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Christine Bennett #16
The Silver Anniversary Murder
A phone call warning Christine Bennett that a body will be found is traced to the apartment of an attractive couple about to celebrate their 25th wedding... read The Silver Anniversary Murder to find out more!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 30, 2005
About the author
Lee Harris
95 books78 followersA pseudonym used by Syrell Leahy.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 9, 2014
The Silver Anniversary Murder (2005) is the penultimate book in Lee Harris's mystery series starring ex-nun and amateur investigator Christine Bennett. It is also the last book in the series I needed to read to finish the series. The Chris Bennett mysteries are generally on the lighter side of the mystery field. Occasionally, the stories are a bit more intense emotionally, but Harris definitely keeps us within the cozy realm.
This particular entry begins with an anonymous phone call. A woman calls Chris and tells her that "A body will be found later today." There is also a cryptic reference to the woman's silver wedding anniversary. Quick thinking on Chris's part allow the police to trace the call to an empty apartment with nothing but a phone and a trace of blood on the bedroom carpet. Why did the attractive couple who were about to celebrate a milestone anniversary abandon their home and their careers without a trace? Neighbors in the apartment building have little to tell about the Mitchells--the couple who lived in the apartment. The couple never made friends and few saw them more than to say "Hi" to. One man remembers seeing furniture loaded into a U-Haul, but not much else.
The woman on the phone was a little optimistic in her prediction--the first body isn't found for two weeks. It's a woman and she's soon identified as Holly Mitchell. Or is she? Chris feels drawn to the case...drawn by the haunting voice on the phone. Who called? Was it the woman who has been killed? Or was it her killer? And who is the victim? Chris soon learns that Holly Mitchell may not really exist. There are other names and other identities in the Mitchells' past. Before long, Peter Mitchell's body is found as well and then the Mitchell's daughter arrives--worried that she hasn't been able to reach her parents by phone. Before long Ariana Brinker (the Mitchells' real last name) and Chris Bennett are on a cross-country scavenger hunt, following clues left by Ariana's parents and a trail leads to a 25-year-old secret.
This was a good book to end the series on. Plenty of twists and turns and a bit more actual detective work on the part of Chris Bennett. Throughout most of the series it seems that Chris has a lot of "luck" in her investigations, but this one is a bit more solid with clues. I enjoyed the bond she developed with Ariana. One does have to suspend one's disbelief a bit--just how much information would the local police share with her just because she's married to a NYC police officer? But the books are always interesting and her character is very likable and believable in other ways. It helps that she really likes what she does and is very compassionate in her dealings with victims and perpetrators alike. I highly recommend this series when you want something satisfying but not too heavy.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This particular entry begins with an anonymous phone call. A woman calls Chris and tells her that "A body will be found later today." There is also a cryptic reference to the woman's silver wedding anniversary. Quick thinking on Chris's part allow the police to trace the call to an empty apartment with nothing but a phone and a trace of blood on the bedroom carpet. Why did the attractive couple who were about to celebrate a milestone anniversary abandon their home and their careers without a trace? Neighbors in the apartment building have little to tell about the Mitchells--the couple who lived in the apartment. The couple never made friends and few saw them more than to say "Hi" to. One man remembers seeing furniture loaded into a U-Haul, but not much else.
The woman on the phone was a little optimistic in her prediction--the first body isn't found for two weeks. It's a woman and she's soon identified as Holly Mitchell. Or is she? Chris feels drawn to the case...drawn by the haunting voice on the phone. Who called? Was it the woman who has been killed? Or was it her killer? And who is the victim? Chris soon learns that Holly Mitchell may not really exist. There are other names and other identities in the Mitchells' past. Before long, Peter Mitchell's body is found as well and then the Mitchell's daughter arrives--worried that she hasn't been able to reach her parents by phone. Before long Ariana Brinker (the Mitchells' real last name) and Chris Bennett are on a cross-country scavenger hunt, following clues left by Ariana's parents and a trail leads to a 25-year-old secret.
This was a good book to end the series on. Plenty of twists and turns and a bit more actual detective work on the part of Chris Bennett. Throughout most of the series it seems that Chris has a lot of "luck" in her investigations, but this one is a bit more solid with clues. I enjoyed the bond she developed with Ariana. One does have to suspend one's disbelief a bit--just how much information would the local police share with her just because she's married to a NYC police officer? But the books are always interesting and her character is very likable and believable in other ways. It helps that she really likes what she does and is very compassionate in her dealings with victims and perpetrators alike. I highly recommend this series when you want something satisfying but not too heavy.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
March 8, 2018
This is a cozy with the cast of characters and exact format as all the other books in the series. Rather implausible plot and huge leaps of intuition. Read on my kindle during a power outage so I kept reading even though the predictable progression was irritating.
