The Undertaker's Widow | 
|  | | | Title: | The Undertaker's Widow | | Author: | Phillip M. Margolin | | Publisher: | Bantam | | Type: | Book / Mass Market Paperback | | Publication Date: | 02 March, 1999 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0553580884 / 9780553580884 | | List Price: | $7.99 | | Amazon Price: | $7.99 | |
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Product Description
A cold-blooded murder. A beautiful suspect. An honest judge forced to do the unthinkable.
New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin is a master of legal suspense. In this explosive novel, a simple case of self-defense becomes a nightmare in which justice itself is held hostage.
Judge Richard Quinn is young, idealistic, and honest to a fault. That's why he's handed the most sensational homicide case in Oregon history. Locked in a race for the U.S. Senate, Ellen Crease gunned down the intruder who murdered her wealthy husband. In a single, brutal instant she became a widow, a victim, and a hero.
Yet disturbing questions remain. What secrets did the man who started his fortune running mortuaries keep that might have cost him his life? What about the son frozen out of his will? Or his wife's political enemies? And what about Ellen Crease herself?
Soon it becomes clear that a deadly plot of murder, blackmail, passion, and double cross is unfolding around Judge Richard Quinn. And unless he breaks the rules, justice will not only be blind, it will be the final victim.
Amazon.com Review
In this legal thriller, a young judge in Portland, Oregon, struggles to save his marriage and his career after he becomes personally involved in the murder case he's adjudicating. The judge, Richard Quinn, is a deeply principled man who has proven himself an honorable and fair-minded public servant. When an extremely wealthy undertaker is murdered in his mansion in the West Hills of town, Quinn is chosen to preside over the case. The dead man's widow, Ellen Crease, is a driven state congressional representative who is running for a seat in the United States Senate. She's a shapely, pistol-packing Republican and a former cop. She's also a suspect, as is the dead man's underachieving son. Crease's political enemies also appear to be involved in the intrigue, but it's difficult to tell. After someone connected to the case tries to blackmail the judge for an extramarital misstep, Quinn decides to take matters into his own hands. He does some investigating, shares his discoveries with people who seem to be trustworthy (but aren't), and puts himself in harm's way. It's interesting to follow Quinn as he grapples with the ethical issues of the case. When the blackmailers want him to tip the scales of justice one way, he considers tipping them the other direction. There is also something inherently diverting about observing a basically good man who is helplessly mired in a whole heap of trouble. Throughout the book, Quinn keeps stumbling into mortal danger and confiding in all the wrong people, digging himself deeper and deeper in trouble. --Jill Marquis
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Customer Reviews:
• The Undertaker's Widow 04 July, 2008
ISBN 0553580884 - There are few books I enjoy more than those involving cold-blooded murder, and this one says "cold-blooded murder" right on the cover - a match made in heaven? No, sadly. More like a nap made in heaven!
The husband of senate candidate Ellen Crease is murdered in their bedroom. Her immediate response? To kill the killer on the spot, giving her quite a bounce in the polls. Her step-son, however, is certain that she's behind his father's death. Richard Quinn, an almost extraordinarily honest judge, is asked to hear the case, a case that seems tailor-made for a man who will dole out justice to anyone - even another judge.
Lou Anthony investigates the crime. Anthony's a cop who knew Ellen when she was on the force and he's the moral equal of Quinn; he's not about to let the fact that he's friendly with Crease taint his investigation. Various twists and turns, from murder to blackmail, muddy the waters and Judge Quinn, who'd thought his greatest fight would be to save his marriage, finds himself fighting for his life.
There's this weird name thing going on in this book, and it's distracting. Men's names include: Lou Anthony, Leroy Dennis, James Allen, Richard Quinn, Frederick Gideon, Ryan Clark, Jerome Ross, Kyle Fletcher and Art Bradford. Margolin's habit of giving his male characters first names as last names draws attention to that weird pattern and away from the story. The story itself is the sort that is so convoluted, at times, that the reader ought to have no trouble at all staying a step or three ahead of the twists. Not a bad summer read, it's quick, easy and painless... but a bit boring.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2FS9CYCWC6HLW
• Undertaker's Widow 20 October, 2007
This book reads like a movie of the week on the Lifetime channel. Veteran mystery readers will find the supposed "twists" in this story to be laughable. I did. The only good thing is that a friend lent me his copy. When finished, I promptly returned it and asked him to never recommend another book to me again.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2KOS7S5ZL9QSI
• Review By Nan Kilar And Bobby Miller 19 October, 2006
A bad guy broke into the home of wealthy Lamar Hoyt and his wife, Oregon state Senator Ellen Crease, killing Lamar. Ellen killed the bad guy. Was it a burglary gone wrong or was Mr. Bad a hit man? Who was he supposed to kill? Soon Ellen is arrested for murder--right in the midst of her campaign for the US Senate seat.
Judge Richard Quinn gets the high profile case. He's just sentenced a former judge to jail and is under close scrutiny about this case. But his marriage is not in the best shape and a weekend in the Caribbean didn't help him. Now that he's back in Oregon, the island episode is back to haunt him to the point of being blackmailed to see that Ellen Crease is convicted.
Who's behind the blackmail and the murders? It's a quick read that will hold your interest to the end. But how can a judge be so dumb?
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3V3MITG7EZ955
• Great, Page Turner 13 September, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. It never got boring where I had to skip through several pages or too descriptive. His writing style was just right. It held my interest till the end. A great mystery. While one area of the book was predictable, the ending was not. I am going to read his other books, hope they're as good as this one was.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A379IB3EYAEL5
• An Intriguing Tale 01 September, 2008
Phillip Margolin's "Undertaker's Widow", was a terrific read. It was a bit different from his other books I've read. This one didn't have the numerous characters found in his other stories, although there were quite a few. The book started out as if it was character-driven rather than plot driven and I was beginning to wonder where it was going until all of a sudden--in that special writing mode of Margolin's--it all started coming together in a tricky plot that is characteristic of his works in spellbinding action. Like his other books, I didn't want to put this one down until I finished. This man does have great talent for spinning some intriguing tales.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1B5IRBWJCMY2T
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