A Little Night Murder (Blackbird Sisters Mystery, #10)

A Little Night Murder
by Nancy Martin
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780451415271
Series: Blackbird Sisters #10
Publication Date: August 4, 2014
Pages: 372
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Obsidian

While a pregnant Nora relaxes in her best friend’s Bucks County pool, she doesn’t have far to look for her next big story. A Broadway show is in rehearsal next door at the home of the legendary late composer “Toodles” Tuttle. His diva widow, Boom Boom, reigns over his estate with an iron fist. She has also racked up a chorus line of enemies, so the old broad’s death is a hotly anticipated event. But imagine everyone’s dismay when it’s her beloved daughter, Jenny, who drops dead just as the lights are set to go on for the lucrative new Toodles musical.

This series is one of my top cozy favourites and I always look forward to the next one. A Little Night Murder, though – this one was just chock full o’ surprises.

Lexie’s back! Nora’s (the MC) best friend is out of prison early for reasons unexplained and Nora’s helping her hide from the press and all the former clients who lost their fortunes when Lexie’s partner’s embezzlement came to light. Nora is 7 months pregnant and her constant financial worries have reduced her to wearing her sister’s old maternity t-shirts sporting such gems as ‘Let Me Out, It’s Dark in Here!’ Nora and Mick are trying to prepare for the birth of not only their biological daughter, but for the adoption of Nora’s grand-niece whose biological mother is in prison and due the week after Nora. Speaking of biological mothers: Mick’s mom is in town and Nora’s meeting her for the first time.

Nora’s sisters aren’t left out of the angst either: Libby is imploding over becoming a grandmother and Emma has reached the pinnacle of unsuitability in her lovers.

Those are just the things mentioned on the front flap. I’m not mentioning anything else because if you enjoy this series, I don’t want to take anything away from the surprises awaiting you. Suffice it to say there are more than a fair few.

In the midst of all of this, Lexie’s neighbour, an old showgirl has-been is trying to revive her career, claiming she has found an unpublished musical left in her late husband’s papers. He was famous for his musicals and everybody is buzzing about this new find. Until the man’s daughter is found dead and oddities and absurdities surrounding the production become apparent. Nora’s editor has given her an ultimatum: a story about Lexie and her whereabouts, or a story about Jenny’s murder.

Generally speaking, this was a wonderful romp of a story and I didn’t want to stop reading it once I started. The mystery plotting is always well done, but my investment is 100% in the characters. The sisters and the people surrounding them are all fleshed out characters with realistic lives, if sometimes their names are a little out there. (I went to school with a Binky and Bubba (sister and brother) so I won’t say the names are unrealistic.)

My only harumph: Nora’s boss/editor is an Aussie and perhaps in an attempt to avoid the cliched Aussie slang terms such as Bonzer!, Fair Dinkum! etc. etc., the author has chosen to skate a bit close to the obscure. The one that sticks out the most is ‘dinger’ – which I had to look up. It’s recognised slang for ‘condom’ but my Aussie born-and-bred husband has never heard of it. Perhaps some of my BL Aussie friends are more familiar with it? There were a couple of others as well, but I forgot what they were and I’ll never find them again. Also, in a book with no swearing, I snickered over the author’s liberal use of ‘bugger’, but I’m assuming she’s well aware of the word’s meaning and is banking on most of her readers being unaware. I’m choosing to see it as a quiet little rebellion on her part. 🙂

The mystery is tied up at the end but the characters are left with a shock – not a cliffhanger, but definitely a story to be continued. Which makes me happy, because it means there’s another Blackbird Sister adventure on the horizon. Somebody pass me the champagne and a tacky t-shirt.

NB: I’ve been googling the surprise at the end of this book and personally I think it’s a tissue paper dragon based on the holes apparent after a quick search. But such a thing does exist, who knew?

And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily Mystery, #1)

And Only to Deceive
by Tasha Alexander
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780060756710
Series: Lady Emily Mystery #1
Publication Date: October 11, 2005
Pages: 310
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: William Morrow

‘A Novel of Suspense.’

No, not really. Whomever read this book and thought it suspenseful needs to get out more.

