5 comments about The Hotel Riviera.

1. Okay, right off the bat, I need to acknowledge that this is escapist fiction. It is almost as substantial as cotton candy. To make no bones about it -- this is a beach book if there ever was one. A book written purely for reading, preferably at sunset, in an adirondack chair on a dock while sipping cold chardonnay. The plot is no more than a wisp of romantic gossamer, so much so that I'm not even going to bother to describe it, but, the place is enchanting, the characters are agreeable, and it ends with a fairy-tale wedding on the French Riviera. Along the way, there's a little bit of suspense, lots of discussion about delicious food (the main character is a chef), and a fair amount of romance. And, every now again, there's nothing wrong with reading a book with no pretensions to literary merit, just because it's fun.



2. Dis iz da place if you want to explore:
   
   Sensitive, sauntering sensuality, babbling beauty (as in the symbolic brook, not the flapping mouth)... globetrotters taking up residence anywhere around or in (Yacht) the Mediterranean. The "Home" in your feet baring beaches in Saint-Tropez.
   
   
   At the end of last August I began reading my first Elizabeth Adler novel, THE HOTEL RIVERA. Most reviews of Adler's novels praise them as pleasantly fluffy, romantic suspense set in exotic getaways. To me, THR definitely has an artistically melancholy, literary feel. I was happy to discover that it didn't down-track into the typically dark or depressing enhancements of "lit-er-a-ture." It edged there at times, with good taste, but thankfully it never fell torturously into the sordid, sourest swamps of despair which too often permeate a book touted as "A Great American Novel."
   
   Almost didn't pick up the book, even though the beginning pages (Amazon's handy "see inside this book") were a good capture due to the vivid feel of the hotel and the main character being a chef (reminding me of Claire Johnson's BEAT UNTIL STIFF, see my review). It appeared that THR might work easily into a culinary mystery series, though I didn't know if it would manifest a murder in the plot, and, as Amazon's buying pages indicated, Adler's available published works appeared to be single mainstream novels slanted to the commercial literary end.
   
   While pro & conning THE HOTEL RIVERIA, I began getting ideas (oh no, not that surge again) for book jacket blurbs for my mystery pilot, dealing with its mainstream angle. What cinched my "Yes" choice for THR was the picture of Adler on the back flap. She photo shoots as a happy-go-lucky, genuinely warm, unjaded, unhyped person. I thought, "No one can look that honestly, easily happy and write an alcoholic-hazed, classic downer."
   
   At the end of November, I returned to finish reading THE HOTEL RIVIERA, hoping it would ease the escape-fiction-addiction panic I felt after finishing my ARC of Pence's RED HOT MURDER a coup among mystery series, while I was waiting for delivery of Barbara Workinger's SHOOFLY PIE TO DIE (see my review of the pilot, IN DUTCH AGAIN). I had no doubt that Shoofly would fill the Royal Gorge gap of finishing one of those fiction winners so far beyond the best they don't have to race.
   
   I was not in the mood for the typically melancholy/sensual, sing-songy voice with "what-is-this-life" questioned in every other word, which often underlies classic literary fiction. However, I did anticipate pleasantly the globetrotter ambiance of THE HOTEL RIVERIA, with its tangy tinge of "no-place-like-home" underlying the glitz, glamor, and goodies. I knew I would feel pampered to receive, from the cush of my easy chair, travel tidbits like, according to Adler, in France one must arrive at a lunch destination before ten to two; yet, in Italy one (if you're a woman) can get lunch anytime. My eyebrows scrunched slightly as I recalled the seated-through-ages, daily siesta, a religiously rendered habit of a 2-4 pm pause (if my recall is correct on time-frame), when all keepers close shop, as my Italian college prof had confirmed was still a practiced luxury in his country
   
   (Okay already; that particular university sojourn when I was majoring in Foreign Languages occurred at the end of the 60's; I don't know if the afternoon siesta is currently in action throughout Italy. How should I know at this point in my life, in which I'm stuck on a Godot pause, and where/who the Heck IS that guy?)
   
