Kim (Mistry) - reviewed on 5/10/2008 + 105 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 8

I'm not even sure where to start with this book! The story is well written, and I didn't know until the very end who the murderer was. The characters are well thought out, and the descriptions of the town and surroundings are quite colorful. That being said, it was very difficult to like the main character, Helma Zukas. It's hard to picture a 36 yo woman who sleeps in a hairnet, whose closet is categorized by color and type of clothing, and who spends every waking minute correcting every phrase that people utter.
She was very contradictory, impertinent and at first unlikeable. But at the same time, she somehow fit into the story and I had to keep reading. She's very poised, at all times, and I wanted to scream at her to take the stick out of her backside and loosen up a little! I don't understand how a character who is wound so tightly could be appealing, but somehow, it works. Maybe it's her odd friend Ruth, who keeps calling her Helm, and who is constantly corrected with "it's Helma", which towards the end of the book I found myself saying out loud along with the book or that when the Chief agrees to share information and asks, "is it a deal?" she responds with "I prefer that it be an agreement." Whatevah, woman! Take a pill, go crazy, mess up your sock drawer! Considering all this, there is an undertone of humor, that while you have to look for it, it's there, and I found myself laughing at some points of the book. Helma is one of a kind, and so straightlaced and rigid you think she'll break in two, but yet, there's something about her you have to admire, if not like.
I'm actually going to read another one in this series to see if she takes my advice! I don't know why, but I liked it!

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