Do Unto Others

Jordan Poteet #1

by Jeff Abbott

“One of the most fun mysteries I’ve read in years. Thumbs up to Jeff Abbott’s delightful debut novel.”—Carolyn G. Hart

After a few good years of city life, Jordan Poteet returns to his small hometown of Mirabeau, Texas, to work as a librarian. Yet his quet domesticity is shattered when he locks horns with Ms. Beta Harcher, the town’s prize religious fanatic, in a knock-down drag-out battle over censorship.

When Jordan finds her murdered body in the library, he learns that Beta dead is much more dangerous than she ever was alive. Not only for poor Jordy, whom the police are itching to throw the book at, but for countless others. In fact, thanks to a cryptic list the police find stashed next to her fanatical heart, Beta Harcher has the whole town in a death grip. . . . 

Praise for Do Unto Others

“A haunting story of a small Texas town overflowing with decade upon decade of dark secrets.” —R. D. Zimmerman

“For ages I’ve been saying that fame and fortune awaited the man who could write charming and funny mysteries set in small-town America. When I read Jeff Abbott’s Do Unto Others , I knew that the position had been filled.” —Sharyn McCrumb

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Adult, Mystery Thriller

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Jeff Abbott (born 1963) is a U.S. suspense novelist. He has a degree in History and English from Rice University. He lives in Austin, Texas. His early novels were traditional detective fiction but in recent years he has turned to writing thriller fiction. A theme of his work is the idea of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary danger and fighting to return to their normal lives. His novels are published in several countries and have also been bestsellers in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and France.

Series:
* Whit Mosley
* Jordan Poteet

Reviews

[Margaret]

Well this had potential ... but just didn't quite live up to it. I felt like the author was a little bit out of his comfort zone trying to create so many cross-plots/motives for the suspects/side narratives to tie into the story. I was annoyed a tad by the use of ridiculous and odd character names (were they Southern names? this took place in Texas, not the deep South) like Beta, Tamma, Bidwell, Junebug, Eula Mae, Bob Don and Hally. Towards the end and definitely in the last chapters it seemed like the author suddenly threw in several up-to-now unknown facts to explain everything. For me, this was one of those books that isn't bad enough to stop reading at page 50 but when you've finished it you wonder why you bothered. Oh well! Maybe this book will find someone more appreciative with the next reader. :)

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mystery novel! Jordan Poteet leaves his lucrative Boston job and comes back home to Texas to live with his sister and his mother who has Alzheimer's. He gets a job in a library. The assistant there is in love with him. There's also a hot nurse that's got an eye on him. A crazy fundamentalist religious zealot named Beta is always trying to get books banned. They get in a very public fight and the next day she turns up dead in the library. Everyone suspects him, and he starts a rapid, hard interrogation of everyone in town in order to clear his name. Even though I didn't really relate to this character (he is judgmental and kind of full of himself), I really enjoyed the way this mystery was put together and the different characters the author paints. There is an eccentric romance author, some church people, a veteran who uses drugs, etc etc. The book also offers up plenty of surprises...it turns out he really does return the assistant's feelings, and they end up together, after you spend the whole book thinking she has no chance. Also, about 2/3s of the way through Jordan finds out that the father who raised him and loved him is not his real father...the local car salesman is! Good writing. It kept me hooked.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read. Some funny characters, but not fully developed. Just introductory characters. Really good for a first book. I forgot I missed the main character being the one investigating the murders (especially when they aren't a detective/investigator). It is fun to have your average person trying to figure out the mystery and solve the murder.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jordan Poteet, librarian without MLS, finds an ex-board member murdered by a bat in the library. She is a religious zealot who wanted books banned in the library. He starts looking at a list of names that was found that had bible quotes next to their names. Jordan investigates the suspects because he is a suspect himself. It was an okay book, but stupid ending.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most of this author's stand-alone books and one other of his series. This is the first of his Jordan Poteet mysteries and the first book he wrote. It was a fun mystery about a Texan librarian but you can tell it was a first novel.

