The Family Vault

By Charlotte MacLeod

Book Overview

Great-uncle Frederick has passed away, and the Kelling clan of Boston has made plans to put the old gentleman's remains in the family vault on Beacon Hill. When the vault is opened, however, there's someone already there that no one could have ever expected -- the skeleton of a burlesque queen who disappeared thirty years ago! With the help of private detective Max Bittersohn, it's up to Sarah Kelling to hold the shocked family together, and try to find out what happened. What they unravel is a complex murder plot that not only stretches into the past, but also has Sarah marked as a victim!

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385148712
• ISBN13: 9780385148719
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A step above the rest

The late Charlotte MacLeod taught the rest of the mystery community how to write humor with straight characters. The Kelling clan will keep you glued to your seat as we find Sarah Kelling, for the first time, trying her best to weave her way through intricate puzzles, while preserving her place within the family circle. MacLeod was a master of plot with few dull moments and her pace never lags. Sarah loses her husband and finds her mate, but those are other books in this fun-filled series. Grab them up when you can and keep them close by for a good fix for what ails you. A word master at her very best. Nash Black, author of Writing as a Small Business and Sins of the Fathers.

Eccentricities and suspense

This is a well-weaved, humorous mystery about the bad things that occur to the quirky Kelling clan, their friends and associates. I was crestfallen about the turn of events half-way through the book, but can't say why for fear of revealing too much of the story. Nonetheless, it was very fun to read, with many suspenseful moments. I especially enjoyed all the eccentricities of the characters in the book, in addition to the Boston setting.

The Family Vault

The Family Vault is the first in MacLeod's Sarah Kelling/Max Bittersohn mystery series, in which we are introduced to Sarah and her convoluted family. The book begins as the heroine prepares the family vault mentioned in the title prior to her uncle's funeral only to find it already occupied by the skeleton of a showgirl, Ruby Redd. All is made (mostly) clear by the end of the book, leaving plenty of hooks for subsequent mysteries. "The Family Vault" is a bit stiff compared to her later books, but a fun fast read nevertheless.