The Balloon Man

by Charlotte MacLeod

Paperback, 2000

Status

Available

Call number

Fic Mystery MacLeod

Collection

Publication

Grand Central Publishing (2000), Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Description

Long-lost relatives and priceless jewels turn a wedding upside down For all the Kellings' quirks, no other family in Boston is more adept at throwing a wedding. So when Max Bittersohn's wife, Sarah Kelling, offers to organize his nephew's nuptials, Max is smart enough to stay out of her way. But when the art-fraud investigator stumbles onto a family mystery, he is drawn into something far more serious than the question of who will catch the bouquet.   Stolen years earlier, the priceless Kelling jewels were last seen in Amsterdam, so how did they end up among the wedding gifts? Max is trying to answer that question when a talkative burglar wallops him with a shovel in a failed attempt to rip off the rubies. Then, as the reception winds down, a hot-air balloon lands on the wedding tent, spilling out the Zickerys, a branch of the Kelling clan who prove even odder than the original strain. Family weddings are never easy, but for Max Bittersohn, this one could be murder.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member ABVR
Charlotte MacLeod's tales of plucky New England aristocrat Sarah Kelling, her Jewish art-expert husband Max Bittersohn, and her large, loony family are a reading experience that (in my experience) you either love or hate. The characters, the dialog, and the situations are amusing in the
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no-relation-to-reality way of 1930s movies but the mysteries are flimsy to the point of absurdity. This late entry in the series exhibits that quality more than most. Fans of the series will find it an enjoyable, if familiar, outing with old friends. Non-fans are unlikely to make it past the second chapter.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
Substance: CAUTION - do NOT read this volume prior to reading the first book in the series (The Family Vault). Everything is revealed in this "sequel" to the first murder that brought Sarah and Max together. The sleuthing in this one is frenzied but ultimately minimal, and, as usual, the conclusion
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is not well prepared.
Style: For all its faults as a mystery, the book is enjoyable as a novel.
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LibraryThing member phyllis2779
I bought this for sale on Kindle because I like this series, particularly the twp lead characters. After reading it, I'm pretty convinced but not positive that I read this before. But I did enjoy this the second time. I like the wacky characters and I particularly like Max. There may be a few later
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books in the series but I'd try the library before I'd buy them.
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Language

Original publication date

1998

Physical description

288 p.; 6.96 inches

ISBN

0446608351 / 9780446608350

Local notes

Sarah Kelling, 12

DDC/MDS

Fic Mystery MacLeod

Rating

(55 ratings; 3.4)
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