Back Cover Blurb:
After a few good years of city life, Jordan Poteet returns to his small hometown of Mirabeau, Texas, to work as a librarian. Yet his quiet domesticity is shattered when he locks horns with Miss Beta Harcher, the town's prize religious fanatic, in a knock-down drag-out battle over censorship.
When Jordan finds her murdered body in the library, he learns that Beta dead is much more dangerous than she ever was alive. Not only for poor Jordy, whom the police are itching to throw the book at, but for countless others. In fact, thanks to a cryptic list the police find stashed next to her fanatical heart, Beta Harcher has the whole town in a death grip.....

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned from this fine amateur sleuth mystery:


1. Be careful what you pick up on your walks


2. Beware of sweet smiles.


3. Being a librarian can be more exciting than one might think.


4. Those little Texas towns can be full of mystery and murder.




This is Jeff Abbott's first book published and first in this series. I've been on the hunt for it since reading and highly diggin' THE ONLY GOOD YANKEE a few years back (apparently before I started blogging, so no review link).


I like Jordan Poteet's style. I feel for him. His mother has Alzheimer's, his sister is a single mom to a sullen teen and Jordy has moved back to help as well as he can. He's been accused of murder and he sets out to prove he didn't do it.


I will continue to search out this series and this author. He has several stand-alones and another fab series, Whit Mosley. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/j...


Five mysterious Texas beans.....

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Jordan Poteet series. Jordan Poteet leaves a well-paying job in Boston, MA to return to small town Mirabeau, Tx in order to help care for his mother who has been stricken with Alzheimer's. The best job he can obtain is as low paid librarian. This initial entry sparkles with humor and a sense of community. Winner of the 1994 Agatha and 1995 Macavity Awards for Best First Novel, as well as being a finalist for the 1995 Dilys Award.

Jordan Poteet has left the big city to work as a librarian in his hometown of Mirabeau, Texas. But his dream of the quiet life is shattered when he locks horns with Miss Beta Harcher, the town's prize religious fanatic, in a battle over censorship. When Jordan finds her murdered body in the library, he becomes the prime suspect. And when the police find a cryptic list stashed next to her fanatical heart, it seems as if Beta Harcher has the whole town in a death grip . . .

[Lunetune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very amusing trash. The narration was absolutely hilarious. The plot was all over the place. Twists abounded, yet somehow I was shocked by none of them. Everything was comically dramatic, half-baked, and just weird, especially the romance. This only increases towards the end. Technically I would say it's two and a half or three stars, but I've never been one to skimp on obligations. It was terribly humorous for a mystery and felt like a parody of itself, and I have to respect that. Read this expecting a suspenseful thriller, and you'll be sorely disappointed, but if you read this expecting an (un?)intentional satire of airport-shop murder mystery garbage, you'll have a great time. I'm not even kidding. This book is brilliant, whatever the intentions of the honorable Jeff. Either way, I think he must be exceedingly clever.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

DO UNTO OTHERS - G
Abbot, Jeff - 1st in series

Jordan Poteet has left a thriving publishing career back East to return to his home town in Mirabeau, Texas-a town as backward and insulated as any cliche-to care for his ailing mother and work as the local librarian. Quickly, Jordan is accused of the gruesome murder of a nasty, churchgoing town elder who is at odds with the library's "liberal" policies. With a redneck assistant D.A. on his heels, Jordan tries to prove his innocence.

I loved Abbots writing and use of local idioms.

[Dianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoy hearing Jeff Abbott speak in person. That's why I picked this book up -- his stories of writing this series were just wonderful and hilarious. But. But the character's voice in this novel is just grating on me. He's such the Southern gossipy prima donna type of man - I couldn't convince myself to pick the book back up after getting only a couple chapters in.

