From Publishers Weekly
A traditional American Thanksgiving dinner unexpectedly leads Dorothy Martin, now nearly 70 and settled in the medieval town of Sherebury with her retired police constable husband, Alan Nesbit, into a murder case as chilling as the British weather. This is Agatha-winner Dams's seventh mystery to feature the gutsy and intuitive amateur sleuth (after 2001's To Perish in Penzance). On Thanksgiving day, Dorothy takes nine-year-old Miriam Doyle into her home and heart after the girl's mother, a teacher, is accused of stabbing the girl's father to death. Encouraged by the police and advised by Alan, Dorothy investigates the murder. The local cathedral, quirky characters, erratic trains and lots of tea all figure in this traditional British cozy with a unique twist-an American Miss Marple as heroine.and other mysteries in her Hilda Johannson series.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
"When people see a gray-haired woman in a silly hat, they tend to dismiss her as a harmless crank," says sixtyish Dorothy Martin, an American who has lived for years in the ancient British hamlet of Sherebury, most recently with her retired detective husband. A day spent as a substitute teacher's aide leads her to Amanda, the teacher: closed, terrified, and soon accused of the murder of her monstrously repressive husband. Dorothy cannot keep out of it, especially when she meets the couple' s intense nine-year-old daughter. An estranged father who is a major public figure; a religious sect leached of all kindness; and a lot of bad accounting keep Dorothy on track, even as she tries to produce an American Thanksgiving in England and not tread too heavily on the toes of the investigating officers, erstwhile colleagues of her spouse. Dorothy may feel--and act--her age, but she is energetic and forthright, and an attractive and interesting companion even when the threads of the mystery unravel a bit. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Sins Out of School FROM THE PUBLISHER
"She thought the lack of cranberry sauce was going to be her biggest problem, but a missing schoolteacher, a murdered man, a troubled child, and a call for help were difficulties Dorothy Martin most definitely hadn't foreseen." "She had wanted to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for her husband, Alan, and some of her friends, a taste of home for a holiday she missed. Then the call came from the school, asking Dorothy to fill in for a few hours because Amanda Doyle hadn't shown up and there was a flu epidemic and no one was available. Three days later, on Thanksgiving, the second call came: John Doyle was dead - murdered - and Amanda was the suspect. Would Dorothy mind caring for their daughter, Miriam, for the day? Please?" "Dorothy had already sensed that something was not right in the Doyle household: John was clearly abusive, emotionally if not physically, and the church the family belonged to held some very strange ideas about sin and punishment. Now Amanda and Miriam needed her; neither of them could he responsible for the murder, no matter how it looked to the police." With Alan's help and more than a few surprises, Dorothy unravels a nasty knot of family secrets and gives Amanda and Miriam something for which to be truly thankful.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A traditional American Thanksgiving dinner unexpectedly leads Dorothy Martin, now nearly 70 and settled in the medieval town of Sherebury with her retired police constable husband, Alan Nesbit, into a murder case as chilling as the British weather. This is Agatha-winner Dams's seventh mystery to feature the gutsy and intuitive amateur sleuth (after 2001's To Perish in Penzance). On Thanksgiving day, Dorothy takes nine-year-old Miriam Doyle into her home and heart after the girl's mother, a teacher, is accused of stabbing the girl's father to death. Encouraged by the police and advised by Alan, Dorothy investigates the murder. The local cathedral, quirky characters, erratic trains and lots of tea all figure in this traditional British cozy with a unique twist-an American Miss Marple as heroine. Agent, the Reece Halsey Agency North. (Jan. 30) FYI: Dams is also the author of Green Grow the Victims (Forecasts, Apr. 16, 2001) and other mysteries in her Hilda Johannson series. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
When St. Stephen's schoolteacher Amanda Doyle insists on taking a day off for personal reasons right in the middle of flu season, expatriate American widow Dorothy Martin, a retired schoolmarm now living in the cozy English village of Sherebury with her second husband Alan, is pressed into service. Amanda's return lasts all of one day before the police detain her for questioning. Did she stab her husband to death on her day off, then tidy up the crime scene before notifying the authorities? And did she slip a lethal dose of digitalis into his tea as well? Or is she covering up a crime committed by her nine-year-old daughter Miriam, who loathed her martinet dad, a sanctimonious pillar of the Chapel of the One True God congregation? Donning her detecting hat (velvet with a plump red rose), Dorothy ponders Amanda's Tory politician father, whom she hasn't spoken to in years; her prickly TV scriptwriting sister; and her quickie marriage to cover up her pregnancy. She even ventures among the One True God congregation for clues, from irregularities in church finances to Doyle's whereabouts just before his death. Still around the bend are several train trips to London, where a Botticelli-beautiful solicitor works, a comparison of handwriting on a parliamentary pass and a lover's note, and a serious auto accident sending Amanda, her sister, and her daughter to the hospital. Fans of the English cozy will put the kettle on, snuggle under a lap rug, and sigh contentedly while Dorothy (To Perish in Penzance, 2001, etc.) chats up village eccentrics, meddles her way from pub to church manse, and resolves matters with Miss Marple flair. Mystery Guild ultimate selection
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