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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780425174081
ISBN number: 0425174085
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: April 01, 2000
Publishing house: Berkley
Release Date: April 10, 2000
Sale Popularity Level: 269010
Studio: Berkley
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The newest Benni Harper mystery from the three-time Agatha Award Nominee and author of Dove in the Window. The ex-cowgirl, quilter, and resident sleuth of San Celina, California, is back-navigating her way through a stormy sea of puzzling clues to a home she never knew existed... Jacob Chandler knew everything about Benni Harper, and in his house were pieces of her life: a scrapbook of newspaper clippings that covered her life and work. When Jacob Chandler died, he left his home in Morro Bay and all its contents to Benni-the only stipulation being that she had to stay in the house for two weeks, alone, before the inheritance became hers. But Benni Harper has never even heard of Jacob Chandler. To discover whether he is her guardian angel or personal demon, she must follow the scavenger-hunt clues he has set up for her throughout his home. The waters are rough and the direction unclear as she finds herself setting a course to a time and place in her own past-a place Benni Harper and Jacob Chandler both knew as home...
'Earlene Fowler writes from the heart, and her Benni Harper is a true original.' -Susan Rogers Cooper, author of Doctors and Lawyers and Such
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I have the whole Benni Harper series. I like them as they are fast easy (light) reading for when you want a little escape from life. One can read them as stand alones - or as a series. Sometimes the plot line is predictable and sometimes you wish the character development was a little deeper - but overall they are enjoyable. I own (and have read) the whole series - and will buy them all. If you were a Nancy Drew reader as a kid - you will be reminded of that and will enjoy these light reading books.
Rated by buyers 
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Of all the books of hers that I have read, this is by far the very best. It is truly a mystery (not murder mystery) but a mystery. She takes you on a scavanger hunt. Loved every minute of it and couldn't put it down. Different than the rest of her books.
Rated by buyers -
It's not about quilting either, despite the title (although of this author's books have quilt block titles).
The story involves Benni Harper inheriting a house and some money from a total stranger. Who is this man and why did he leave everything to her? The will has an odd provision -- in order to inherit, she has to spend the night alone in the house -- for two weeks. Benni's police chief husband is fighting her all the way on this (and this couple does seem to have a lot of conflict), but Benni is determined to do this on her own and without his protection. Benni finds herself on a kind of scavenger hunt begun by the man who left her the house -- who is taking a big chance, it seemed to me, that she'd pick up on the initial clue and be able to solve the puzzle of who he is and why he left her everything. Benni gets to know a number of people in the California coastal town that the house is located in, and quite a few of the people who knew the deceased (Jacob Chandler) them seem angry that Benni inherited. This makes both Benni and her husband Gabe nervous and adds to the tension.
All in all, this book was a page turner -- so much so that I finally cheated and looked at the ending so I could get some sleep. There is indeed a murder in the book, but it seems less important than finding out who Jacob Chandler was and why he was "stalking" Benni.
Rated by buyers 
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I've recently discovered Earlene Fowler's Bennie Harper series and have plowed through the very first 6 books in a week's time and have mostly enjoyed them. I was disappointed in Mariner's Compass, though. I wonder why it won any awards compared to the very first 5 books. As unrealistic as recurring murder is in these characters lives (we mystery readers don't mind that), this premise was too unrealistic and somewhat corny. A complete stranger (to Bennie) leaving her his entire estate then leading her on a scavenger hunt to find the truth seems better fitted for a juvenile mystery. I'm also tired of Bennie's continually harping at her husband about being chauvinistic and over protective. In reality he never would have married her in the very first place; what in the world does he see in her? Come to think of it, there's never been any explanation about what attracted him to her in the very first place. I thought she was growing as a character and understanding her husband more, but this book was a giant step backward. He seems to be changing and becoming more willing to compromise than her. I have books 7 and 8 to read subsequent and if book 7 doesn't show any reasonable growth in their marriage, I'll probably not even read book 8. I really feel Earlene Fowler's editors need to encourage Earlene to make Bennie grow up a little...come on, she's a 35 year old grown woman acting like a selfish child. I know we all read mysteries to figure out "who dunnit" along with the main character, but its the characters that keep us interested in the puzzel and I'm getting tired of Bennie Harper's immature attitude. I do enjoy some tension between married couples when I'm reading but this theme is Fowler's books isn't handled all that well. For a good example of how to maturely handle tantalizing marital tension, read Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series.
Rated by buyers -
While quilting is not as integral to the story as the Elm Creeks series, the storytelling is superb. Fast-paced, witty and with enough chutzpah and machismo to keep Benni & Gabe from getting staid; and keep me grinning. Tying the title quilt block to the plot of the book is clever and entertaining.
I found this book darker than the other Benni Harper mysteries as Benni confronts suspicions of her parentage thanks to her previously unknown uncle, the late Jacob Chandler. She has to deal with a wealth of suspicious characters as she tries to survive the terms of Jacob's will. Benni and Gabe seem to be growing together as a couple and their wildly differing viewpoints are finally rubbing off on each other. Dove, as usual, is a stitch; leading the "San Celina Seven" to rescue the Historical Society museum from the money-grubbing, development minded mayor. Cousin Emory and temporary neighbor Rich Trujillo add a healthy dollop of Southern and Mexican spice to the plot. Eccentric potter Azanna Nybak, best friend Eliva, and even Scout the dog add body to this story. A fun read that left me wanting more.
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