A Crazy Little Thing Called Death: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery

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Nancy Martin and the Blackbird Sisters

Easy Read

Always entertaining

Fun

A Crazy Little Thing Called Death

A Crazy Little Thing Called Death: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
Nancy Martin
Manufacturer: NAL Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0451220412

Book Description

Impoverished Philadelphia heiress Nora Blackbird has agreed to wed Mick Abruzzo, son of New Jersey's most notorious mobster, leaving the city's bluebloods in shock. Then Nora and her sisters get some ominous news-Sweet Penny Devine, ex-Hollywood starlet and daughter of the Philadelphia Devines, has mysteriously disappeared. Even stranger, her family wants her declared dead pronto. Could someone have plotted her final act? Now it's up to the Blackbird sisters to snoop among the snooty-until they uncover the truth.

Customer Reviews:

Nancy Martin and the Blackbird Sisters.......2007-09-12

This book was a great book in this series. I loved reading it and can not wait for the next book.

Easy Read.......2007-08-14

I enjoy the Blackbird sister books - they're an easy, fast read when I don't want to think to hard about what I'm reading. I would recommend them to anyone, but would caution you to read them in order.

Always entertaining.......2007-06-27

Great writer, great story. The relationships are so interesting, always dynamic and intertwined. Love this author's point of view. The mystery was a good one too.

Fun.......2007-06-11

All of Nancy Martin's books are fun, fast and easy reads. They are entertaining, will make you laugh, and great summer books for relaxing. It is enjoyable to try to figure out Who Done It. Great characters.
Enjoy!

A Crazy Little Thing Called Death.......2007-06-08

Love all of Nancy Martin books and this one was great

Average customer rating:

A dark chapter for witches of Hogwarts
Very Mature Youth Novel
Do not miss!
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Johnny Tremain
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Puffin Modern Classics) (Puffin Modern Classics)

ASIN: 0440995779
Release Date: 1978-05-15

Amazon.com

Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople?

A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!

Customer Reviews:

A dark chapter for witches of Hogwarts.......2007-08-21

First read it in 8th grade about 20 years ago in reading class. The teacher was a blonde Jewish hottie about 5'6"" in her early twenties named Miss Fee. The book is great by itself, but taught by a good looking teacher makes it even better.

Very Mature Youth Novel.......2007-08-06

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and it is very descriptive. I think the message is very insightful, and I also enjoyed the love story. I would recommend this book for an older child and even adults!

Do not miss!.......2007-07-24

The message is even more important now as we continue to vilify those who seem different. A fascinating look into the mindset of the people who created the Salem witch trials. (Follow up with "The Crucible") Also a feminist tale.
Young women will relate best to this story. Images and names stick with me still, 30 years later.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond.......2007-06-06

The book Witch of Black Bird Pond was an adventurous book as well as a bit of romance. It was about a girl who travels to America to find family to live with since her family died. She ends up finding them and they are taken by surprise by some things she can and can not do. As well as thing she posses like, beautiful dresses and money. She needs to help on their farm but is not used to that so she runs off only to find a little house in a meadow of flowers about a mile away from where she lives now and the lady walks up to her, the one from the little house. She returns home and they become pals but many believe that she is a witch. What happens in the end, read the book to find out.

I loved the book! It is probably a ten (10) and older book, and a book for adults too. It is an exciting book because who knows what a response or action will be next. I would rate The Witch of Black Bird Pond a five star (*****) book for its simply wonderful story. It's a book I would recommend but mostly for girls who love a bit of romance but mostly adventure.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond.......2007-05-06

ISBN 0440495962 - Excellent, well written book for ages 12 and up, Witch is more likely to appeal to girls. This book has enough romance to make it unappealing to some, but it deserves the Newbery Award it won in 1959.

Kit Tyler was orphaned years before, but it is only now that she feels like an orphan - her grandfather, Sir Francis Tyler, a well-off plantation owner on Barbados, has died and Kit finds out that all he's left behind is mountainous debt. His entire estate is sold off to pay those debts and Kit's own slave has to be sold, as well, to finance her journey to Connecticut. There, her mother's only sister, beautiful Rachel, lives with her family. She befriends Nat Eaton, the captain's son, but fails to tell him that her family isn't expecting her. He is surprised by their surprise, when Kit shows up on their doorstep, where they part ways. Kit, too, gets a surprise, when she finds that her aunt, once a great beauty, is a somewhat worn, plain woman. Clearly her life has changed her.

It takes some time for Kit to get accustomed to the ways of her aunt's family, who are Puritans (Kit had even disparagingly referred to them as "Roundheads" while still on the boat). Their simple life of hard work is a harsh existence with little joy and Kit misses much about her old life. Still, she has no one else and tries to learn to do the chores she is given to the best of her ability. When William Ashby, a young man of some means, begins to court her, Kit realizes that he might be the best chance she has to escape from the drudgery of her life under Uncle Matthew's roof. Judith, Kit's cousin, had previously set her sights on William, but when he favors Kit, she turns her attention to John Holbrook, a budding clergyman. Judith is unaware that her crippled sister, Mercy, has fallen in love with John and even less aware that John also loves Mercy.

