Book DescriptionHarry Starke loves a cold case, but this one is really cold””more than a hundred years cold. Family Matters is a whimsical tale, a flight of fancy. It takes place on the lonely coast of Maine, where Amanda, a true believer in the paranormal, has inherited””you guessed it””a haunted house. Or at least that’s what the rumors say.It all begins when Amanda inherits the house, … all begins when Amanda inherits the house, substantial assets, and a large sum of money from her grandmother. The windfall comes with a request to look into the disappearance of Elizabeth, Amanda’s great-great-grandmother, more than a hundred years ago.
Harry, a skeptic, a down-to-earth investigator who believes only in the facts, has a tough time dealing with Amanda’s”� fantasies? We all know that the imagination can play tricks on a susceptible mind, especially when that mind is under stress. But is it just their imaginations? Could it be something more?
You’ll have to be the judge.
˃˃˃ From the Author
Family Matters began some twenty years ago as a short story. It was the first mystery I – yes, I did say I – ever solved. You’ll understand what I mean when you’ve finished reading it. Now I’ll turn it over to the inimitable Harry Starke who, I’m sure, will do a far better job of things than I did.
˃˃˃ Who is Harry Starke?
Harry Starke is an ex-policeman turned private investigator, by choice. He’s been called “a modern day Mike Hammer with a Southern style.” He has no skeletons, no dark past, no hang-ups. He’s funny, tough, fearless, and smart He’s a wealthy, well-educated businessman with friends in high places, and he’s a nice guy with a conscience and a “very believable attitude about his life and his work.”
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Family Matters – a review by Rosemary Kenny
Family Matters is Blair Howard’s 6th Harry Starke novel, a series that just gets better and better with each book!
This book revolves around Harry’s fiancee, Amanda Cole, news anchor at Channel 7 tv. When her grandmother dies and leaves her not only a luxury house in Macon, but a supposedly haunted hotel that she never liked in Maine, Amanda decides to visit both, after she and Harry call on the family lawyer. He stuns Amanda with the news she’s the sole heir of her Gran’s $19 million fortune!! The lawyer also gives her the key to a bank vault’s strong-box, that contains an ornate inlaid marquetry box, a gold man’s pocket-watch and some family papers, including a letter from her Gran.
Can the legend be true – was her great-grandmother murdered, or did she leave of her own accord? And if the former, how come the body was never found, like that of her great-grandfather’s second wife, soon after she supposedly threw herself off the cliffs near the house she never liked either?
The plot thickens like molasses and what Harry and Amanda find definitely changes their minds, about the family history and her great-grandmother’s legacy!
Don’t miss this terrific thriller as it’s 5-star, all action dynamite, that should be the next purchase for your bookshelves – in fact, why not buy them all – a real treasure trove!
This one makes for a great gothic novel, even has a happy ending. Amanda inherits a hotel from her grandmother. She travels with Harry to Maine to settle affairs with the hotel and have Harry try to find why her grandmother’s grandmother disappeared. We even have ghostly visits, lights turning on and cold spots. All of these are expected in a 200 year old home. The keys to this 100 year old mystery is a box that can’t be opened, a watch and a portrait. It reveals Amanda’s shocking heritage and the secret of Elizabeth’s disappearance. Let’s just say during all the mystery and spooky going ons; Harry has a Hallmark moment.
Family Matters (Harry Starke #6), my twenty-fourth read from author Blair Howard. Well-written and enjoyable, edge of your seat haunted house/detective fiction. So far each book in the series has been batter than its predecessor. Narrator Tom Lennon’s excellent narration, as always, adds to the enjoyment of the book. I look forward to Retribution (Harry Starke #7). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
This book finds Harry and Amanda at a creepy hotel in backwoods Maine that Amanda just inherited from her grandmother whom she hardly knew. There are rumors that the place is haunted. They immediately find cold spots, pianos playing, and pictures that seem to watch them. This is not your typical ghost story but instead a cold case involving the death of Amanda’s great-great-grandmother. Harry wants to leave but Amanda wants to figure out what the woman in the portrait is trying to tell them. The book throws in some surprises as they follow the clues. It was not your typical Harry Starke murder with lots of bad guy and guns but instead an interesting interlude that demonstrates Harry great mystery solving skills.