   Actually, it was "Thank God" easy to slip into THR's sauntering, simmering lifestyle. I was intrigued by the contrast in strutting-through-life venues of the good guys Vs the losers (who would kill their spouses to secure a high-life, designer-garbed, jet-setting, globetrotting routine, doing nothing of consequence except beauty maintenance, and wallowing in empty "pleasures"). The losers in THR were so misguided, and edged with such ennui they never developed enough charge to quite feel "Evil," which, from my perspective is a characterization coup for an author to accomplish in this case. Great job getting the dark-side of the jet-set right in their lazy ways, Adler.
   
   Even so, smoky, slithering hints of embedded evil worked through the plot and edged every word and page with a low-ebb, nearly subliminal terror. When that sense of unease underlies a life of "ease"; and when a heightened sensuality is deftly slathered throughout the plot, the effect poofs a feather-tic-bed with tiny pins and nails. I suppose that's why the sensuality in this novel was so melancholically unsettling (which is a good carry-the-reader-onward ploy for escape fiction)... until Lola snuggled into Miss Nightingale's cottage (snuggling is good, too).
   
   Arriving at Mollie Nightingale's classic Cotswold cottage felt like going "heel-clicking" home to Kansas, with The Riviera, Saint-Tropez, and globetrotter "Destinations" contrasting as an off-set Oz. In a way this novel is a kaleidoscope of lifestyles which ooze from more style than life; to life in style; to more life than style; to life, love, and cozy contentment in which style is so natural it would be termed "shabby-chic" in Architectural Digest. I'll take that! Done did.
   
   Of course the kaleidoscope of potent and penetrating edges of this range-of-emotion and scenic rapture richly succeeded in giving a sensually-paced, engrossing read of high entertainment. Please take any bumbling review prose on this novel as high praise (no underhand intended) rather than as subtle intimations of criticism. Adler paints Mona Lisa masterpieces with words. Don't doubt it. Any reader of her work is guaranteed to be immersed in an easy flow around wealth in exotic environments; to wallow in complex emotional fluctuation; to revel in deep, dark mystery; and to take possession of vivid, visceral characters.
   
   One of my favorite lines, due to its cheering effect in context, was spoken by Miss. Nightingale:
   
   "Good riddance to bad rubbish."
   
   I've never read or heard that expression posed or placed more "thumbs up" perfectly.
   
   Maybe one could say that THR is less a story and more a sensual feast. Yum. Its type of sensuality is graceful, delicate, engaging all five senses rather than relying exclusively on simmering, slithering sexuality, as the word has come to mean.
   
   Elizabeth appears to have a sensual soul with Architectural Digest class, dichotomized with a surprising quick-charge capacity to pack the action, as exposed especially through the novel's resolution. Wow. Those spicy-go scenes were hot, fast, gritty, and riveting. Loved the "old" lady speed demon with highly honed driving skill trying to save the day, with a bit of help from unexpected sources.
   
   As an added bonus to the action-packed scenes in the novel's resolution, the reader was given a soothing awareness of the growth and intimacy gifted through the rigors of loss and death. Through the apres-denouement, quiet, wind-down scenes, tentative answers were posed for souls who are so restless any feeling of HOME is fleeting; its seeding flounders on the hard, dry granite of ungrounded pleasure and unearned or un-manifested glory.
   
   Somehow the concluding contemplations in THR reminded me of a short story I wrote in the early 70's (my first rejection from Atlantic Monthly), titled, "I Can Wait."
   
   The story revolved around a 5-yr-old boy, Tommy John, who was the dramatization of an author trying to rid herself of impatience, and playing with literary wings by putting her difficult personality into a young boy instead of a girl. I had asked myself what would be the best "thing" to help slow the restlessness, to release the painful, nervous pushing of time. I wanted to help others, along with me, escape the rush, absolutely, before it was too late. Sadly, I realized what would work in ultimate, final effect.
   
   Throughout the story I spotlighted Tommy's youthful exuberance as it rushed to repeat, "I can't wait `till..." I dramatized his speeding, nervous character by not allowing him to settle into in any single moment. The closest he came to alighting in the present, the warmest spot in the boy's heart was fueled by visits with his bedridden grandfather, who once paused perfectly to say:
   
   "You have to stop once, Tommy John, to start living."
   
   When the grandfather peacefully expired, from one soft breath-to-the-next, with the boy's hand resting in the large, wrinkled palm of his elder, the boy said through tears, "Please stay, Grampa. I can wait."
   