While the prospect of escape via marriage to William is in the future, Kit lives in the present, becoming friendly with Hannah, an elderly Quaker woman who lives alone on the shore of Blackbird Pond. The townspeople believe her to be a witch, mostly because she isn't Puritan. Consorting with Hannah doesn't do much to improve Kit's standing in the town, but she laughs off the idea of herself or anyone being a witch - until they lock her up and put her on trial. Her friendships with Nat and Prudence pay off in a big way, when they appear at the trial, but Nat runs before she can thank him - and before she realizes that it is Nat that she really loves.

As a teen or pre-teen, this book would not have impressed me much, and I'd have found the romance gag-worthy. Everyone ends up with the guy they should end up with and all, it is implied, live happily ever after. As an adult, however, I really enjoyed the story. The prejudice of the time, not unlike the prejudice of ANY time period, was interesting. To read that the ability to swim was an indication that one was a witch is funny now, but a nice bit of irony for the time - the only way to prove your innocence was to die by drowning! Not perfect, and a little more "historical romance" than plain old "historical fiction", but still very nicely done.

Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery

Average customer rating:

Fun, fast read
Great Series
Another Great Blackbird Mystery
Have Your Cake and Kim Him Too:A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
Blackbird Sisters - A fun ride

Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
Nancy Martin
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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How to Murder a Millionaire

ASIN: 0451218930

Book Description

When the tycoon owner of a spectacularly tacky sports bar is killed, Nora Blackbird suspects a secretive politician, a shady former rock star doubling as a pastry chef, and a dangerous aristo-brat on the verge of stardom.

Customer Reviews:

Fun, fast read.......2007-09-12

Great for a long plane ride or for winding down after a long stressful day. While I wouldn't recommend this series for a book club, it is an enjoyable quick read.

Great Series.......2007-05-15

I enjoy this series a lot and think Nancy Martin does a great job of creating interesting characters that you care about -- with the exception of Libby. I really wish she'd do away with this intolerable character, particularly since she has more than enough to keep your interest with Nora and Emma.

Another Great Blackbird Mystery.......2007-05-07

I thoroughly enjoy all the Nora Blackbird stories, with their Philedelphia high society intrigues and especially Nora's fabulous vintage wardrobe! While they are certainly light fluff, they are fun and breezy and always introduce us to some unique characters. My only quibble is that I think it's time for Nora and Michael to make up their minds, once and for all, about being together or not. They seem to have the same old arguments about Mick's past and his ties with his crime family. It was fertile ground the first, second or even third time, but by now they're just starting to seem too wishy-washy to keep my interest. Still, even with that minor caveat, I love the chemistry between them and the way Nancy Martin crafts their dialogue. Keep 'em coming, Ms. Martin!

Have Your Cake and Kim Him Too:A Blackbird Sisters Mystery.......2007-03-09

This is a wonderful no thinking way to spend the afternoon read. Funny story about 3 sisters and how they are different but are the same. One for all and All for one. The story is enjoyable and the series of the Blackbird Sisters has been a wonderful fine to enjoy and can wait for the next book to be out. Total way to escape and have a good read.

Blackbird Sisters - A fun ride.......2007-01-08

Reading the Blackbird Mysteries are always an enjoyable "get-away" from everyday life. The inside scoop on the rich and famous of New York society and a frowned upon romance the reader can't help but cheer for...what more could a reader want?

Blackbird House: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Average customer rating:

The walls CAN talk
mesmerizing
A house, a (sometimes white) blackbird, the color red, a span of over two hundred years, an interestingly-connected collection
Good Stuff!
Magical Tales Of A Cape Cod House

Blackbird House: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Alice Hoffman
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345455932
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Book Description

With “incantatory prose” that “sweeps over the reader like a dream,” (Philadelphia Inquirer), Hoffman follows her celebrated bestseller The Probable Future, with an evocative work that traces the lives of the various occupants of an old Massachusetts house over a span of two hundred years.

In a rare and gorgeous departure, beloved novelist Alice Hoffman weaves a web of tales, all set in Blackbird House. This small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod is a place that is as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet: Violet, a brilliant girl who is in love with books and with a man destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut as big as a horse, certain that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots
arrives to change everything; Maya Cooper, who does not understand the true meaning of the love between her mother and father until it is nearly too late. From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to our own modern world, family after family’s lives are inexorably changed, not only by the people they love but by the lives they lead inside Blackbird House.