July 10, 2017
Fun little read. Not a terribly complicated mystery, but still worth reading. This was a perfect choice for a light read in between heavier books from my book group!
January 1, 2018
Short book but slow reading. Every sentence was subtly - or not - disapproving of everyone and everything but narrator and her husband. Interesting tale, so I finished it.
February 15, 2020
Wish Lee would write more of these! This ranked up there with the very best of this series!
April 13, 2020
I'm so enjoying this series of books! I will be sad when I'm done!
December 31, 2014
#16 in the Christine Bennett series. The ex-nun has left the convent, but still has strong ties especially with her mentor Sister Joseph. Chris has now married and has a son about to finish kindergarten. She makes a hobby of solving murders, often cold cases, that baffle the police. In this entry she receives a phone call that tells her bodies will be found. With no personal attachment to the case, it seems that the only purpose of the call was to involve her - but why? Eventually a couples bodies are found separately and their daughter arrives in new York from Chicago. Chris forms a bond with the daughter, Ariana, and now haw a strong motive to solve the case.
Christine Bennett series - Christine receives a chilling phone call which police trace to an apartment whose tenants have vanished, leaving behind only a telephone and a trace of blood on the carpet. Why have they abandoned everything, even, it seems, their identities?
Christine Bennett series - Christine receives a chilling phone call which police trace to an apartment whose tenants have vanished, leaving behind only a telephone and a trace of blood on the carpet. Why have they abandoned everything, even, it seems, their identities?
July 15, 2008
I randomly started this book without knowing anything about the author or the series (which seems to be quite long), yet I really enjoyed it.
The main character is an ex-nun who now balances a family and an interesting knack for solving mysteries. This book starts with a phone call to the main character telling her that a body would be found that day. The call is traced back to the apartment of a couple who led very secretive, careful lives and have now suddenly disappeared. They were hiding from someone, but no one, including their daughter, knows who or why.
I liked this book. It was intriguing and CLEAN. There are few murder mystery novels free of random sex and violence unnecessary to the plot. I don't know if this is representative of her other books, but I will certainly continue to read this series.
The main character is an ex-nun who now balances a family and an interesting knack for solving mysteries. This book starts with a phone call to the main character telling her that a body would be found that day. The call is traced back to the apartment of a couple who led very secretive, careful lives and have now suddenly disappeared. They were hiding from someone, but no one, including their daughter, knows who or why.
I liked this book. It was intriguing and CLEAN. There are few murder mystery novels free of random sex and violence unnecessary to the plot. I don't know if this is representative of her other books, but I will certainly continue to read this series.
August 6, 2016
It has been many years since I have read a Christine Bennett mystery.
I enjoyed this one very much.
There is no swearing, and no graphic violence. In many ways it is a police procedural, with an amateur assistant.
The plot was very interesting, with several twists that I did not see coming.
I enjoyed this one very much.
There is no swearing, and no graphic violence. In many ways it is a police procedural, with an amateur assistant.
The plot was very interesting, with several twists that I did not see coming.
January 3, 2014
Really enjoyed this book. The plot had me in suspense until the end. Some of the themes were a bit fanciful, such as the cops sharing information and being happy for Christine to investigate the crime independently - it had a bit of the Nancy Drew about it. But, despite that, a good read.
May 5, 2008
Boring.
August 29, 2009
Another quick and fun read. Started with a phone call
August 15, 2010
One of the ones I really really liked. In a way, there were many twists and turns I did not see coming. One of my favs.
June 23, 2013
I am happy that this series is as wonderful as I remember. I haven't read one in years and will have to scavenge used book stores to read the ones I am missing. I love the ex-nun turned sleuth.
August 22, 2013
Interesting twists in this one - never would have guessed.
April 3, 2016
Another good, solid mystery in this series. I will be sad when I read the last book!
June 17, 2016
Twist and turns
Kept me intrigued. A lot of twist and turns in the story kept you guessing all the way thru to the end.
Kept me intrigued. A lot of twist and turns in the story kept you guessing all the way thru to the end.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews