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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: 1st in Henrie O Mystery series Chase Prescott, media magnate, is nearly killed by a box of cyanide candy. Fearing for his life, he calls his former lover, retired reporter Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins. His request is simple: He'll assemble all the suspects if she will kindly point out the would-be murderer. On Chase's private island off the South Carolina coast, Henrie O meets the players in this deadly drama: Prescott's unstable young wife, his sullen stepson, and his toady of a secretary. The field of suspects is wide, and Henrie O has her work cut out for her. As she unearths a will and new evidence, a killer hurricane sweeps up from Cuba, threatening to maroon them. But in this luxurious vacation spot, the storm's fury is less dangerous than the murderous greed of one of Prescott's guests. "An older sleuth of forceful charm and infinite wisdom. A surefire winner!" (Library Journal).… (more)
User reviews
As a classic whodunnit Dead Man’s Island works well with its interesting pool of suspects and red herrings a-plenty. Chase Prescott is deliberately unlikable (surely likable people wouldn’t have nearly as many people ready to kill them) and the various employees and family members surrounding him all have credible reasons for wanting him dead. The ultimate solution was quite clever. The additional thrills added by the increasingly bad weather are terrific; either Hart has been directly in the path of a terrible hurricane or she is impressively creative. I really felt like I was clinging on for dear life as bits of house were being whipped away by torrential rain and wind.
I thought I would like the character of Henrie O more than I did. I’m all for books featuring intelligent female characters who are over 30 but Henrie O was a bit too full of herself for me. In some ways she reminded me of the impossibly brilliant Amelia Peabody who features in Elizabeth Peters’ Egyptian series except I didn’t detect the necessary sense of humour. Unfortunately I just found Henire O had an over-inflated sense of her own intellect and abilities and I can’t imagine wanting to spend much time in her company.
Hart is a good writer of traditional mysteries and I’m sure my dislike of Henrie O is not universal so the series is worth giving a try if you’re looking for a cosy series with plenty of atmosphere.
This is the debut of ex-reporter and amateur sleuth Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins, a/k/a Henrie O. An old flame – now a media mogul – asks Henrie O to come to his private island for a holiday, and to investigate a special project – one of the guests is trying to kill him. It would be an
I've read one of the later Henrie O works and I really like her. She behaves in a manner consistent with her age, using brains rather than brawn, and she never relies on a man to get her out of a bind. This first outing, however, had some problems. The pacing was a bit slow for me, and I was dissatisfied with the ending (though there was a significant surprise). Still, I'll read more of Henrie O., and probably try another of Hart's mystery series.
Also because I am older, I am drawn to older women sleuths.I hope to buy more of this entertaining series. It is the first of seven in this series and I have already added the second one to my wish list.
Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins has been a news reporter for five decades, she decided to retire and write crime fiction. Athletic and with an agile mind, she has covered a myriad of diasters and murders. Receiving a phone call from an old flame from about four decades ago, she reluctantly agrees to the plea for help from Chase Prescott, the head of a news empire. An attempt on his life has been made previously and he has drawn up a list of possible suspects. Henrietta will be joining the suspects in his mansion on his private island.
Besides the excellently crafted mystery, Henrietta entertained me with appropiately related trivia which prompted frequent lookups on the Internet. This is a thinking woman's mystery.