These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. Inside Blackbird House more than a dozen men and women learn how love transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives. The past both dissipates and remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and, above all else, a spirit of coming home.

From the writer Time has said tells "truths powerful enough to break a reader’s heart” comes a glorious travelogue through time and fate, through loss and love and survival. Welcome to Blackbird House.

Download Description

With ¿incantatory prose¿ that ¿sweeps over the reader like a dream,¿ (Philadelphia Inquirer), Hoffman follows her celebrated bestseller The Probable Future, with an evocative work that traces the lives of the various occupants of an old Massachusetts house over a span of two hundred years.

In a rare and gorgeous departure, beloved novelist Alice Hoffman weaves a web of tales, all set in Blackbird House. This small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod is a place that is as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet: Violet, a brilliant girl who is in love with books and with a man destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut as big as a horse, certain that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots
arrives to change everything; Maya Cooper, who does not understand the true meaning of the love between her mother and father until it is nearly too late. From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to our own modern world, family after family¿s lives are inexorably changed, not only by the people they love but by the lives they lead inside Blackbird House.

These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. Inside Blackbird House more than a dozen men and women learn how love transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives. The past both dissipates and remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and, above all else, a spirit of coming home.

From the writer Time has said tells "truths powerful enough to break a reader¿s heart¿ comes a glorious travelogue through time and fate, through loss and love and survival. Welcome to Blackbird House.

Customer Reviews:

The walls CAN talk.......2007-08-03

Who knows just how a history is held by a house? In a desolate end of the Cape, the story begins as Coral Hadley loses her husband and young son Issac at sea in a storm. Vincent survives and takes 20 years to get home. Issac's pet blackbird flies home somehow and is seen throughout as pure white.
200 years of history and demons are kept in this house. Generations of Crosby, West, Griffon, McGuire stay. Others tarry awhile, but the history is not theirs to carry and they move on. Terrible beauty in this place, joy and terrible sadness. Birth, dead, suicide, mystery and magic, love and relationship. A fabulous piece of writing.

mesmerizing.......2007-06-05

Beautifully written stories that work as a novel about generations of people living in the same house. Lovely motifs weave their way through the years. Great read.

A house, a (sometimes white) blackbird, the color red, a span of over two hundred years, an interestingly-connected collection.......2006-11-29

A schooner and its passengers encounter a horrible storm in the first story of this collection by Alice Hoffman, author of the Oprah Book Club selection, Here on Earth, as well as almost two dozen other novels. It's hard to find fault with Hoffman's Blackbird House, either in its writing (good) or its plot (great). The well-thought out connections between successive stories create an ordered web about life in and around rural Massachusettes. My favorite, The Conjurer's Handbook, is about a man who falls in love with a Jewish interpreter and guide named Dorey while touring a camp in Germany. The interactions between strong, capable, Dorey and her love's stubbornly independent grandmother, during a visit of less than a day, are marvelous. Those few pages, along with the recurring links between characters and stories, make this a wonderful choice both for those who love short stories and for anyone who hasn't yet given short stories a try. Those who enjoy these short stories, will probably also like those of authors Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood.

Good Stuff!.......2006-08-14

I've read several of Alice Hoffman's books, and have, for the most part, enjoyed them. BLACKBIRD HOUSE is one of my favorites, mainly because the story is weaved through centuries of history, but also because of the magical element that this mysterious Cape Cod cottage has. In short, it's a fun story to read and dream about a house that has inhabitated all types of fascinating people.

Magical Tales Of A Cape Cod House.......2006-08-09

From Revolutionary times to the present-day, the lives of inhabitants of a Massachusetts house are examined with compelling awareness. Alice Hoffman weaves tales of acute happiness and profound sorrow, each rewarding in its own right. Together, they combine for a loosely-constructed novel of the changing events in the life of a house. Vivid images of blackbirds, pear trees, sweet peas, the color red and more unite these stories with an undeniable charm.

"The Edge of the World", a tale of seaman John Hadley who originally built the house in the 1700's as a gift for his wife Coral. The sailor and his two sons are lost at sea and the grieving widow and mother slogs on with only her field of sweet peas and the ghost of her son's pet blackbird to sustain her.

"The Witch of Truro," a lyrical story of red boots, pear trees, and a love story that is one-of a kind. After a horrifying event, Ruth Declan becomes a charity case for neighbors who sell her into servitude to a blacksmith named Lysander.

"The Token," features Garnet, one of the book's most endearing characters. Her love for her sister Ruby and even for her seemingly uncaring mother, Ruth of the previous story, is heartwarming and uplifting.

"Insulting the Angels" introduces Larkin, another lovable character who finds fatherhood in a most unusual way.

"Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" acquaints the reader with Violet, a physically scarred young woman who falls in love with a professor. She carries his child while he falls in love with her sister.

"Lionheart" picks up with Violet, now a mother of seven, living in Blackbird House and doting on her firstborn son, Lion. His life is charmed and, as the author tells us, he was not like anyone else and he never would be.

"The Conjurer's Handbook" is the story of Lion, Jr. who is raised at Blackbird House by his grandmother and takes a Jewish wife while abroad. Can the granddaughter-in-law ever win the love of Violet and will Violet ever accept her? This reads like a fairy tale, a wonderful, magical happy-ever-after story to cherish.

"The Wedding of Snow and Ice" is set in 1957 and televisions and canned soup have appeared as staples at Blackbird House. Grace Farrell is caught in the crossfire of impending women's liberation but it is her son Jamie whose visit to the next door neighbor's to shovel the sidewalk and deliver homemade soup that is the focal point of this haunting tale.

"India" is set in the 1960's and 1970's when a young hippie couple purchase the house and raise their two children, Kalkin and Maya. The very back-to-nature parents have given birth to children who have no interest in their mother-earth upbringing but prefer to woof down hamburgers and watch "Dallas" on tv. How one escapes and one comes to terms with her roots makes for a riveting read.

"The Pear Tree" is the story of the Stanley family. Unlike the families before, they only use the home as a summer getaway. For that reason, they never fit in with the community and their son Dean is a loner whose tragic life plays out at Blackbird House.

"The Summer Kitchen" is the story of the family of Katherine and Sam, a couple drowning in sorrow. Their lives are centered around Emma, a young daughter dying of leukemia. Their son Walker is jealous of the attention lavished on Emma and rebels in typical ten-year-old fashion.

"Wish You Were Here," the final story is perhaps the weakest. It picks up the tale of Emma more than twenty years later when she inherits Blackbird House from her parents. Emma has had an empty and unhappy life, but can she find happiness at last? Readers will also be treated to what Walker has accomplished with his life.

Average customer rating:

Blackbird and Wolf: Poems
Henri Cole
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0374113793
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

I don’t want words to sever me from reality.
I don’t want to need them. I want nothing
to reveal feeling but feeling—as in freedom,
or the knowledge of peace in a realm beyond,
or the sound of water poured in a bowl.
—from “Gravity and Center”

In his sixth collection of poetry, Henri Cole deepens his excavations of autobiography and memory. “I don’t want words to sever me from reality,” he asserts, and these poems—often hovering within the realm of the sonnet—combine a delight in the senses with the rueful, the elegiac, the harrowing. Many confront the human need for love, the highest function of our species. But whether writing about solitude or the desire for unsanctioned love, animals or flowers, the dissolution of his mother’s body or war, Cole maintains a style that is neither confessional nor abstract. And in Blackbird and Wolf, he is always opposing disappointment and difficult truths with innocence and wonder.

Some Like it Lethal: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery

Average customer rating:

Fun
Lethally Lovely!
Philadelphia society murder
A great romp- if a bit mindless
Nora Blackbird is back on the case...

Some Like it Lethal: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
Nancy Martin
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Crazy Little Thing Called Death: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery

ASIN: 045121174X
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Book Description

When the husband of a wealthy dog food heiress is found bludgeoned to death at an exclusive hunt club, Nora Blackbird is as surprised as anyone. Worse still, the evidence points toward a devious blackmail scheme-with Nora's sister, Emma, as the main suspect. Investigating with the help of friend and foe alike, Nora uncovers the secrets of some of Philadelphia's high-and-mightiest-and attracts the unwanted attentions of the real killer...

Customer Reviews:

Fun.......2007-06-11

Lethally Lovely!.......2007-03-22

The book was in perfect condition and I was happy to add it to my collection of the Blackbird Sisters Mystery. These are a must read for those of you who enjoy a lighthearted mystery.

Philadelphia society murder.......2006-11-07

Nora Blackbird and her two sisters Libby and Emma are from a blue-blood, Philadelphia, upper-crust family. Unforunately their parents squandered the family fortune and left Nora with a large, but crumbling home and lots of debt. To offset some of her bills, Nora writes society
articles for a local newspaper. While attending a fox hunt, Nora discovers that Rush Strawcutter was killed and her sister Emma was near him when he died. Emma becomes the #1 Suspect and Nora sets out to exonerate her sister. There are some amusing moments in the book, but basically the plot seems to be a murder investigation strung together with parties and other social events which Nora covers for her newspaper. This gets to be a little tedious after awhile and does not really justify 310 pages of reading. Also, Nora's dog Spike is not as funny as he needs to be in order to break the tedium of the rest of the book.

A great romp- if a bit mindless.......2005-09-13

I really enjoyed the first book in the series and found this one even better. A lot of fun, a good mystery, classic clothing, and some sex. Good escapist reading.

