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Charlotte MacLeod
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The Plain Old Man (The Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn Mysteries) Paperback – October 19, 2021

by Charlotte MacLeod (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings
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Murder upstages a Kelling family theatrical production—and Boston’s art sleuths are on the case. “The screwball mystery is Charlotte MacLeod’s cup of tea” (Chicago Tribune).
 

Producing a Gilbert & Sullivan opera requires a special kind of madness, and the Kelling family is large enough and peculiar enough to undertake an entire company by themselves. For years now, Sarah Kelling’s Aunt Emma has supervised these annual productions—from The Pirates of Penzance to The Mikado—and this year she has invited her cast of relatives to rehearse The Sorcerer in her stately mansion. The show is nearly ready when a team of burglars drugs the cast and crew to make off with a priceless portrait.

 

Theft or no theft, Aunt Emma insists the show must go on. Even when one of the cast dies suddenly, she finds a replacement and continues rehearsal. But when Sarah begins to suspect the actor was murdered, it becomes clear that dear Aunt Emma may be in danger of taking her final bow.
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Previous page
  1. Book 6 of 12
    Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn Mysteries
  2. Print length
    201 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  5. Publication date
    October 19, 2021
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.46 x 8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    150406772X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1504067720
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review


“If this is your first meeting with Sarah Kelling, oh how I envy you!” —Margaret Maron, author of The Buzzard Table

 

“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

 
“Charm, wit, and Holmesian logic.” —AudioFile 

About the Author


Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005) was an international 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

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road; Reprint edition (October 19, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 201 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 150406772X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1504067720
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.46 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 399 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

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
399 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder When the Family Puts on a Play
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016
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In this entry in the fine Kelling-Bittersohn series,, Ms. MacLeod gives us both an amusing and interesting look into the Kelling family at work in an amateur play but also our heroine problem solving without her husband Max. It is time for the annual play for charity of one of the family's most forceful yet lovable members but unknown to the clan, there is skulduggery afoot within her own rather palatial home. Sarah Bittersohn, her husband away on the case of a stolen Picasso, is helping visiting and working hard to see that the production organized and starring her very dominating yet lovable aunt is as brilliant a farewell performance as her aged relative would like. As usual, the author captures us, as well, with her always somewhat amusing style as well as with her skill at presenting both an insightful set of portraits and an appealing mystery for her protagonist to solve.
Regular readers of the author's work will find this a welcome addition to this series (she has two others as well as books that stand alone). New readers who do not demand the customary fairly explicit sex-play or violence, should find this one a suitable entry on their 'to be read' list.
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Lynn T.
4.0 out of 5 stars Original Cozy Mystery Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018
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Emma Kelling is putting on her annual play which she really relishes. This will probably be her last production due to her age and her voice is starting to give out. There is a murder and a missing expensive painting. Sarah is staying with her aunt while Max,her husband, is out on an art thief case. The Kellings are a large, wealthy and eccentric family.

I enjoyed Charlotte MacLeod earlier books more that the last several books I have read. They are always humorous and the language rich. Charlotte does not play down to her readers. I was glad for the definition look up on my Kindle.

Charlotte MacLeod wrote several series. They would be called cozy mysteries today. However, they are nothing like the cozies being written today. They are original and not formula driven cookie cutters plots. The plotting is tight and a little over 200 pages. She was a very talented author and story teller.
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Maureen Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars Another puzzling mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2023
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MacLeod never fails to set an intriguing set of mysteries in different homes and a theater. The Kelling clan’s characters are a wildly varied group.
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Customer Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
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Max is off on a case, so Sarah is staying at her Aunt Emma’s house where she is putting on a play for her hometown. Emma has been doing plays for years, but Sarah is helping by painting scenery, arranging flowers, doing make-up, and ends up covering for one of the actors. Sarah soon has to find out who stole a very expensive painting from her aunt. After the house is drugged, someone had taken the painting and left ransom notes all over the place. This is a great mystery.
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Fleeta Cunningham
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
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Love Charlotte Macleod stories and characters. Always fun and entertaining. Look forward to rereading her again and again. Good settings too.
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Alison S. Coad
3.0 out of 5 stars The Operetta's The Thing
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
Sarah Kelling Bittersohn is helping out her Aunt Emma while husband Max is chasing art thieves in Europe; Emma has been presenting the Pirates of Pleasaunce theater troupe in Gilbert and Sullivan productions for ages, but “The Sorcerer” is to be her swan song as her voice is no longer up to the task Sarah is happy to have her mind occupied in theatrical business, but when a huge painting of Emma’s, one worth a huge amount of money, somehow goes missing from Emma’s home, the matters distracting Sarah from Max’s absence take on a deadly tone….This is the sixth novel in the Sarah Kelling series, and this time around it’s all Sarah, with Max putting in an appearance only at the very end. The cast of characters, many of whom are Sarah’s relatives, is large and eccentric, and I must say that I didn’t catch on to the culprit until just before Sarah does, always gratifying in a mystery! I’m quite enjoying this series, set in 1980s Boston (for the most part), particularly because of the fun it pokes at the very rich, but also because Sarah is such a delightful character; recommended!
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LindaH
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
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This particular series can be somewhat confusing if not read in order. There are so many family members, I've had to go back and remind myself who is who. I, of course, have not read them in order. Thus, my confusion at times. This title is, I think, the sixth in the series and begins with a letter written from one family member to another. Has to be, if not the funniest letter I've ever read, right up there in the top two. By the time I finished laughing at that, I couldn't wait to read the story. It did not disappoint. The Plain Old Man is a character in "The Sorcerer" which is the seasonal presentation by a group called the Pirates of Pleasaunce. The POM is murdered, a painting is stolen and fun, games and mayhem begin. You really can't go wrong if you, at least, read the first book which is "The Family Vault" before reading this one because there are major changes in the lives of the two main characters. Should you prefer confusion, however, this would be a good book to start with.
2 people found this helpful
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Melodie O.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery fun!
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2019
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Love this author, Canadian Agatha Christy, writes under Charlotte Mc Cloud and Alisha Craig, not sure of spelling. Her writing is smart and funny.
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Top reviews from other countries

bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars A Savoy opera
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Sarah Kelling Bittersohn and G and S, what more could one want? If Boston Brahmin families aren't like this they should be! MacCleod goes from strength to strength and although her plots and characters are almost unbelievable at times, we willingly suspend disbelief because she is so deft and funny.
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Wilfred Deakin
2.0 out of 5 stars However it was described as condition good. I did wonder how they could do it ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
The advert referred to hardback, although the picture turned out to be the paperback version. However it was described as condition good. I did wonder how they could do it for the price. I should have realised that if it looks too good to be true it probably is. In my view it was certainly not good. It looked old and soiled. If it had not come from America I would have returned it.
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