From Publishers Weekly
In Haddam's 15th entry in her entertaining Gregor Demarkian series (Deadly Beloved, etc.), Bennis Hannaford discovers the murdered body of debutante heiress Kayla Anson during a Halloween visit to the Anson estate in a posh area of Connecticut. Bennis summons her lover, Gregor, retired head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, from Philadelphia to help the local police. These logistics out of the way, Haddam settles into another clever plot-driven village cozy. Two more people are murdered: publicity-hungry Zara Anne Moss, who said she saw the killer, and Margaret Anson, Kayla's vengeful, money-hungry mother. Gregor studies area maps and interviews locals to separate clues from elaborate red herrings: a telephone pole knocked over, a stolen Jeep smashed in the Fairchild Family Cemetery and a skeleton from a nearby museum left on the caretakers' porch. Haddam excels at showing the chilling gulf between the arrogant wealthy and the climbers desperate to join them. One of her most complex characters is penniless divorc?e Sally Martindale. Humiliated by her bookkeeping job at the exclusive Swamp Tree Country Club, Sally embezzles from members' accounts, foolishly hoping that a gambling win will restore her status among club members. In an anomalous subplot, Bennis is stricken with pneumonia and Gregor insists that she stop smoking. Haddam's well-meaning message about the perils of tobacco seems shoehorned into an otherwise smoothly running mystery marked by lively characters, good descriptions and enough misdirection to keep a reader's interest high. (Feb.) FYI: Jane Haddam is the pseudonym of Oriana Papazoglou. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Connecticut police consult series sleuth and ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian when Bennis Hannaford (Demarkian's love interest) discovers the body of Kayla Anson, a beautiful young heiress. Demarkian closely analyzes clues, reconstructs Kayla's last days, looks for her motives in those who knew her, and still worries about Hannaford's persistent racking cough. As usual, Haddam spends a lot of time developing complex secondary characters: Kayla's uptight, unfeeling mother; her promiscuous, wayward cousin; a recently unemployed, unhusbanded embezzler; and Kayla's older, off-and-on boyfriend. Demarkian closes in, but not before more victims appear. A sophisticated style, excellent delivery, and riveting plot make this an excellent choice for all collections.Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Here's the fifteenth mystery featuring FBI agent-turned-sleuth Gregor Demarkian, and it's a real winner. When Bennis Hannaford, Gregor's lover, discovers the murdered body of a young debutante, she drags Gregor out of his comfortable Philadelphia apartment to Litchfield County, Connecticut, where he finds an assortment of potential suspects and a town that isn't as peaceful as it pretends to be. Like an Agatha Christie novel, this story features a large cast of characters, any one of whom could conceivably be a killer. Also like a Christie novel, the story is propelled more by dialogue than by action. Haddam (who lives in Litchfield County) has created a very realistic tale that's sure to grab readers from the first page. Unlike many mysteries that feature large casts of would-be murderers, the solution to this one isn't obvious from the get-go, and readers will have lots of fun trying to guess whodunit. A fine entry in a fine series. David Pitt


From Kirkus Reviews
Kayla Anson, debutante of the year and only heir to the fortune of her multibillionaire venture capitalist dad, winds up dead in her BMW, where shes discovered by Bennis Hannaford, visiting in Connecticut to interview the local nabobs about a recently acclaimed deceased artist. After Bennis dials Philadelphia posthaste to summon her lover, Gregor Demarkian (Deadly Beloved, 1997, etc.), the Armenian Poirot, to resolve Kayla's death, he arrives in time for the murders of snooty Margaret and bedraggled, disaffected lesbian hippie Zara Anne Moss. But when Gregor calls the hotel to discuss the case with Bennis, she's decamped for Philly and an emergency session with her doctor to deal with coughing up blood and fainting. Quiet, almost offhand sleuthing reveals country-club embezzlement, skullduggery at the Fairchild Family Cemetery, and an ungrateful recipient of Kayla's munificence, who confesses all under Gregor's gentle prodding. Satire with panache: There's not a corner of well-heeled Connecticut Haddam doesn't skewer. Smokers may consider Bennis's health woes a cautionary tale, even though some readers may find them off-putting, given the storys generally light and amusing tone. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"Haddam plays the mystery game like a master."--Chicago Tribune

"Multiple suspects and motive make Skeleton Key a delightful read for lovers of classic crime stories."--Romantic Times

"Dazzlingly ingenious, Jane Haddam's novels provide style, humor, and philosophy blended with gore galore--they're real spellbinders, sparklingly written and smashingly plotted."--Drood Review

"[A] clever plot-driven village cozy...[A] smoothly running mystery marked by lively characters, good descriptions and enough misdirection to keep a reader's interest high." --Publishers Weekly



Review
"Haddam plays the mystery game like a master."--Chicago Tribune

"Multiple suspects and motive make Skeleton Key a delightful read for lovers of classic crime stories."--Romantic Times

"Dazzlingly ingenious, Jane Haddam's novels provide style, humor, and philosophy blended with gore galore--they're real spellbinders, sparklingly written and smashingly plotted."--Drood Review

"[A] clever plot-driven village cozy...[A] smoothly running mystery marked by lively characters, good descriptions and enough misdirection to keep a reader's interest high." --Publishers Weekly



Book Description
When writer and ex-deb Bennis Hannaford discovers the body of super-heiress Kayla Anson in the family garage, her visit to Litchfield County, Connecticut, is reluctantly extended. Bennis's hostess, Margaret Anson, presents an icy version of the grieving mother, cut out her late husband's will--until now. And when Gregor Demarkian, ex-FBI man and Bennis's lover, arrives from Philadelphia to consult with local police, a media blitz storms in as more suspects crawl out of the woods. Kayla may have been too blindingly rich for her wild, private school chum; her older, socially ambitious entrepreneur boyfriend; and a divorced, downsized bookeeper selling her furniture to survive. As Gregor maps out distances, location, and motives, Halloween descends on the dark, silent hills. From a skeleton sprawled on the cemetery caretakers' porch to more deadly mischief and mayhem, the countryside is brimming with secrets. And a killer is about to strike again...



About the Author
Jane Haddam is the author of numerous articles and books including sixteen previous mysteries featuring Gregor Demarkian. She lives with her two sons in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When writer and ex-deb Bennis Hannaford discovers the body of super-heiress Kayla Anson in the family garage, her visit to Litchfield County, Connecticut, is reluctantly extended. Bennis's hostess, Margaret Anson, presents an icy version of the grieving mother, cut out her late husband's will--until now. And when Gregor Demarkian, ex-FBI man and Bennis's lover, arrives from Philadelphia to consult with local police, a media blitz storms in as more suspects crawl out of the woods. Kayla may have been too blindingly rich for her wild, private school chum; her older, socially ambitious entrepreneur boyfriend; and a divorced, downsized bookeeper selling her furniture to survive. As Gregor maps out distances, location, and motives, Halloween descends on the dark, silent hills. From a skeleton sprawled on the cemetery caretakers' porch to more deadly mischief and mayhem, the countryside is brimming with secrets. And a killer is about to strike again...

FROM THE CRITICS

Toby Bromberg - Romantic Times