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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780451224873
ISBN number: 0451224876
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: September 02, 2008
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 72182
Studio: Signet
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Product Description:
The widow of a rich, older man, Paige Sorensen is younger than—and hated by—her stepchildren. And they’re dead set on proving that she forged their father’s signature on his will, which left his entire estate, including the Sorensen Academy for Girls, to her. Claudia admits she’s intrigued by this real-life soap opera, and breaks her very first rule: never get personally involved. But she’s grown attached to a troubled Sorensen student—and when disaster strikes, she’ll realize that reading between the lines can mean the difference between life and death…
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Rated by buyers 
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I'm a sucker for a good mystery novel. When I saw the read the synopsis of Sheila Lowe's Written in Blood, I was definitely intrigued. The main character is a graphologist, as known as a handwriting expert. A novel that focuses on forensic handwriting analysis as one of the keys to solving a mystery could be really interesting or really boring. Fortunately, Written in Blood fits in the former category.
Written in Blood is actually Sheila Lowe's second entry in the Claudia Rose forensic handwriting mystery series. Her protagonist, Claudia Rose, is a forensic handwriting expert. By analyzing handwriting samples, she can determine elements of a subject's personality. She can even tell if the subject has a tendency to become violent. This sounds like it could be terribly boring, but Lowe has a knack for creating suspense and moving the plot along.
The novel opens with the appearance of Claudia's latest client, Paige Sorensen. Paige is a vivacious young widow who is facing a huge legal battle. Her stepchildren claim that their father's final will is a forgery. Claudia quickly determines the legitimacy of the will, but that is not the end of her involvement with Paige. Part of the battle over the will involves the Sorensen Academy, a private girls school. The Sorensen children want to close the school and sell the land, but Paige serves as headmistress and wants to keep it going. This seems like it would be the main storyline, but it is actually just the tip of the iceberg.
Claudia becomes attached to a troubled student at the school, Annabelle Giardano. Her urge to help Annabelle draws Claudia deeper into the twisted world of Sorensen Academy. When Paige is suddenly murdered, Claudia has to find the killer and Annabelle. The mystery surrounding Paige's death is complex, so I won't reveal any more details. I have to say that the plot twists are great as the novel progresses. It is definitely a solid mystery.
The characters in this are fascinating. Claudia is a complex character that you want to follow. She seems like an adult version of Nancy Drew. (I definitely mean this as a compliment. When I was eight years old, I wanted to be Nancy Drew.) Annabelle is also an intriguing character. At very first glance she appears to be a troubled little rich girl, but her problems are much deeper. Part of her problem with her father actually stems from the actions of her deceased mother. The rest of the cast of characters is populated by disgruntled stepchildren, spoiled students, mysterious faculty, human traffickers, and one sexy cop. It's an interesting mix to say the least.
Written in Blood is a fascinating mystery. The plot is well-crafted, and the characters are definitely intriguing. Sheila Lowe keeps readers guessing throughout most of the novel. It is a great escape on a dreary winter day.
Rated by buyers 
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Written in Blood by Sheila Lowe is the second book in Forensic Handwriting Mystery series. Claudia Rose makes her living investigating handwriting, so when young widow Paige Sorensen asks her to verify a will's signature, Claudia doesn't think twice about accepting the job. But she's quickly pulled into a soap opera-esque story of revenge and lust as Paige's stepchildren (who are older than she is) contest the will and then blame her for their failure. Claudia and Paige become friends after their sucess and Claudia is soon working at the Sorensen Academy, a school for rich girls with emotional problems, where she becomes attached to a troubled student named Annabelle. I've always been fascinated by the study of handwriting; I would love to know what mine says about me. I loved getting an inside look into the work of a true handwriting expert. Lowe differentiates between graphology, the study of a personality through handwriting traits, versus forensic handwriting which is used to identify documents as forgeries. Claudia uses both in her work, and Lowe uses them both to great effect in the story. She also packs in lots of suspense and action. Not every author can describe action effectively, but Lowe really made each scene come to life. Claudia is a gutsy heroine who doesn't take crap from anyone, but has a good heart. I look forward to reading more of this series.
