Murder Once Done

by Mary Lou Bennett

When her fourth husband dies, Allison Moffitt invites her two friends, Plum and Jane to live with her on the Oregon coast, but they are followed there by an unscrupulous blackmailer

195 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Hannah Showalter]

1.5 maybe??? this book gave the vibe in the first twenty pages that it would be a cozy old lady mystery but then it became very icky and so full of sexual violence and hearing the gross inner thoughts of a man who just wanted to abduct the teen girls??? also REALLY hated that a sub-plot here involved someone lying about an assault; felt like it was just really pushing an unhealthy narrative in that way and it made me uncomfortable! that being said, i did love plum and june, i would read books about them separate from this one, if those ones involved less assault and men.

also, read for lesbian murder mystery book club and there were no lesbians. :(

[Helen]

This would have been a little better received had the "little old ladies" not been portrayed as quite so feeble. The eldest is only just into her seventies and the other two are in their late sixties and all three are healthy so none should have been complaining about weak, wobbly "old lady legs". It's more a suspense story than a mystery, although it's quite a while before you find the item the blackmailer has. The characters are good, the second thoughts of the house owner are quite sensible and I really liked them, except for that jerk the deputy and his sponsor. I was cheering for the police chief all the way.

[Peepers]

Although this book was written many years ago, I really enjoyed reading it recently. It’s about 3 older women who were good friends and have decided to move in together in a lovely old house called Crooked House on the Oregon Coast. But their short stay there became a living nightmare when a slimy crook called Tommy Weed decided to move in and hold them hostage. The three ladies had to use their wits to untangle themselves from this odious creature. These three ladies reminds me of the comedy sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’.
I don’t know if the author, Mary Lou Bennett wrote any more books. I really enjoyed this book.

[Mimi]

I quite enjoyed this book. The three main characters are people you're sure would make your life more interesting. It's a little bit like "Ransom of Red Chief", only it's the 3 ladies who seem to be frustrating the bad guy, who is creepily bad. It's technically not a mystery as we know who dun it early on, but it's how the protagonists get out of their dilemma that is the center of this plot. A lovely summer read. Wish there was more with these ladies!

[Onie Tadlas]

Nothing sinister but still suspenseful. What I liked best are the characterizations especially the three grandmas.

[pdxmaven]

Interestingly, the author is a psychotherapist and also teaches psychology at OSU.