 | | | | Bloody Bonsai: A Jim Dandy Elderhostel Mystery |  | Buy New: $27.95
Buy New/Used from $1.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3221745
Category: Book
Author: Peter E. Abresch
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Studio: Thorndike Press
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
Label: Thorndike Press
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 359
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.3
ISBN: 0786217871
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780786217878
ASIN: 0786217871
Publication Date: May 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
James P. Dandy -- yes, that would make him Jim Dandy -- couldn't believe he'd said yes to going on an Elderhostel down on the New Jersey coast in the cold, ugly, gray days of waning winter. His wife had died a couple of years before, and Jim didn't really feel up to meeting new people and being thrust into new situations without her. But go he did, grumbling and pessimistically, and only half-heartedly interested in learning how to design, cut, sculpt, mold, trim, water and grow bonsai trees. Little did he know that the "new people" he was concerned with would include the lovely, blue-eyed artist Dodee Swisher; or the gruff, chain-smoking ex-army man assigned as his roommate at the motel; or the slick Hispanic motel manager; or the raven-haired gymnast who exercised on her balcony every morning; or the liquid-eyed East Indian woman; or the couple from Philadelphia who were taking a break from the garbage business... Well, really; anyone of them could have rammed that bonsai tree into the chest of the obsequesious little motel employee who Dodee and Jim discovered on the second day of the Elderhostel. But the police focus their attention on Dodee and Jim -- they did have that argument with the boy the night before, hadn't they? -- getting Dodee all worked up into a swivet about having to find the real killer before they were jailed for the deed. When another body turns up, again it's Jim & Dodee who discover it. The situation rapidly heats up and Dodee is kidnapped, presumably to shut her up about what she's already learned...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Average debut...but an unlikely sleuth.. May 6, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Bloody Bonsai" is the first of the Jim Dany series, and it is plainly average. Dandy is a retired physical therapist who was dragged into doing Elterhostel by his kids. He meets Doddie Swisher, and falls in love with her. In the meantime, a shady hotel clerk is found stabbed to death with get this-a bonsai tree. It is up to Jim and Doddie to solve the mystery and find the killer so they can be cleared. Blackmail and illicit love are two things they dig up.
 An unfortunate waste of time... October 2, 2000
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is author Peter Abresch's first novel, and it's painfully obvious from the first page. Now, to be fair, the man has an eye for detail, and the the pacing is good. However, the characters are all stupid stereotypes of the worst kind that can be found in countless other detective novels. There's the energetic old lady, the crusty general that still thinks he's in the military, the lesbian (who apparently serves only to be a foil for her attractive roommate), the maid who speaks broken English, and the rich old guy with the young girlfriend, to name just a few. Adding to this is Abresch's atrocious writing voice. Never have I heard the phrase "yeah, buddy" used more often and more gratingly than it is here. Sure, it's Jim Dandy's trademark or whatever, but why not just print it on the cover and save a few pages of paper? Dodee Swisher can also be summed up with the words "wheaten hair" (which are used about every tenth page) and "cornflower blue eyes". Be prepared for a quick read, because this book contains so many single-sentence paragraphs that you can finish a page in seconds. If half of these had been removed or simply added to the other paragraphs, you'd have about fifty pages less. I also just couldn't bring myself to care about ANY of the characters. James P. Dandy really needs to see a shrink, and soon. His social paranoia (which exceeds that of a thirteen-year-old) and overall personality make me want to murder him, too. The supporting cast, while all having distinct personalities, are all just background; none of them do anything significant. I'm also convinced the killer's name was drawn out of a hat. If you've perchance visited an Elderhostel yourself, this book may be interesting. I doubt it would appeal to anyone under the age of sixty. While it deals with murder and adultery, the novel overall is too gentle to really draw in the reader. Hopefully Abresch will try again, because the man shows much promise as a writer.
 fun book February 18, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm sorry there are not more reviews about this book. I assume not many people read it. Their loss! This was one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone.
A quick-witted senior citizen. July 31, 1999
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Crisp dialogue and humor add a light flair to this mystery. Although Jim and Dodie are hardly the poster boy and girl for morals (I would hope my mother isn't as loose as Dodie!), they do manage to come up for air often enough to trip over some bodies and get into life-threatening situations. A new voice in mysteries that is talented and entertaining. And I learned quite a few things about bonzai trees, too.
BLOODY BONSAI IS BLOODY WONDERFUL June 2, 1998
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I loved this book. I'm a huge fan of mysteries but I find it hard to dig up new writers who I enjoy--most seem to be doing same old-same old. But Peter Abresch has taken a fresh approach to the genre and breathed life into it. This story is wonderful, and the background of bonsai and Elderhostel is fascinating.Michele Rogers
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