Summary:
Childrens' shoe designer Madison Springer is late. Her boyfriend, Richard Howe the lawyer, is avoiding her phone calls and Maddie is late. Her last attempt at talking through the situation with Richard begins and ends with him having a meeting with a very dressed-down, un-Richard-looking guy and then immediately cancelling his lunch date with Maddie. Several days later, she still hasn't spoken to him, and winds up searching Richard's empty apartment. Mr. Un-Richard shows up, does a search of his own, and leaves with nothing. Only after Maddie runs into him again does she find out that Mr. Un-Richard is Jack Ramirez, hunky cop in charge of Richard's case, and that Richard was probably involved in some creative accounting, and possibly a couple of murders. Maddie can't believe that Richard is involved with any of that and sets out to prove that he's not who Ramirez thinks Richard is. The only trouble is, Maddie doesn't really know much about Richard, and Ramirez is a total stud muffin. Will Maddie be able to keep her head straight, while trying to get the courage to find out if she's actually pregnant?
Thoughts:
Ramirez is delicious. Maddie is fun, though a little scatterbrained and naive. The book follows Maddie as she finds out exactly how little she knows about Richard, and while it's slightly depressing for Maddie herself, her life is the train wreck you can't look away from. Halliday writes it in a way that you can't help but feel for Maddie as her world crumbles around her. Granted, I guessed as much on a lot of the outcomes of the story, but the story was engaging enough that it didn't bother me to know exactly who the killer was, or how the Richard situation was going to play out. It's a series that I'll be delving into more, as soon as I can get my hands on the books, that's for sure.
Book 16 of 50
Pages: 250, read as an e-book
Genre: Mystery, comedy, and romance, in nearly equal parts
Grade: A-
Would I Recommend?: YES. It's fun, funny, and it sucks you into Madison's world pretty darn easily.
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter not-so-extraordinaire, gets wrapped up into yet another murder investigation when Lula rushes into the bail bonds office exclaiming about having seen a man's head getting chopped off. She won't speak to any other cop but Joe Morelli, Steph's on-again-off-again honey, and forced Steph to call him, even though they were in the off-again stage. Turns out, the dead guy is the current Emeril/Guy Fieri/Gordon Ramsey-type in town for a big barbecue contest in Trenton. Lula decides that she's going to be the best person to try and find the guys that did it because she was an eyewitness, and the best way to do that is to enter the barbecue contest, and Stephanie has to help her. Oh, and Lula can't cook. Meanwhile, Ranger, the hottie that always has his eye on Stephanie, is having trouble at his super-high-tech security company, and wants Stephanie to help find where things are going wrong. Will Steph manage to juggle murder, barbecue, and Ranger, all at the same time? She usually does.
Thoughts:
Another fun one from Evanovich, as usual. She really has the right kind of voice for Stephanie, Lula, and most of her Jersey characters. There are very few times that she builds a character that doesn't read exactly the way he or she should. She's got the voice, the action, everything is perfectly built, and the story is always a fun time. I'll be sad to see the end of the series. Only a couple more books in this series.
Book 5 of 50
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery, comedy, with a little romance.
Grade: A-/B+
Would I Recommend?: Yup, but start from the beginning. It's good for you.
Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter not-so-extraordinaire, gets wrapped up into yet another murder investigation when Lula rushes into the bail bonds office exclaiming about having seen a man's head getting chopped off. She won't speak to any other cop but Joe Morelli, Steph's on-again-off-again honey, and forced Steph to call him, even though they were in the off-again stage. Turns out, the dead guy is the current Emeril/Guy Fieri/Gordon Ramsey-type in town for a big barbecue contest in Trenton. Lula decides that she's going to be the best person to try and find the guys that did it because she was an eyewitness, and the best way to do that is to enter the barbecue contest, and Stephanie has to help her. Oh, and Lula can't cook. Meanwhile, Ranger, the hottie that always has his eye on Stephanie, is having trouble at his super-high-tech security company, and wants Stephanie to help find where things are going wrong. Will Steph manage to juggle murder, barbecue, and Ranger, all at the same time? She usually does.
Thoughts:
Another fun one from Evanovich, as usual. She really has the right kind of voice for Stephanie, Lula, and most of her Jersey characters. There are very few times that she builds a character that doesn't read exactly the way he or she should. She's got the voice, the action, everything is perfectly built, and the story is always a fun time. I'll be sad to see the end of the series. Only a couple more books in this series.
Book 5 of 50
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery, comedy, with a little romance.
Grade: A-/B+
Would I Recommend?: Yup, but start from the beginning. It's good for you.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Metro Girl (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Alexandra Barnaby, known to her family and close friends as Barney, is a former grease-monkey, raised in her father's garage in Baltimore. Now she's an insurance adjuster whose brother calls her from Miami in the middle of the night to say that he'll be away for a while, and don't worry. She flies down to Miami, worried sick, and finds herself wrapped up in a fight to the death over Cuban gold and a Russian bomb. Will she be able to save her brother's life?
Thoughts:
This book SCREAMS Janet Evanovich. Barney reads very much like Stephanie Plum, to the point that I had to remind myself every few pages that this was Metro Girl not Plum Fourteen-and-Three-Quarters. Her partner in finding her brother is Sam Hooker, a horndog racecar driver that feels very much like a young Joe Morelli. She even has a heavyset sidekick type called Rosa who is so Lula-esque, it's hard to read Rosa as "gutsy-but-nuts Hispanic lady" and not "gutsy-but-nuts black lady." It's a fun read, don't get me wrong. But I've read better from Ms. E, and I'm a little disappointed in the not-really-different-ness of this. This is one of those books that you read when you've got nothing else left. Onward and upward, I hope.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 296
Genre: Chicklit with a dash of mystery and a dollop of comedy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. You've got better choices.
Alexandra Barnaby, known to her family and close friends as Barney, is a former grease-monkey, raised in her father's garage in Baltimore. Now she's an insurance adjuster whose brother calls her from Miami in the middle of the night to say that he'll be away for a while, and don't worry. She flies down to Miami, worried sick, and finds herself wrapped up in a fight to the death over Cuban gold and a Russian bomb. Will she be able to save her brother's life?
Thoughts:
This book SCREAMS Janet Evanovich. Barney reads very much like Stephanie Plum, to the point that I had to remind myself every few pages that this was Metro Girl not Plum Fourteen-and-Three-Quarters. Her partner in finding her brother is Sam Hooker, a horndog racecar driver that feels very much like a young Joe Morelli. She even has a heavyset sidekick type called Rosa who is so Lula-esque, it's hard to read Rosa as "gutsy-but-nuts Hispanic lady" and not "gutsy-but-nuts black lady." It's a fun read, don't get me wrong. But I've read better from Ms. E, and I'm a little disappointed in the not-really-different-ness of this. This is one of those books that you read when you've got nothing else left. Onward and upward, I hope.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 296
Genre: Chicklit with a dash of mystery and a dollop of comedy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. You've got better choices.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Plum Spooky (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Diesel is back in another Between-the-Numbers Stephanie Plum book. This time around, Diesel is after a pretty scary guy named Wulf, who happens to be hanging out with Stephanie's most wanted FTA, a guy named Munch. Steph and Diesel have to slog around in the Pine Barrens in an effort to find these two men. Along the way, Munch's boss gets killed, the boss's estranged sister gets kidnapped, and there's monkeys galore. All in a day's work for Ms. Stephanie Plum.
Thoughts:
Not bad, though the previous Between-the-Numbers books were much more related to the holidays their titles suggested. This one was neither set near Halloween, nor related to it in any way. That part was a little disappointing. But that aside, I really enjoy the Diesel character, so these "between" books are always fun for me. (It seems, though, this might be the last of them, which is a bit disappointing.) Upon doing a little belated research, it seems that Diesel shows up in another series by Ms. Evanovich, which I will be all over as soon as I get my hands on them. (Wicked Appetite and Wicked Business are the novels, and there are two graphic novels as well.) In this particular "between" book, Diesel actually meets Ranger, something that I don't believe happened in any of the previous editions. I'm fairly sure he's never met Morelli, either. It makes Diesel seem a little more "real" and a little less "magical crazy guy that only flits through for a couple days and then disappears leaving everyone forever changed." All in all, not a bad book to start the year with. Onward!
Book 1 of 50 for 2013
Pages: 320
Genre: Mystery, comedy
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, but only if you've been keeping up with the Plum series. If not, start from the beginning and get yourself hooked properly!
Diesel is back in another Between-the-Numbers Stephanie Plum book. This time around, Diesel is after a pretty scary guy named Wulf, who happens to be hanging out with Stephanie's most wanted FTA, a guy named Munch. Steph and Diesel have to slog around in the Pine Barrens in an effort to find these two men. Along the way, Munch's boss gets killed, the boss's estranged sister gets kidnapped, and there's monkeys galore. All in a day's work for Ms. Stephanie Plum.
