Monday, December 7, 2009

Crime Fiction Alphabet: The Curse of the Holy Pail by Sue Ann Jaffarian

By the age of forty-seven, I had technically broken nine of the then commandments. Although, I'm still fuzzy about the whole graven image thing.

Title: The Curse of the Holy Pail
Author: Sue Ann Jaffarian
ISBN: 9780738708645
Publisher: Midnight Ink/2007
Pages: 343

The book is set in New Power Beach, California. Odelia Grey, a paralegal and a plus size woman, gets involved in a murder when one the clients of her firm, is murdered. Sterling Price is a millionaire who collects lunch boxes. He is murdered and a lunch box goes missing. Now who would want a lunch box? But the said lunch box, known as the Holy Pail is worth a fortune.

There really are people who can go to any extreme to get hold of the holy pail. It has a curse that whoever owned it has died. Odelia takes it upon herself to solve the murder. She makes it a point to talk to everyone who has come into the periphery of Price.

With queer set of people thrown in, it is a fun filled mystery. It does keep us laughing but I found it repetitive at places. I wouldn't call it a nail biting one as I could guess the murderer somewhere in the middle. Maybe going around in circles about the purpose, cause and people did that to me. Humour is there but mystery fizzles out.

Odelia grey is a lovable character and one of the hudlums here too is likeable. Then there is a romantic angel between Odelia Grey and Greg, 10 years her junior. I found their relationship very sweet. It does have its redeemable points.

5 comments:

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

The Curse of the Holy Pail, sounds like a sweet, fun read. Great review.

Anonymous said...

Gautami - Thanks for this review. It's fun to read a murder mystery that also has a good sense of humor. It sounds as though this one's got a solid dose of humor : ).

Veens said...

Sounds like a fun read :)
But I think when it is a mystery i should not be able to guess in the middle... i feel sad then... and then i feel there is no point in finishing this one :)

Kerrie said...

Thanks for this entry in the Crime Fiction Alphabet Gautami. Hope you are enjoying taking part.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fun, light mystery.