Nora Blackbird is back on the case..........2005-05-17

...In the best Blackbird sisters mystery yet! In `SOME LIKE IT LETHAL' Nora is forced to use her vast social connections and handy newspaper credentials to investigate a murder that hits close to home. When Rush Strawcutter, husband to the heir of the Strawcutter dog food fortune, is found murdered Nora's sister Emma is the prime suspect. Now Nora must figure out who the real killer is and how it is connected to a plot to blackmail many of Philadelphia's most prominent figures...including herself.

Not only does Nora have to fend off a smarmy blackmailer and try to figure out how to get her sister, who has fled the police with the aid of Michael Abruzzo (Nora's boyfriend), off the hook, but since sister Libby has decided to become a goddess after the birth of her fifth child she also has to watch over her five unruly children. If all of this weren't enough Nora is also worried about the money laundering charges that could be brought against Michael! Needless to say Nora experiences quite a few fainting spells in this third installment of the series. This series keeps getting better with each installment and I cannot wait to get my hands on the fourth `CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE TO DIE' where it seems Kitty will finally get her just deserts. 4 ½ stars for the third book in this amusing series!

Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

FUN
Dazzling!
A Must Read
Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds
Yawn.

Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)
Nancy Martin
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0451208862
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Customer Reviews:

FUN.......2007-06-11

Dazzling!.......2007-04-05

Thirty-one-year-old ex-debutante, Nora Blackbird, grew up a member of Pennsylvania Main Line high society, where she was a child of privilege. That is, until her parents took off after being charged with tax evasion, leaving her to clean up the mess. Now, Nora, after growing up a socialite, has had to slightly resign from her position, and only attends parties that she'll be reporting about for a daily newspaper called the Intelligencer. Of course, when your name is attached to the word press, you get invited to a lot of parties, which is how Nora finds herself as a guest at a party celebrating millionaire Oliver Cooper's nomination for Secretary of the Department of Transportation. Upon arrival, Nora makes note of a few very obvious things - Oliver's trophy wife, Doe, is absolutely clueless when it comes to interior decorating; and Nora's college sweetheart, who just happens to be Oliver's son, Flanders "Flan," is still obviously hung up on her, even though he's married to a Southern Belle named Laura. After catching Nora and Flan in the middle of a private talk, which she believes is nothing more than a lover's tryst, Laura - sporting a hairstyle and clothing that scream Nora - makes a scene. Of course, being preoccupied with her extremely pregnant sister, Libby's, upcoming birth; boarding her baby sister, Emma's, newest conquest - an out-of-control horse that needs a good dose of training, pronto; and attempting to run a new sod business on her property to rake in some extra cash, Nora thinks nothing more of it, until she learns that Laura is dead. Found drowned at the bottom of the Cooper pool, an ugly garden gnome tied to her ankles, Laura's untimely demise is blamed on an apparent suicide, but Nora suspects foul play. Determined to clear her ex-lover's name, she reverts back to her old detecting tricks to prevent Flan from being charged with murder, but instantly learns that things aren't quite that easy. Suddenly, Nora is bombarded with a barrage of people with the motive and the means to see Laura dead - from a bejeweled grande dame who oft-times resembles a well-dressed transvestite, to a cat lover who arms himself not only with lukewarm tea, but a glamorous handgun; and even touching upon a secret-keeping millionaire who's interested in one thing - furthering his political career. Nora can't believe that so many people would love to see Laura dead. She also can't believe that the lovely Laura was somewhat of a kleptomaniac with a penchant for overpriced jewelry, who stole from just about every prominent figure in Pennsylvania. Nora knows how protective people can be over their jewels, and isn't surprised to learn how many people want their baubles back - and what they would do to get their way. But as Nora teeters along on her stilettos, trying to finger the murderer, she comes to realize that in a world of privilege and riches, money can buy your way out of anything - even murder. And if she doesn't watch her Chanel-clad back, Nora may just find herself on the cover of the society page for once - under the headline MURDERED.

I read HOW TO MURDER A MILLIONAIRE back in 2002 when it was first released. However, by the time DEAD GIRLS DON'T WEAR DIAMONDS hit bookstore shelves, I found myself obsessed with chick lit, and didn't pick it up. It wasn't until now, during my most recent brush with cozies, and mysteries in general, that I decided to go back to Nancy Martin's lovable Blackbird sisters, and dip into the world of Pennsylvania's wealth and privilege. I wasn't disappointed. Within moments of starting DEAD GIRLS DON'T WEAR DIAMONDS, vivid memories of Nora Blackbird's upper-class yet down-to-earth personality hit me like a ton of bricks. From page one, Nora's signature wit is present, making her seem like an old friend to the reader. Her knowledge of society life, vintage clothes, and sparklies is wonderful; while her penchant for getting mixed up in murder is humorous - in a Bond Girl sort of way. The fact that Nora must contend with two bizarre siblings - one who jumps into relationships in the snap of a finger, and the other who produces children at the speed of light - even makes the reader feel slightly sympathetic to Nora's situation. While Nora is used to a life of privilege, it's refreshing to see that she does not mourn her money situation, or complain about her expensive clothes - or, rather, lack thereof - but instead throws herself into every situation with a bright smile, and a notebook in hand. Nancy Martin brings the world of privilege and popularity to life in every word within DEAD GIRLS DON'T WEAR DIAMONDS, while, at the same time, presenting characters by the droves who are offbeat, bizarre, and, to put it bluntly, completely out of their minds - which totally adds to the storyline, and keeps the reader occupied long into the night. Dazzling!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

