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Charlotte MacLeod
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Wrack and Rune (The Peter Shandy Mysteries Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Charlotte MacLeod (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 462 ratings
A professor ponders the possibility of an ancient Viking curse while investigating a death by quicklime, in a novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author. When 105-year-old Hilda Horsefall tells young reporter Cronkite Swope of a stone carved with Norse runes that once sat in the nearby woods, the writer starts salivating at the thought of breaking the news that Vikings once marauded through their sleepy Massachusetts countryside. But while he’s jotting down notes, a scream rings out, and Cronkite finds an even bigger story. A farmhand has been burned to death by quicklime, and Cronkite gets an exclusive scoop. In this neck of New England, strange deaths are invariably referred to Prof. Peter Shandy, the only local with the know-how to connect fearsome quicklime to the Vikings of old. But as he digs into the ancient mystery, the professor finds the forgotten Norse gods aren't above demanding a modern sacrifice.
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  1. Book 3 of 10
    The Peter Shandy Mysteries
  2. Print length
    208 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  5. Publication date
    November 6, 2012
  6. File size
    6.2 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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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 ‏ : ‎ B009S33LRO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (November 6, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1504067681
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 462 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

4.4 out of 5 stars
462 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this mystery book for its engaging plots and well-developed characters, particularly appreciating the relationships between them. The book is full of humor and customers love the series, with one review noting it serves as a vacation from daily realities. The writing skill receives mixed reactions from customers.

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13 customers mention "Plot development"10 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the plot development of the book, finding it engaging and well-crafted, with one customer describing it as a charming tale of misadventurous mystery.

"...The mystery is compelling, and alls well that ends well. Get the first book in the series, "Rest ye Merry", and I guarantee you will be hooked." Read more

"...if you were a part of the world she creates, Her convoluted and engaging plots, Her deneaumont and summaries during and at the end of the story,..." Read more

"...Story was fine; the pushy developers verses the historical land owners (never mind the Native Americans), feuding businesses, over-focused academic..." Read more

"...Certainly, these are not intricate crime novels laden with intricate forensic details or twisted plots...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly the relationships between characters, with one customer noting the clear portrayal of the protagonist's thoughts.

"...The main character, Peter Shandy, is delightful as are all the secondary characters. The mystery is compelling, and alls well that ends well...." Read more

"...Love her light hearted books, the characters and their relationships, their small college town sensibilities, their loyalties to the college and to..." Read more

"...of the thought processes come up with some interesting descriptions of peoples feelings without resorting to using extremism or rude comments...." Read more

"...The eccentric characters and their strangely wonderful names are addictive...." Read more

9 customers mention "Humor"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one describing it as a hilarious Peter Shandy Mystery.

"...She is an author to be remembered for her Humor, her Writing Skill, Her Ability to draw you into the story as if you were a part of the world she..." Read more

"...Gives me many a chuckle and doesn't keep me awake at night." Read more

"One of my favorite authors. I reread her books over and over and laugh each time. So sad that she died of Alzheimer's...." Read more

"...rather gruesome death that starts off the book, Wrack and Rune is full of humor and snarky dialog...." Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers love this series and find the book fun to read, with one customer describing the main character as an engaging dinner guest.

"...Macleod ...bet she was a wonderful, erudite, funny and engaging dinner guest...She would have been a joy to talk to and break bread with I am..." Read more

"Love this series and am working my way through them all!..." Read more

"An all-time favorite. Love the eccentric characters. First of a series. Fun." Read more

"...More character development of the Swensen's and Professor Tim Ames. Fun, light reading." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, finding it delightful and whimsical, with one customer noting it serves as a vacation from daily realities.

"...The main character, Peter Shandy, is delightful as are all the secondary characters. The mystery is compelling, and alls well that ends well...." Read more

"Such a vacation from the realities of the day...these stories take place in the 1970's if I am reading them right...and are jyst as relevant now in..." Read more

"...There's something very charming and whimsical about these novels. The eccentric characters and their strangely wonderful names are addictive...." Read more

"...Charlotte Macleod has created a wonderful world with the Agricultural College of Balaclava and its splendid Swedish president, a twentieth century..." Read more

4 customers mention "Writing skill"2 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book.

"...She is an author to be remembered for her Humor, her Writing Skill, Her Ability to draw you into the story as if you were a part of the world she..." Read more

"...I really liked this one, the one minor complaint is the odd dialect spoken by some of the farmers...." Read more

"I read everything by Charlotte MacLeod because her writing is meticulous and I enjoy some of the slightly idiotic names and characters...." Read more

"...become caricatures, plot devices too contrived, and the tone too silly for words, as is the case with "Wrack and Rune"." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Boz Dijango
    5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this series
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I am fond of the setting. I can't imagine many cozy mysteries have settings in an agricultural college! The main character, Peter Shandy, is delightful as are all the secondary characters. The mystery is compelling, and alls well that ends well. Get the first book in the series, "Rest ye Merry", and I guarantee you will be hooked.
    One person found this helpful
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  • pollymom
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cliches galore, Puns, Variations of Accents and ways of speaking...Funny...this author writes funny!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Such a vacation from the realities of the day...these stories take place in the 1970's if I am reading them right...and are jyst as relevant now in tgec2020's. Read them athen and am now reading them again...
    Wish I had known Charlotte Macleod ...bet she was a wonderful, erudite, funny and engaging dinner guest...She would have been a joy to talk to and break bread with I am sure.
    Love her light hearted books, the characters and their relationships, their small college town sensibilities, their loyalties to the college and to each other, their dealing with local events and Tragedies...all of it. To be a fly on the wall...well, it feels like one is, while reading her books, like 'you are there' ...that kind of feeling.
    I highly recommend these books...all of her series and stand alone books.
    She is an author to be remembered for her Humor, her Writing Skill, Her Ability to draw you into the story as if you were a part of the world she creates, Her convoluted and engaging plots, Her deneaumont and summaries during and at the end of the story, Her ability to 'Write Funny'...
    I recommend these with all my heart...
    Helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars ... Charlotte MacLeod because her writing is meticulous and I enjoy some of the slightly idiotic names and characters
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I read everything by Charlotte MacLeod because her writing is meticulous and I enjoy some of the slightly idiotic names and characters. I also like that this author describes situations and the thoughts of the protagonist in clear ideas. For instance, the characters engage in short dialogue, but the explanation of the thought processes come up with some interesting descriptions of peoples feelings without resorting to using extremism or rude comments. Peter Shandy is a bit tedious, but he is usually one step ahead of everyone else with his ability to see other people clearly and to dispatch the conclusions definitively. I go back and read this series and other series by this author over and over. Gives me many a chuckle and doesn't keep me awake at night.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Jo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun-filled murder mysteries.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I love the Peter Shandy series. There's something very charming and whimsical about these novels. The eccentric characters and their strangely wonderful names are addictive. There may be murder and certainly mayhem but the villains are mostly motivated by greed not psychopathy (in the main). So restful not to be inundated with forensics or psychology, or tortured detectives seeking some sort of salvation.

    This isn't to say the author doesn't provide a good mystery, she does but in a way that doesn't shock or disturb a reader. Her villains are dastardly and her heroes are charming eccentrics.

    Certainly, these are not intricate crime novels laden with intricate forensic details or twisted plots. The hero isn't Jack Reacher or Charlie Parker. He's someone you'd love to have afternoon tea with while eating Iduna Stott's scones.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • julie mulie
    3.0 out of 5 stars Loved to see Swedish names
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Peter Shandy and his wife are just insufferable. Loved the other characters, including those with names I have in my family tree. Unfortunately, and it may be because of the Kindle version, one of those characters had a nick-name of Henny, but Kindle version often typed it as Kenny. Story was fine; the pushy developers verses the historical land owners (never mind the Native Americans), feuding businesses, over-focused academic types, over-reaction of the local population (where do all these people come from when it is supposed to be rural), and a wrap up when Mrs. Shandy finds the answers in the library genealogy archive.
    Helpful
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  • Faye WW
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic Screwball Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    One of my favorite authors. I reread her books over and over and laugh each time.

    So sad that she died of Alzheimer's. I would have cherished more books from her.
    Helpful
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  • Kay Hudson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Runes and riots
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Wrack and Rune is the third installment in Charlotte MacLeod’s Peter Shandy series, centered around the discovery of a rune stone on the property of an 85-year-old farmer (and his feisty 105-year-old aunt). Along with the usual folks from Balaclava College (President Svenson, his wife Sieglinde, and his centenarian uncle from Sweden, Professor Ames, et al), a local journalist named Cronkite Swope (his brother Brinkley works at the soap factory), and a cat named Jane Austen, Peter and Helen deal with a number of untrustworthy characters with their eyes on the Horsefall homestead.

    Despite the rather gruesome death that starts off the book, Wrack and Rune is full of humor and snarky dialog. I read this series years ago when the books first came out, and I’m enjoying them just as much today.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Patty
    5.0 out of 5 stars odd cover art
    Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Love this series and am working my way through them all! I do have to mention (only in jest, kind of) that the cover looks like the back of a naked lady kneeling down - I'm sorry it just does. I had to stare at it for a while to see that it's actually supposed to be a viking head piece. I'm a 63 year old grandmother so I don't think that my mind is in the gutter - I just see it as it is!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Helen Pollard
    4.0 out of 5 stars Vikings alive and kicking in New England
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Peter Shandy mysteries are full of larger than life characters and sly literary allusions. The author has a great sense of humour,and there will be a bubble of laughter building up as you read. Not literary fiction but a good light read.
    Report
  • Lin Thompson
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting older book
    Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I got hooked on the series for the language which i often requires a dictionary and the fact that it is set in the 50-60's without cell phones and police procedure. Set in an agricultural college in New England it is an interesting picture of life as it used to be. The amateur sleuth and his cast are entertaining. The plots are not amazing. But you do find yourself drawn into simpler times and places.
    Report
  • Citizen Smiff
    4.0 out of 5 stars weird
    Reviewed in Australia on December 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    But entertaining,despite being delivered in the vernacular in part. Rather endearing but not up for a literature prize, give it a go I suspect you'll finish reading it.
    Report
  • Kathleen Toynbee
    4.0 out of 5 stars Most enjoyable
    Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Love the fact the author uses excellent grammar and language. She has developed some quirky characters mixed in with the regulars. I enjoyed the book
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Good
    Report

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