   Adler can do Literary Classic with just the right limelight twists to blend it successfully into the high entertainment sought in escape novels. THE HOTEL RIVERIA got me through the overwhelming grieving process of having finished the intensely satisfying read of Pence's RED HOT MURDER, to be published February, 2006. As noted, blessed with an ARC, I've already read RHM; I'll will post my review as soon as it's finished and Amazon's buying page is set up to receive Customer Reviews. I can wait.
   
   Now I know why I paused in the reading of THR. A time was coming when I would desperately need its final quarter of pages of sensually sauntering style.
   
   Pence, Adler, Workinger, and Johnson. All 4 are authors of consequence with dramatically different literary voices. All 4 know and show where the heart lives, as they reveal a variety of riveting road-maps to The Source.
   
   If the eyes are the window to the soul, the great voices of literature provide gateways there; for a moment in time, between the pages of a novel, words breathe and dance in the fertile mind of a reader.
   
   Ching, ching, ching, ching, clop, clop, clop ...
   
   Iiii''''lllll be hooooommmme for Chriiiistmas ...
   
   In all seasons, I'll be reading good books by the glow of lamplight, or through the perfect slant of sunlight,
   
   Linda G. Shelnutt
   
   P.S. Tis the season; see my review of MISTLETOE & MAYHEM, by Joanne Pence & 3 other fabulous authors. Also, in ironically intriguing contrast to the warmth of lamplight and printed words, see my review of THE MEDIUM IS THE MASSAGE, Marshall McLuhan.



3. I really wonderfully warm, romantic, slightly mysterious read with great characters. I really enjoyed reading this, and was sad to see it end! I would defiantly recommend this book to everyone.



4. I read this book on vacation and found it enjoyable. It was a romance and a bit of a mystery. The main character is a woman whose husband took off on her and then the authorities believe she may have killed him. In comes the handsome stranger and mother figure to assist her. There was definitely a mystery, not a sit on the edge of your seat book but enjoyable light reading.



5. If you're looking for a book just to read for fun, this is it. The characters are great (even a villainess you'll love to hate). There's a fun romance between Jack and Lola. You will love the older lady, Miss Nightingale. She is just a delight. There is humor, the mystery of a missing husband, lots of good food (I know I gained a pound or two just reading the menu's)and of course the romance. We musn't forget the animals; a pet chicken named Scramble and then there is Bad Dog and at the end a kitten named Chocolate. I found the whole book just great entertainment for a few hours. If you're feeling down and need a lift, pick up "The Hotel Riviera" at your library or order it off of Amazon. Enjoy! I did!

5 comments about Legacy of Secrets.

1. This is the fourth book I read by Elizabeth Adler and I think all her books are great. This book is one of the best book I've read - it has suspense, drama, romance, humor, and many many more. The plot was very well thought out and organized. I recommend this book to everyone.



2. A REAL PAGE TURNER! This book was so great that I just could'nt put it down! I read it straight for 2 days without stopping!
   I feel that lily was stupid, she complicated things that could have been simpler. She was raped by this guy and it was no fault of hers and she should have told the truth, but what her fault was that she blamed it on Finn.She was supposed to be his friend, and she betrayed him. This broke his heart and also forced him to leave Ireland.
   I also think that lily was rather selfish and a coward, for she was never ready to face the conscequences of her own actions and would rather have someone else take the blame. She had been doing this all her life and kept doing it till the end of her days. She only thought about herself and never about anyone else, be it Ciel, Dan, Ned, Mr.Adams, Finn or her son Liam. Also what she did to her other son was wrong and I blame her for what he became. Lily lived in a world of lies, that in the end caught up with her.
   What makes me really angry is that she always used people who were supposed to be her friends, for her own personal gains. She only saw what she wanted to see and thus never realised her own mistakes.
   P.S. : DOES'NT FINN SEEM TO BE SUPER CUTE!?!



3. You won't meet a more delightfully original narrator than Maudie, the eighty-something Irishwoman who weaves an enthralling tale that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. Her story centers on her aunt, Lily Molyneux, a beautiful woman of 19th century Ireland who drove men to madness. Because of a brutal rape, Lily becomes pregnant. Afraid that her wealthy father will make her marry her attacker since he comes from a "good" family, she names the lowly stableboy on the estate as the father of her child seeing that as a way to stay single. As with every decision in her life, Lily acts before she thinks and lives to regret her impulsive actions. Not only is she thrown out of her home, but the stableboy and his brother must also flee for their lives. Thus begins a multi-layered tale that takes the reader from the slums of Boston to the mansions of Beacon Hill and the magnificent skyscrapers of Wall Street. Three men will spend their lives hoping to marry Lily, each amasssing fame and fortune while dreaming of the day Lily will be his wife. A fourth man will marry her and a fifth will give his life for her sins. Two children will call her mother and their lives will be tormented by her actions.