A Must Read.......2007-03-22

This series of books are GREAT! Lighthearted, funny mysteries that you can't put down.

Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds .......2006-11-30

When Nora Blackbird runs into her college sweetheart, Flan Cooper at a celebration event for his father, they play catch-up and reminisce about the good times. But that good night quickly turns sour when in a jealous rage, Flan's wife Laura picks a fight with Nora thinking that the two are more than just friends.

Nora manages to calm Laura down and assure her that her relationship with Flan is completely innocent. Laura breaks down and confides to Nora about her misery and the unstable state of her marriage and the two leave with a somewhat respective understanding for the other woman's situation. But then the unexpected happens - Laura is found dead at the bottom of her family pool and the investigators are labeling it suicide.

Nora knows for sure that Laura did not kill herself and is now thrust into having to investigate this mystery to prove herself right. But Laura's jewel thief reputation only makes things harder as it brings on a countless number of the Philadelphia elite who have their own logical reasons for wanting her dead.

Time is running out and Nora needs get the ball rolling on this case - especially since her very public exchange with Laura is slowly bringing her name up to number one on the list of suspects.

Nancy Martin has put together another witty and entertaining mystery novel that will have readers wanting to know more about our bright and loveable heroine and what adventure - and romance awaits her next!

Yawn........2006-10-01

I found the heroine incredibly obtuse and difficult to care for in this book. The first book in the series was good enough to make me read this one. However, I am probably not going to go any further into the series.

I cannot understand any of the motivations -- perhaps because I am a peasant. I cannot fathom the family dynamic. I really, really don't give a rat's hindquarters about political scandal as a motive for murder, and the plot was thin as used Kleenex.

I gave it two stars because I love vintage couture, which is the only saving grace.

Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Fun
fun, witty mystery
not very good
Not Her Best
My 1st and I'm Hooked

Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)
Nancy Martin
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)
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A Crazy Little Thing Called Death: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery

ASIN: 045121532X

Book Description

At the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history, Nora's boss is found trussed up in pantyhose and shot execution style. To find the killer, Nora must shadow the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia-including a bad-boy designer and a pair of luscious twin models. Though they're used to "murder with style" (Pittsburgh Magazine), cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high society has never stooped so low.

Download Description

Here is the first hardcover in the national bestselling series that features the Philadelphia-born Blackbird sisters, a trio of hot-blooded bluebloods with a flair for fashion-and for solving crimes. Soon after the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history, Nora's boss is found trussed up in pantyhose and shot execution-style. To find the killer, Nora must shadow the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia-including a bad boy designer and a pair of luscious twin models. Though they're used to ""murder with style"" (Pittsburgh Magazine), cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high-society has never stooped so low.

Customer Reviews:

Fun.......2007-06-11

fun, witty mystery.......2007-05-01

Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die is the 4th full-length book and the 5th story (including the novella in the Drop Dead Blonde anthology) in the Blackbird Sisters Mystery series.

This episode marks a change in the series, as the murder socialite-turned-society reporter Nora Blackbird has to solve this time is the murder of her boss.

From a fashion show featuring the revolutionary Brinker Bra, which Nora's sister Libby can't remove, to sister Emma hooking up with a washed-up country music star in rehab, to Emma's boyfriend being the prime suspect in the murder, the laughs propel the mystery to its surprising conclusion.

The Good:
The witty banter. It brings to mind the screwball comedy movies and is just pure fun to read.
The characters. Despite the humor, the characters feel real, and are people you can care about.
The change in the series. Very often, mystery series, especially ones with amateur sleuths become stagnant. The murder of Nora's boss makes that less likely--or at least puts it off for a while.

The Bad:
The silliness. You do have to have a tolerance for occasionally over-the-top adult humor. Selling sex toys, a bra you can't remove... if you don't find those things funny, you'll enjoy the book less.

The Verdict:
I'm looking forward to the next book in this fun series.

not very good.......2007-03-26

I wasn't impressed with this book, my first foray into a "Blackbird Sisters" mystery. Characters, action, plot, all ho-hum. I thought the dog, Spike, was annoying and needed to be sent to obedience school.

Not Her Best.......2006-04-29

I like this series a lot, but I wasn't all that impressed with this installment.