I still plan to try out Jeff's thriller "Adrenaline"; I imagine the voice of that novel will be more to my liking.

[Nancy]

Jordan Poteet comes home to Texas to care for his mother who has Alzheimers. He becomes a librarian and is attacked by a woman who wants books censored. The woman is killed and Jordan looks guilty. The woman was blackmailing people in town to finance a fundamentalist church she wanted to start. The minister's wife was the killer. Jordan finds out that another man was really his father. Jordan and Candace get together.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read his two first stand alones, a good while back. Remember them being pretty good thrillers, leaning toward a Coben like novel, where everyday folks get caught up in a bad situation.
This had the feel of a debut, and surprised me a little, that it was closer to a cozy mystery. Abbott, a native Texan did a good job of the small town feeling, the quirky characters, and some wonderful wit from Jordan Poteet. A good mystery though, and will continue on with the series.

[Mim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a "quick" read at the library, to read while preparing for a day at home, as a shut-in. It was a southern genre book, which I haven't read in ages, and it was fun. Since I knew nothing about the writer or book, I was able to just flow with it. I'll probably look for another of this author's books.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a schlocky mystery that has more hijinks and nefarious activities going on in this small Texas town than you can keep track of. It's a quick read, but bogs down in parts. The main characters are likable and the mystery is interesting, but overall it's just brain candy.

[Swan Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read other books by Jeff Abbott and enjoyed reading this one as it was his first book. I love his sense of humor and he definitely plays on it with Jordy and his friends. I will likely read more of this series.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointing after reading "Adrenaline", but "Do Unto Others" is the author's first book so one would expect him to improve as he writes. This one was a bit slow for me but had an okay story line.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would make a great TV series, exemplified by the classic "Twin Peaks". Who killed Laura Palmer? And the plot thickens. I gave it 5 stars because it was so entertaining.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bubba and Sister and too many religious zealots ... I didn't make it one chapter. Life is too short.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT

Jordan Poteet who had been a book editor in the Northeast has returned home to small town Texas to help care for his mother. He and his sister Arlene share the responsibility. He also finds himself in the unenviable position of solving the murder of Beta Harcher. She was the morality police for the town, a religious fanatic, and she had a list to prove it. Found on the body the list had names and Bible verses beside each name apparently describing the discretions of each person. One name on the list is Poteet's name and also his mother's.

Each of the possible suspects is investigated, along with their transgressions. Beta had been on the library board until the other members could stand it no longer and she was kicked off. She was then found dead in the library, apparently having intended to burn it down, as long as her constant demand for changes in the books available wasn't heeded. She had letters of Anne Poteet's from years before. She had video tape of Tamma Hufnagel's adulterous affair, evidence of Ruth Willis and Matt Blalock's pot business, and plenty of other evidence of sins. She had been blackmailing members of the community to enable her to fund a church that she intended to start.

During the process of finding the killer, Jordan will find out that his biological father was not who he had raised to believe, but the town car dealer, Bob Don Goertz. Lots of sin in the town of Marabeau, and plenty of people ready to kill for their secrets to remain just that.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Do Unto Others” is a bit of a slow burn, but don't be fooled as it offers more than your average cosy.
It is set in the middle of Texas (which leaves a lot of wiggle room) where, apparently, the climate is far more pleasant.
He's been away for over a decade but Jordan Poteet is back in small town Mirabeau.
He's got a job as a librarian and, soon enough, gets into a knockdown row with a local Bible thumper, Ms. Beta Harcher, who wants pretty much every book removed from the shelves.
Sure enough, with a few pages, she's dead as the Old Testament.
It should be a time for rejoicing (I know I did) but the suspect list contains just one name … Jordan Poteet.
And that's when it begins (slowly) to get interesting.
Why, for example, was a list of names (each with a Bible quote) found on her body, where did she get a large amount of money deposited to her bank account in the days before her death, and was she really trying to set up her own independent church?
It's almost like a locked room mystery in the sense that everyone seems to be related, however distantly. All that's missing is the gloomy mansion inhabited by the descendants of the once-wealthy lords of the town.
Around the halfway mark I was toying with the idea of DNF but I am glad I kept going as the story got darker and far more interesting (also completely OTT).
I gather that it was the first book published by the author - a damn good effort.
3.5 Stars, brought back to 3 Stars.