   This is a riveting tale of the Irish elite in their homeland and the Irish peasants struggling in America. It is a tale of passion, revenge, and a modern day murder that must lay bare the secrets of three generations before it can be solved.

   Brilliantly plotted with memorable characters and unforgettable events, this is a must read for fans of family sagas.




4. Elizabeth Adler's "Legacy of Secrets" tries hard to be a good thriller and novel about buried secrets, but it doesn;t quite work, mainly because Lily is Adler's second-worst heroine(The worst as far as I know is Genie Reese of "Property of a Lady"). Lily grows up as a spoiled brat that had a close friendship with the O'Keefe boys, who work for Lily's father. Then Lily falls in love with a cad, and the cad rapes her and frightens her into silence. Lily becomes pregnant and blames Finn O'Keefe. The Finn and his brother have to flee to America, and Lily is thrown-away to a distant reletive. The rest of the novel consists of a descendent of Lily's trying to solve all the mysteries of the past, including the child that Lily rejected; and of how the O'Keefes and Lily both became powerful and wealthy. The real villain isn't a surprise, and he is typically flat. Almost as good as "Rich Shall Inherit".



5. I can not say enough about this book - it is a story within a story and I could not put it down. If you like family sagas with a touch of mystery, then this book is for you.

5 comments about All or Nothing.

1. This is a very easy book to read, if you can read it in an airplane you will enjoy your flight and your book, the story of a private investigator and his girlfriend solving a very peculiar case (her first case) is really cute.



2. All Or Nothing by Elizabeth Adler, is a short but enjoyable book. The characters are fun, the dialogue interesting, and the plot had me swiftly turning the pages. An appealing combination.

   John Savoy
   Savoy International
   Motion Pictures
   B.H. California




3. This was my first Elizabeth Adler book. It started off good, and it did have several worthy twists that were different and refreshing, but...

   There were too many times the POV switched within the narrative. First we're in Giraud's head and in the next sentence we're in Marla's. At least this was consistent, but disturbing. Sometimes there was a chapter or scene break to let us know we're in someone else's head, but that was the exception rather than the rule.

   I also found Marla a bit too conveniently motherly to the poor accused man's wife at times. She seemed like a sex pot one time and then she suddenly had all of these maternal instincts pouring out. Didn't jibe with me.

   Overall, however, it was not a bad read. I didn't put it down or want to stop and it was easy to get through. And I did like Marla and Giraud's playfulness. They would be a good duo for a sequel.




4. "All or Nothing" is just another Elizabeth Adler book. There's romance, there's some mystery, and *spoiler* the villians always die *spoiler*. In this one, Marla, a Pepperdine law prof. has a jones for doing P.I work like her main squeeze Al Giraud, a Southern good ol' boy. Marla and Al are hired by the wife of a man accused of murder. They look into the background of the husband, and the woman who disappeared, and they find that things are definately not as they appear, as the woman turns out to have a very shady past, and they wind up on the trail of a remorseless killer who'll do anything to get they want. Danger and thin plot abound, as our duo almost gets killed a couple of times before clearing the name of an innocent man.



5. I read the reviews on this one and they aren't great but decided to read it anyway. If you want a book that touches you or makes you think, this is not it! However, if you want a book just to give you a few hours of distraction, then this will do it. I thought the hero and heroine were quite comical (though the sex was overdone a bit)and a villian you loved to hate though not all bad (she loved dogs). As for detective work, they were all so pathetic, I got frustrated with them. It's not one I would read again but was a fun read for a few hours.

5 comments about Invitation To Provence.

1. This novel desperately tries to be a suspense/thriller/romance story yet falls desperately short. Its characters are painfully stereotypical (beautiful, tortured, blue-eyed heroine; reticent, tortured, uber-masculine hero) and the story's multiple plot lines are tied up so perfectly that the story surpassed "sweet" and plunged headlong into "treacly" territory. Character and plot development are tragically lacking, while inane details abound. Why in the world would I care what clothes they wore in every scene?
   