It was a very good read though – I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s the age-old tale of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ with Greek antiquities, art forgery, romance and mystery thrown into the mix.

Emily makes a very good marriage to Viscount Ashton for the sole purpose of getting away from her harpy of a mother: a decision I whole-heartendly endorsed after only one scene involving that nasty shrew. Mere months after the marriage, her husband dies of a fever while on an African safari, leaving her a very wealthy widow. When her late husband’s best friend, Colin, pays her a visit, telling her he promised Lord Ashton that Emily would see their villa in Santorini, Greece – a property she owned but didn’t even know about – she decides she ought to learn more about this man she married but knew nothing about.

Thus begins Emily’s adventures. As she learns more about her husband Philip, she learns she had a very good man in her life for far too short a time – or maybe he wasn’t such a good man? This is what comes from a lack of communication in a marriage: Emily is left with contradicting information and evidence – he was either very noble or a massive scoundrel She must sort it all out since she has fallen obsessively in love with her husband post mortem. I found this just a touch nauseating – almost to eye-rolling stage. I understand the regret she’d feel, but not love after the fact.

Along the way, she discovers another passion; this one for knowledge, specifically, ancient Greece. She dives into her education, much to the consternation and disgust of her mother – which really, is a total perk for both Emily and the reader.

I loved the characterisations – each person is boldly sketched out on the page, clear enough to almost be seen. The Parisian settings are vivd, even though few words are used.

The plot was well done, although again – NOT suspenseful. This isn’t the sort of plot the reader figures out before Lady Emily does. The villain is revealed slowly over the course of the story. There’s no grand denouement, although there is a critical unveiling, which I thought was handled particularly well (no TSTL moments).

There are 8 more books in this series so far – YAY! I’m off to order the next few; I definitely enjoyed the story enough to want to know what happens next.

NB: I particularly enjoyed that the author thought to include a few brief sections at the end: The Story behind The Story, Fact vs. Fiction, Location, Location, Location and a Suggested Reading. As a complete novice with all things historical, I appreciated knowing what was authentic to the time, and what she took authorial license with. It’s a nice touch.

Agnes and the Hitman

Agnes and the Hitman
by Jennifer Crusie
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780312363048
Publication Date: August 21, 2007
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

I used this yesterday as my ‘guilty pleasure’ read for the ukbookaday event and since I had finished and reviewed all my currently reading books yesterday as well, it felt like I had earned a guilty pleasure re-read. Plus, I figured this would be a great book to christen BL’s new re-read feature with, but it turns out I never recorded any read dates for this before, so that was a bust.

Remember those old-ish Goldie Hawn movies, like Bird on a Wire? If you’ve seen those movies, you’ll have some idea of what Agnes and the HItman is like. (Maybe a bit of Analyze This mixed in.) I think this book is MUCH better than Bird on a Wire was, but it’s as close as I can come to describing the tone.

Agnes is having a very bad week. She’s bought the house of her dreams from her best friends mother, Brenda, with the stipulation that Brenda’s granddaughter (and Agnes’ goddaughter) be married on the grounds with Agnes planning and hosting the whole thing. Easy!

Except suddenly someone is trying to dognap her dog, at gunpoint. Seems a bit excessive for an ugly old hound. Agnes defends herself with her frying pan and in the course of self-defence, the would be dognapper falls through a wall into an unknown basement and dies, letting loose all sorts of family secrets Brenda would have preferred stayed buried. Agnes’ old friend Joey, a retired and reformed mobster, thinks there’s something up with a dognapping at gunpoint and sends his nephew, Shane, to protect Agnes. Shane’s in the middle of a job, trying to take out an assassin, but Joey is the man who raised him – sort of – and he’s never asked for anything from Shane in 25 years.

What follows from here is just pure hilarity. This is not a deep story; don’t look for the characters to be meaningful or even realistic. There is zero navel-gazing and it’s pretty much non-stop action from first to last. If liberal use of course language is going to bother you – avoid this book. If talk about sex bothers you – avoid this book. The sex isn’t graphic, but discussion about it abounds.

If you’re looking for a light, funny, comedic romp – find this book! I upgraded mine to hardcover several years ago because I was wearing out my paperback.

