Murder on Monday by Ann Purser (Spoilers)
-
readingwithpatches
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 16:55
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Murder on Monday by Ann Purser (Spoilers)
I expected Ann Purser's Murder on Monday to be remarkably similar to M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death. Both are set in English villages, are written in the British "cozy mystery" style, and are the first books within their respective series. Novelist (a library service that finds similar books) and Amazon list Ann Purser's mysteries as similar in style to Beaton. This is where the similarities end.
The "cozy" aspect is certainly on display in Murder on Monday. What is absent, unfortunately, is a believable mystery plot. Lois Meade works as a house cleaner in the village of Long Farnden, and we witness the murder of Gloria Hathaway, an unmarried Long Farnden resident, through Lois. Lois's job as village cleaner makes her a privileged asset to the police department, who use Lois to garner much-needed information about the local inhabitants. In between cleaning houses and taking care of her family, Lois deals with a number of dilemmas. Her fourteen-year-old daughter falls madly in love with an older boy, and comes down with a serious case of pneumonia. The same daughter is "kidnapped" by the above boy. Lois celebrates Christmas, and deals with her cranky husband who nurtures traditional views of marriage. When Mr. Meade learns that his wife wants to volunteer to work as a special police constable, he is opposed to the idea. However, he acquiesces to his wife's desire when her mother agrees with the plan. (Mrs. Meade isn’t awarded this job, however.) In his mind, women should be home with their children, and in charge of cleaning and cooking. It is the man that should earn the bread for the family. Mr. Meade does support Lois, however, the support he is capable of providing is mediocre. He doesn't understand her desire to go back to school. Lois, for her part, plays into her husband's hands, allowing him to exert control over her life.
While I enjoyed reading Murder on Monday, the novel seemed to drag on, and the mystery was not as central to the overall plot. This wasn't a problem with the Quiche of Death, where pacing moved forward at a broad clip. The additional characters that the reviewers lambasted Beaton for including only added to the coziness of the plot and to the allure of the overall mystery. While it is true that a lot of additional circumstances are at play in Beaton's work (i.e., Agatha Raisin retires as a PR agent and trades her London condo for a Carsley cottage), at no time did I feel that the murder was of secondary importance. I admired Ms. Raisin's tenacity to uncover the murder, and especially enjoyed the carefully-woven detail about the town of Carsley and its residents. Overall Murder on Monday mystery fell flat to me. The characters are poorly developed. Though I may decide to sample the second book in the series, in all honesty I wasn’t disappointed when the novel ended.
This is a time when the difference between the professional and non-professional reviewers could not be more blatant.
Professional reviews were not as enthusiastic for the Quiche of Death, as they were for Murder on Monday. Publishers Weekly (PW), Library Journal (LJ), Booklist, and Kirkus uniformly laud Purser's novel. According to PW, Murder on Monday's "strong plot and believable characters, especially the honest, down-to-earth Lois, are certain to appeal to a wide range of readers." LW gives Purser's prose two thumbs up, writing that "fans of British "cozies" will enjoy this delightful mystery with its quaint setting and fascinating players." Kirkus includes Murder on Monday as a starred book, while Booklist enthusiastically writes that the novel is "fresh, engaging and authentically British".
Booklist is the only reviewing body for the Quiche of Death, and the review is not overly positive. The reviewer notes that fans of the genre will appreciate the book, but criticizes Beaton for including too much ephemera. According to Booklist, "Beaton spices up the story with so many delightful characters that whodunit hardly matters."
Now, if we take a step away from professional reviews, how have ordinary readers reviewed these books? The Quiche of Death comes out on top, with 4.5 stars out of 57 reviews, whereas Murder on Monday receives a mere 3.5 stars from 26 customer reviews. It would be telling to ascertain which book readers prefer. As a reader of both books, I agree with the non-professional reviewers, opting for The Quiche of Death.
The "cozy" aspect is certainly on display in Murder on Monday. What is absent, unfortunately, is a believable mystery plot. Lois Meade works as a house cleaner in the village of Long Farnden, and we witness the murder of Gloria Hathaway, an unmarried Long Farnden resident, through Lois. Lois's job as village cleaner makes her a privileged asset to the police department, who use Lois to garner much-needed information about the local inhabitants. In between cleaning houses and taking care of her family, Lois deals with a number of dilemmas. Her fourteen-year-old daughter falls madly in love with an older boy, and comes down with a serious case of pneumonia. The same daughter is "kidnapped" by the above boy. Lois celebrates Christmas, and deals with her cranky husband who nurtures traditional views of marriage. When Mr. Meade learns that his wife wants to volunteer to work as a special police constable, he is opposed to the idea. However, he acquiesces to his wife's desire when her mother agrees with the plan. (Mrs. Meade isn’t awarded this job, however.) In his mind, women should be home with their children, and in charge of cleaning and cooking. It is the man that should earn the bread for the family. Mr. Meade does support Lois, however, the support he is capable of providing is mediocre. He doesn't understand her desire to go back to school. Lois, for her part, plays into her husband's hands, allowing him to exert control over her life.
While I enjoyed reading Murder on Monday, the novel seemed to drag on, and the mystery was not as central to the overall plot. This wasn't a problem with the Quiche of Death, where pacing moved forward at a broad clip. The additional characters that the reviewers lambasted Beaton for including only added to the coziness of the plot and to the allure of the overall mystery. While it is true that a lot of additional circumstances are at play in Beaton's work (i.e., Agatha Raisin retires as a PR agent and trades her London condo for a Carsley cottage), at no time did I feel that the murder was of secondary importance. I admired Ms. Raisin's tenacity to uncover the murder, and especially enjoyed the carefully-woven detail about the town of Carsley and its residents. Overall Murder on Monday mystery fell flat to me. The characters are poorly developed. Though I may decide to sample the second book in the series, in all honesty I wasn’t disappointed when the novel ended.
This is a time when the difference between the professional and non-professional reviewers could not be more blatant.
Professional reviews were not as enthusiastic for the Quiche of Death, as they were for Murder on Monday. Publishers Weekly (PW), Library Journal (LJ), Booklist, and Kirkus uniformly laud Purser's novel. According to PW, Murder on Monday's "strong plot and believable characters, especially the honest, down-to-earth Lois, are certain to appeal to a wide range of readers." LW gives Purser's prose two thumbs up, writing that "fans of British "cozies" will enjoy this delightful mystery with its quaint setting and fascinating players." Kirkus includes Murder on Monday as a starred book, while Booklist enthusiastically writes that the novel is "fresh, engaging and authentically British".
Booklist is the only reviewing body for the Quiche of Death, and the review is not overly positive. The reviewer notes that fans of the genre will appreciate the book, but criticizes Beaton for including too much ephemera. According to Booklist, "Beaton spices up the story with so many delightful characters that whodunit hardly matters."
Now, if we take a step away from professional reviews, how have ordinary readers reviewed these books? The Quiche of Death comes out on top, with 4.5 stars out of 57 reviews, whereas Murder on Monday receives a mere 3.5 stars from 26 customer reviews. It would be telling to ascertain which book readers prefer. As a reader of both books, I agree with the non-professional reviewers, opting for The Quiche of Death.
