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A Dismal Thing to Do (The Madoc and Janet Rhys Mysteries Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Charlotte MacLeod (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 291 ratings
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A Canadian snowstorm and an overturned truck lead to trouble: “MacLeod can be counted on for a witty, literate and charming mystery” (Publishers Weekly).
 Janet Rhys is driving through the backwoods of Canada when she sees the truck ahead of her lose control, smash into a snow bank, and flip sideways, completely blocking the road. Springing to action, she darts into a nearby barn, searching for something to use to rescue the person trapped inside. When she hears an explosion, Janet returns to find the truck is nothing but smoking wreckage, and the driver has stolen her car. Janet takes shelter in an abandoned house, and is waiting for help to come when the truck driver’s accomplices set fire to her hideout. Just before she is engulfed in flames, she leaps through a window and escapes into the snow. The killers think their witness is dead, and if Janet doesn’t move quickly, they will be right.
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  1. Book 3 of 5
    The Madoc and Janet Rhys Mysteries
  2. Print length
    198 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  6. Publication date
    October 2, 2012
  7. File size
    2487 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The epitome of the ‘cozy’ mystery.” —Mostly Murder “MacLeod can be counted on for a witty, literate and charming mystery.” —Publishers Weekly “Charm, wit, and Holmesian logic.” —AudioFile 

About the Author

Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005) was an internationally bestselling author of cozy mysteries. Born in Canada, she moved to Boston as a child, and lived in New England most of her life. After graduating from college, she made a career in advertising, writing copy for the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company before moving on to Boston firm N. H. Miller & Co., where she rose to the rank of vice president. In her spare time, MacLeod wrote short stories, and in 1964 published her first novel, a children’s book called Mystery of the White Knight.  In Rest You Merry (1978), MacLeod introduced Professor Peter Shandy, a horticulturist and amateur sleuth whose adventures she would chronicle for two decades. The Family Vault (1979) marked the first appearance of her other best-known characters: the husband and wife sleuthing team Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn, whom she followed until her last novel, The Balloon Man, in 1998. 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0099I92XK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (October 2, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2487 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 291 ratings

About the author

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Alisa Craig

Alisa Craig

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
291 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Busy Shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars lots of fun. The rural Canadian setting is very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is an older cozy mystery, lots of fun. The rural Canadian setting is very interesting. All of the books by Alisa Craig (Charlotte MacLeod) are enjoyable.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A Visit to Small Town Canada
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Charlotte MacLeod is one of my favorite detective story writers. This one is from a series previously unknown to me (previous, that is, to publication on kindle) but it has the same charming, light touch, that marks the other works. Lacks, perhaps, the deeper element which tends to underlie the Bittersohn books, due to the earlier life of the now happily married Sarah, but still are entertaining. This one is set in snowbound Canada (birthplace of the author) where the Mrs. of the central couple runs into major, unexpected difficulties in seeking out an isolated location which a friend has told her has just the thing for the place in which she and Royal Mounted Police husband are enjoying the first months of marriage. Before her eyes, in a minor road through heavy snow and cold, a truck turns over. During the interlude between that event and her rescue, she learns that had she been found she would have been murdered. By sheer coincidence, the author's doing, of course, her husband is assigned a very hush-hush case involving people who also have a relationship to that area. Frankly, the mystery is hardly mysterious, the remaining action, not at all vigorous, yet the appeal of the people involved as characters and the stylishness of the author's prose, engaged me throughout. To be fair, these factors will legitimately deter readers who engage in trying to unravel puzzling crimes, like the action to be vigorous or like a touch of the sexual encounter. There is little of that kind of stimulus to the book. For one for whom the attraction of an appealing cast coupled with oddly idiosyncratic types, can be engaging, I do recommend this title.
10 people found this helpful
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Saxfone
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Delightful
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019
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First time I have read this author, but it will not be the last. Beautifully scripted mystery with the most wonderful eccentric characters.
3 people found this helpful
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Kathleen Igo
5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful Charlotte MacLeod novel of wacky fun and chuckles galore
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
Anything by Charlotte MacLeod (or Alisa Craig) are worth your time and money. Try one and see!!! You won't be disappointed. Well written, well plotted - everyone!!! She has at least four series, and they are all exceptional!!! Treat yourself and see for your self!!!!!
2 people found this helpful
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Karen C.
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015
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A fun cozy mystery. Great for a rainy day and a cup of cocoa! Love Charlotte!
One person found this helpful
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Ele East
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy them while they are still available.
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
I am very happy to find a book by this author that I haven’t read. She is gone so there haven’t been any new books for quite awhile. Very enjoyable and humorous stories for great entertainment!
One person found this helpful
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warqueen
4.0 out of 5 stars Its cute
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
Further continuation of the series. Its cute and charming. The characters are like people you know and have known for a long time.
One person found this helpful
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Bookaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars Relax with well plotted mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
A cozy mystery fan, this was right up my alley. A bit more intense that some of her earlier work and I quite enjoyed it.
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