Falling in love again …
by Victoria Abbott
No sooner has Jordan Bingham recovered from Lord Peter Wimsey when she’s falling in love again, this time with Archie Goodwin. I guess she’d better take a number because she’s not the only one. Archie’s been collecting hearts since he first made an appearance back in 1934 as Nero Wolfe’s witty, urbane and tough-as-nails assistant, in the books by the great Rex Stout. For a man whose beverage of choice is milk and whose suits seem to be tailor made, he’s awfully good in a fight. We don’t think he ever starts them, but we are prejudiced on that topic.
Is Archie Goodwin the sexiest man ever? It depends on who you ask. Ask us and we have to say yes, at least in the category of fictional characters. Ask Jordan and she’ll say, ‘Absolutely.”
Archie may have been dashing around Manhattan back in the thirties, forties and fifties, but he’s still dashing today, forever in his thirties and forever a favorite of the ladies, including more than a few who turned out to be guilty of murder.
This time, Jordan Bingham has it bad. Maybe she likes the sizzling hint of danger that Archie presents. Plus we all know that Nero Wolfe’s right hand man never really settled down. Is that part of the irresistible lure of Archie? Or is it the old appeal of the totally unavailable love interest? You can’t get more unavailable than a character who hasn’t appeared in a new book for many years.
Never mind all that. Jordan – the first person in her large Irish family to go straight – appreciates that Archie is clever and streetwise and he knows when to bend the rules. He turns out to be not just a man to dream about, but a good guide to getting out of tough situations. In fact, Archie seems born for tough situations. He never backs away. Neither does Jordan, so that’s no big surprise. He is witty and wisecracking in life-threatening scrapes, something that Jordan can admire and even emulate.
Sure, she has Officer Tyler Dekker, the young police officer who is obviously in love with her, but how can he measure up to this perfect hero? Anyway, Tyler is out of town, supposedly on ‘training’ and Jordan’s close friends are all unavailable for no apparent reason. What’s that about?
She has to deal with being fired and saving her employer’s life (and book collection), apparently alone. Luckily, she can take inspiration from Archie, a guy who never lets you down when your life’s on the line.
Even when she’s trying some daring “middle of the night” escapades, she can draw inspiration from her new hero and maybe make it alive to the next day. Fingers crossed.
How about you? Have you ever fallen hard for a fictional character? How did that work out for you? Let’s hear it.
About the Author:
Victoria and Mary Jane Maffini are Victoria Abbott
Mary Jane Maffini thinks she’s the luckiest woman in the world. After all, she gets to work at home in her cozy office — or at her roomy dining room table or on her deck in summer — writing what she has always loved to read: mysteries. And she gets to write in her pyjamas if she wants, with her miniature dachshunds, Daisy and Lily, snuggled up. She can take her breaks with her husband and the pooches in the dog park and it’s no one’s business but her own. What’s not to love? Plus anyone who has ever made her mad has ended up in a book. No wonder she’s usually in a good mood.
MJ discovered mysteries as a child and read her way through the classics. Later in libraries, she found that people would pay her to select mysteries. They could have saved a bundle if only they’d realized who they were dealing with. She also learned how wonderful and varied crime fiction can be. Following a career as a librarian (not nearly as quiet as it sounds!), she continued her mystery infatuation by becoming co-owner of her favourite bookstore: Prime Crime Mystery Books, with her business partner, Linda Wiken .
Once again, people died. But only in her manuscripts. Since those wonderful reading days, MJ has written thirteen books in three mystery series and more than two dozen short stories. Her latest Charlotte Adams book The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder won the 2012 RT Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. She’s picked up several awards for her short fiction, including three Arthur Ellis awards and an Agatha. She’s also been nominated for an Anthony, a Barry, and several other Ellis awards. She also holds the Crime Writers of Canada Murdoch award.
Victoria Maffini comes by her murderous tendencies honestly, not to mention her writing skills. This is her first collaboration and first novel. She dove head first into the eerie world of Mysteries when she worked at Prime Crime Books for five creepy good years. Vic the Chic is long gone now, but her many glorious years of gorging on New Releases and used paperbacks sure come in handy when writing a Book Collector Mystery series.
When Victoria’s fingers are not on the keyboard they are pointing her Nikon at brides, babies and bad dogs, turning the images into cards, art and memories. Speaking of art…being creative is deep in Victoria’s soul, she never comes back from her long Lanark Highland walks without a stunning shot or a scene that will need to be painted or a pinecone that must be glittered and glued to something. The crafting is strong with this one.
Victoria lives in Carleton Place, Ontario with her Dachshund companions who have not stopped bossing her around for over a decade now, please send help.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted—and Jordan is thankful just to be alive…
Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment, but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.
It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property—not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.
Jennifer’s Review of The Wolfe Widow
Review (4.5 Stars): This is a great series for me and it keeps getting better with each new mystery that is released. Jordan is a character that you will instantly like and the entertaining characters that are in her life will make you want to keep coming back for more. In The Wolfe Widow, Jordan meets Muriel Delgado late one night at the Van Alst home and before she knows it, she is fired from her job and sent back to live with her eccentric uncles. While Jordan is back home, she tries to learn as much as she can about this mysterious stranger and why she had decided to come live with Vera. Learning the truth about Muriel puts Jordan’s life in jeopardy and she needs to find the answers quickly before she becomes another victim.
This is the third book in the Book Collector Mystery series and I love spending time with these characters. Each book focuses on a classic mystery writer and I enjoy learning the different aspects of Jordan’s job as a book collector. Each mystery is extremely fascinating and The Wolfe Widow is a great addition to the already delightful mystery series. This mystery was well-written and entertaining and readers will definitely want to add this mystery to their own collection. Can’t wait to see what is in store for these characters in the next book from this great mother/daughter writing team.
Thanks for the great review! I had a bit of trouble posting a comment, but here goes again.
We love you book people. Have a great reading Fall. XO
MJ/VA