Product Description

Jane Lawless is at her wit’s end keeping her Minneapolis restaurants running while volunteering on her father’s campaign for governor. With an eleven-point lead, the race is Ray Lawless’s to lose, but all that changes when his rival posts a list of violent criminals that are back on the streets early, thanks to Ray’s work during his career as a defense lawyer.

Corey Hodge is one of the convicts that took Ray’s advice to plead guilty for a crime that he swears he didn’t commit. Bitter from time served, revenge lurks in the back of his mind. Then one of Ray’s young campaign volunteers is killed, and with the murder mirroring the crime Corey was convicted of, Jane has to bring the killer to justice to save her father’s political career and to keep Corey from going to prison again.

The high stakes and political intrigue that fuel Sweet Poison, the latest in Lambda and Minnesota Book Award--winning author Ellen Hart’s absorbing Jane Lawless series, make for an intense mystery of ambition and obsession.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #132990 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-11
• Released on: 2008-11-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In the juicy 16th Jane Lawless mystery (after 2007's The Mortal Groove), the lesbian restaurateur worries about her father Ray's upcoming bid for governor of Minnesota. Corey Hodge, a convicted rapist Ray once defended in court, has just been released from prison. Nursing a grudge, he volunteers at Ray's campaign headquarters until his identity is exposed. Life gets more intense after Corey becomes a suspect in the murder of one of Ray's top volunteers, Charity Miller. Charity was being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, who may have committed a hate crime against a gay United Methodist minister involved with a male campaign worker. Also causing Jane concern is the unexpected return from Africa of her ex-lover, Dr. Julia Martinsen. Julia plots to reignite her relationship with Jane, who's involved in a troubled long-distance relationship with Kenzie, a Nebraska professor. Hart fans will enjoy the many twists, both personal and criminal. (Nov.)
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From Booklist
Hart’s newest mystery spotlighting Minneapolis restaurateur/amateur sleuth Jane Lawless is a relevant tale of upcoming elections, betrayal, and murder. Jane’s dad, attorney Raymond Lawless, is running to become Minnesota’s next governor when his opponent releases a list of all the criminals back on the street thanks to Lawless’ defense work. Add the killing of a campaign volunteer, a mysterious occurrence concerning Ray’s private plane, and the sudden reappearance of Jane’s old flame, Julia, “a woman who lies like she breathes,” for a solidly satisfying sixteenth title in this popular lesbian murder-mystery series. Can the heroine’s long-distance lover, Kenzie, put up with Jane’s life of criminals, cop buddies, and the stress of managing multiple restaurants, not to mention political intrigue and a returning duplicitous ex? Bigger-than-life sidekick Cordelia Thorne, Jane’s best friend and a theatrical director who’s theatrical in every way, not only provides humor but also piercing insights as Hart’s tales grow darker and more contemplative as she plumbs deeper into the convoluted hearts and minds of her fascinating characters. --Whitney Scott

Review

“Hart offers another solid entry in her entertaining Jane Lawless mystery series…. Loyalty, fairness, and the law are compellingly probed in this increasingly thoughtful series.”
--Booklist on The Mortal Groove

“Engrossing… Excellent election-year reading.”
--Publishers Weekly on The Mortal Groove

“Hart is at the top of her game.”
--Curve Magazine on The Mortal Groove

“Pitting sib against sib in a deadly game, the fourteenth Lawless mystery gets highly dramatic.”
--Booklist on Night Vision

“Jane Lawless and her trusty sidekick, Cordelia Thorn, are the most refreshing, entertaining, and cerebrally stimulating duo since Rex Stout’s unbeatable combo of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.”
--Baltimore Alternative

Customer Reviews

Cynicism Wins Over Comfort in this Mystery
Though I'm an ardent fan of Ellen Hart's Jane Lawless mysteries, and though I waited anxiously for this new book, and read it in 2 days despite a busy schedule, I found Sweet Poison to be heavier in mood than normal.

Normally, Hart's books are like warm tea with honey to me; they're a vacation! And, the capers between Jane and her best friend, (the regal Ms. Cordelia Thorn) are enough to carry me through the quixotic, daunting, and suspenseful parts.

But, in Sweet Poison, all the characters -- including Jane -- are heavy with unresolved grief and anger from past or current relationships. And, there's a certain deviousness in key characters (not the villains) that I haven't experienced in Hart's other books.

As the book ended, instead of feeling relieved, warm, and cozy, I was left with a a restless distrust about the plot and Jane's future.

This is still a good book. It's still well-written, and has moments of fun, but the gentleness towards people and the lightness in spirit are missing.

Another excellent read
Ellen Hart - Can't wait for her books -and this one didn't disappoint. It is a different feel, but it actually makes Jane even more real for me, not that she wasn't in earlier books. I think the hanging end, and I hope no one reveals in any review, is great. And the next installment of Jane Lawless will be...? Come on, I'm serious, Ellen Hart, when will it be?

Loved this book!
I must confess--I am an Ellen Hart JUNKIE! I have read every one of her stories and I subscribe to her email releases to find out when the next mystery is scheduled for release. Yes, I even pre-ordered this one on Amazon so I wouldn't have to go out and search for it in the conservative book stores in Idaho! (That would take WAY too long!!)

I enjoyed this one immensely for several reasons: (a) it fits well with the rabid political season we've had this year, (b) it's entertaining to read about the "tug-o-wars" for Jane's love, and (c) mostly, because I love the way she develops characters and teases you with motives for various characters who could have committed the crime! The suprise ending sets her up beautifully for the next book...and yes, I will pre-order that one too!! Thanks Ellen for continuing to deliver beautifully written books which are a fabulous diversion for a cold winter day.