Murder as a Second Language, Joan Hess
Murder as a Second Language, Joan Hess
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Murder as a Second Language

Author: Joan Hess

Narrator: Meredith Mitchell

Unabridged: 9 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/17/2013


Synopsis

Claire Malloy, now a married woman of leisure, tries her hand at volunteering but instead lands right in the middle of another murder investigation. Longtime bookseller and single mother Claire Malloy has recently married her long-term beau and moved out of her less than opulent apartment into a sprawling, newly remodeled house. Her daughter, Caron, is making plans for college. All of this leaves Claire with something she hasnt had in quite a while: spare time. When her attempts to learn French cooking start getting mixed reviews, she agrees to help Caron and her best friend Inez fluff up their college applications by volunteering as an ESL tutor with the Farberville Literacy Council. But her modest effort to give back quickly becomes a nightmare when shes railroaded onto the board of directors of the troubled nonprofit. Vandalism, accusations of embezzlement, epic budget problems, and a cacophony of heavily accented English speakers are just the tip of the iceberg. Just as she decides that it might be best to extricate herself, Claire gets a frantic call from her husband, Deputy Chief Peter Rosen. One of the students, an older Russian woman named Ludmilla, famed for her unpleasantness, has been murdered in the offices of the Farberville Literary Council. For the first time ever, Peter actually asks Claire for her help.

About Joan Hess

Joan Hess (1949-2017) was an award-winning author of several long-running mystery series. Born in Arkansas, she was teaching preschool when she began writing fiction. Known for her lighthearted, witty novels, she created the Claire Malloy Mysteries and the Arly Hanks Mysteries, both set in Arkansas.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Barbara on October 15, 2023

In this 19th book in the 'Claire Malloy' series, the bookstore owner/amateur sleuth investigates the death of an ESL student. The book can be read as a standalone, but knowing the characters is advantageous. ***** Claire Molloy, who was single for many years, recently married Deputy Chief Peter Rosen......more

Goodreads review by Karen on January 04, 2014

Too much stock-in-trade for my taste. I finished it but the protagonist was unappealing. She has a fine life and is not much engaged in it. If a real character owned a bookstore, had a teenage daughter and a loving second husband, I think she would spend less time feeling useless.......more

Goodreads review by Deborah on August 29, 2018

I have enjoyed all the Claire Malloy books I've read (which is most of them, except for 2 I couldn't get from the library), and it isn't even necessarily because of the murder or whatever mystery Claire is snooping around trying to solve. I seldom figure it out so it's usually a surprise at the end......more

Goodreads review by Karen on January 02, 2014

Wasn't sure I was liking this one at first. Claire Malloy is feeling somewhat adrift and without purpose since her sweet new husband has moved her into the house of her dreams and hired a clerk to run her small bookstore. Her sense of boredom pervades the first third of the book until, surprise, a m......more

Goodreads review by Laura on December 30, 2013

It was revisting a old friend but she is not as interesting to me and story/plot line wavered towards the end !!!......more