From the author of the Aurora Teagarden novels comes a new series set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, a Southern town brimming with charm and a definite touch of noir. When her landlord is murdered, loner Lily Bard looks like the prime suspect. Uncovering the real killer may be the only way to prove her innocence, and Lily soon focuses on the other residents of tiny Shakespeare in her quest to expose the culprit.
Review:
The series includes five books: Shakespeare's Landlord; Shakespeare's Champion; Shakespeare's Christmas; Shakespeare's Trollop; Shakespeare's Counselor.
I found the Lily Bard series to be much better than Harris' Aurora Teagarden series. I understand that the Aurora Teagarden series was Harris' debut, and it shows. It seems like debut novels/series are just a toss-up. They could be The Help good, or Beautiful Creatures bad.
Lily has been through a very traumatic ordeal and is recovering from that in a new town. She cleans houses for a living and practices self-defense in her spare time. I like how Charlaine Harris sticks to the same themes for her series: single women living alone, often working in simple jobs, recovering from a sometimes tragic past, whose lives get really interesting after one or a series of events. The reader comes in when the protagonist's life gets interesting. I guess that appeals to me because I am a lover of consistency!
I think the reason why I liked this series much better than the Aurora Teagarden series is that I respected and liked Lily so much. I like a female lead who can take care of herself, and Lily certainly can. Like the Aurora Teagarden series, each book in this series is a mystery that gets solved by the end of the book with the story of Lily's love life continuing between books. I like the end of the series---things are wrapped up but not unrealistically so.
Just One Gripe:
This series is heavy on the everyday life. More so than the Sookie series.
The Best Thing About This Series:
I like Lily. She's got gumption!
Appropriate for a younger audience:
It's a toss up. There's about one sex scene per book and a murder in each book.
Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Setting/Imagery: 3/5
Originality: 3/5Ending: 4/5
Total Score: 17/25
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