For the first time, Madeline has permission to meddle.Something’s not adding up in the Wintherwood, Ohio bank, and Madeline’s there to figure out why.Sent by the Rockland Pinkerton’s office to investigate shady banking practices, Madeline finally has the opportunity to try out all her developing detective skills. From her new disguise to an assumed persona, complete with non-existent fiancé, … non-existent fiancé, Madeline takes on embezzlement in Wintherwood, Ohio.
Now, to find the culprit and get back to Rockland before Amy arrives, before Mrs. Barnes gets any sicker, and before Russell writes her off as a hopeless, heartless girl.
As Madeline figures out what’s happening, even Mr. Flint begins to lose confidence in her. How will she prove who is taking the money and why–especially after her primary suspect ends up dead?
Dead Letter is the fourth book in the Meddlin’ Madeline series.
more
“Love sometimes requires saying and doing things that make us look and feel unpleasant. How we feel is nothing compared to what the other person needs.”
Madeline Brown is back, and we can all be happy her m”meddling” hasn’t caused even MORE trouble. The only daughter of the widowed Mayor Albert Brown, Madeline accepts her first assignment with the Pinkerton agency and goes deeply “undercover” to find out if something big is going down in the town of Whitherwood Ohio. Amazingly, “Jane Sempleton” gets hired at the small local bank. With none of Madeline’s poise, the bank teller character she fashioned is accepted and even earns the trust of the locals. Every once in a while Madeline peeks out to make observations Jane might never dream of. The means of communication are short notes to her “fiancé “Royal, (another embellishment) that allow her to stay incognito and still keep Flint, the Pinkerton man, up-to-date….
Situations evolve that put Jane in some danger. Will Madeline be able to save her and salvage her reputation with her friends back in Rockford? Will her “matchmaking” help her new friends in Whitherwood find each other? Will Aunt Louisa understand? Will Russell ever forgive her? For answers to these and other questions, you will simply have to read this latest in the series Chautona Havig has hopefully planned on continuing for a long while. Highly Recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
When does the cause justify the means?
As Madeline heads off on her first undercover assignment with the Pinkertons, her disguise is so perfect even Russell doesn’t recognize her. Transforming herself into the fashion-challenged and somewhat simple Jane Sempleton, she heads off to solve the mysteries of the world. Or at least the Wintherwood, Ohio bank world.
It was fun reading the details the author included to show the transformation Madeline made to become “Jane”. And despite Madeline’s great abilities, she was not perfect at it at first. It was especially fun to see how she was able to take a beautiful woman and make her less than attractive using only powder and an overzealous sense of style.
But Madeline wouldn’t be Madeline without going through a spiritual crisis in the process. Does the cause justify the means? Is it okay to deceive in the name of right? How does a Christian who seeks to walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord reconcile this? (Hint – I’m not going to tell!)
A whole new town of characters opened up for the reader’s pleasure as Madeline used her powers of observation in an attempt to sort out the evil from the good. I enjoyed the story-telling through letters that were employed throughout, though the one she had to burn was heartbreaking.
My favorite part of any book by Chautona Havig is the way her heart for the Lord shines through so clearly, and how she unfolds spiritual truths so clearly. Dead Letter did not disappoint.
The story was filled with intrigue and heartbreak. While the ending made it clear another story is in the works, there was a (mostly – by design) satisfying ending. If you have not read the first three books in the series, I recommend you do read those before this one.
There were a few points that were raised which seemed to still need an explanation. The version of the story I read was not the final one, and so it is entirely possible they were resolved in the version offered here.
Read with a Preview and Guest Post at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
This is another great story! I’m not sure why it took me so many years to get around to reading it, but I’m thankful I took the time now. Madeline is such a sweet girl, but she also has a wonderful gift—and I love watching her work through her process to figure out what is going on, and why, and what they should do to catch the criminal. In the meantime, she often looks out for other people’s needs in small ways, all of which end up in becoming a delightful story!
There was one part in here that made me want to cry—though I rarely do cry. I won’t spoil it by saying what it was, but I was delighted to see an example of people’s wishes lovingly carried out, even when it went against their grain to follow them.
A fun, intriguing, interesting read. Highly recommended if you enjoy Christian fiction or mysteries, or both!
Dead Letter
As a lover of a good cozy mystery, I can’t believe this is the first time I have happened upon this author’s mystery series, but it surely won’t be my last to read of hers!
This story caught me from the start with enough suspense to keep me turning page after page to the very end. I loved the character Madeline played as she went undercover to figure out what was going on at a bank in Ohio with a possible embezzlement. I found myself laughing out loud many times throughout the book.
While this is the 4th book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone book, which is what I did, but let me say it would benefit you to go back and read the others in this series just to know a little more about the characters in this book and their history. As I enjoyed this book so much, I do plan to go back and read the first 3 in this series. I hope to see more Meddlin’ Madeline books in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, but was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of this book.
Dead Letter is a detective mystery with a bit of feminine spunk. I can’t quite pin-point it, but something about Madeline’s personality reminded me of a character that would have been created by Jane Austen. Although Emma stood out in my mind the most (for her nosiness), I could also see a blend of others as well. She was an independent woman on a mission, and she wasn’t going to give up easily.
The story was well written with an easy flow to keep the pages turning. There was plenty of mystery and action weaved throughout to grasp your attention while remaining realistic.
Although this is is the fourth book in the series it’s the first one that I read. There were some moments where I thought I’d say you could read it as a stand-alone, but others where I felt like I was missing something from characters’ backgrounds. So while you can read it without the others, I would recommend reading the series in order to get the full backstory.
*I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
This was a wonderfully fun cozy mystery. I love Madeline’s character. She does things her own way and is trying to be a private detective. This was so much fun to read. I really liked how the story flowed. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Dead letter
Madeline goes undercover as Jane. She goes to work at a bank. Sometimes there is some interesting things happen with the customers especially one of them. She is in a different town from her family. That presents a issue in itself.
I did enjoy the character Madeline/Jane. I loved how she was good in math and how she proved she could work at the bank. Also enjoyed all the correspondence that she did and how the letters played into the story.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write an positive review. This is my own opinion.