Rated by buyers -
Written in Blood is a fascinating look into psychology and personality as revealed through unconscious cracks in the human shield. Through handwriting certain characteristics are exposed to light and those who find those clues can either believe in the character of the person who scribbled the note or run in response to what's revealed.
After a slow start, Written in Blood simmered and came to a full roiling boil as evidence, circumstances and people all melded into a pot of ingredients leading to surprises and shocks. Not all of the elements caught me by surprise and I wasn't enthralled at the beginning of the book as the characters were introduced. But once this satisfying mystery heated up I missed some sleep. I loved the addition of the fascinating handwriting psychological tidbits. The author's knowledge added unique spice to the story.
Warning: R-rated for strong language, sexual situations, and some gruesome scenes.
Rated by buyers -
Forensic Handwriting Expert, Claudia Rose, was just hired on to authenticate the signature on a wealthy older man's will after he passed away and left the majority of his estate to his significantly younger widow, Paige Sorenson. Based on Claudia's analysis, a judge rules that the signature is genuine and Paige can now claim the Sorenson Academy for Girls as her own to the dismay of the widow's step children.
Against her better judgment about keeping her business and her personal life separate, Claudia befriends Paige and a troubled young student named Annabelle and the trouble soon begins. On Christmas Eve Paige and Annabelle disappear and Claudia is asked by Annabelle's father to help find the missing pair. Suddenly Claudia is pulled in much deeper than she hoped and now her own life is at risk along with Paige and Annabelle.
This was a great fast paced mystery that I read in two quick days even with the family over celebrating Thanksgiving. The "who-done-it" factor was a little predictable but the story is exciting enough to overcome that part of the story. The way Claudia gets pulled into the drama is very realistic too. Lowe captures the teen angst of the troubled Annabelle perfectly and the relationship between Claudia and Annabelle is not written as a "happily ever after" tale so I liked that about this book also.
I almost forgot to mention this was book two in the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series by Lowe with book one being Poison Pen. It is a stand alone as I had not read book one and didn't feel like anything was missing. I will be picking up book one and anticipating book two which is due out in August 2009. I recommend this book to all mystery and cozy lovers.
Rated by buyers 
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Claudia Rose, a Southern California graphologist, is hired by Paige Sorensen to authenticate the signature on her late husband's will. He was many years her senior, and had died of a stroke six months ago. Paige is described by Claudia as, variously, a trophy wife, wounded widow, wronged stepmother and lonely woman seeking a confidante. Her stepchildren, all older than Claudia herself, have challenged the signature as a forgery, and his fortune as well as the Sorensen Academy, the private school his family had owned for generations and of which Claudia is the headmistress, are at stake. In the course of the relationship Claudia meets Annabelle Giordano, the sullen 14-year-old daughter of a movie producer with mob associations, still recovering from the tragic loss of her mother, an actress, eight years previously, who is a full-time resident of the school. The Academy is a residential and day school for wealthy young girls with special emotional needs.
With some assistance from her best friends, Kelly, a family law attorney, Zebediah, a forensic psychologist, and Joel Jovanic, an LAPD detective, Claudia tries to figure out how real are the threats made to Paige by the stepchildren whose hatred runs to virulence, and to Annabelle as well, with whom, against all she has been taught, she has forged a bond.
The author enlightens the reader on her somewhat unusual profession, one which she points out is an unlicensed one. At its most basic, she is a handwriting examiner, "always curious about personality and the way it revealed itself in the written word." This novel is the second in the series, and I was disappointed not to like it as much as I had the first, "Poison Pen," finding it weakly plotted and not as well-written and perhaps less engrossing and suspenseful than its predecessor. Nevertheless, it was an interesting read, and the profession shared by Claudia Rose and her creator certainly captures one's attention. I will look forward to seeing what the author has in store for her in her subsequent adventure.
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