Book Review: High Rhymes and Misdemeanors

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

High Rhymes and Misdemeanors     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Diana Killian
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Poetic Death Mystery # 1
Pocket, Oct 2003, $5.99, 258 pp.

She’s a very straight-laced English literature teacher at St Anne’s Academy for Girls on vacation in England’s Lake District studying the Romantic Poets. When she stumbles across a man lying faced down in a stream, she resuscitates him and as a thank you he buys her a drink before disappearing. The next morning she obtains his address and starts driveing to his home when two men wearing masks stop her and take to a deserted house.

Grace Hollister escapes and makes her way to Peter Fox’s home but he isn’t there. She finds a dead body in a hidden passageway and confronts Peter with that when he comes home. He denies having killed anyone, but admits knowing he was a petty thief. She tells him about the two men who kidnapped her and explains that they were holding her hostage in exchange for Peter handing over the "geegaws". They figure out at least two sets of criminals want what the thief was trying to sell to Peter but neither knows what it is. Unfortunately, nobody believes them.

HIGH RHYMES AND MISDEMEANORS is a cross between James Bond and Romancing the Stone only the hero is an ex jewel thief who cannot convince people he has gone straight. There is action, action, and more action in this light-hearted tongue-in-cheek thriller. Diana Killian is an excellent storyteller with a fine sense of timing who has created an adorable heroine who detours from her nineteenth century heroes to take a walk on the wild side against Mutt and Jeff and finding she likes it.

Harriet Klausner

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