Title: Decent plot can't compensate for under-developed characters.
Product review: I heartily agree with the reviewer who described this book as an "outline" for a great mystery. Mystery fans will find this book extremely formulaic and simplistic. The familiar and uninteresting characters were most disappointing to me: the little old lady who's not what she seems, the wise-cracking reporter, the bumbling but well-intentioned police chief, the intelligent young woman trying to put her past behind her, idiot teenagers. The fact that the little old woman is an alcoholic is not amusing or charming, though the author thinks it is.The plot is contrived to introduce the whole crossword puzzle theme to the series and to introduce all the characters to us. It holds up well enough, but can't compensate for the weak characters (including the killer).Readers looking for an interesting old lady would do well to try Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton series instead.
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