Roberta Isleib Reviews (4)
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(2008) Asking for Murder
Annabelle Hart is in a coma following a beating police believe followed a botched robbery. The victim’s friend Rebecca Butterman, Ph.D., a 30-something clinical psychologist, thinks the crime was more personal. When Annabelle’s sister Victoria prevents Rebecca from visiting her hospitalized friend, Rebecca finds another way to help – by finding whoever put her friend in intensive care.
Rebecca and Annabelle, a social worker in private practice, have an agreement that allows Rebecca to see Annabelle’s clients and to handle personal business should she become incapacitated. What she learns about Annabelle’s personal and professional lives convinces Dr. Butterman the perpetrator may have known and set out to kill her friend. Then a killer strikes someone close to Annabelle, and Rebecca, ever the loyal friend, goes into high gear to figure out what’s going on and find the perpetrator before he or she kills again.
Meanwhile, Rebecca’s personal life is very much up in the air. She’s dating “good old Bob,” who’s pressing her to meet his parents. Plus she still remains friendly with her ex-husband Mark
Asking for Murder is the third in this very engaging series, one I’ve enjoyed from the start. Rececca is a great amateur sleuth, who is saved from being too saccharine by exhibiting both an “edge” and a self-deprecating sense of humor. It’s hard not to cheer her on. Robert Isleib knows how to balance the needs of readers who look for both a strong mystery element and a glimpse into the life of the main character.
By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library
(2007) Preaching to the Corpse
A late-night phone call from her pastor drags psychologist/advice columnist Rebecca Butterman out of her bed on a cold, winter night. Reverend Wesley Sandifer’s frantic call to Dr. Butterman relates to the death of Lacy Bailes, chair of a committee searching for a new associate pastor at Shoreline Congregational Church. Rev. Sandifer asks Rebecca to take the victim’s place as head of the search committee – although his request doesn’t seem like an emergency that would necessitate calling someone after
Rebecca had helped Detective Jack Meigs solve the murder of her neighbor several months earlier and is, quite frankly, eager to partner with him again. Although he’s interested in knowing more about the ins and outs of the committee the victim headed, Detective Meigs not so subtly warns Rebecca away from other aspects of the investigation. Accustomed in her professional life to asking questions and listening to the answers, Dr. Butterman can’t help herself.
The holiday season is in full swing and Rebecca’s clients are relying on her more than ever. In addition to that already full plate, Dr. Butterman is on deadline for a holiday-related column, agonizing over decorating her Christmas tree, in a spat with her sister Janice, going on a blind date AND coping with a nasty cold and a twisted ankle.
Although the title doesn’t hint at the fact that Preaching to the Corpse is a holiday mystery, it definitely is! Rebecca Butterman is not a character whose home would be decorated ala Martha Stewart for the holidays, nor would she be busily baking Santa cookies. But Dr. Butterman, through her patients and advice column, addresses the emotional cloud that hangs over the holidays for many people.
All those insights, however, are bonuses. I most appreciate the top-notch writing, meticulous plotting – and a heroine who is perfectly imperfect – teetering between her feminist leanings and the desire for a big lug to take care of her. I’m eager for the seed of a sub-plot about Dr. Butterman’s long-estranged father to blossom in coming books.
By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library
(2007) Deadly Advice
When Rebecca Buterman’s young neighbor Madeline dies, apparently by her own hand, the clinical psychologist chides herself for not recognizing any symptoms of depression. Then Madeline’s mother expresses doubts to Dr. Butterman that her daughter actually wrote the suicide note police found. The mother gives Rebecca access to her daughter’s condo hoping she’ll find something that can shed some light on the tragic death.
Dr. Butterman believes it is possible Madeline’s mother is simply in denial over her daughter’s death -- and that the police verdict of suicide is correct. But she has some niggling doubts, along with a sense of guilt. So she agrees to not only keep Madeline’s cat, Spencer, for awhile, she also agrees to do some sleuthing. Detective Jack Meigs of the
Rebecca discovers Madeline’s blog, with content that doesn’t appear to be that of a depressed person, and gathers hints that the young woman’s death might not have been what it appeared. She also learns Madeline had used the services of a speed-dating company. Coincidentally, Dr. Butterman is researching speed dating as part of her work writing an advice column for the online magazine, Bloom, under the pseudonym “Dr. Aster.” So, she decides to sign up for the service.
Dr. Rebecca Butterman is a delightful new sleuth, a character wonderfully fleshed out by the author, herself a clinical psychologist. Deadly Advice has great secondary characters, including Rebecca’s “Sunday friends” and the quirky residents of her condo neighborhood. Detective Meigs is a departure from the stupid, stubborn or too-hunky-to-be-believed cops that populate many mysteries featuring female amateur sleuths. Deadly Advice's ending not only wraps up all the loose ends, it offers backstories for both heroine and cop. My only disappointment – a tiny one -- was that those stories didn’t appear earlier.
By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library
(2004) Putt to Death
Cassie Burdette is a professional golfer who is taking some time away from the LPGA Tour to work on her game and get her head straight. She takes a job as a touring pro at the Stony Creek Country Club in
Attending her first board meeting brings home to Cassie just how backward the country club is. Two members put forth ideas that would drag the organization (kicking and screaming) into the 21st Century. Brad Latham wants Stony Creek to become part of the Audubon Certification Program; Elizabeth Weigel believes the board should change club rules that make women second-class members. It appears to Cassie that neither idea has a prayer with the very-backward board. Then Cassie discovers the body of Brad Latham on in the weeds near the 7th tee. And it appears one of Cassie’s golf clubs was the murder weapon.
In addition to doing some subtle sleuthing, Cassie is worried about her romantic relationship with Mike Callahan, a golfer on the men’s professional tour, and seeing a new psychiatrist to explore some of the mental issues surrounding her golf game – and possibly dealing with her father, who abandoned Cassie when she was a teenager. ("Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course - the distance between your ears” or so said the famous golfer Bobby Jones.)
Cassie is a great character, but not the soft and sweet protagonist that inhabits most cozies. Cassie is apt to fly off the handle (but try not to show it), use a vulgarism or two, and show eye-rolling contempt for almost everyone she meets. But you can’t help but admire her pluck and her ability to overcome the issues that face her. And some of the obnoxious characters in Putt to Death deserve contempt.
I was a bit concerned when I started reading Putt to Death that I’d be in over my head with some of the golf terminology. Not to worry, the author included a glossary of terms with the book, and was conscientious about explaining unfamiliar terms within the narrative. Robert Isleib puts her knowledge of psychology (her profession) and golf (her avocation) to create a winning character who has what it takes for a long-lived series.
First published in The Cozy Library, March 17, 2006.
