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Trouble in the Brasses (The Madoc and Janet Rhys Mysteries Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Charlotte MacLeod (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 343 ratings
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A Canadian Mountie investigates a murder among musicians in this mystery by the Edgar Award–nominated author of the Peter Shandy series.
 Although he is a decorated officer of the Mounted Police, Madoc Rhys’s tin ear has long been an embarrassment to his musically fixated family. But when his father’s orchestra needs a policeman, the Mountie gets a chance to make daddy proud. It began as pranks among the brass instruments, but something is rotten inside the Wagstaffe Symphony, and is about to graduate to something criminal. Called in to look into the tensions within the group, Madoc arrives just in time to see the French horn player keel over. The death appears natural, and the orchestra boards the plane to its next engagement. But when a storm forces them to make an emergency landing and take shelter in an eerie old lodge, the extent of the danger becomes clear. Madoc may never understand music, but he has a good ear for murder, and is about to show off his chops.
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  1. Book 4 of 5
    The Madoc and Janet Rhys Mysteries
  2. Print length
    260 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  6. Publication date
    October 2, 2012
  7. File size
    2889 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The epitome of the ‘cozy’ mystery.” —Mostly Murder “MacLeod can be counted on for a witty, literate and charming mystery.” —Publishers Weekly “Charm, wit, and Holmesian logic.” —AudioFile

About the Author

Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005) was an internationally bestselling author of cozy mysteries. Born in Canada, she moved to Boston as a child, and lived in New England most of her life. After graduating from college, she made a career in advertising, writing copy for the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company before moving on to Boston firm N. H. Miller & Co., where she rose to the rank of vice president. In her spare time, MacLeod wrote short stories, and in 1964 published her first novel, a children’s book called Mystery of the White Knight.  In Rest You Merry (1978), MacLeod introduced Professor Peter Shandy, a horticulturist and amateur sleuth whose adventures she would chronicle for two decades. The Family Vault (1979) marked the first appearance of her other best-known characters: the husband and wife sleuthing team Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn, whom she followed until her last novel, The Balloon Man, in 1998. 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0099J3DMK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (October 2, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2889 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 343 ratings

About the author

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Alisa Craig

Alisa Craig

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
343 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Aerin
5.0 out of 5 stars Cozy Mysteries par Excellence
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a book I reread regularly. It is a light hearted murder mystery that is one of Charlotte Macleod's best. Madoc Rhys, detective with the RCMP visits his parents - Sir Emlyn (a famous conductor) and Lady Rhys - and joins them for the trip to the orchestra's next gig. The star singers and the top orchestra players are flying on a private plane donated for the occasion by a patron. That's when the fun begins.

I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn't read the book yet but I assure you it will be well worth the time. Charlotte Macleod has a tendency to push cuteness past the point of amusing to the point of silliness but this is one of the ones where her touch is just perfect; cute, funny and clever. Enjoy!
4 people found this helpful
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Khirul
4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing detection
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2019
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It's not clear to me why the author chose to leave Janet out of this one, though a credible explanation is given for purposes of the story. Personally missed her. The plot and development are otherwise good, the writing fine fun.
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Alice L. Ramirez
5.0 out of 5 stars Likable characters, engrossing plot
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2008
Verified Purchase
One of Charlotte MacLeod's best. Written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig. Detective Inspector Maddoc Rhys of the RCMP is a balanced, likable and intelligent character. In this one, his world-class conductor father is concerned about undercurrents in the orchestra as they are about to go to a major music festival somewhere out west and asks for his son's help. Leaving his wife Janet behind in Frederickton, he goes to answer his father's call for help.

Right before the key characters pile onto a private jet to fly to said festival, one of the musicians drops dead backstage. They are allowed to leave because at the time it was believed that the fat man died of natural causes. The plane is forced to make an emergency landing much farther north, in the middle of nowhere, in what is in summer an old west style resort, but in fall and winter essentially a ghost town. A second murder occurs while they are stranded.

The cast of characters include, in addition to Rhys, his Welsh father and his rather haughty mother Lady Rhys, a menagerie of rather eccentric classical musicians as well as the pilots and at least one other endearingly crazy local. The plot twists are interesting and plausible, Rhy's sleuthing makes sense and is well laid-out. Since this is a cozy, the killer gets arrested and hauled off (by a rather eccentric local lady sheriff), and everyone else (at least those not murdered) goes to wherever they wanted to be.

I liked the book well enough to buy a replacement when my original copy got too ratty. I tend to read my favorites multiple times, and this was a favorite.
11 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder in the Wilds of Canada
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
Admittedly, I am a long time fan of Charlotte MacLeod's, Bittersohn, mystery series, which are sometimes heavier than her other works.With the advent of kindle book copies of the latter, I find her almost equally appealing in these. This is true of 'Trouble with Brasses', a lighthearted mystery with multiple murders and a cast of professional musicians with more than a few little idiosyncrasies which make for a most interesting stew. The setting is Canada, the participants members of an orchestra on tour accompanied by a group of singers, the guest Maestro of said Orchestra and his wife, both titled, and their son, a police inspector on a visit to resolve some problems that have arisen, and an odd old flier and his battered old airplane long since overdue for scrapping. Members of the orchestra and its Maestro and his family, are flying to the next destination of the tour while the singers go by train. Their plane is blown off course by a freak storm and its navigational and operating systems destroyed forcing a landing at a vacant resort hotel in the middle of the wilderness. The author thus creates a desert island effect in which murder takes place (following a possible murder at the last concert of the Orchestra). With a light and deft touch the author delineates life in the middle of nowhere of a group marked by a diversity of reactions to the hardships. The Inspector, his mother, and father, are interesting characters as is the orchestra group. There is a neat last minute resolution of the criminal aspect that has crept into the intensive atmosphere of deprivation and living too close together; the solution, however, offers rather limited opportunities for problem solving by readers so inclined. All in all a pleasantly non-violent murder mystery in a replica of the isolated mansion setting.
5 people found this helpful
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Customer Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun To Read Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Inspector Madoc goes to visit his father, a traveling orchestra conductor. His mother and ends up in a plane crash and surviving with some of the band members at a theme park in the middle of nowhere where everything's closed for winter. They find some supplies and there is a water well. the the murders begin. First, a girl is strangled. Then, a man is killed with an ice pick. Humorously, an old man in a biplane shows up and flies Madoc to the rangers' station to get help. I love the characters and couldn't put it down. This was an incredible read.
2 people found this helpful
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Jane C. Sadler
4.0 out of 5 stars Part of a series of books with continuing characters.
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019
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Charlotte Macleod was an Author who writes or did write four series of books. Two as Charlotte M. and two as Alisa Craig. This is one of Alisa's with a Canadian Mountie and his wife, also his family from Wales. They are less amusing but more dramatic. All her books are well written and very entertaining.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
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I loved watching Madoc's father and mum in this story just as much as I loved watching Madoc cope with everything that went on. It's adorable and cute. Missed Janet, but the ending just made my day.
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oldehf
3.0 out of 5 stars Have you read any of her other series?
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
Not as good as some of her other books, but a break from the"serious " novels. I hadn't read any of these before. The best are probably those with the young widow and the art expert.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Madoc series great. What next you ask yourself
Reviewed in Canada on April 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Madoc series great. What next you ask yourself. I love it, being a Frederictonian, nee Craig {which she also writes under}, and it is solid for "of the time and area". And a real good mystery!!
One person found this helpful
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puzzle
5.0 out of 5 stars besonders für Blechbläser ein Vergnügen
Reviewed in Germany on September 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
Charlotte Mac Leod erzählt charmant von Eigenheiten der Blechbläser, Holzbläser, Sänger, Dirigenten... und entwickelt in dieser Szenerie einen stimmungsvollen Krimi im verschneiten Hochland
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K.Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious
Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book was a delight! Well written, with lots of tongue in cheek hilarity. I look forward to reading more about Inspector Rhys.
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E Z Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Full of humour and intrigue Charlotte MacLeod always makes me laugh out loud
One person found this helpful
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