Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
There are three big questions in All Sales Final: (1) Why's Maggie dragging her feet over this wedding? (2) Who's the skeleton in the basement and who killed him? and (3) What's up with Maggie's arch enemy, Summer? Author Josie Belle (AKA Jenn McKinlay) answers them all in fine-- if a bit rushed-- style.
Any woman who's marrying at Maggie's age is going to have some emotional baggage and some serious doubts, and McKinlay deals with these issues in a sensitive, understanding manner that fits the characters of both Maggie and Sam. A good deal of the humor in this book revolves around Maggie's enemy- since-high-school, Summer-- a character that I always found a bit over-the-top. Summer undergoes a bit of a transformation in All Sales Final that I found not only funny but believable.
I mentioned above that I felt this book was a bit rushed. Several elements could have been developed more fully, but part of me understands why they weren't. This is-- sadly-- the last Good Buy Girls mystery, and fleshing out new characters or developing certain plot threads more fully would not stamp THE END on the story of Maggie and her friends.
This entire series has not only been about good mysteries and good fun, it's been a wonderful celebration of friendship. I've laughed, cried, and just plain felt good reading about the lives of these characters, and I will sincerely miss them. The Good Buy Girls mysteries form one of my favorite cozy mystery series, and I know I'm not alone in feeling that way.
Any woman who's marrying at Maggie's age is going to have some emotional baggage and some serious doubts, and McKinlay deals with these issues in a sensitive, understanding manner that fits the characters of both Maggie and Sam. A good deal of the humor in this book revolves around Maggie's enemy- since-high-school, Summer-- a character that I always found a bit over-the-top. Summer undergoes a bit of a transformation in All Sales Final that I found not only funny but believable.
I mentioned above that I felt this book was a bit rushed. Several elements could have been developed more fully, but part of me understands why they weren't. This is-- sadly-- the last Good Buy Girls mystery, and fleshing out new characters or developing certain plot threads more fully would not stamp THE END on the story of Maggie and her friends.
This entire series has not only been about good mysteries and good fun, it's been a wonderful celebration of friendship. I've laughed, cried, and just plain felt good reading about the lives of these characters, and I will sincerely miss them. The Good Buy Girls mysteries form one of my favorite cozy mystery series, and I know I'm not alone in feeling that way.
