The Convivial Codfish

Charlotte MacLeod

Nov 2012 · The Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn Mysteries Book 5 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

Christmas crimes hit close to home for Boston’s favorite art sleuths. “Charlotte MacLeod’s mysteries are witty and full of humor” (Maine Crime Writers).
 The angry old men of the Comrades of the Convivial Codfish club celebrate yuletide doing what they do best: eating, drinking, and greeting the season of giving with a spirited “bah, humbug!” Though well past sixty, Jem Kelling is a relative infant compared to some of the club’s elder statesmen, and he has waited decades to host their annual Christmas scowl. And during his first evening as Exalted Chowderhead, he is thrilled to find the wine abundant, the chowder superb, and the humbugs as lusty as ever. But as the night winds down, Jem is horrified to find that the ceremonial Codfish necklace has vanished—right off of his neck! His nephew-in-law, art investigator Max Bittersohn, is convinced his new uncle was the victim of a practical joke. But when the old man takes a hip-snapping tumble, Max is forced to conclude that one of the scrooges is trying to perpetrate a deadly Christmas jeer.

Ratings and reviews

verbal-humor, historical-fiction, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, fun, cozy-mystery**** Originally published in 1984 Absolutely loony and so much fun! A long standing but small group of elderly men gather for a party train on a member's property, and not only does it become deadly (investigated by a Keystone Kops police chief), but it also highlights a recent theft and an *accident* which befell one of Sarah's favorite relatives. Enter her new husband, Max, who now becomes known only as Jem Kelling's nephew by marriage (despite being a well-respected art theft detective). Together and apart, they investigate the situation with lots of plot twists, red herrings, goofy characters, and lots of laughs. Loved this fun reread! The narrator was adequate.

About the author

Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005) was an international bestselling author of cozy mysteries. Born in Canada, she moved to Boston as a child and lived in New England most of her life. After graduating from college, she made a career in advertising, writing copy for the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company before moving on to Boston firm N. H. Miller & Co., where she rose to the rank of vice president. In her spare time, MacLeod wrote short stories, and in 1964 published her first novel, a children’s book called Mystery of the White Knight.
 
In Rest You Merry (1978), MacLeod introduced Professor Peter Shandy, a horticulturist and amateur sleuth whose adventures she would chronicle for two decades. The Family Vault (1979) marked the first appearance of her other best-known characters: the husband and wife sleuthing team Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn, whom she followed until her last novel, The Balloon Man, in 1998.