   I'm giving it two stars because 1) it obviously wasn't so bad that I stopped reading it and 2) the author's descriptions of foods were very good.
   
   This isn't the worst book I've ever read, but it's in the bottom five. The author's writing skills are decent, but she needs to sharpen her focus and be more patient in developing her plots and characters rather than taking the easy way out -- resolving every conflict with three pages of text. Yawn.



2. Lonely matriarch Rafaella Marten impulsively invites a series of old friends and family members to her chateau in Provence for a family reunion. In addition to the sons who were a disappointment and left the estate many years earlier, she has invited veterinarian Franny Marten, who has no family of her own left; Jake Bronson, the son of her former lover; Juliette, her estranged best friend; and vintner Scott who has taken over the reigns at winery. Rafaella's eldest son dies suspiciously in Hong Kong and leaves behind a half Chinese daughter, who is summoned to the villa as well.
   
   While Franny waits patiently at the table for her lover Marcus to arrive for a dinner date, she is shocked to discover that he wife shows up instead. It seems that Marcus does not have a faithful bone in his body, and he cannot even dump his own girlfriends. While Franny loses Marcus, she gains his soon-to-be ex-wife Clare as a friend.
   
   Jake is a wealthy security expert. He knows that Rafaella is looking for an heir, so he decides to check out Franny, and is immediately smitten with her. A one night stand with Franny results in her broken heart, and his immense guilt.
   
   When an invitation to Provence is received, Franny does not plan to go, but Clare talks her into it and they decide to go together. She has never met her aunt Rafaella, and only knows that there was a falling out several generations ago. When they arrive in Provence, she is shocked when Jake arrives, but tries to play it cool with him, but soon finds herself in his arms, much to Rafaella's delight.
   
   Old rivalries and passions are reignited, and there is tension and romance amid the vines, as someone who has everything to gain from the demise of Franny is lurking in the shadows.
   
   The mystery is somewhat lacking, and the story a little too easily wrapped up, but Adler is able to take you away from the hum drum of everyday life and transport the reader to an idyllic place. It makes for a nice escape.



3. I drive an hour to school every few days and book up a book on cd to listen to. Unfortunately, I picked this one. I was trying to find another "Under the Tuscan Sun" kind of book, and this WAS NOT IT. It was SO BAD it was absolutely hysterical at points. I can't even list all the problems with it. The stereotypical characters, the pathetic dialogue, the pedantic and predictable storyline - AWFUL!!! Don't waste your time!



4. Elizabeth Adler has a lyrical and detailed way of writing so that the scenes vividly come alive off the pages to be experienced by all of the reader's senses. The tastes, scents, sounds of Provence are all so tangible!!! The product description on the back cover really sells the story short because it is about so much more than a wife becoming friends with her husband's mistress. It's about a lonely old woman who wants to breathe life back into her ancestral vineyard chateau and reconcile the misunderstandings of the past which separate her heirs. There are a longlost niece and an unknown grandchild to discover. There are murders to solve and sibling rivalries to resolve. There are action and danger to balance the beauty and romance. This book captivated me to the point were I couldn't put it down and just had to read straight through until the end. It was beautifully written, interesting, and very cultural.



5. Several Reviewers have given us pretty much the storyline so won't go into all of it. There are some interesting characters as in all Elizabeth Adler books along with some romance and descriptive details of food and clothing. There is a villian, though not exactly what I would call a mystery. I thought the story drug a little from the time Franny meets Jake until they meet again at Rafaella's. I found myself skimming through this part. Once the characters got together, I found more interest in the book. It was fun to have Lola and Jack from Hotel Riviera pay a visit in this book. Invitation to Provence will probably not be listed along with the works of great novelists but it's just a light fun read. Very predictable and very much like some of her other novels. No surprises really! Just a few hours to get away and visit another world and the foods; I've never heard of most of them. However, they make your mouth water. Okay it's not a great book, but it's not bad either.

No comments about Summer in Tuscany.

5 comments about The House in Amalfi.

1. This was my first book by Elizabeth Adler. I have a great desire to visit Italy someday, and I thought I would enjoy this book. While her descriptions of Italy - both the scenery and the food - were very good, the story was just plain boring! It was like "Come on, will you just find out what happened to your father already!" Why didn't she try to find out more about her husband's antics? Plus no good love scenes at all to keep you occupied! There was a neat twist at the end, but all in all, a boring book. I'm debating whether to try another of her books.



2. My first Adler book. Willing to give her another chance but will be a while before I do that.



3. The book makes nice easy reading typical of this sort of romance genre and that's about it. I bought it because I'm hooked on all things Italian and as such it's made a pleasant enough read. There was at least one factual error in it that wine buffs or people who know a lot about Italy would spot which made me lose a bit of faith in the author/novel/editor which was a shame. Having said that it's encouraged me to get off my backside and book my ticket back there!



4. The characters came alive and I was able to totally immerse myself in their tale. It was astouding to look up the specific places mentioned in the book, and find out they were real - and what glorious places in which to find oneself. A great escape!



5. A shattered woman tries to reconnect with happiness along the Italian coast where her father died mysteriously years ago. Adler does a beautiful job of building a believably Italian setting, if a little too rosy. (Are there any ugly, unromantic Italians in Adler's world?) Her characters are likeable and realized pretty well.
   
   They're also shallow and one-dimensional, which is a shame given their likeability. Lorenzo is the perfect noble lover, his son is the perfect charming layabout, his daughter is the perfect neurotic girl, and his irritatingly Zenish Japanese gardener is the perfect wise old man. And when I say perfect, I mean they don't change in the course of the story. No one learns anything about himself or herself, becomes better or worse. In addition, the heroine thinks and acts like a bubble-headed adolescent, emotionally erratic and easily swayed by glitz and trinkets. It's hard to feel much sympathy for a character dumbly stumbling her way into romance with a man who's way too perfect for such an immature gal.
   
   Unrealistically scripted dialogue and a moment of out-of-the-blue violence in the climax are also downers in this light, poolside romance. Adler tells a nice story nicely, but leaves a lot to be desired in the execution.

5 comments about Sailing to Capri (Sound Library).

1. If you like mysteries with some romance, suspense and FUN, you might enjoy this novel. This was the first book I read by Ms. Adler and I will read more. She reminds me a bit of a cross between Carol Higgins Clark and Agatha Christie. There were parts to laugh and cry about as well as some good suspense.
   
   The story revolves primarily around Daisy Keane who is newly divorced and childless at age 34 and has traveled to London from the U.S. to look for adventure and something new to do. She finds it when she meets Sir Robert Hardwick and becomes his personal assistant for the next 5 years until he is killed in an automobile accident.
   
   At his funeral appears Harry Montana, a private investigator from the States with letters from Sir Robert for Daisy. It appears that Sir Robert had forewarned Harry that he had some enemies, six of them to be exact, that may be the ones responsible. Harry and Daisy's job is to locate all six and take them on a cruise at Sir Robert's expense and to find out which one of them is his killer!!
   
   Many adventures and mishaps ensue as Harry and Daisy gather the suspects. The reader also gets to know each suspect just a little but not enough to guess who the killer is. At the same time, we get some romance between Harry and Daisy who are both afraid of commitment and seem to at first have a very adversarial relationship.
   
   A very enjoyable read!!



2. My first Adler book. An easy read in 3-4 days. Enjoyable, held my attention. Ordered more books by her as a result of reading this one. Wonderful characters and a nice love story.



3. Sailing to Capri is an A+++. I loved it, could not put it down - the characters, settings and plot are wonderful. I highly recommend it - I was sad when I finished it!



4. A friend reccomended this book so I picked it up at the library. I won't dwell on the storyline except to say EA gives you enough insight into the characters to make them real and alive. I thought Harry Montana was a great character and liked Daisy though she was annoying at times. MS Adler leaves you guessing sometimes at the end of her books as to how it actually ended. She tied it up pretty well this time for all of the characters except for the 2 main characters. I was left with whether they married or just got together when they could or ??? At any rate the story moves along well with no great feeling of romance or mystery. It's all just very light which is fine once in awhile.



5. A rootless woman finds unexpected love and purpose after her billionaire boss's will instructs her and a handsome private detective to find out which of his former friends and lovers killed him. To do this, she must submit to a luxury cruise with six murder suspects and less than a week to unmask the killer.
   
   This novel suffers from Adler's usual flaws: a silly heroine with no emotional stability; irrelevant and tedious descriptions of food and luxuries; and characters who remain flat and develop in no direction whatsoever. By the end of the book, this reader no longer cared who killed Sir Hardwick or whether Daisy ever found true love and happiness. Adler is good with words and her novels are easy on the mind; she simply struggles with creating characters compelling enough for the reader to invest in their fates.

No comments about Summer in Tuscany.

5 comments about The Secret of the Villa Mimosa (Bookcassette(r) Edition).

1. This book definitely is not a thriller, but is a good story that will keep you reading, sometimes it goes out of the main story and the way that Phyl met Brad the first time is one in a million. This is a very easy book to read so you will read it very fast, and as many books, the end is like Cinderella but that doesn't mean that the book or the story aren't good.



2. I enjoyed the book. I don't remember reading any of her books before, so was pleased that it kept me entertained till the end. I would probably give it a three and a half star rating as the story line was a little too coincidental and Cinderella like, but I enjoyed it. Dr. Phil Forster sees on t.v. that an unidentified woman has been found in a ravine. At first they think the woman is dead but she is still barely alive and she is rushed to the hospital. Phyl is drawn to her and soon is treating the young woman who, when she finally comes to, has amnesia. Franco Mahoney, a likeable homicide cop is assigned to the case and he is trying to identify the woman, but is not having much luck. It looks like a homicide attempt. Through the course of the story Bea French (made up name for victim) ends up going to France while working for a rich lady as a companion of sorts. Bea can speak French that much she knows and she remembers a house but doesn't know where it is until by chance she runs across it and discovers another murder years before was committed in that very house. The story keeps your interest til the end. Not a spectacular mystery but still a decent one. I would read more of her books.



3. From a writer who delivers great novel after great novel, comes one that truly has everything. The suspense and mystery are first-rate as clues to a decades old murder are revealed. An amnesiac searching for her past, two orphans looking for their future, a handsome stranger, a dedicated psychiatrist, and an elderly eccentric are some of the characters you will take to heart. But it is homicide cop Franco Mahoney who is my personal favorite as he combines the best of Irish charm and affability with his innately Italian love of opera and gourmet cuisine.

   Set in San Francisco, Paris, and Hawaii, this story follows the key characters as their lives overlap in a well-plotted, page-turning story. Accident victim Bea French finds a true friend in psychiatrist Phyl Forster who has forgotten what a personal life is. Naturally, Franco Mahoney hopes to give her one, until a handsome stranger with an erotic obsession whisks her off to his private island. Can the good guy win the girl? Will ancestors long dead be avenged? Will Bea's memory return, and at what price? Will a cat named Coco and a dog named Poochie save the day? This is one you won't want to put down and one that leaves you wanting more from these characters and this writer.




4. Elizabeth Adler's "Secret of the Villa Mimosa" tries to combine romance with a thriller, and it works as neither. Dr. Phyl Forster is drawn to a "Jane Doe" who has amnesia. She is named "Bea French" by the doctor, mainly because she could speak French fluently. Then, Phyl tries to restore the woman's memory, while keeping detective Franco Mahoney at bay. We know instantly that these two will become close, as both try to discover who almost killed "Bea." Then, Bea gets a job with a rich French socialite, and start having her memory jogged in France, while Phyl has a chance meeting with Brad Kane, a rich Hawaiian with a terrible secret. The thriller unfolds as the reader is keyed into the connections between the Kane family and Bea, and the reader starts to feel that things would have added up quicker if Bea and Phyl had talked more in the second half of the book.



5. This was my first Elizabeth Adler book and found the storyline different and interesting. There were several villianous people going into the past and difficult to read of the character of Bea's father and such an abusive childhood. There were a few too many abusive situations in the book and found I just had to skim some of them. Another thing I don't think I had found in a book by any of my favorite authors was for the main character to have a love affair with the villian. She was a Psychiatrist and she couldn't figure out he was psychotic?? His first jealous rage would have had me running to the nearest exit. Of course Detective Mahoney was my favorite character and again Ms Adler ended the book and leaving you guessing whether he and the heroine end up together. Actually I wasn't sure who the main characters were. The villian plays such a large role, it sort of makes him a main character. I would have liked Mahoney to have played a bigger part in the book but it just seemed there were too many main characters. It was still a good read tying all the characters from the past and present together.