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Charlotte MacLeod
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Grab Bag: A Collection of Stories Kindle Edition

by Charlotte MacLeod (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 100 ratings
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Seventeen priceless stories from the author often referred to as “America’s Agatha Christie”
Charlotte MacLeod’s heroes were men and women like Peter Shandy and Sarah Kelling—genteel sleuths who fight crime with brains, not brawn—and her settings were the drawing rooms and servants’ quarters of New England and beyond. With a keen wit and a strong eye for detail, she crafted some of the most memorable victims, murderers, and innocent bystanders of twentieth-century detective novels. In this volume, she proves herself a master of the short story as well. Here is the original Peter Shandy story, featuring the school that would eventually metamorphose into Balaclava Agricultural College. Here is peculiar Cousin Claude, who strangles himself with his own necktie. And here is the tale that answers the question “What does Max Bittersohn do when his wife is not around?” Whether the characters are familiar or not, the style is irresistible, and the mysteries are as delightfully puzzling as ever.
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  1. Print length
    255 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  5. Publication date
    November 6, 2012
  6. File size
    3377 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the most gifted mystery authors writing today.” —Sojourner: The Women's Forum “The screwball mystery is Charlotte MacLeod’s cup of tea.” —Chicago Tribune   “Charlotte MacLeod does what she does better than anybody else does it; and what she does is in the top rank of modern mystery fiction.” —Elizabeth Peters, creator of the Amelia Peabody series

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 ‏ : ‎ B009S33K20
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (November 6, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3377 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 ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 100 ratings

About the author

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Charlotte MacLeod

Charlotte MacLeod

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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.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
100 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marjorie W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Fun
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Short stories written by the author. Some weird, but most have lots of humor and I laughed outloud at the cleverness of the main teller. Very enjoyable.
2 people found this helpful
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Mimi C.
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun collection of short stories
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
Mixed in this collection are new faces and some familiar faces from MacLeod's repertoire. The stories are typically funny and offbeat. Except for the typos, the collection is very enjoyable. Great reading if you haven't got time for a whole book at a sitting.
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Pat Zabriskie
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Satisfying!
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
MacLeod is a master of surprise n quirky. Her characters have color, depth n weirdness.
I have read all her series books n this all applies. What an imagination.
3 people found this helpful
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RMWARZ
3.0 out of 5 stars A Collection of Pleasant Quick Reads
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book offers a collection of light short stories by the author of the Peter Shandy and Kelling-Bittersohn mystery novels. The stories are mostly humorous with several spoofing the mystery genre. The stories are well-written and cleverly plotted, but they mostly lack the sharp wit and madcap characters that make the best books of the author’s mystery series such a treat for her fans.
One person found this helpful
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Gladys Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars Grab Bag
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017
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I loved this book because I could finish a story. Before something interrupted me. And stories just plain fun to read. I am all about fun.
3 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful stories!
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019
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I love anything by Charlotte MacLeod.
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Danielle N. Hart
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Collection of Short Mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
Grab Bag is...well, a grab bag of short stories from Charlotte MacLeod. It's got stories featuring her better known characters in straight up mysteries, and some other stories that are more general. I didn't care for either of the 2 stories that were written for Murder by the Book to be performed as games, but in general the stories were good. I particularly liked "Better a Cat", "Lady Patterly's Lover", and I think a lot of us could probably relate to "More Like Martine".

Definitely worth a read, especially if you can get it as a Kindle Daily Deal.
5 people found this helpful
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Louisa Chabot
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2016
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I am a fan of Charlotte MacLeod
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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emma
5.0 out of 5 stars Grabbelkiste
Reviewed in Germany on February 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
Ich liebe diese Autorin! Schon die Einleitung war ein Genuss 😍 und jede der Geschichten auf ihre Art. Große Vielfalt, bekannte Lieblinge und neue Bekanntschaften, Mord, Betrug und Diebstahl - in dieser Grabbelkiste findet man von allem was.
Besonders gut fand ich die Einleitung der Autorin zu jeder einzelnen Geschichte, vor allem, wenn sie nicht nur frühere Veröffentlichungen und eventuell abweichende Titel nennt, sondern Hintergründe und Entstehung erklärt.
Bleibt in meinem "Präsenz"-Ordner auf dem Kindle für gelegentliche Wiedersehen im Wartezimmer oder auf dem Zahnarztstuhl 😉
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