Ask the Cards a Question

Sharon McCone #2

De: Marcia Muller

Narrado por: Laura Hicks

There's trouble in Sharon McCone's quiet San Francisco apartment building. Madame Anya, with her cards, her tamed crow, and her candles, had predicted evil for Molly Antonio. Linnea Carraway, drinking heavily and careening in the wake of a divorce, had argued with her. Now the sweet, elderly lady lies dead in her apartment. Linnea, last to see Molly alive, is the prime suspect, and if Sharon means to clear her best friend, she has to find the murderer fast. Sleuthing out the small-time secrets of her quirky neighbors leads Sharon in and around the neighborhood, and, much to her surprise, to a shocking string of big-time deals and blackmail. Suddenly, death is in the cards, threatening Sharon’s oldest friendship, her professional credibility—and her life.

Find out whodunit. Investigate another case with Sharon McCone.©1982 The Pronzini-Muller Family Trust. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGo

Finding a Lost Classic

I recently discovered Marcia Muller and I am so glad that Audible is releasing her earliest works. Marcia paved the way for Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Karen Kijewski,Linda Barnes and so many others by creating the first female private detective and having someone publish it. Sharon McCone is obviously the daughter Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald and Robert B Parker would have wished for. This early work (the second in the series after Edward of the Iron Shoes, also available on Audible) will take you back to San Francisco in the early 1980's and is tightly written with wonderful local flavor. This was my first experience with narrator Laura Hicks and she was just what Sharon would have wanted.

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

probably, if they read this type of book

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sharon, the rest were not very filled out

Which scene was your favorite?

not sure

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

female detective

Any additional comments?

fairly regular Marcia Muller, not quite as good as some of her books

Ask the question, you might not like the answer!

A good solid mystery set in San Francisco. Sharon, working for All Souls Legal Cooperative gets sucked into solving a murder in her own neighborhood. Things get complicated when an old friend comes to stay, an upstairs neighbor gets murdered and things seem to spiral out of control.

This early Sharon McCone book lacks nothing in character development, plot or sub-plot twists. As a stand alone mystery, this book is successful in making you feel like you knew the neighborhood and the characters.

If you, like me, are someone who has read the series in its entirety just don't let what you know from later books get you confused. Just stay with the story and the time line - it is well worth it.

Yikes!

What would have made Ask the Cards a Question better?

This was just the 2nd book in the series...not fully developed yet.

What character would you cut from Ask the Cards a Question?

The drunk friend!

Any additional comments?

I love the later books in the series.