Revenge On Route 66-Kris Neri

Revenge On Route 66
Kris Neri
Cherokee McGhee, Mar 15 2013, $17.95
http://www.Cherokee McGhee.com
ISBN: 9781937556020

Hollywood hunk Alec Grainger enjoys traveling Route 66. He currently is on the Mother Road with his son-in-law’s Uncle Philly and soon joined by his daughter Tracy Eaton and her husband Drew. One of their favorite haunts has been the Lunch Pail Café in Tecos, New Mexico, but the diner is locked up since the proprietor, Lucy Crier is locked away after murdering her former boyfriend. However, somehow witnesses claim to see Lucy on Route 66. Alec persuades his companions for them to look into the sighting of a jailed Lucy.

Soon after the inexplicable sighting as Lucy has an iron clad alibi, someone kills her ingratiating son Woody. As the traveling team investigate the Crier mysteries, the FBI inexplicably declare Tracy Eaton as a deadly Most Wanted fugitive; she can run on Route 66 but can’t hide from the Feds and other pursuers.

The latest Eaton family travelogue (see Revenge of the Gypsy Queen, Revenge For Old Time’s Sake and Dem Bones’ Revenge) is another is humorous yet graveyard serious amateur sleuth as this time the flaky free spirited heroine is on the lam from the Feds (and others). The storyline is fast-paced with Tracy, the original campy Revenge star, dodging capture while seeking to solve three mysteries as she would prefer not to become Lucy’s bunkmate. Fans will appreciate this tremendous trip down America’s Mother Road.

Harriet Klausner

Murder By Chance-Pat Dennis

Murder By Chance
Pat Dennis
Forty Press, Mar 1 2013, $16.95
http://www.fortypress.com
ISBN: 9781938473043

As the snow piles up, Take A Chance Tours arrives late to the Moose Lake Bay Resort and Casino in northern Minnesota. Most of the surely elderly passengers run off the coach to the slot machines while owner Betty Chance and bus driver Tillie McFinn realize one of their forty-four attendees failed to take a coupon book. They search for a sleeping senior only instead Tillie finds the corpse of 350 pounds Mr. Farsi with a knife protruding from his back inside a locked bathroom.

Sheriff Severson leads the investigation in which he suspects ex-con Tillie killed the victim. With the help of Tillie, security casino Tom Songbird and gambling addict Lori the CPA who rushed from Chicago to be there for her beloved aunt, Betty using skills as the ex-wife of a CPD homicide detective begins her own inquiry.

This is a lighthearted amateur sleuth starring a spunky fiftyish overweight heroine and her fascinating sidekicks. Fast-paced as the lead character deals with the mentalist performer, irate clients ready to sue over a progressive slot $13 million lost opportunity, loss of the coach due to being a crime scene, the Buffet Betty blog or the murder, fans will enjoy taking a chance on Pat Dennis’s fun mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Three Graves Full-Jamie Mason

Three Graves Full
Jamie Mason
Gallery, Feb 12 2013, $24.99
ISBN 9781451685039

In Stillwater, Michigan a year and a half ago in a fit of rage, normally mild widower Jason Getty killed someone. Panicking, the office worker buried the body in the back yard. Since interring the corpse, he lives in fear of being caught as he expects the neighbor’s dog to dig up the bones though after crossing the first anniversary he logically knows the odds are statistically insignificant.

However, Jason also allowed his property to deteriorate during that same time. So to keep the complaints away, he hires Dearborn’s Landscaping to fix the front yard. Calvin the foreman and his two workers find a body buried there. Though not his haunting corpse Jason fears Detectives Tim Bayard and Ford Watts, who believe the previous owner placed the dead person under the ground, and Tessa the K9 will find another body; which they do, but once again not his.

Leah Tamblin never forgave her fiancé Reid Reynolds for running away with less than two weeks before their wedding. She needs to know if one of the dead is her Reid. The police identify Reid buried next to Katielynn Montgomery; her husband Boyd is the prime suspect.

Three Graves Full is a zany comedic twisting murder mystery as facts are not always facts when someone digs deep enough. The fully developed cast (including Tessa) makes for a fun tale as the players except for the brilliant dog seem to step in it.

Harriet Klausner

The Devereaux Legacy-Carolyn Hart

The Devereaux Legacy
Carolyn Hart
Prometheus/Seventh Street, Feb 12 2013, $13.95
ISBN 9781616147044

In Rockport, Texas, Leah Devereaux Shaw buries her beloved grandma Louisa Abbot Shaw, the woman who raised her. However, Grandmother Shaw’s last letter and a much read magazine article stuns Leah who travels to Mefford, South Carolina where apparently her kin live. Her first stop in Mefford is the cemetery, which contains stones for her grandma, her parents and two years old Leah; all “lost at sea” when the New Star went down.

