lot, though this one wasn’t the strongest one for me. The story here centers on a play featuring one of Sam's friends—and her friend's little boy—where someone is MURDERED. I love the characters and the descriptions here, and Flanders is very funny, but the mystery itself left me feeling a little flat (I correctly guessed the killer, perhaps due to an editing error in my ARC [is that ironic?], but found the motive troubling). If this is going to be one of those series that is more interested in the characters and their relationships than in the plotting of a mystery, I’d be fine with that, because that is really where the books shine, for me. B/B+.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
I like the Sam Clair mysteries—about an editor who keeps getting drawn into these murder investigations—a lot, though this one wasn’t the strongest one for me. The story here centers on a play featuring one of Sam's friends—and her friend's little boy—where someone is MURDERED. I love the characters and the descriptions here, and Flanders is very funny, but the mystery itself left me feeling a little flat (I correctly guessed the killer, perhaps due to an editing error in my ARC [is that ironic?], but found the motive troubling). If this is going to be one of those series that is more interested in the characters and their relationships than in the plotting of a mystery, I’d be fine with that, because that is really where the books shine, for me. B/B+.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
October 29, 2018
When Sam Clair and her boyfriend go to the theater, it's not necessarily because they are excited about the play being performed - a somewhat bloody story - but because Sam's upstairs neighbor and her son are both in the cast. When the last scene happens, something seems off. That's because what is supposed to be a dummy of someone murdered is instead the actual director of the play.
Things only get weirder and scarier in the time following. As Sam tries to help her neighbors deal with the tragedy and figure out what happened, she is also trying very hard to give deserved recognition to one of her authors at the publisher where she works, but is challenged because the head of sales doesn't think a woman's book written by an older woman has enough to draw in booksellers.
I enjoyed this book. I realized after I finished it that there was a previous title in the series I have not yet read, so I'll have to remedy that soon.
Things only get weirder and scarier in the time following. As Sam tries to help her neighbors deal with the tragedy and figure out what happened, she is also trying very hard to give deserved recognition to one of her authors at the publisher where she works, but is challenged because the head of sales doesn't think a woman's book written by an older woman has enough to draw in booksellers.
I enjoyed this book. I realized after I finished it that there was a previous title in the series I have not yet read, so I'll have to remedy that soon.
April 30, 2022
Samantha Clair – "Sam", as she's known – is a book editor for a smallish London publisher. She's being a "good friend" by attending the opening night of a West End play that her upstairs neighbor Kay is acting in (though only a small part); Kay's 6-year-old son, Bim, is also briefly in the play. Sam has dragged along her boyfriend, Jake Field, a Scotland Yard detective, to enjoy The Spanish Tragedy. (Apparently a very bloody play.) At the end of the play, it is discovered that the dead body hanging from the rafters isn't a dummy after all, but the actual director of the production who has been murdered. He's not well-liked, so there's a long list of suspects and Sam helps Jake, since her friend and her friend's son are involved. She's whip-smart and extremely sarcastic, so I really enjoy her observations and comments, as well as the repartée between her and her boyfriend, who only reluctantly lets her assist him in the investigation.
August 1, 2018
I love, love, love this series featuring a wonderfully witty London publishing editor Samantha Clair. It hits all the marks - a deeply entertaining main character with fascinating cohorts and intricate but realistic plots with backtones of the publishing world. Sam is a bit snarky and jaded but with an appealing personality and a warm heart, regardless. Sam loves what she does, but has a perfect take on the realities of the publishing industry. The subtle comments on Sam's longtime job editing and publishing fiction are absolutely priceless. Her friends supply just enough quirkness without being tiresome. Start with the first one of the series. Completely entertaining and impossible to put down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews