Shakespeare's Counselor

Lily Bard Mysteries: 5

ISBN: 0-312-26228-0 Order from: Amazon.com

A satisfying combination of the grim and the comforting, the book features a very likable protagonist, a solid mystery, and a small-town atmosphere.

Reviewed by David on January 27, 2002

Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth, Suspense)

Synopsis: Lily Bard, a janitor learning to be a private investigator, has become more confortable living in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas.

Lily is a survivor of a terrible crime that once drove her away from human interaction, but now she is enjoying her relationship with Jack, and the control over her life.

Still suffering from emotional scars, Lily joins a therapy group. While the talk is painful, Lily and her fellow victims seem to derive some benefit from the weekly sessions. The therapist herself, however, seems to be burdened. Someone may be stalking the woman, and when the events turn ugly, Lily is dragged into the investigation.

Full Review:

Charlaine Harris reading at Torcon 2003

Harris, the author of the Alice Teagarden mysteries, introduced Lily Bard, the young woman who came to the Arkansas town of Shakespeare to forget her painful past in Shakespeare's Landlord.

The author is very good at combining the grim and the comforting. Lily is, or has become, a very concrete woman, concentrating very much on mundane tasks of cleaning, shopping, and making do on a tight budget. But despite this tight focus, the protagonist's intelligence, humor, and observation of minute detail make her a likable, and useful vehicle for investigation of mysteries. And Lily's brief, cautious, but slowly increasing, moments of joy are all the more satisfying for their rarity.

The mystery itself is satisfying but not exceptional. It is the characters, mostly Lily, but also her lover, friends, and even opponents that make this series so enjoyable. The small-town atmosphere is well-drawn, and the investigation of petty mysteries, such as insurance fraud, makes the book more satisfying.

And, after all, in her low-key way, Lily is a force for good, humane, moral, humble and responsible. While part of the series, the novel stands alone, and can be enjoyed by itself. Some personal developments, however, may be better appreciated by reading the books in sequence.

Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 6; Style: 6; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;

ISBN: 0-312-26228-0 Order from: Amazon.com