Sarah Dreher
and
Stoner McTavish
Stoner McTavish
Bad Company
About the Author
Bibliography
Other Women's Press Authors
Stoner McTavish
A New British Edition from The Women’s Press
Introducing Stoner McTavish, private eye.
Stoner McTavish is reluctant to leave her fledgling travel business and turn
detective. Eleanor Burton is convinced her granddaughter’s husband is a dangerous
fortune-hunter and that Gwen’s life is in jeopardy. Against her better judgement,
McTavish bows to the pressures of old family ties and agrees to investigate. only to
discover that Eleanor’s fears are far from unfounded and that she’s about to
fall in love with the newly wedded bride...
`Full of humour, spiced with suspense...Stoner McTavish is a treat.' Washington
Blade
'A unique private eye with mystery adventures that are sure to please any devotee of the
genre.' Midwest Book Review
Bad Company
First
British Publication The Women’s Press See Review
Bad Company is the second novel to feature Stoner McTavish, an entertaining and
likeable amateur sleuth created by Sarah Dreher. Stoner is intelligent, quirky, funny and
at times insecure woman who, when pushed will fight for her hard won security, in this
instance her relationship with her partner Gwen.
Stoner and Gwen are invited to a women-only hotel to investigate a number of minor
incidents that leave the owner, Sherry Dodder worrying that the yearly play in rehearsal
is being sabotaged. The incidents in themselves seem inconsequential enough - lost
equipment, scripts misplaced, clothing ruined, but taken together Sherry's finding it hard
to believe that there's nothing going on. Once Stoner and Gwen arrive things take a more
serious turn but Stoner finds it difficult to pin down the precise cause of her concern.
When her own relationship with Gwen begins to show signs of stress, it takes a while for
Stoner to realise that she has also become a target of maliciousness. The sense of
fellowship among the women is in danger of being shattered, and the story underlines how
all too suddenly, minor eccentricity or tendencies in an individual can escalate into
unpredictable and dangerous behaviour. What started as a simple investigation into petty
mishaps suddenly turns into a desperate attempt to stop the culprit before murder is
committed.
The pace and style of Bad Company is initially sedate and low-key. The
emphasis of the novel is firmly on personalities, relationships and motivation. Concerns
about everyday problems within the women's relationships builds a sense of security which
makes the story all the more effective when Stoner is confronted with the real motivation
behind events.
Bad Company is filled with appealing and often unusual characters. There's
Stoner's Aunt Hermione who is a medium, and in common with one of the other women at the
hotel, is a follower of the Wiccan religion (it's worth reading the book just for the
fascinating descriptions of Wiccan principles and ceremonies - something I knew nothing of
before this). Stoner's business partner's mother, Edith Kesselbaum, is a psychiatrist. The
wonderful variety of characters give a warmth to the book, and there's a feeling of
community and sisterhood among the women. But as Stoner herself points out, however
tempting it may be, it can't be assumed that a group of women is immune to wickedness!