Reviews of To Hell in a Handbasket
“A family's ski vacation turns deadly when they find out their social connections are a little more connected than they thought.
All gift-basket designer Claire Hanover (A Real Basket Case, 2007) wants is some quality time with her family, especially daughter Judy, who's been away in Paris for her senior year of college. A ski trip to Breckenridge seems ideal: close enough to their Colorado Springs home for Judy to swing by and do her laundry on the way from the airport, with plenty of opportunity for family bonding as moguls zing past on the upper slopes of Ptarmigan. But willful Judy has more interest in bonding with tall, dark Nick Contino than with Claire, and it's only because Nick and his father Anthony are off skiing the back bowls of Copper Mountain that Judy agrees to spend the day on Peak Eight with her parents and Nick's sister Stephanie. When the two girls start down Ptarmigan's Claimjumper run, Stephanie crashes into a tree, sustaining fatal injuries. Though Judy thinks a showoff snowboarder ran Stephanie off the trail, Claire finds ski tracks leading from the crash site into the woods. Her suspicions grow when the snowboarder, Boyd Naylor, is run down by an SUV with plates similar to Anthony's. The Continos' Russian pal Ivanov, who supplied the vehicle to them in return for unspecified favors, brings out Claire's inner Mama Bear, determined to protect her cub.
Groundwater's second leaves the bunny slope behind, offering some genuine black-diamond thrills.”
-- Kirkus Review, April 1, 2009
“How it all plays out makes for an engrossing and entertaining mystery that keeps you reading until the final page. Tightly plotted and very current, the story manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even though the physical violence is off screen, the tension comes from the potential danger to the characters you've met and come to be concerned about.”
(For full review go to Gumshoe Review)
-- Gayle Surrette, Gumshoe Review, May 1, 2009
“The wait is over for the second title in the gift basket designer series by notable author Beth Groundwater and her latest whodunit, To Hell In A Handbasket. Groundwater pokes at the usual cozy genre mystery rules by surprising the reader with some spicy turns that only liven up things. For instance, the murder victim usually deserves it. We are actually sorry for the first murder in this plot.
A traditional amateur sleuth is single, hopefully with a love interest and certainly does not have a kid. Groundwater’s Claire Hanover is married with a teenaged daughter and the author pulls it off. Claire Hanover, gift basket designer finds herself in the middle of the Russian Mafia, murder and all sorts of frightening happenings and this is on a so- called family ski vacation where nothing out of the ordinary was supposed to happen.
Groundwater’s first, A Real Basket Case debuted with a 2007 Best First Novel Award. Her page turning style is welcome to any reader looking for a great read.”
-- Nancy Hansford, Fort Collins Coloradoan, May 5, 2009
“Hang on to your ski poles, this is a wild run!! Watch out for out of control snowboarders, flying bullets and families keeping secrets. ... Think 'cozy mystery on steroids'!”
(For full review go to Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book)
-- Lori Caswell, 5 stars on Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book, November 23, 2012
“This book will keep the reader turning pages until the very satisfying end.”
(For full review go to New York Journal of Books)
-- Mary Marks, New York Journal of Books, November 8, 2012
“If you’re looking for a thoroughly good mystery to cozy up by the fire with this fall/winter, then I recommend picking up To Hell in a Handbasket.”
(For full review go to Cozy Mystery Book Reviews)
-- Cozy Mystery Book Reviews, November 9, 2012
“...This is a smooth moving mystery with much excitement along the way.”
(For full review go to Bestsellersworld.com)
-- Patricia Reid, 5 stars on Goodreads and in Bestsellersworld.com, February, 2009
“Against the backdrop of the Breckenridge ski resort, author Beth Groundwater creates a fast moving and intense sequel that surpasses her first book. While gift baskets do play a role in this book, Claire spends most of her time thinking about this case with occasional consideration of what happened in A Real Basket Case and the ramifications of those events on all involved. The issues in the first book create an interesting secondary story line with various angles at play behind the main mystery of Stephanie.
Filled with realistic dialogue, plenty of action, a complicated case and parenting issues all to a familiar too many readers, the novel delivers on all levels across the board. This cozy mystery packs quite a punch and proves that good story telling is good story telling no matter what the label of the sub genre.”
(For full review go to Kevin’s Corner)
-- Kevin Tipple, Kevin’s Corner, May 10, 2009
“When Claire Hanover's ski vacation goes bad, it really goes bad! First, she and husband Roger are barely missed by a reckless snowboarder, then their daughter's friend has a horrible accident on the slopes. Local authorities don't seem interested in Claire's assertions that either the snowboarder or the skier who made an extra set of tracks in the snow near the accident could have caused the young woman to ski into a tree.
Tragedy continues to mar the vacation, but Claire is determined to get to the bottom of the trouble, all the while guarding her daughter from further incidents. Claire is a relentless investigator, willing to move 'way out of her comfort zone but also willing to call for and accept help from professionals.
Groundwater follows her Agatha-nominated debut with a solid mystery that should broaden her fan base.”
(For full review go to Meritorious Mysteries)
-- Molly Weston, Meritorious Mysteries, May 5, 2009
“Don't mess with Mama Bear. Mothers will be able to identify with Claire Hanover, who goes into protective mode when her daughter is threatened in Beth Groundwater's To Hell in a Handbasket…Groundwater's book is a fast-paced family mystery, for readers who enjoy Diane Mott Davidson's books. The book has the same family feeling that Davidson's fans will appreciate.”