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy, #3)

The Book of Life
by Deborah Harkness
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780670025596
Series: All Souls #3
Publication Date: July 15, 2014
Pages: 563
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Viking Books

I have previously proclaimed my irrational love of the first two books in this series, so it will come as no surprise to anyone that this one gets 5 stars from me.

There are few books out there I find myself truly immersed in; the kind that when I’m interrupted, I’ll look up from my book, but I’m not really there. My eyes might be a bit glassy and I’ll stare blankly at my own DH as though he’s a stranger. This is such a book.

I’ll admit I was expecting a war; at the very least, a massive battle. I prepared myself to hate the author for killing off a character, or characters that I had become attached to. For a few dozen pages, I was certain it was going to be a specific character. Luckily, the story was not as predictable as all that.

While reading, I picked up on shades of Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus, as well as more common themes of tolerance, acceptance and fear of that which is not understood. The twist at the end is only a twist because it is so obvious. Of all the beliefs humans cling to throughout history that have proven to be illusory over and over again, the idea that we control anything must surely make the top 5 list.

But what it all boils down to for me is that I just love this whole story: its characters, its plot, its settings – it all just clicks for me. Some have likened Diana to whatshername in Twilight but I don’t see the Mary Jane – I just saw a character – a very intelligent, strong and independent one – trying to get a grip on a massive amount of change happening in a short amount of time. I never got the victim vibe from her. I don’t pretend to understand the all consuming love she and Matthew apparently share, but it’s thankfully not so soppy and mushy I feel the need for insulin.

All the major plot points of the three books are wrapped up at the end of this one, but, vexingly, a lot of characters’ stories are…unfinished. They aren’t cliff-hangers, and the story could easily end here and Ms. Harkness could disappear back into the history stacks never to be heard from again in fiction. But she has left a number of openings for a return should she choose to do so. A lot of secondary characters are left with their stories still ongoing. At least one of them – Gallowglass – I’d be the first in line to read more about. I’m more than a little half in love with him.

Whether Ms Harkness every writes another word about these people or not, I’ll at least be able to re-read and ‘see’ them all again.

A Grave Matter (Lady Darby Mystery #3)

A Grave Matter
by Anna Lee Huber
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780425253694
Series: A Lady Darby Mystery #3
Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Pages: 421
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Well rats.

It’s over. I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

A Grave Matter is a mystery first, but almost equally it’s a romance as things come to a head between Lady Darby and Sebastian Gage. Ms. Huber will always hold a special place in my heart for not dragging this out past the point of painful into inanity. There’s plenty of conflict between these two but it avoids most of the overused tropes and these two are actually gasp honest and communicative!

I thought the setting fabulously descriptive, although ironically, Edinburgh was the hardest of the locations for me to picture. The border villages and the Abbey were crystal clear and I could hear the frost crackling under their feet as they transversed the graveyards looking for evidence. I found myself reading aloud to MT about the first-footers and I was thrilled at the end of the story to read the author’s note about the authenticity of this tradition. I’m wondering if I can get away with introducing it at our NYE festivities this year.

The plot is delightfully macabre; not scary or graphic and completely fitting with Lady Darby’s background and baggage. I’ll admit I nabbed the bad guy early on, but I can’t say what gave it away. Nevertheless, I was never absolutely certain. I wouldn’t have been surprised had I been wrong.

There might have been some anachronistic narrative; I can’t say for certain, and I think it was almost all in the internal dialogue. While women for millennia have probably wished at one time or another to throw things at men, it feels too modern when Lady Darby ‘contemplated throwing a shoe at his head.’ I don’t care about this, but others might find it jarring.

But the scene at the end between Lady Darby and Gage made even this pragmatic non-romantic feel a bit mushy. Considering the chasteness of the period, Ms. Huber is very good at conveying romantic tension. (To be fair, there’s a LOT of kissing going on; I’m betting more than considered acceptable for the time period. Go Lady Darbry!)

There are a lot of things I could blather on about that I enjoyed; a GR friend is just now starting The Anatomist’s Wife and I’m more than a little jealous – I wish I had 2 and a bit of these books still ahead of me. As it is, I’ll be waiting a very long year to catch up with Lady Darby and Gage.

Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charlie Davidson, #6)

Sixth Grave on the Edge
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781250045638
Series: Charlie Davidson #6
Publication Date: May 4, 2014
Pages: 326
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Most girls might think twice before getting engaged to someone like Reyes Farrow—but Charley Davidson is not most girls. She's a private eye and grim reaper who's known to be a bit of a hell-raiser, especially after a few shots of caffeine. Her beloved Reyes may be the only begotten son of evil, but he's dark and sultry and deeply sexy and everything Charley could hope for. Really. But when the FBI file on Reyes' childhood happens to land into her lap, she can't help herself: She opens it...and then the real fun begins.

First, Charley finds a naked corpse riding shotgun in her car. Then, a man loses his soul in a card game. Throw in a Deaf boy who sees dead people, a woman running from mobsters, and a very suspicious Reyes, and things can't get any worse for Charley. Unless, of course, the Twelve Beasts of Hell are unleashed…

The covers of the Charlie Davidson series always have a quote on the front comparing them to Janet Evanovich’s books. It’s a particular pet peeve of mine, because it seems every other book with any humour in it at all has a Stephanie Plum comparison quote on it’s cover. And they are never anything like the Stephanie Plum books. However, if anyone comes close it’s Charlie Davidson. But she is oh, so much more. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Plum novels, they’re a hoot, but I think it’s a bit of a backhanded compliment to compare Charlie to Stephanie.

Charlie is a P.I. and the grim reaper –a portal to heaven. She’s in love with the son of Satan himself; created and sent to Earth for the sole purpose of destroying her. Only the son has his own agenda; he’s in love with Charlie and has been for centuries. She just barely juggles both jobs and in spite of herself, manages to make a difference.

I love these books and I loved Sixth Grave… Ms. Jones hasn’t yet written a bad book, imo. They are first and foremost entertaining; Charlie’s thoughts and dialogue are written as an almost continuous stream of jokes, but it’s not just about the funny. There is a lot of pain, a lot of violence, a lot of empathy, a lot of mythology, and some –not a lot– scorching love scenes (pun sort of intended). The series’ premise is steeped deeply in biblical mythology, and belief and faith are strong themes without bringing religion into it. I enjoy this part even more than I enjoy the humour. Sixth Grave just hit all the right buttons for me.

The only negative notes for me, and the reason it’s a 4 star instead of 5 is the repetition of a couple of pieces of information that felt more like someone forgot they’d already been mentioned than just refreshers, and the ending. The ending, although it feels like the inevitable evolution of the mythology Ms. Jones has created, has me worried.

Worried or not, I can’t wait for Seventh Grave’s release. Ms. Jones owns me at this point. If you like Urban Fantasy that straddles the PNR line (or crosses it – I could argue either way), can handle some non-gratuitous violence and love wise-cracking, kick-ass heroines who have the power and strength to save the world, you might enjoy these books and I highly recommend checking them out.

Murder of Crows (A Novel of the Others, #2)

Murder of Crows
by Anne Bishop
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780451465269
Series: The Others #2
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Pages: 354
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: ROC Hardcover

Thank god that’s over! Let me explain:

This weekend in Melbourne we had an Indian Summer. (For those of you not familiar with the American term: Indian Summer: a period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in late autumn.) I know this only in the vaguest sense because honestly, I couldn’t freaking put the book down long enough to look outside. Laundry didn’t get done. DH was resoundingly ignored. Luckily he cooks or we’d have both gone without eating. I’m not exactly sure what I did eat, come to think of it – he put a plate in front of me and I ate whatever was on it. I do remember chewing… I’m sure it was delicious…

Thankfully books like this only come around a couple of times a year. The compulsive need to keep reading is, I think, something that’s best enjoyed in small doses.

Murder of Crows was just as good as Written in Red. Tess and the Elementals are still my favourites, and I still enjoyed the swift and devastating justice that is consistently delivered by the Others. That sounds blood-thirsty doesn’t it? But the world Ms. Bishop has created is a very black and white world in terms of morality. The Others control all the land, all the resources, and where humans are allowed to live and how much of any resource can be used. Clear cut rules exist for other/human interaction, (although the Others prefer no interaction at all). Following the rules brings peace, or at least detente. Breaking the rules means death. No warnings, just death.

Meg is what happens when you introduce gray to this black and white world. Human, but not prey, she doesn’t judge and treats everyone, Other or Human, with kindness. This book starts to explore just what kind of changes are possible when one person/other, and then another, and another choose shades of gray.

The immediate plot of Murder of Crows is the continuation and resolution of one started in Written in Red as well as The Controller’s ongoing campaign to bring Meg back to his facility. Instead of a slow build up leading to a final climax, this book is a series of smaller climaxes each bringing the story closer to an end. While I’d rather not wait for the third book, at least the story ended with at least as much satisfaction as anticipation.

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)

Night Broken
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★½
isbn: 9780425256749
Series: Mercy Thompson #8
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Pages: 341
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

When her mate’s ex-wife storms back into their lives, Mercy knows something isn’t right. Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions—she wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning the pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. As the bodies start piling up, she must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

2021 Update: On re-reading, I still think that first scene is way over the top – even more so than River Marked. I actually dinged it another .5 star on my second read because of this. The rest of my original review is absolutely spot on.

Original review: I’ve been avoiding my computer all day, because I knew I’d have to write this review (well, ok, I don’t have to, but I’m willingly committed to saying something about each book I read). And I don’t really know what to say – I liked the book, but I’m a bit conflicted.

I would definitely count myself a fan of the Mercy Thompson series and Patrica Briggs’ writing in general, and, make no mistake, I devoured this book and enjoyed it. I’d tell anyone who has read her books that this one is a worthy entry. If asked about it, I guess this is about what I would say:

A really good read. This book felt like it had a bit more humour that most of the others in the series; one-liners or dialogue that are funny but not comedic. We get to see Mercy struggle with being the better woman when Adam’s ex-wife comes to town. We find out more information (although not much) about Coyote and another walker is introduced.

But two things I’d mention about the story. The first one is a bordering-on-eye-rolling thing. The first scene where we meet Christie’s stalker reminded me a bit of the over-the-topness from some of the final scenes of River Marked. I really love how Ms. Briggs weaves different myths and cultures into the Mercy universe and this one is no different. She had me going to Wikipedia to learn more. I just felt like that first scene was overdone. The final scene was fantastic though; really, really well written.

The second struggle I have is an on-going one with the whole series. It is a testament to Ms. Briggs excellent writing and subtle (most of the time) handling of difficult or dark issues that keeps me coming back, book after book. But I can’t stand reading about anyone hurting animals. Hate, hate, hate it and normally I just close the book and get rid of it when I stumble across one that includes animal cruelty/sacrifice/anything-that-isn’t snuggly. But the Mercy books (and at least one Alpha & Omega) include animal death. It isn’t dwelt on, or detailed (much) and it’s usually after the fact, but it’s still really difficult for me to get through and it diminishes my enjoyment of the books.

If Ms. Briggs granted me one wish, it would be that future story lines wouldn’t include bad things happening to good animals and a solemn oath that nothing will ever happen to Medea. Because I have serious angst about that sweet cat and her continued safety.

But Ms. Briggs doesn’t know me or have any reason to grant me wishes, so I’ll keep on reading, keeping my fingers crossed for the critters, and focussing on all the great things that make this series worth reading.

Home of the Braised (White House Chef Mysteries, #7)

Home of the Braised
by Julie Hyzy
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780425262382
Series: White House Chef Mystery #7
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Pages: 293
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Tensions are running high as the White House staff adjusts to a new chief usher and prepares for a high-stakes state dinner, where everything must be perfect. But as the date for the event approaches, things go disastrously wrong when the secretary of defense is found dead in his home, seemingly killed during a break-in.

At the same time Olivia’s fiancé, Gav, is looking into the mysterious murder of an old friend. Is there a connection? Despite an increase in security following the secretary’s death, Ollie learns the president is in imminent danger at the dinner and must do everything in her power to get to him—before it’s too late…

This series is the perfect example of a good-but-slow-to-start series. I read the first three and always thought they were good enough to pick up the next one, but I was never really invested in the characters.

Then the protagonist, Ollie, got a new love interest. I don’t know why this made such a HUGE difference, but I could not put down the last four books; in fact, I read 4, 5 and 6 back-to-back last year. You might be thinking ‘well, the sex scenes must have been better’, but there are zero sex scenes. In the last four books I think the author only mentions them kissing twice. In passing. But Ms. Hyzy does an outstanding job, IMO, of creating sexual tension without the sexual descriptions. Maybe it’s just me.

Home of the Braised is a great entry in this fabulous series – the action and mystery start right away and Ollie is fighting battles on enough fronts to keep things busy without being overwhelming to the reader (if I were Ollie I’d be drinking heavily). There’s a lot of detail about being a White House chef, but it flows nicely in the story and it’s obvious the author has done her homework. The writing is smooth, fluid and without any oddities that jarred me out of the moment. Very little (if any) page filler disguised as internal speculation.

I don’t really want to include much of a synopsis here because it all feels spoiler-y. Suffice it to say that there are threats to the presidency, the White House, national security and Ollie finds herself in the thick of it. If I had to complain about anything, I’d prefer the author didn’t turn Ollie into a pariah; I know any real person involved in at least 7 ‘adventures’ (and counting, I hope) would start to garner questions, if not a 48 hour psych eval, but it got to be repetitive enough to notice in the last couple of books. Luckily, not so repetitive that it annoyed me. Everything was excellently plotted though and I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish. I saw the very end coming, but that’s ok – it wasn’t anything plot related and it was a great way to leave the reader smiling at the end.

I count the months until the next book is out.

Love Game (Matchmaker #3)

Love Game
by Elise Sax
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Matchmaker Mystery #3
Publication Date: January 1, 2014
Pages: 277
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Ballantine Books

“I never want to leave this town. Cannes is a village on happy juice. LSD. It’s the Wizard of Oz on shrooms.”

I want to live in Cannes, California. It’s definitely on my list of Fictional Places I’d Like to Live. I’d have a comfy chair and a big bowl of popcorn and I’d park myself on the sidewalk and just watch. It’s crazy town in the most entertaining way possible.

I can’t move to Cannes, but at least I have these books and I can visit this nutville and it’s residents anytime I’d like.

In Love Game there’s an ill wind blowing, and her name is Luanda. She’s brought a special brand of crazy to Cannes and it’s undoing all the good matches Gladys and her grandmother Zelda have made. Add to that a suitcase full of spider infested clothes, Gladys car keys going into a ravine, a group kidnapping and a murder and you have the makings of a very entertaining week in the best possible slapstick style.

I like Gladys, but I have to admit she’s not always my favorite character in the books. I don’t think I could be friends in Real Life with someone who has been known to be extremely flighty. But she’s still a character you can get behind and cheer on. While each book has presented the entire cast in all it’s zany glory, I would have to choose Ruth as my favorite from this book – she’s got all the best lines. I should hope to be her when I’m in my 80’s. She reminds me of the little old lady cartoons on the Hallmark cards – you know which one I mean? The skinny one that smokes, wears glasses, and has absolutely no filter between her brain and her mouth.

The romantic angle of the book is chaos of the best kind. I normally HATE HATE HATE love triangles, but what Gladie has going on here really doesn’t qualify as a love triangle – more like it’s raining men. (Hallelujah!) Holden is out of town and out of touch in this book, but we have a new player – Remington Cumberbatch. A detective working for Spencer Bolton, he’s around often enough to keep Spencer from a sure thing and Gladys’ hormones in overdrive. The chemistry is constant and intense between Gladys and both of these men, and her flirtations are fun without stretching the readers patience.

The kidnapping/murder was excellent – Ms. Sax can write a mystery. I didn’t even know who to suspect until the end, when Luanda’s denouement puts Gladys in the spotlight, leaving her to piece together the clues and come up with the answer. I’m not sure how realistic the deductions are, but they were fun nonetheless.

I’m hooked on this series and I hope Gladys has a long run full of fun, laugh-out-loud adventures. I’ll be looking forward with eagerness for the next one.