[Satrajit Sanyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a few good years of city life, Jordan Poteet returns to his small hometown of Mirabeau, Texas, to work as a librarian. Yet his quet domesticity is shattered when he locks horns with Ms. Beta Harcher, the town's prize religious fanatic, in a knock-down drag-out battle over censorship.

When Jordan finds her murdered body in the library, he learns that Beta dead is much more dangerous than she ever was alive. Not only for poor Jordy, whom the police are itching to throw the book at, but for countless others. In fact, thanks to a cryptic list the police find stashed next to her fanatical heart, Beta Harcher has the whole town in a death grip. . . .

Overall its an okay book.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've forgotten how I found this book, but it is pretty good for a debut, and the author writes a lot of humor into his mystery. Not macabre, but more observations about people and things.

Man returns from East to southern home because his mom has Alzheimer's and he needs to help take care of her. The only job he can find is as the local librarian. The day after the local censorship fanatic visits the library, the new librarian finds her murdered in the library.

I liked the characterization and I will read the second book to see if this is a series I would like to follow.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a cozy mystery series written in the 90's. It's set in Texas, and follows a young librarian, Jordan Poteet. Jordan is home in Texas from Boston when he worked as an editor at a publishing house. he's now the head librarian at the library in his hometown of Mirabeau, Texas and taking care of his aging mother with Alzheimer's. Not only that but he has to deal with zealot and moral crusader Beta Hatcher trying to get books banned from the library. That is until he finds Beta's body in the library. It's an entertaining mystery with a lot of southern humor and witt

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Abbott’s first book in this series was an entertaining read. While I didn’t exactly warm up to the main character, Jordy Poteet, I thought the storyline was good and fast-moving. As a Texan who lives in Central Texas, I tried to identify the small town in the book. Some clues, county names, the Colorado River, German lineage, koloches......

Wouldn’t mind an apple koloche and a steaming cup of coffee right now.

[Nicola · Rating 1 out of 5]

A highly formulaic cosy mystery - to the point of reiterating plot information in the form of lists (despite the book not being long or complex). I found it extremely disappointing. If this was the first Jeff Abbott book that I picked up then I wouldn't bother reading more of his work; fortunately, I enjoyed the thriller of his that I read recently so will try again.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to start new authors with first novels - Nothing worse than discovering an author and working backwards and discovering that their earlier works don't hold up. Not the case here! Really enjoyed it and despite a little too wrapped up at the end I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Richard Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book Club, a group of academics are used to predict terrorism, all of its members are killed when their plane is sabotaged.
Terrorism has changed from groups to small groups acting together. A large attack is planned by a group. Smaller groups once they prove themselves by carrying out an attack they can join in a massive attack, Hell Fire.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly satisfying after a slow start. Maybe only 2.5 stars, but how could a book about a man called Jordy Poteet be all that bad? Somewhat sophomoric and a bit unassured. But I guess it’s his first novel and I think I’ll read another to see if he gets better.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with believable small-town folks, this was a fun -- at times moving -- book that won a well-deserved Agatha Christie Award for Best First Novel of 1994 for Jeff Abott. I would have given it 5 stars back 30 or so years ago when I first read it in my 20s. Now I'm a bit more mellow and give it 4 stars.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with other reviewers who wrote that this was a good first novel, but the plot was all over the place and he tried to juggle too many twists and turns. Humorous, yes. Introduces lots of characters, many of whom will be repeaters, I presume, in subsequent books. Will try a second one.