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Patience McKenna #5
Once and Always Murder
Back in her hometown, McKenna quickly remembers why she left
Waverly, Connecticut, has turned its back on most modern conveniences. It has no cinema, no strip malls, no supermarket. Groceries are nearly an hour’s drive away, along spotty two-lane roads that get blocked the moment snow starts to fall. True-crime writer Patience McKenna, on her way to Waverly for her wedding, remembers the roads well enough to navigate the patch ice. Her hometown feels lost in time, but on this trip, it will be anything but boring. Bloody, yes, but never dull. An old-money quarrel over a piece of land turns violent just a few days before her wedding. Members of McKenna’s family start dropping, and while the world may be better off without her crackpot relatives, Pay needs to clean up the mess. She wanted a white wedding—not one that’s blood red.
Waverly, Connecticut, has turned its back on most modern conveniences. It has no cinema, no strip malls, no supermarket. Groceries are nearly an hour’s drive away, along spotty two-lane roads that get blocked the moment snow starts to fall. True-crime writer Patience McKenna, on her way to Waverly for her wedding, remembers the roads well enough to navigate the patch ice. Her hometown feels lost in time, but on this trip, it will be anything but boring. Bloody, yes, but never dull. An old-money quarrel over a piece of land turns violent just a few days before her wedding. Members of McKenna’s family start dropping, and while the world may be better off without her crackpot relatives, Pay needs to clean up the mess. She wanted a white wedding—not one that’s blood red.
179 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Jane Haddam
49 books134 followersAka Orania Papazoglou
Jane Haddam (b. 1951) is an American author of mysteries. Born Orania Papazoglou, she worked as a college professor and magazine editor before publishing her Edgar Award–nominated first novel, Sweet, Savage Death, in 1984. This mystery introduced Patience McKenna, a sleuthing scribe who would go on to appear in four more books, including Wicked, Loving Murder (1985) and Rich, Radiant Slaughter (1988).
Not a Creature Was Stirring (1990) introduced Haddam’s best-known character, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. The series spans more than twenty novels, many of them holiday-themed, including Murder Superior (1993), Fountain of Death (1995), and Wanting Sheila Dead (2005). Haddam’s most recent novels are Blood in the Water (2012) and Hearts of Sand (2013). Wife of William L DeAndrea.
Jane Haddam (b. 1951) is an American author of mysteries. Born Orania Papazoglou, she worked as a college professor and magazine editor before publishing her Edgar Award–nominated first novel, Sweet, Savage Death, in 1984. This mystery introduced Patience McKenna, a sleuthing scribe who would go on to appear in four more books, including Wicked, Loving Murder (1985) and Rich, Radiant Slaughter (1988).
Not a Creature Was Stirring (1990) introduced Haddam’s best-known character, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. The series spans more than twenty novels, many of them holiday-themed, including Murder Superior (1993), Fountain of Death (1995), and Wanting Sheila Dead (2005). Haddam’s most recent novels are Blood in the Water (2012) and Hearts of Sand (2013). Wife of William L DeAndrea.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 24, 2019
While this was a murder mystery, which I usually enjoy, I found it hard to care about any of the characters. The cast of characters was unbelievably odd and the main character was less than engaging. Maybe others will find more redeeming qualities.
June 18, 2021
Pay McKenna is getting married, and yields to her mother's wish for a big wedding. That brings Pay home to Connecticut and her large, eccentric family. Mother is one thing, but some of the more distant relatives, like Great Aunt Felicia, are more than Pay can stand. When Felicia is found dead, it seems like natural causes, but it doesn't look like any heart attack Pay ever heard of. Her old school friends are nearby, too, as is a New Age guru who's married into local society. One misses the romance writers who populate Papazoglou's other books--they're coming to the wedding, but they're not on hand for all the prep--but I still enjoyed the last of this series.
April 16, 2018
The last thing that Patience McKenna expected to be involved with when she comes home to Wayfield Ct. is to get involved with another murder...but yet, she somehow gets involved with three, maybe four! What do all these deaths have in common? Could they somehow involve Damon Rush, who has built what appears to be a UFO ontop his home? Such a fun read, culminating in the wedding of Pay and Nick...but nt before Phoebe goes into labor!
March 6, 2015
This is an older book written under Haddam's real name, Orania Papazoglou. It's noe been reissued with the Haddam name on it.
This is number five in a series featuring Patience McKenna, a true crime writer, who always gets mixd up in murder. Along with her friend, Phobe, she has returned to the Connecticut town where she was raised, an enclave of the very rich, for her wedding. Her crazy relatives, none of them quite normal, are gathered, and one of the worst promptly falls over dead----and that's just the beginning.
Very entertaining. I'm going to have to read the rest of the series.
This is number five in a series featuring Patience McKenna, a true crime writer, who always gets mixd up in murder. Along with her friend, Phobe, she has returned to the Connecticut town where she was raised, an enclave of the very rich, for her wedding. Her crazy relatives, none of them quite normal, are gathered, and one of the worst promptly falls over dead----and that's just the beginning.
Very entertaining. I'm going to have to read the rest of the series.
April 29, 2016
Patience McKenna is in Waverly, her hometown, for her wedding. There's a whole collection of murders and odd people.
I swear, I'm not sure if it was me or the writing, but the whole thing was a mess. There were far too many eccentric characters. Worse, I really didn't like Patience. She had some evil inner narratives about the people. She came across as mean and spiteful.
The whole thing left me cold.
I swear, I'm not sure if it was me or the writing, but the whole thing was a mess. There were far too many eccentric characters. Worse, I really didn't like Patience. She had some evil inner narratives about the people. She came across as mean and spiteful.
The whole thing left me cold.
April 8, 2015
Strange tangential events
I enjoyed most of this book, but skipped some of the protagonist's irrelevant ramblings. Some of her ramblings were relevant to the story and some were not, but it was impossible to distinguish between the two types. The author did a great job of wrapping everything up in an unpredictable way in the very last few pages however.
I enjoyed most of this book, but skipped some of the protagonist's irrelevant ramblings. Some of her ramblings were relevant to the story and some were not, but it was impossible to distinguish between the two types. The author did a great job of wrapping everything up in an unpredictable way in the very last few pages however.
Want to Read
October 13, 2010non de plume of Jane Haddam
July 23, 2016
Deserunt asperiores accusantium non. Porro est illum. Qui ducimus molestiae reiciendis at. Inventore illum qui vero necessitatibus.
March 31, 2011
wedding and death in CT
October 30, 2017
Train reading. Not terrible but plot not very believable. DPL e book via Freading
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews