Helpful Score: 5
The first time i considered this book, was because of the title. I love butterflies, and of course the cover was attractive. I gave it a once-over and put it down, not quite sure that i wanted to read part of a "mystery series" with a slueth who was really a travel writer, not an actual detective. The second time i went to the bookstore, it caught my eye again, and, I decided to give it a try. I checked other reviews, one actually comparing the main character to Jessica Fletcher (Murder, she wrote). HAHAHA!! That was somewhat an accurate description....the main char. is an older woman embarking on a new career of travel writing...but don't be fooled..this book is fast moving, intriguing, with a suspenseful plot...i read it in under 2 days...I grew up loving Nancy Drew mysteries and i actually was reminded of this while reading this book! Again it was fast-paced and interesting with a great modern medical twist to it. I would recommend to young adults also, being that it takes place on a college-cruise ship. My only gripe is, this is book #1 and book #2 was scheduled for print in 2007, and i havent seen it anywhere....can't even google it...oh well, i wrote to the author's website, perhaps we'll see.....In the meantime, read this one!
Helpful Score: 2
I was disappointed in this book. It was very slow until about 2/3rds of the way through, and then just when I'd decided to put it aside, it did pick up until the end. There wasn't a lot of depth to most of the characters; ended up not caring alot about them.
Working for the San Francisco Town Crier magazine as a travel writer, widow Harriet McIver is sailing on the cruise ship Sun Spirit towards Costa Rica. Her boss asks Harriet to keep an eye on her niece, Carly Lowe, on the tour also as part of a student contingency from Sheperton College. When Carly fails to return to the vessel, no one except her roommate Zoe Shore and Harriet seem worried.
That night, passenger Harry Eason is found dead in a swimming pool with the deadly, if swallowed in large quantities, blue morpho butterfly nearby. Former SFPD Detective Adam Hartsfield is on board working a private investigation, but seems disinterested in the death though he tells Harriet that the victim was a sleuth who rescued youngsters from cults. As the vessel stops for time at a nearby health spa with a famous butterfly farm, Harriet knows something sinister has happened to Carly and plans to find and rescue the teen.
Though the suspense takes a while to get started, THE BUTTERFLY FARM is a terrific amateur sleuth thriller that once the accelerator is pressed takes off and never slows down until the final twist. Harriet is a noble protagonist, a West Coast Jessica Fletcher refusing to back down in spite of warnings especially from Adam and understanding how treacherous the situation is. The look at Costa Rica enhances a wonderful tale starring a heroine who not only keeps the plot focused, but deserves future travelogues for armchair mystery aficionados.
That night, passenger Harry Eason is found dead in a swimming pool with the deadly, if swallowed in large quantities, blue morpho butterfly nearby. Former SFPD Detective Adam Hartsfield is on board working a private investigation, but seems disinterested in the death though he tells Harriet that the victim was a sleuth who rescued youngsters from cults. As the vessel stops for time at a nearby health spa with a famous butterfly farm, Harriet knows something sinister has happened to Carly and plans to find and rescue the teen.
Though the suspense takes a while to get started, THE BUTTERFLY FARM is a terrific amateur sleuth thriller that once the accelerator is pressed takes off and never slows down until the final twist. Harriet is a noble protagonist, a West Coast Jessica Fletcher refusing to back down in spite of warnings especially from Adam and understanding how treacherous the situation is. The look at Costa Rica enhances a wonderful tale starring a heroine who not only keeps the plot focused, but deserves future travelogues for armchair mystery aficionados.
