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Coup de Grace (Sarah Deane Mysteries)
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Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Author: J. S. Borthwick
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price:
You Save: $ 6.50 ( 100% )
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Author: J. S. Borthwick
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Average Customer Rating:
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Coup de Grace (Sarah Deane Mysteries) Description
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312974497
ISBN: 0312974493
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2001-05-15
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312974497
ISBN: 0312974493
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2001-05-15
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Editorial Review of Coup de Grace (Sarah Deane Mysteries)
Freshly minted Ph.D. Sarah Deane is hired to teach English at Miss Merritt's, only to land in the epicenter of legendary French professor Grace (Mme Guillotine") Carpentier's reign of terror. Mme's peckish passion for excellence has inspired universal fear and loathing.
A student discovers Mme's hanging effigy. Then Sarah finds a bludgeoned body wearing Mme's trademark cape. But the victim is not Mme. Is it a case of mistaken identity? It's up to Sarah, raided by her husband Alex, to find the killer before he strikes again--while the prime suspects, three fractious students, and three furtive professors, follow her every move...
A student discovers Mme's hanging effigy. Then Sarah finds a bludgeoned body wearing Mme's trademark cape. But the victim is not Mme. Is it a case of mistaken identity? It's up to Sarah, raided by her husband Alex, to find the killer before he strikes again--while the prime suspects, three fractious students, and three furtive professors, follow her every move...
Customer Reviews of Coup de Grace (Sarah Deane Mysteries)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Murder in Massachusetts
Review: Sarah Deane is an ongoing character of author J.S. Borthwick. She is a strong young woman whose personality is developed more and more with each succeeding book. The mystery in this book is pretty good, and suspects and red herrings abound. However, in the end I felt somewhat cheated. Sarah, the main character, does not solve the mystery. In fact, none of the characters solves the mystery. The villain is finally caught in the act, and the last major clue, which would have allowed Sarah (and the reader) to solve the crimes, is not revealed until after the murderer has been arrested. I have been noticing this kind of thing recently with amateur sleuths, and I must say that it is a trend that I do not like. Still, this book is well written and a fun read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Murder in a girls boarding school
Review: Sarah Deane is at loose ends after completing her PhD. Bowdoin College doesn't have a place for her until the next semester, and Alex is incredibly busy at the hospital. Cousin Giddy's phone call seems like a godsend. At teacher at the exclusive boarding school at which she works is taking a maternity leave, and the school is in need of an English teacher immediately. Sarah accepts the position and is off to her childhood home of Carlisle, MA. The teachers are an odd bunch, but not sinister. Having been dragooned into going to a slide show given by the art history teacher, Sarah becomes one of the last people to see her alive.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Best yet
Review: I find that Borthwick improves with each addition. Amongst New England mysteries she stands alone. I am not sure what annejv is talking about but I suspect she is a french teacher with a lifetime of frustrated students.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: COUP DE GRACE is very good indeed
Review: When Sarah Deane is offered a temporary teaching job at Miss Merritt School in Carlisle, Massachusetts where she was raised, Sarah just can't say no. But once there, academics take a back seat when she witnesses a teacher being harassed by a foul-minded, foul-mouthed anonymous person set on revenge. There are two well-known teachers at Miss Merritt's, one is considered the cornerstone of her department, the other is said to be the pillar of hers. One of them will be found with her head pounded to a pulp. Sarah finds she isn't the only amateur sleuth in this one, and it seems everyone has his or her own scenario of who did it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: How she killed the French language
Review: I do not understand how an author can write about a French teacher who is a stickler for perfection and then not have an editor who has some modicum of French. Most of the French words and quotes have blatant errors. Do American readers not care? The story is too lightweight and the plot too contrived.
Review Summary: Murder in Massachusetts
Review: Sarah Deane is an ongoing character of author J.S. Borthwick. She is a strong young woman whose personality is developed more and more with each succeeding book. The mystery in this book is pretty good, and suspects and red herrings abound. However, in the end I felt somewhat cheated. Sarah, the main character, does not solve the mystery. In fact, none of the characters solves the mystery. The villain is finally caught in the act, and the last major clue, which would have allowed Sarah (and the reader) to solve the crimes, is not revealed until after the murderer has been arrested. I have been noticing this kind of thing recently with amateur sleuths, and I must say that it is a trend that I do not like. Still, this book is well written and a fun read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Murder in a girls boarding school
Review: Sarah Deane is at loose ends after completing her PhD. Bowdoin College doesn't have a place for her until the next semester, and Alex is incredibly busy at the hospital. Cousin Giddy's phone call seems like a godsend. At teacher at the exclusive boarding school at which she works is taking a maternity leave, and the school is in need of an English teacher immediately. Sarah accepts the position and is off to her childhood home of Carlisle, MA. The teachers are an odd bunch, but not sinister. Having been dragooned into going to a slide show given by the art history teacher, Sarah becomes one of the last people to see her alive.
There are many plot twists and turns in this novel and the mystery is pretty engrossing. Borthwick writes an excellent academic mystery.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Best yet
Review: I find that Borthwick improves with each addition. Amongst New England mysteries she stands alone. I am not sure what annejv is talking about but I suspect she is a french teacher with a lifetime of frustrated students.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: COUP DE GRACE is very good indeed
Review: When Sarah Deane is offered a temporary teaching job at Miss Merritt School in Carlisle, Massachusetts where she was raised, Sarah just can't say no. But once there, academics take a back seat when she witnesses a teacher being harassed by a foul-minded, foul-mouthed anonymous person set on revenge. There are two well-known teachers at Miss Merritt's, one is considered the cornerstone of her department, the other is said to be the pillar of hers. One of them will be found with her head pounded to a pulp. Sarah finds she isn't the only amateur sleuth in this one, and it seems everyone has his or her own scenario of who did it.
Ms. Borthwick has done a masterful job in creating her characters, especially Madam Carpentier also known as Madame the Knife. I think every high school has a lively group of seniors who resemble Hannah, Rosemary and Zoe. There are many characters involved, but with a glance at the Cast of Characters page offered at the front of the book, I had no problem remembering who was who. The plot is excellent, and half way through the mystery I found myself just as caught up in working out the scenarios as the characters. I don't know that I found it necessary for everyone to use strong expletives so often in the story; sometimes it seemed like over acting, but the mystery and how it was presented, the characters, the humor and the setting were all A+ as far as I'm concerned.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: How she killed the French language
Review: I do not understand how an author can write about a French teacher who is a stickler for perfection and then not have an editor who has some modicum of French. Most of the French words and quotes have blatant errors. Do American readers not care? The story is too lightweight and the plot too contrived.