In the summer of 1953 at Haggerman's Catskills Resort, daring young widow Elizabeth must solve the mystery surrounding the death of a reclusive guest whose body was found in the lake on the grounds in order to save the business from going under.
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In the summer of 1953 at Haggerman's Catskills Resort, daring young widow Elizabeth must solve the mystery surrounding the death of a reclusive guest whose body was found in the lake on the grounds in order to save the business from going under.
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Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights to cart. $2.31, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley Books.
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $2.34, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $2.37, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley Books.
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This item is in overall good condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have minor wear including slight curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages are intact but may have minor highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have slight wear overall. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. Minor shelf wear overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you!
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $2.46, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Orange County rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Ana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley Books.
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Fair. This book is in ACCEPTABLE condition. It is a solid & complete book, and very readable, just not one that should be considered "GIFTABLE". Book will likely have small rips or tears on pages and/or cover. Highlighting and writing should be expected throughout the book. Stickers and sticker residue on the cover are normal, as is spine wear from use. There are NO codes or disks included here. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days. Thank you for supporting Goodwill of OC.
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $2.59, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $2.59, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $3.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $3.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Deadly Summer Nights (a Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) to cart. $3.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Berkley.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Deadly Summer Nights is the debut of A Catskill Summer Resort Mystery series. Vicki Delany transports readers back to the 1950s to Haggerman�s Catskills Resort. Olivia Peters, Elizabeth�s mother inherited Haggerman�s from an admirer. Olivia is not the type to run a resort which is why she convinced her daughter, Elizabeth to manage it. Elizabeth goes out of her way to ensure her guests have a swell time. I enjoyed the lush descriptions of summer in the Catskills at Haggerman�s. I just loved the vivid word imagery of the threads worn by the ladies especially the evening and cocktail dresses. Elizabeth Grady is a strong female protagonist who is smart and has a good head for business. There is a great cast of characters that includes Elizabeth�s best friend, Velvet. Aunt Tatiana is head of housekeeping who brought Winston, an English bulldog with her. Winston is a cute, waddling bulldog who manages to get the run of the resort despite Elizabeth�s attempts to corral him. The author captured the time period with the clothing (Velvet was the ginchiest), vehicles, food (anyone for Jell-o salad), alcoholic beverages (a pink squirrel anyone), attitudes (I just not worry my little head over the death and just head back to the kitchen), and behaviors. I did feel that the language missed the mark just a touch. It could have been more retro with some more slang thrown in. I truly appreciate that there was no foul language or back seat bingo in this story. The mystery was intriguing. We are lucky that Olivia did not flip her lid. A guest is found dead in the river and the local chief of police believes the death is related to communism. Elizabeth is not really interested in solving the crime. But she soon finds herself involved. People talk to her and Elizabeth tends to stumble upon clues. Gossip runs rampant at the resort, but it is not word from the bird (the whole truth). Making the victim out to be a Red certainly with the paranoia in the 1950s. The reveal was dramatic and complete. The author ends the story with readers wanting more. There is a hint of romance for Elizabeth. I do not know when this poor woman would find time to date with all that she does at the resort during the season. I bet you are tired of listening to me, so I had better cut the gas. Deadly Summer Nights razzed my berries with a wet rag pursuer, a comedian with a good bit, a goof dishwasher, a lumpy magician, a jazzed bartender, the heat with a Mickey Mouse idea, a peachy keen manager, and a killer lighting up the tilt sign.
Lori
Sep 4, 2021
Interesting Characters
Dollycas's Thoughts
This new series from Vicki Delany takes place in 1953 and features Elizabeth Gray and her mother Olivia Peters. Olivia inherited Haggerman's Catskills Resort that specializes in A Healthy Outdoor Exercise during the day and The Stars of Entertainment at Night. (Think Hellerman's from Dirty Dancing.) Elizabeth manages the day-to-day activities and Olivia, a former Hollywood, and Broadway dance star steps in and uses her celebrity status to iron over any problems that arise. They are working hard to make the business a great success but even Olivia can't intervene when one of the guests is found dead in the lake. The guest had booked the most private cabin for a few weeks and aside from taking nightly walks by the lake no one really ever saw him. His meals were delivered by room service and left at his door and he left the cabin when the maids came to clean.
The local sheriff searched the room and noticed the copy of The Communist Manifesto and called a full stop to his investigation and called in the FBI absolutely sure the dead man was a Russian Spy or communist sympathizer. From what Elizabeth could see of the scene she believes the man was writing a book and that the Manifesto could have been research. She also knows the reputation of the resort is on the line. With little faith in the authorities, she starts her own little investigation while trying to save the resort from any bad publicity but her snooping could prove deadly for herself or someone she cares about.
Vicky Delany has set this series off to a fabulous start. She takes the reader back in time in a very comfortable way. She sets the scene wonderfully with detailed descriptions and brings the area to life featuring a core set of characters along with some of the 400+ guests, 1 talented entertainer, and the nephew of the deceased who wants some answers.
I really liked Elizabeth. A strong sassy woman in a job typically held by a man. She is juggling several duties at the resort and the last thing she needs is a murder on the grounds. She takes that on too without complaint and keeps her wits about her when the men involved in the case basically overlook, dismiss, or completely ignore her due to her gender. She has brought together an excellent staff, some of which are family or have been lifelong friends. They are truly competent and keep the place humming from the children's swimming lesson to doing the foxtrot at the nightly dances. I was pleased to see another glass ceiling broken when another woman takes on a job normally held by a man and with her excellent abilities she handles the job with ease and flair while still taking care of her other responsibilities. All the characters develop nicely over the course of the story but have plenty of room for growth as the series continues.
Catching the killer wasn't easy. The author threw a good share of red herrings into the mix, including the owners of a nearby competing resort trying to put Haggerman's out of business with some dirty deals, but would they murder a man to get ahead? The dead man himself was a mystery until his nephew enlightened Elizabeth and the authorities about his past history. Imagine the timeframe, there are no smartphones, internet, or computers. Solving a murder in 1953 entails actual legwork. knocking on doors, keeping your eyes and ears open, and physically chasing down clues. Ms. Delany plotted out a precise mystery that was so entertaining to follow.
Deadly Summer Nights was filled with interesting characters, some of which innocently brought some truly funny moments. The scene was idyllic for time and the story was filled with drama, friendship, history, mystery, and just a touch of romance. I did feel a little hit over the head with all the references to smoking, drawing the keen difference between the 1950s and the present day. That being said I still felt this story was a Perfect Escape. I was entertained by the whole story and am really looking forward to Deadly Director's Cut that will be released early next year and my next trip to the Catskills.