Leah heads to the family plantation that her grandma accompanied by baby Leah fled almost two decades ago. Her arrival is met by mixed emotions. Cousin Merrick Devereaux welcomes her; an extended family in-law Mrs. Leclerc warns her that the return of the Whispering Lady means death; cousins Cissy and John Edward Devereaux tell her to return to Texas or else; and her maternal grandmother Carrie Devereaux is stunned with a second chance to atone for her pride driving away her daughter in the 1960s. With a need to know why kind-hearted Grandmother Shaw vanished with her, Leah investigates while also attracted to Merrick.

This reprint of a 1986 Carolyn Hart romantic amateur sleuth is an entertaining tale that brings to life the author’s trademark Lowcountry setting (see the Death on Demand series). The cast is solid and the twists inside a taut suspense storyline plausible. Although the romance between the “kissing cousins” feels forced while supporting Ms. Hart’s Introduction’s contention on female mystery writing in the Reagan era, readers will enjoy this engaging “cold case” murder mystery.

Harriet Klausner

To Brie or Not To Brie-Avery Aames

To Brie or Not To Brie
Avery Aames
Berkley, Feb 5 2013, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425255544

In Providence, Ohio, Charlotte Bessette owns Fromagerie Bessette better known locally as The Cheese Shop. Carelessly she causes a grease fire in her kitchen because she was distracted by her delicious latest concoction. As usual, Charlotte has a lot going on as she and her fiancé Jordon Pace discuss marital plans; feed the cast performing in her grandmother’s production of Hamlet at the Providence Playhouse; cater the upcoming marriage between her best friend Meredith and her cousin Matthew; and create with the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor magician a Brie blueberry ice cream.

However, a new distraction pops up when the Tourist is found dead inside the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor cooler. The murder weapon is a carton of Brie blueberry ice cream. Police Chief Urso leads the investigation, but Charlotte identifies the corpse as Giacomo Capriotti, estranged abusive husband of Jacky Peterson; the only suspect. Charlotte conducts her own inquiry starting with who notified the New Jersey resident that his missing wife had become a Buckeye.

The latest Cheese Shop cozy (see Clobbered by Camembert, The Long Quiche Goodbye and Lost In Fondue) is an engaging murder mystery starring a courageous amateur sleuth. Though at times comedic, the female support cast too frequently acts more like WrestleMania participants with their back and forth shrilling rather than small Ohio townsfolk. Still series fans will enjoy murder by cheese ice cream as the Bard arrives in Providence.

Harriet Klausner

Brooklyn Bones-Triss Stein

Brooklyn Bones
Triss Stein
Poisoned Pen, Feb 5 2013, $24.95
ISBN: 9781464201202

In the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, Widow Erica Donato works part-time at a museum and attends grad school as a history major; but her prime job is to raise her teenage daughter Chris as a single mom. Family friend Joe leads a team renovating the Donato home. Chris, working with the crew, calls her mom informing her that they found the skeletal remains of a young female cradling a teddy bear inside a wall.

The police act at best perfunctory as they seem to prefer to ignore the interred bones and feel mother and daughter should do likewise. Chris needs to know who the victim was while Erica recognizes items buried with Jane Doe from the 1970s. They obtain information from retired reporter Leary who covered the gentrification tactics of the 1970s. As strangers threaten the pair, family friend retired cop Rick Malone ignores Erica’s pleas and affluent developer Steven Richmond hires the mom for no obvious reason while an unknown adversary will kill anyone looking into Jane Doe.

The key to this solid murder mystery is Park Slope today and during the tumultuous 1970s gentrification. The mother and daughter lead couple is each fully developed as Erica is a young widow with concerns and ambitions, and Chris is a typical mercurial teen; while the secondary characters bring out the neighborhood, the family and the mystery. Although some of the actions and decisions by Erica feels out of a slasher movie (stepping into peril) and thus over the top of the Brooklyn Bridge even accounting for New York shtick, fans will enjoy this amateur sleuth tour of the fourth largest city in America.

Harriet Klausner

Sweet 16 to Life-Kimberly Reid

Sweet 16 to Life
Kimberly Reid
Kensington K-Teen/Dafina, Jan 29 2013, $9.95
ISBN: 9780758267429

After solving several crimes at her school Langdon Prep (see Creeping with the Enemy and My Own Worst Frenemy), teenager Chanti Evans’ ex quasi boyfriend Marci Ruiz and her mom undercover vice cop Lana demand she stop her investigations though she has saved lives. The relationship between Chanti and Lana is further strained because the teen’s absentee father wants back in the lives of mother and daughter just before her sixteenth birthday.

In her Denver Heights family house, Chanti follows the smell of smoke until she sees a fire two houses over. She calls 911 while grabbing a fire extinguisher as the home of her friend MJ and Big Mama is on fire; no one is inside. Chanti knows the fire was deliberate and probably aimed at MJ by her former gangbanger pals. Unable to ignore the arson, Chanti enlists Marco as she tries to help MJ deal with an angry gang member Lux. However the situation turns nastier when Lux vanishes. The cops and the gang suspect the worst from Chanti and MJ.

The latest Langdon Prep young teen street noir is a super suspense with an extremely complex investigation as the intriguing case is far from linear (young readers and us geriatric boomers will need deep concentration). The support cast is solid and the heroine displays depth as leads the inquiry. Readers will enjoy Sweet 16 to Life.

Harriet Klausner

The Trouble with Charlie-Merry Jones

The Trouble with Charlie
Merry Jones
Oceanview, Feb 5 2013, $25.95
ISBN 9781608090747

The divorce ending the decade marriage of Philadelphia elementary schoolteacher Elle Brooks and Charlie Harrison is almost a fait accompli. Elle comes home to their townhouse after a night on the town with her friends. Although Charlie moved out weeks ago, she senses he is here. When she feels a light kiss on her nape, Elle becomes disturbed. However, Elle panics when she sees long-stemmed rose on floor. Grabbing a kitchen knife, she looks for the intruder only to find Charlie dead on their living room couch, stabbed to death by a kitchen knife.

The police suspect Elle murdered her husband especially when she cannot explain what she was doing or where she was at the time of his death. Elle fears she may have killed Charlie as her short-term amnesia may be a repression of a memory she cannot accept; made worse by Charlie’s ghost accusing her of murdering him. After consulting with her friends, Elle looks into Charlie’s activities only to find she never knew her mate who not only cheated on her but had connections with nasty people. Each revelation is another motive for her to have killed him; but also for his amoral associates to kill her and for the cops to arrest her.

This exciting paranormal amateur sleuth is a fun whodunit as the more the heroine learns of her late almost ex-husband, the more danger she places herself in as well as she increasingly begins to conclude she may be his killer. Though the living relationship between Elle and Charlie is not developed enough; fans will enjoy the fast-paced investigative storyline as Elle dodges killers, cops and ghosts.

Harriet Klausner

All Natural Murder-Staci McLaughlin

All Natural Murder
Staci McLaughlin
Kensington, Feb 5 2013, $$7.99
ISBN: 9780758275011

Ex-Silicon Valley copywriting hot shot, Dana Lewis enjoys life as a marketing expert and all around laborer cleaning cabins and duckling herding at the O’Connell Organic Farm and Spa; Dana also loves quality time with her boyfriend Jason who is reporter for the Blossom Valley Herald. The only two negatives on her serenity are her drama queen sister Ashlee and the creative food Zennia gets from “Torture Cuisines R Us” that she serves to crash dummies like Dana.

When someone murders Monster Truck driver Bobby Joe Jones, the cops question his girlfriend Ashlee; as her Facebook entry and witnesses at the Fairgrounds heard her say she will kill him for cheating on her; her responses increase the belief she killed the victim. Though she prefers to stay out of a homicide investigation, Dana knows how it feels being the prime suspect (see Going Organic Can Kill You). Additionally, her mom and sister badger her so over personal objections, Dana investigates the murder seeking a motive that has nothing to do with Ashlee’s out of control superego.

This Blossom Valley mystery is an entertaining whodunit as the heroine finds her inquiry places her in danger while Ashlee flits and flirts her way through life. Although a critical cleaning coincidence that feels unlikely occurs, the amateur sleuth audience will enjoy Dana’s quirky friends and family encouraging her to step into the pig sty and challenge Monster Trucks.

Harriet Klausner

The Boogie Trapp-Kerry Copeland Smith

The Boogie Trapp
Kerry Copeland Smith
The Peppertree Press, Oct 31 2012, $29.95
http://www.peppertreepublishing.com
ISBN: 9781614931126

In May 2008; after seeing the black cat with a red collar and a red Corvette, septuagenarian Kerry Copeland Smith thinks back to his childhood when he was called Boogie, short for Boogieman due to all the 6s in his birth. He expected the Shreveport letter that arrived from his childhood late best friend Charles Edward Trapp’s sister Jean; inside is a sealed envelope that Trapper gave to his wife Marlene who had her sister-in-law forward to Boogie; reminding him of his promise to Trapper six decades ago. Boogie knows the time has arrived for him to get off his butt and begin writing what happened to a pair of young teens in 1949 at the Black Creek coal mining town in Alabama.

The thirteen year old friends were having fun when they run afoul of a dangerous predator. Boogie and Trapper fear they will be next as someone has killed and will insure no witnesses live. Instead of kisses with his item Darlene, Boogie (and Trapper) realizes they are in trouble with no one not even the Sheriff or their parents able to help them.

The Boogie Trapp is an exciting historical adolescent suspense with sprinkles of BFF humor. The teen Deliverance storyline brings alive the bygone era of Alabama coal camp towns while juxtaposing with contemporary Florida retirement. However, the keys besides capturing the vivid essence of rural (ironically only 20 miles from Birmingham but years before the superhighway system) Alabama are the cast as Kerry Copeland Smith captures the essence of two teens in over their respective heads (run is their mantra).

Harriet Klausner