The back and forth with Mick and Nora was pretty annoying, and I really didn't care for the ending. Also, I was really disappointed to see the departure of Spike, one of the more entertaining "characters" in the series. Unfortunately, while we lost Spike, we still have Libby. Her "Maybe I should make < > my target customer" got old after the second time, and it seemed that there was way too much time and emphasis put on her stupid new "career." The author would've been better off sending her to New Zealand and keeping Spike around.

I hope the next installment is better.

My 1st and I'm Hooked.......2006-03-21

This was my first read in the Blackbird Sisters series, and I'm hooked on the premise. Nora Blackbird finds herself in the spotlight when her boss, society columnist Kitty Keough, is found dead on Nora's back porch. When suspicion begins to turn toward Nora's boyfriend, Michael Abruzzo, son of a crime mobster, Nora's in a panic and trying to find the real killer. Meanwhile, sister Emma's escaped from rehab and taken up with a cowpoke. Other sister Libby has a new job selling marital aids.

This was a fun read, although I'm getting a little tired of all these protagonists who wear fashion-designer clothing, along with chick-lit books that drop names throughout. It all seems so cliche-ish. But the sexual tension between Nora and Michael works, Nora's two quirky sisters make this mix that much more interesting, and the mystery fairly good.

I'm going to backtrack now and read the first books in the series and look forward to what's next.

Average customer rating:

Vivid, uncomfortable
Intensely Emotional ...
Poor Baby!
Bad book club selection. No insiration
All of Jennifer Lauck's Books are Funny and Heart Wrenching

Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found
Jennifer Lauck
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Still Waters
Show Me the Way: A Memoir in Stories
Change Me into Zeus's Daughter: A Memoir
Fierce: A Memoir
Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood

ASIN: 0671042564

Amazon.com

Jennifer Lauck conveys the perceptions, thoughts, and emotions of a frightened child with utter conviction and vivid immediacy in her remarkable memoir of the six years during which both of her parents died. Lauck opens in 1969, when she is 5 and her 31-year-old mother is entering the final phase of a decade of severe health problems. Momma is beautiful and loving; we feel the tender intimacy between mother and daughter, even as we see that Jennifer has assumed a lot of adult responsibilities that make her fearful and obsessed with rules. Eight-year-old brother Bryan responds to Momma's illnesses with anger, and is often cruel to his sister. High-powered, workaholic Daddy does his best, but is not around a lot. (The adult author subtly depicts the kids' half-conscious understanding that Daddy is seeing other women.) As Momma's health worsens and the family moves to Southern California to be near a better hospital, Lauck captures in painful detail the atmosphere of physical decay that surrounds a mortally ill woman. Momma dies on Bryan's 10th birthday. In short order, Daddy has moved them all in with Deb, who obviously has been his girlfriend for a while, and events spiral down from there. Daddy dies of a heart attack before Jennifer turns 10; Deb keeps the stepchildren (whom she dislikes) so that she can get their social security allotment; Jennifer is sent out to work at a residence that is run by Deb's creepy Freedom Community Church. She is 11 by the time that her aunt and uncle rescue her--a moment that is nearly as exultant for readers as it is for the girl whose trials they have shared for nearly 400 pages. Her harrowing story might sound unrelievedly grim in the retelling, but Lauck's lack of self-pity and the delicacy of her prose transform it into an odyssey of endurance and transcendence. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

To young Jenny, the house on Mary Street was home -- the place where she was loved, a blue-sky world of Barbies, Bewitched, and the Beatles. Even her mother's pain from her mysterious illness could be patted away with powder and a kiss on the cheek. But when everything that Jenny had come to rely on begins to crumble, an odyssey of loss, loneliness, and a child's will to survive takes flight....

Customer Reviews:

Vivid, uncomfortable.......2007-08-11

I have to admit that when I first started this book, I had to put it down. I knew it would be sad, and I wasn't in the right mindset the first time around.

But when I picked it up a few months later, I easily became completely engrossed in Jennifer's story. I was afraid of reading about her losing her mother (which is the premise, I'm not giving anything away if you haven't read this yet) but what I found as the story unfolded is that being in the room with her sick mother might actually have been the only safe place for her.

My husband asked, "why do you read books like this? Where's the redemption?" I first I chalked his question up to the stereotypical differing interests between men and women...but in thinking about it I'm drawn to authors who write with a raw voice, who depict their experience completely, without fear of the uncomfortable or outright awful things they have been through. Lauck uses her childhood voice and remains true to it throughout. She digs deeper and deeper into the person she was, and dares to share her with us all. Congratulations to her, I can't imagine what the experience of writing this book has been for her.

