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AmyJ_AlessioPost at 2011-2-7 09:04 | Only View Author

[Books] This Old Murder (A Josie Pigeon Mystery #4)

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Book Details

ISBN-10: 0449006298
Paperback:
ISBN-13: 978-0449006290
Publisher: Fawcett(July5,2000)
Language: English
Book Dimensions: 6.9x4.2x0.8inches
Shipping Weight: 5.8ounces

Book Editorial Reviews:

This Old Murder (A Josie Pigeon Mystery #4)--- From Publishers Weekly
Against her better judgment, Josie Pigeon (last seen in Deck the Halls with Murder) single mom and owner of Island Contracting, agrees to allow her all-woman crew to be filmed by a PBS remodeling series, only to find that the show's beautiful host, Courtney Castle, is her childhood nemesis. Ever protective of her past, Josie tries to hide her connection to Courtney, but when the popular host goes missing and is presumed dead, the small island town's citizens are soon whispering that Josie had something to do with it. Josie turns to her boyfriend, former lawyer Sam Richardson, for advice on how to clear her nameAand to protect the members of her crew from unwanted scrutiny. Josie is an expert carpenter, and loveable and entertaining to boot, but she's no Nancy Drew: she jumps to conclusions and fails to ask the obvious questions necessary to solve the mystery. Somehow, though, everything comes together in her mind, and she single-handedly divines the killer's identity. Wolzien has an annoying habit of not telling the reader what Josie knows until after the fact, which detracts from what little suspense there is. The insight into Josie's secret past, however, will surely delight the series' fans, and a visitor from Wolzien's Susan Henshaw series is a clever tie-in.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A nice writing style and considerable wit."
--Chicago Tribune

"A nice writing style and considerable wit."
--Chicago Tribune

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This Old Murder (A Josie Pigeon Mystery #4) Reviews:

Intriguing characters...

The Josie Pigeon series is a refreshing addition to the amateur-detectivemystery genre.Josie, owner of an all-women remodelling crew, is anindependent woman in an industry where that is rare.She is alsointelligent, a good mother, and an interesting woman with many layers. Whyis it that Josie has no contact with her family?What is her connectionwith the famous and perfect TV personality Courtney Castle?The readerwill be wondering about these questions as much as she will wonder whokilled the person Josie's crew finds in a house they are working on."This Old Murder" has many intriguing mysteries, keeping thereader wondering right until the end!

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[Books] This Old Murder (A Josie Pigeon Mystery #4) Rating:8 Points
Best:10 Points
Votes:100 People
Count:7 Reviews

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2^#

CustomersPost at 2011-2-9 00:09 | Only View Author

It was okay, but . .

I have read other Josie Pigeon books, and liked both the style and thecharacters.However, this one didn't seem to have the same zing that theprior ones did.For one thing, I guess I'm a little tired of Josie andcompany finding and hiding bodies, and Sam (her attorney boyfriend)covering up for them.Any real attorney would know he could lose hislicense for that kind of behavior, and anyone with the kind of intelligenceJosie is supposed to have would use a little forethought.

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CustomersPost at 2011-2-10 15:14 | Only View Author

Josie nails another case shut

I read this book at the shore, and it was the perfect complement to sand,sea, and sun. Josie Pigeon and her eclectic crew have to cope with a PBScrew filming Island Contracting's most recent remodel. As usual, Josie'sgroup of women workers have their secrets, some of which might make themsuspects when the high-powered murder victim is found. Josie's son is homefor summer break, getting into the kinds of trouble even the best teenagersmanage to find. Our favorite island characters are there--Sam, Josie'sItalian landlady, and even the small-brained police chief and his son. Thisbook is like a visit to a favorite vacation spot--intriguing, amusing, andhard to relinquish once it's done.

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4^#

CustomersPost at 2011-2-12 06:19 | Only View Author

Condensed Book

This story reads like a condensed book. All the way through I kept feeling that information was being left out. Ex. when it is revealed that the intern's name is Chad Henshaw, no mention is made that Josie worked on hismother's house in REMODELED TO DEATH, the book which introduced the Josiecharacter. Josie doesn't react in any way to that information. The endingseems hurried as though enough words had been typed and it was time to wrapthings up.

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5^#

CustomersPost at 2011-2-13 21:24 | Only View Author

great story with delightful characters

I read this book on vaction and loved it.We learn more about Josie'spast (fascinating) and see her in a more fleshed out role as mother.Asusual, the other characters in the book were lively, colorful and fun to bewith.The victim is someone we all love to hate, which makes the book allthat much more enjoyable.The story involves media coverage of a remodel ala "this old house."The woman who is the star of the program(the victim) is someone who has known Josie in the past.When she turns updead, there are no shortage of suspects, but the biggest mystery is herrelationship with Josie. A great "curl up and forget the world forawhile" book.

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6^#

HarrietKlausnerPost at 2011-2-15 12:29 | Only View Author

This mysteryauthor is really talented

Josie Pigeon is the owner of Island Contracting. The small independent company employs people, usually women, who deserve to have a chance at making a better life for themselves. Josie is reasonably successful andgets along with all the members of her crew. Like all small contractors,she knows the value of good publicity. When the producer of Courtney'sCastle, a PBS home improvement show, calls Josie and asks to feature herand her crew on the show working on a project, she reluctantly agrees. Whenthe crew of Courtney's Castle shows up, Josie is shocked to learn that theshow's hostess is a woman she grew up with, and their relationship was oneof mutual dislike.Both women act as if they don't know each other butthat state of affairs does not last long because Courtney disappears.Shortly afterward, Josie and her crew find her body in the house they areremodeling. None of the women want to report the murder because they allhave something to hide. When they finally reach a consensus, the bodydisappears. Josie hopes to figure out the identity of the killer,especially since she has had practice on other cases, before she or one ofher crew is charged with murder.Valerie Wolzien has mastered the artof creating an action-packed, droll amateur sleuth cozy. The characters arecharmers especially Susan Henshaw,s son, who makes a brief but importantappearance. THIS OLD MURDER is a mystery that is fun to read, and fans ofthis know that by the storys end, they will be feeling good.HarrietKlausner

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7^#

petroniusPost at 2011-2-17 03:34 | Only View Author

how bad can a book be?
Sometimes I wonder how bad a book can be and still get published (as opposed to self-published). This book answers that question, I think. The characters are unsympathetic and act in ridiculous ways. When they find the body, they wonder if they should inform the police. But the police might suspect Josie, who knew the victim in high school but hasn't had any contact with her since then, or Dottie, who served a couple of years in prison but has no motive whatsoever for killing the victim. There's never any consideration of what charges might be brought against them for failure to inform the police. Their conversations are inane and repetitive. When Josie finally realizes who committed the murder, it's not through any investigative process that the reader is aware of. She just suddenly knows who did it. And when the suspects are confronted, they confess immediately. Throughout the book Josie keeps telling us what a good mother she has been to her son, who is now 17. Then, on the next-to-last page we find out that her son's full name is Tyler Clay Pigeon. Any parent who would do that to a child ought to be horse-whipped.

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[Books] This Old Murder (A Josie Pigeon Mystery #4)

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