Monday, August 13, 2012

Louisa and the Missing Heiress by Anna Maclean





Maclean, Anna. Louisa and the Missing Heiress. New York: Signet Books, 2004.

I'm always hesitant to try series featuring well-known authors such as Jane Austen or their characters involved in detection. In the case of this mystery featuring Louisa May Alcott, it turns out to be a well-founded hesitancy. Maclean's characters were somewhat two-dimensional and they mystery itself was not all that captivating. A friend of Louisa's returns from her honeymoon only to be found dead in the harbor a short time later. When the inquest reveals murder, the husband is the immediate suspect. While the author imitates Alcott's style of writing to some degree, it fails to measure up to Alcott's standard and required a stretch of the imagination to believe they would act in such a manner. I do not plan to continue with the series. 2.5 stars/5

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