Book Review: The April Fools' Day Murder

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The April Fools' Day Murder     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Lee Harris
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Religious Fiction   Holiday
Series: Chris Bennett # 13
Fawcett, Mar 2001, $6.50, 272 pp.

Christine Bennett meets Willard Platt when her three-year-old son Eddie hits him with a shopping cart. Christine learns that Willard has filed many pesky lawsuits. Christine relates the incident to her spouse, New York City Detective Sergeant Jack Brooks, who also says that Willard is a disagreeable individual.

On April Fool's Day, a driving Christine sees a man lying on the ground. She finds Willard dead with a knife in his back, but that proves false because he is working with the high school drama club. However, later that same day someone kills Willard. That night, a driving Christine sees a woman walking on a lonely street. It turns out to be Willard's widow trekking a mile and a half to her son's house. Perhaps it is a vestige of her fifteen years in a monastery, many as a nun, but the Good Samaritan Christine takes the woman to her son's home. There, Christine witnesses the ultimate dysfunctional family, which raises Christine's curiosity and her concern for Willard's wife. She begins to investigate what happened to Willard.

Lee Harris' holiday murders are always a time to celebrate because they are typically among the year's best cozies. The latest tale, THE APRIL FOOLS' MURDER, is the usual well-written suburban mystery that hooks readers from start to finish as a seemingly innocent lamb of a plot turns into a roaring story line cozy-style. In her thirteenth appearance, Christine retains her freshness due to her caring nature and curiosity. Fans of the series will relish the newest entry while newcomers will know that the kudos bestowed on the Bennett novels are not April Fool's Day jokes.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner