Synopses & Reviews
“Haddams novels are real spellbinders.”—Drood Review
Martha Heydrich lives in a very big, very expensive house in Waldorf Pines, a very rich, very gated community west of Philadelphia. She drives a flashy pink sports car, joins all the local commitees, sticks her nose in everyones business—and gets on everyones nerves. She is also, it is rumored, to be having an affair with a local teenager. The very same teenager who is discovered one night—by Marthas husband—floating dead in the community pool…
“[A] CRAFTY PUZZLE.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Besides blood in the water, theres a fire in the pool house—and another corpse. The police assume the charred remains belong to Martha Heydrich, since shes nowhere to be found. But when DNA tests reveal it isnt Martha at all, but an unknown man, they turn to ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to get to the bottom of it. The killer could be a jealous husband, runaway wife, or psychotic neighbor. But whoever is guilty, Demarkian wants to make sure their next gated community is a maximum security prison…
“This series keeps getting better.”—Booklist
Review
"Ought to establish Haddam as America's P.D. James once and for all."-- Baltimore Sun on Cheating at Solitaire
Review
PRAISE FOR JANE HADDAMS GREGOR DEMARKIAN NOVELS BLOOD IN THE WATER “Edgar-finalist Haddam shows no sign of creative fatigue in her baffling 27th whodunit…Few readers will reach the answer to this crafty puzzle before the endearing and brilliant sleuth.”—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
FLOWERING JUDAS “Another engaging…story with characters who could walk right off the page.”—Charlotte Observer
“Excellent.”—Booklist (starred review)WANTING SHEILA DEAD
“Outstanding...Haddam has few peers at misdirection, and she cleverly satirizes the reality show industry while continuing to add depth to her lead.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Haddams series characters are engaging as always, including Demarkians quirkly Armenian neighborhood, which has enough character to count as one.”—Charlotte News Observer
“Her take on reality TV, its egos and backstage battles, is fresh and entertaining, and (as usual) the mystery is sharply plotted. Eventually Haddam may have to deal with the fact that Demarkians age will prevent him from continuing to solve crimes, but lets hope thats not for a while yet.”—Booklist
LIVING WITNESS
“Haddam offers her typically razor-sharp mystery concerning a highly contentious issue, but also does so without taking sides, treating all of her characters, from devout Christians to agnostics (and all points in between), with respect and understanding. Haddam is a fine writer, exhibiting skills rarely glimpsed in the mystery genre.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Haddams excellent novel takes a nuanced look at the debate over teaching evolution in public schools… Haddam makes characters on both sides of the issue sympathetic, explores the inner life of her detective hero—and offers an ingenious fair-play puzzle.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
PRAISE FOR JANE HADDAMS GREGOR DEMARKIAN NOVELS BLOOD IN THE WATER “Edgar-finalist Haddam shows no sign of creative fatigue in her baffling 27th whodunit…Few readers will reach the answer to this crafty puzzle before the endearing and brilliant sleuth.”—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
FLOWERING JUDAS “Another engaging…story with characters who could walk right off the page.”—Charlotte Observer
“Excellent.”—Booklist (starred review)WANTING SHEILA DEAD
“Outstanding...Haddam has few peers at misdirection, and she cleverly satirizes the reality show industry while continuing to add depth to her lead.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Haddams series characters are engaging as always, including Demarkians quirkly Armenian neighborhood, which has enough character to count as one.”—Charlotte News Observer
“Her take on reality TV, its egos and backstage battles, is fresh and entertaining, and (as usual) the mystery is sharply plotted. Eventually Haddam may have to deal with the fact that Demarkians age will prevent him from continuing to solve crimes, but lets hope thats not for a while yet.”—Booklist
LIVING WITNESS
“Haddam offers her typically razor-sharp mystery concerning a highly contentious issue, but also does so without taking sides, treating all of her characters, from devout Christians to agnostics (and all points in between), with respect and understanding. Haddam is a fine writer, exhibiting skills rarely glimpsed in the mystery genre.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Haddams excellent novel takes a nuanced look at the debate over teaching evolution in public schools… Haddam makes characters on both sides of the issue sympathetic, explores the inner life of her detective hero—and offers an ingenious fair-play puzzle.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
Gregor Demarkian returns in a mindbending case of death and disappearance amongst the wealthy suburban elite. In Waldorf Pines, a very rich, gated suburb of Philadelphia, ostentation and pretension are the order of the day. But even by the local standards, Martha Heydrich is a stone cold pain. Shes the stay-at-home wife of a very rich husband, drives a pink sports car everywhere and is on all the prominent local committees. Shes fake, into everybodys business and is rumored to be having an affair with a local teenager, Michael Platte. One morning she seemingly vanishes from her house and later that night her husband Arthur returns home to find the pool house ablaze. Once the fire is extinguished, the police discover two bodies—one is Michael Platte and the other, too damaged to be recognizable, is
presumed to be Martha Heydrich. The police think they know what happened—that Arthur killed his wife and her lover over the affair. But then the DNA results come back and the second body isnt Marthas at all, it is an unknown man. With their theory in tatters, and Martha nowhere to be found, the police to turn to ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to help them unravel this most puzzling of cases.
Synopsis
Blood in the Water
Jane Haddam
Martha Heydrich lives in a very big, very expensive house in Waldorf Pines, a very rich, very gated community west of Philadelphia. She drives a flashy pink sports car, joins all the local commitees, sticks her nose in everyones business—and gets on everyones nerves. She is also, it is rumored, to be having an affair with a local teenager. The very same teenager who is discovered one night—by Marthas husband—floating dead in the community pool…
Besides blood in the water, theres a fire in the pool house—and another corpse. The police assume the charred remains belong to Martha Heydrich, since shes nowhere to be found. But when DNA tests reveal it isnt Martha at all, but an unknown man, they turn to ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to get to the bottom of it. The killer could be a jealous husband, runaway wife, or psychotic neighbor. But whoever is guilty, Demarkian wants to make sure their next gated community is a maximum security prison…
About the Author
JANE HADDAM is the author of more than twenty novels, but is best known for her books featuring Gregor Demarkian. A finalist for both the Edgar and Anthony Awards, she lives with her family in Litchfield Country, Connecticut.
Please visit
www.blog.janehaddam.com