(For full review go to Lesa’s Book Critiques)
-- Lesa Holstine, Lesa’s Book Critiques, May 24, 2009
“To Hell in a Handbasket features Claire Hanover, a Colorado Springs gift basket designer. Claire takes a spring ski vacation with her family. It's supposed to be a fun outing for Claire and her college-age daughter, Judy. But when the sister of Judy's boyfriend is killed on the slopes, the vacation takes a turn downhill. Claire risks life and sore-from-skiing limb to uncover the killer and protect her daughter.
To Hell in a Handbasket, which will be available to the public in May, is the second in a series of Claire Hanover mysteries. I've also read the first book, A Real Basket Case. Both books are enjoyable in a traditional sort of way, but what makes them most fun to me are the references to places I frequent. Groundwater's first book is set in Colorado Springs, a place we all know has lots to offer, like the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and a whole slew of great writers.”
-- Anita Miller in column titled “BOOK GROUPIE: Writers conference a boon to local authors”, Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper, April 5, 2009
“This is an entertaining amateur sleuth in which Claire risks her life to keep Judy safe. The story line is action-packed, … in her second Hanover Colorado mystery (see A REAL BASKET CASE), Beth Groundwater provides an interesting thriller as the killer is coming.”
-- Harriet Klausner
“The Hanovers (Claire, Roger, Judy) are taking a family vacation at a favorite ski resort. Also there are Judy's serious boyfriend Nick and his mob-related family. Nick's sister is struck by a snowboarder. It looks like an accidental hit-and-run but Claire sees from the tracks that someone waited a while before coming straight out. By the time the Ski Patrol gets there the tracks are muddied.
Groundwater's best writing involves the evolution of characters development. In her first that involved a married couple not cheating but meandering in that direction under the subtle guidance of pseudo-friends. In this work, she is examining the feelings of parents as a child crosses the line into adulthood, and the knowledge that she is ready to fly on her own. Also the reaction of a “normal” family to organized crime.
My response: Lively interplay of external action and internal conflict.
Recommended!”
-- Peggy Baker, DorothyL , July 23, 2009
“To Hell in a Handbasket is Beth Groundwater's second gift-basket-designer mystery. Groundwater's familiarity with Colorado ski resorts adds realism that roots her readers into her mystery. Her heroine Claire is great fun as an aging mama with a Sherlock Holmes bent. The plot is twisty and unpredictable just like the black diamond ski runs Groundwater touts in her story. This is a good weekend read... with a cup of hot chocolate on the side. RECOMMENDED.”
(For full review, go to I Love a Mystery)
-- Caryl Harvey, I Love a Mystery, June, 2009
“I've just finished reading the second Claire Hanover mystery, and I'd have to say Beth Groundwater's main character really is strong enough to keep my interest through a whole series. A fascinatingly resourceful amateur detective, with the cleverness of Miss Marple, the sore knees of the middle-aged, and the physical prowess of an empty-nester who plans to keep skiing forever, Claire has the confidence to believe what she sees and to tell it like she sees it. Just because no one else saw the ski tracks doesn't mean they’re not there. Just because no one else sees the danger doesn't mean she shouldn't protect her daughter. Just because…
So she walks into police stations and describes exactly the sort of details that someone unaccustomed to such places would notice—the presence or absence of family photographs, the pictures on the walls… She walks into a night club and learns the right words for the music by making mistakes—okay, so daughter's embarrassed, but Mom's taking charge. She leaps into action, rightly earning the nickname Mama Bear. And the reader follows along, all the time amazed and impressed and, if you happen to be me, just plain wishing I were more like her.
I guess Claire's kind of a niche hero, perfect for us moms with kids fleeing the nest, and ideal for the recipients of gift baskets. She makes me want to ski again. She believes in ibuprofen. She's real and she's fun. And she's more than capable of leaving me eagerly awaiting her next adventure.”
-- Sheila Deeth, LibraryThing, 4 stars, July 7, 2009
“What will a wife do to protect her husband? In A Real Basket Case Claire sets out to prove that she didn't sleep with her physical trainer and her husband didn't kill him when he found him straddling her in bed. There was nothing she wouldn't do to prove her and his innocence.
What will a mother do to protect her only daughter? In To Hell in a Handbasket Claire again refuses to let anything nor anyone stand in her way to prevent her daughter Judy from being kidnapped, or worse... murdered.
Claire, Rodger and Judy Hanover are on a much needed ski vacation in Breckenridge, CO. Judy's boyfriend, Nick Contino, his mother, father and sister Stephanie have joined them. What was supposed to be a relaxing couple of weeks went sour quickly when Stephanie has a skiing accident that takes her life. Was it really an accident? Claire believes not. And to prove her theory she tracks down the only person that actually saw what really happened. The information given to her by this young man not only puts herself into danger, it also makes Judy the killer's next target.
I stayed on the edge of my seat as I followed Claire and Detective Owen Silverstone as they uncover the mystery of Stephanie's death. As they uncover what really goes on behind closed doors in the Contino's study. As they fit the puzzle pieces together after finding that the Russian mob is heavily involved with everything that has taken place, which includes a plan to kidnap Judy.
I loved Beth Groundwater's style of writing when I read A Real Basket Case. After reading To Hell in a Handbasket I can have to say that “what I thought couldn't get better did.” For a real mystery teaser, I recommend both books, in the order they were written... A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket.”
--Martha A. Cheves, author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat