Janice J. Richardson

cosy-mystery, law-enforcement, friendship, family, murder, Canada, crime

Excellent read! Jennifer inherited the funeral home in Niagara Falls when her uncle died and she had already completed the course work and was working at a corporate home in Toronto. Although she had helped out when her uncle was there, there was still a pretty big learning curve for the business side of things. Then she has to go to a crime scene for a deceased and things start to get crazy.
This book should help increase awareness toward the work and problems that the sensitive persons who work in this field are faced with as there are several non homicide scenarios woven in.… (més)

This is an enjoyable sequel to the first book, "Casket Cache". The big mystery gets wrapped up, but there is easily enough room for more books in the series.
The characters are intriguing, and their circumstances are not the usual sort of thing. As with the first book, this book brings the reader into the unfamiliar (for most) world of the funeral director. I admire and appreciate books that bring me new perspectives, and Ms. Richardson does that in spades.
Recommended for any lover of cozy mysteries, or anyone looking for a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.… (més)

The book is described as a 'memoir', but unlike any memoir I can recall this one made me stop and think several times while reading.
On the surface, it is a tale of one person's decision to enter a field that is foreign to most of us, and her experiences during her training and subsequent graduation. There are the usual vignettes of happy, sad, and startling moments that one expects in a memoir. Linking all these are the author's feelings ... her feelings at the time as well as reflections some years after the fact. Interesting stuff and worth reading.
However, along the way we are given glimpses into a world, and world-view, that is foreign to most of us. It is a world where the participants suffer a very high degree of job stress and burnout, as they deal with people at one of the worst times of their lives. It is a world where the participants deal with the result of death - sometimes natural, sometimes criminal, sometimes amoung family, sometimes alone.
The closest most of us get to this world are the lurid stories of problems in the funeral industry we see in the news. But the job encompasses so much more, and I was startled to learn how much more there was. The book touches on the social aspect of death, as well- how we deal with it on a personal and societal level, as well as the practical aspects of treating the remains of the deceased.
Good stuff, and highly recommended.
… (més)