Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 6/28/2019 + 2572 more book reviews

First, let me say I like cozies. I've read a lot of them. But in most of those cozies the characters are people you can respect. However, I couldn't find anyone to respect in this one.

The first chapter was difficult to wade through. It, like much of the book, was a parody of cozies. Then we meet our heroine. She is a real airhead who spends more time worrying if the new town hunk will ask her for a date, than if her grandmother will be convicted of murder.

Many of the characters are two-dimensional, some are even one-dimensional. Apparently, this is a nutritional problem due to the fact everyone lives on exotic cheeses and wine. It's all they ever eat.

Can you really respect a heroine who steals into a suspect's office and opens a locked desk to examine her suspect's finances. Then, when she is caught by the suspect, they yell at each other before ending up forgiving each other. Maybe in books, but in real life the heroine would be in jail. Then the heroine accosts another suspect at a public gathering, rips the suspect's purse from her and sorts through it to find proof her new suspect is the killer. Yet, no one in the book seems to find this unusual.

Then, to prove she really has a mental problem, she enters a friend's house, and, accompanied by other ding-a-lings, bursts into her friend's bedroom to discover---her male cousin and friend in bed. Yet, no one seems to get really upset about this.

Then most of the town shows up for her grandmother's political speech---she is running for a fourth term as mayor. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the speech, which lasts about two minutes, leaving the grandmother drained from emotion. We can only wish real life political speeches were like this one.

It got so I was hoping the heroine would be uncovered as the murderer and sentenced to life in prison on a diet of Thunderbird wine and American cheese slices.

And does anybody really take their nieces up into the attic to read young adult books to them while sharing a plate of "gluten-free creme-cheese button cookies"?

Thank God I don't have any more books by this author.

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