Intensely Emotional ..........2007-06-29

I found this book at the Dollar Tree and just picked it up to read (I thought it would be similar to "A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel ~~ it's so different!). I read it in two days ~~ just finished it five minutes ago and while I need to take the kids to a doctor's appointment, I need a few minutes to compose myself. Why? It is one of the most intense and emotional memoirs I have ever read. Is this my favorite book? No. But it is one of the best written books I have read this year and one of the more enlightening ones. It shows the worst of human beings and the best of humans.

Jennifer Lauck, named Sunshine by her mother, grew up in a loving home even though her mother was chronically ill through most of her childhood. Her mother dies when she was six. Her father remarries to a horrid woman who has three children of her own. Then her father died when she was 10. This is when it got to be really emotional for me. Jenny was kicked out of her stepmom's home and sent to live in an communal living area with strangers. Barely 11, she had to fend for herself. Fortunately, it was better than living with her stepmom. However, when her stepmom decided that her church was "evil" ~~ Jenny had to move back in with her. But not for long as her mom's family found her and her brother.

This book will tug and pull at your heartstrings. It will make you question the whole of the human race. It will make you ponder the future and start thinking about who will take care of your children if something should ever happen to you. This book is written from a child's perspective ~~ very harrowing like one reviewer has mentioned and very confused ~~ you feel Jenny's confusion and fear as she just tries to survive. It makes you wonder why her family never came to claim her after her dad died ~~ probably figured that she was better off with her stepmom. (I don't know as I haven't read the sequel yet!) Anyways, Jenny's story will touch your heart and soul in places you would never think to look at. And it will make you count your blessings and your children's blessings in ways you don't normally think about. It will also make you more protective of your children ...

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would also recommend it to the book club as it is definitely a good discussion fodder for any book club. Would I consider this book to be a good reading? No. It is beautifully written but it is so sad. One cannot enjoy reading a book about misery ~~ one can only learn from this book and apply the lessons learned to her/his life. It is a book that should be read as a testimony to Jennifer's strength and strong will and her survival as only then can she trimpuh over the sadness in her life. It is a book about survival, enduring love and fighting to live. It is a book about the worst of life and the best of life and how life just happens ...

If you read this book ~~ you will not walk away from it unchanged. It will haunt you and remind you of life's fragility.

6-29-07

Poor Baby!.......2007-06-01

This is a memoir of someones life that you would want to wrap your arms around and say "There There it is going to be ok"
After closing the book you then realize this little girl was not completely aware of everything she was experiencing "Until" she became an adult and looked back. The resilency and resourcefulness of oppressed spirits is truly a mercy from the Creator.

Bad book club selection. No insiration .......2007-05-18

Kept hoping this book would evolve into some sort of "parable," where reader could learn something to apply to own life.

All of Jennifer Lauck's Books are Funny and Heart Wrenching.......2007-02-03

I love, love, love memoirs. I love stories that have to do with childhood, death and dying, etc. I love books that are funny, well written and take you away. Thus, Jennifer Lauck's 3 books are all on my best ever, favorite books list.

The White Blackbird: A Life of the Painter Margarett Sargent by Her Granddaughter

Average customer rating:

An amazing biography
Thoughtfully written
Excellent recreation of a misunderstood artist!

The White Blackbird: A Life of the Painter Margarett Sargent by Her Granddaughter
Honor Moore
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Darling: Poems
Memoir: Poems
Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.)

ASIN: 0140249206

Customer Reviews:

An amazing biography.......2001-06-21

I don't know why this book isn't better known, or why we haven't heard much more from Honor Moore, whose grandmother's life is fascinating, tragic and ultimately mysterious. Unlike so many contemporary biographies, this one isn't overly long or obsessed with detail at the expense of perspective. An exquisite piece of work from start to finish--one of the best biographies I have ever read.

Thoughtfully written.......1996-12-02

A very honest study of Honor Moore's grandmother Margarett Sargent. I was impressed by the amount of research that went into painting a portrait of a complex and intelligent woman and artist. A certain amount of sympathy is felt for Margarett, yet she was a proud independent woman whose strength inspires. For me, Margarett's life transcended the label of "wealthy society woman." She had great talent that she put to use. With all the advances in anti-depressives and the treatment of bi-polar illness one wonders if the mental illness that helped suck her into a vacuum of loss would have been able to do so in this decade. In the end, her loss became our loss. Honor Moore did a great thing by keeping her grandmother's memory alive so that we could revisit her colorful art and life. A great read

Excellent recreation of a misunderstood artist!.......1996-06-29

Honor Moore spent more than a decade researching the life of her grandmother, the painter Margarett Sargent, in an attempt to understand why she stopped painting in middle age. "It was too intense," was all her grandmother ever told the author, late in the ex-painter's long life. Ms. Moore attempts to show that the demands of Sargent's privileged Boston society lifestyle forced her to give up her art and contributed to her madness. A wonderful read, and a surprising insight into the creative process, especially in a woman. --Jack Sheed

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