Shakespeare's Christmas

Lily Bard Mysteries: 3

ISBN: 0-312-19330-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com

A pleasant small-town mystery with a strong female hero, with an emphasis on reestablishing ties with family, neighbors and friends.

Reviewed by David on January 25, 1999

Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth, Suspense)

Synopsis: Lily Bard has learned to live by herself in Shakespeare, since the crime that scarred her physically and emotionally. However, she reluctantly comes back to her hometown of Bartley, Arkansas, for her sister Varena's wedding. Her participation in the wedding preparations is pleasantly interrupted when her friend, the attractive private investigator Jack, visits the small town. The pleasure of Jack's company is soon overshadowed when a series of grisly murders strikes the tiny town of Bartley. Is it possible that Jack's new case, that of the 8-year-old disappearance of a child, is related to the chilling crimes?

Full Review:

Charlaine Harris reading at Torcon 2003

Harris, the author of the Alice Teagarden mysteries, introduced Lily Bard, the young woman who came to the Arkansas town of Shakespeare to forget her painful past in Shakespeare's Landlord.

Years ago, she left her family and moved to another town to escape the choking pity from her parents and friends. After years of living alone, Lily has gained enough self-confidence to return to Bartley, her family and former schoolmates with only mild twinges of discomfort.

While dealing with the small but significant pleasures and irritations of a wedding, and reunion with her family, Lily is distracted by the case pursued by her boyfriend Jack. After years of no progress on the kidnapping case, some evidence pointing to Lily's hometown has turned up. Imagining a nightmare worse than her own tragedy, that of a mother ignorant of her child's fate, Lily's assistance becomes more crucial as a series of brutal murders seem connected to the old case.

This novel is significantly more up-beat than its predecessor, Shakespeare's Champion. The crimes are a bit more remote, and Lily is more in control. Instead of being a victim, Lily Bard demonstrates her strength by being a defender of those in need of protection from the petty and great predators of crime. Both her physical fights and her affection with Jack and her family show greater security and peace.

The well-drawn and mostly sympathetic characters, and a suspenseful but not overly complicated detective plot, make this a very enjoyable small-town mystery.

Overall: 6.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 6.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;

ISBN: 0-312-19330-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com