Pushing Murder: A Henry Holt Mystery - Hardcover

Boylan, Eleanor

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805019707 ISBN 13: 9780805019704

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1993

Synopsis

Clara Gamadge's latest adventure finds the white-haired sleuth in the hospital, at Christmas of all times, a victim of a bad hors d'oeuvre consumed at the opening of a friend's new mystery book shop, Pushing Murder, in Greenwich Village. A poisoning attempt at the hospital, however, convinces Clara and her family that the mishap at the party was no accident, but attempted murder! Who could possibly want to kill Clara, and why? She hasn't been involved in any cases for quite some time, so the murder attempts must mean she's been drawn into a new case without her knowledge. She suspects that someone will need her services in the near future.
Sure enough, an old friend suddenly appears on the scene seeking Clara's help, and a web of ancient deceptions and greed ensnares both women, involving them in a deadly game of extortion and murder.
As Clara's family, including her charming yet irascible cousin Sadd, rallies to protect both women, Clara directs the investigation from her hospital bed. To her sorrow, however, she finds that the spirit of Christmas is proof against only the chill and is not strong enough to protect them all from the malice of one ambitious man.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

enic Goes A Long Way.

In fact, a single arsenic-sprinkled hors d'oeuvre, eaten at her friend Sal's bookstore opening, almost sends Clara Gamadge to her grave a week before Christmas. Luckily she makes it to the hospital instead, thoroughly baffled by the attempt to kill her.

The troops rally 'round her bed -- son Henry, daughter Paula, faithful cousin Sadd -- but are hardly a match for the recklessly bold villain they know is the poisoner...and who almost certainly will strike again.

In this deadly game of cat and mouse, Santa himself seems to have abandoned the good guys, until Clara's tough sleuthing draws reinforcements from a most surprising source.

From the Back Cover:

"A Fast, Snappy Mystery...Characters sparkle with life."

-- Mostly Murder

"A Diverting and Amusing Entertainment...If you like your crime cozy, you'll love Clara Gamadge, mystery fiction's favorite grandmother."

-- Jackson Clarion-Ledger

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0805019707
• ISBN 13: 9780805019704
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 149