cmaw63's Full Review: Catherine O'Connell - Well Read and Dead: A High S...
When I received this book, in exchange for my honest opinion of it, I was not eager to get started. I have never been, or known anyone, that would be considered high society. I don't/can't relate to their world, how could I possibly get involved with the characters and plot of this book?
Enter Pauline Pauline Cook has money...lots of money. But returning from a Greek vacation she finds a set of problems she was unprepared for. A disastrous Enron portfolio has left her with millions less than she thought she had. She finds herself attracted to a lowly carpenter doing work on her apartment and not attracted to the millionaire who wants her. Her best friend, Whitney, is missing and seems to have taken Pauline's cat with her.
When Whitney's husband offers her ten million dollars to find the missing woman Pauline sees a chance to remove herself from the carpenter's presence, remake her fortune, find her cat and see what her friend is really doing. It is a stumbling, fumbling investigation that takes her from the cream of Chicago society events to the back rooms of opium dens in Thailand.
Surprisingly... I was not only interested in Pauline, I was turning pages fast to see what was going to happen to her next. Catherine O'Connell, the author, made a character that was likable, annoying, fun, frustrating and amusing. The secondary characters had pivotal roles that allowed the story to twist and turn without them overshadowing Pauline. The author did well at keeping people moving in and out of the story without a confusing jumble of who's who going on.
Well Read and Dead: A High Society Mystery kept me interested in the storyline by using different locations, social classes and subtle clues to help solve the mystery. The plot, while a bit unbelievable, had the right mixture of drama and humor. O'Connell created a book that let me forget that a wealthy woman would, most likely, not be trying to solve this mystery on her own. And, get unlikely help from a contractor hired to redo her apartment. This book was going to receive a solid 4 star rating.
Was... The last chapter of this book washed away any feelings of sympathy I had for Pauline. And, there are events included in Well Read and Dead that made me want to weep for her. This chapter was a fumbling attempt to wrap the story up quickly and neatly (it didn't) and set up the scenario for the next book (it did). It left me closing the book wondering if the Pauline of the story or the Pauline of the last few sentences of the final chapter was the real one. The plot of the book had Pauline growing emotionally and mentally. The ending had her reverted to her former money obsessed self. I know a few sentences shouldn't reflect on the whole story. But, when those words form my final thoughts of a book, they can, and will, have an effect on how I rate it.
I'll give this book a 3-star rating and if I happen to run across another Catherine O'Connell book I will buy it. My only hope will be that she will let the book stand alone or spend a bit more time setting up the next story.
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