Well, I thought I hadn’t spent much time reading over the last week or ten days, but it seems that I have … after yesterday’s short read reviews, I discovered I had several books I have finished lately but not yet reviewed.
It couldn’t be that my reading addiction has got the better of me again after so many years on the wagon, could it??? I am sure the fact that I recently subscribed to the Bookbub and EReader News today bargain reading newsletters couldn’t have anything to do with it. A veritable cornucopia for the voracious but discerning and parsimonious reader of all things light fiction.
But enough already – you guys aren’t here to read my tall trawling tales.
First up, two cozy mysteries. These are pure fun and very diverting when well done. One of my favourite movies is Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, and the loser girl who makes good is a motif with endless comic potential. Hence my enjoyment of the two cozies reviewed below.
Both are very well produced, with cute, appealing covers.
Don’t Be A Stranger by A R Winters
Subtitled as: Don’t Be A Stranger: A Light-Hearted Valerie Inkerman Mystery (Valerie Inkerman Investigates Book 1)
Sometimes the Blurb does it best: When Valerie Inkerman’s roommate Jerry gets her a waitressing gig at a plush Hamptons party, she has no idea that murder is on the menu. But when one of the guests is found dead and Jerry is accused of being the killer, Val knows she needs to utilise all her skills as a private investigator to clear his name. Trying to track down the victim’s possible enemies and find new leads, Val faces distractions in the form of old acquaintances and a hot dinner date. But as Val’s leads all turn into dead ends, the killer seems to stay step ahead of her all the time. Val knows she’s close to finding out the truth, but will she be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together before time runs out for Jerry or the killer strikes again?
I did like this a whole lot. Aspiring PI Valerie is down on her luck but still has enough wry sass to stand up to some pretty mean girls and some pretty scary stuff in solving this apparently motiveless murder. And she seems to be snagging herself some (cozy and clean) action on the side; her final let-down in the hot date department is very droll. What a girl!
The none-too-sharp but extremely good-natured Jerry who turns out to have some surprisingly useful acquaintances, and Jerry’s equally surprising dad Kyle, are great quirky characters with a lot of potential for future development.
This was terrific fun, the smart tone never flagged, the characters great, the dialogue snappy, pacing was fine and the mystery pretty well handled; with few clues to go on there is good suspense and some puzzling out to divert the reader. A great page turner with many giggles along the way.
Innocent in Las Vegas by A R Winters
A Humorous Tiffany Black Mystery (Tiffany Black Mysteries Book 1)
I’m copping out again here and giving you the blurb: Cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black is determined to leave her job at the casino for good. She’s one small step away from acquiring her Private Investigator license, and has her eye on the prize. Accepting her first real case – investigating the murder of casino-mogul Ethan Becker – should be exciting. Instead, things spiral out of control and Tiffany finds herself in over her head, as she confronts secretive suspects, corrupt casino henchmen and a bodyguard with a mysterious past.Tiffany’s poker-hustling Nanna and pushy parents want her to find a nice man and settle down, but Tiffany just wants to track down the real murderer before he finds her first.
The many reviews of this book compare this book both favourably and unfavourably with the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. In my ignorance I went and read the blurbs and reviews for some of the Stephanie Plum books. They sounded a lot more hard-edged and graphic than this light-hearted read. Though Tiffany Black is a PI, not a bounty hunter, there did seem to be significant similarities in various characters.
Be that as it may, just be aware that I review in my blissful ignorance and take this as it stands and not as an imitation of anyone else. That being got out of the way, I thought this was absolutely delightful. Trainee PI Tiffany Black is hilariously inept, has never held a gun and refuses to think of taking self-defence classes until things get a bit dangerous.
Through a friend she gains a stoic (but gorgeous looking) minder in the aptly named Stone, an imperturbable man of few words and extraordinarily literal understanding, and shadowy background. So sexy. Stone in his wordlessly efficient way is able to corral Tiffany into makin’ it real by essaying gun use and self-defence training – simply it seems by looking incredulous that she hasn’t already done so. So Tiffany stumbles through her first investigation, solving the case apparently almost by accident.
Her family misunderstand her in a way to guarantee maximum amusement, her granny is a naughty old lady, and they all want her respectably married off, like, five years ago. When Stone hauls into their view, well, it’s on isn’t it? A perfect running gag that is milked for all it’s worth but doesn’t run out of steam.
Well written, fun characters, witty dialogue that never flags, suspenseful mystery and lotsa laughs. What’s not to like?
I’d recommend both these if you like good, clean, cosy mysteries with a dash of light-hearted, humorous romance.
Trawling the Amazon 