Thoughts:
Not bad, though the previous Between-the-Numbers books were much more related to the holidays their titles suggested. This one was neither set near Halloween, nor related to it in any way. That part was a little disappointing. But that aside, I really enjoy the Diesel character, so these "between" books are always fun for me. (It seems, though, this might be the last of them, which is a bit disappointing.) Upon doing a little belated research, it seems that Diesel shows up in another series by Ms. Evanovich, which I will be all over as soon as I get my hands on them. (Wicked Appetite and Wicked Business are the novels, and there are two graphic novels as well.) In this particular "between" book, Diesel actually meets Ranger, something that I don't believe happened in any of the previous editions. I'm fairly sure he's never met Morelli, either. It makes Diesel seem a little more "real" and a little less "magical crazy guy that only flits through for a couple days and then disappears leaving everyone forever changed." All in all, not a bad book to start the year with. Onward!
Book 1 of 50 for 2013
Pages: 320
Genre: Mystery, comedy
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, but only if you've been keeping up with the Plum series. If not, start from the beginning and get yourself hooked properly!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Fearless Fourteen (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
One of Joe Morelli's distant cousins(of which there are seemingly thousands), Loretta, is a bondee that Stephanie's got to pick up. Thanks to Stephanie's good nature, she agrees to take care of Loretta's teenaged son until she gets out of jail. The only trouble is that Loretta's got no cash and can't bond herself out. Then, when she finally is out, Loretta gets herself kidnapped. Loretta's big brother, Dom, is slightly unhinged, and thinks that Loretta's kid is the product of Loretta and Morelli himself, and doesn't like that his nephew is staying in the home of a cop that used to be a total womanizer. Meanwhile, Ranger asks Stephanie to help him out on a private protection thing with him, for a crazy has-been singer named Brenda, who decides she wants to go into reality TV as a bounty hunter, following Stephanie's every move. Also, Morelli's house keeps getting broken into thanks to news that there might be buried treasure in or around it. Just another regular week in downtown Trenton through the eyes of Stephanie Plum.
Thoughts:
Completely silly as always. It was another fun one. The reappearance of Mooner (the stoner dude that Steph went to school with, and who still hasn't grown up, probably because of the stonerdom) is always a fun time, and the teenager, who calls himself Zook, is a pip too. But as I've been saying from early on with this series, you really need to start from the beginning. There's just too much going on to jump in halfway. Or, in this case, six books from the most recent, including the one Between-the-Numbers edition. The series is fun, and engaging, and I love getting my hands on another of these books, because I know it's going to be lots of fun, even if I do sail through them like they're children's books!
Book 54 of 70
Pages: 310
Genre: Mystery, romance, and we'll add comedy to this one...
Grade: A-
Would I Recommend?: Start from the beginning, and the ridiculous fun in this book will make all the more sense.
One of Joe Morelli's distant cousins(of which there are seemingly thousands), Loretta, is a bondee that Stephanie's got to pick up. Thanks to Stephanie's good nature, she agrees to take care of Loretta's teenaged son until she gets out of jail. The only trouble is that Loretta's got no cash and can't bond herself out. Then, when she finally is out, Loretta gets herself kidnapped. Loretta's big brother, Dom, is slightly unhinged, and thinks that Loretta's kid is the product of Loretta and Morelli himself, and doesn't like that his nephew is staying in the home of a cop that used to be a total womanizer. Meanwhile, Ranger asks Stephanie to help him out on a private protection thing with him, for a crazy has-been singer named Brenda, who decides she wants to go into reality TV as a bounty hunter, following Stephanie's every move. Also, Morelli's house keeps getting broken into thanks to news that there might be buried treasure in or around it. Just another regular week in downtown Trenton through the eyes of Stephanie Plum.
Thoughts:
Completely silly as always. It was another fun one. The reappearance of Mooner (the stoner dude that Steph went to school with, and who still hasn't grown up, probably because of the stonerdom) is always a fun time, and the teenager, who calls himself Zook, is a pip too. But as I've been saying from early on with this series, you really need to start from the beginning. There's just too much going on to jump in halfway. Or, in this case, six books from the most recent, including the one Between-the-Numbers edition. The series is fun, and engaging, and I love getting my hands on another of these books, because I know it's going to be lots of fun, even if I do sail through them like they're children's books!
Book 54 of 70
Pages: 310
Genre: Mystery, romance, and we'll add comedy to this one...
Grade: A-
Would I Recommend?: Start from the beginning, and the ridiculous fun in this book will make all the more sense.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Plum Lucky (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Another Between-the-Numbers book in the Stephanie Plum series. This comes between Thirteen and Fourteen, and it's the St. Patrick's Day book. Diesel appears again as Stephanie is completely out of the holiday spirit. Grandma Mazur gets her hands on a duffel bag that was left on the sidewalk by a short guy wearing green. Of course that means he was a leprechaun and she found the pot of gold. Stephanie finds all this out the hard way, when the little guy comes after her, wanting his money back. He's stolen it from a mobster who wants it back in a bad way. Grandma Mazur, being the crazy grandma she is, has taken the cash to Atlantic City, where she's playing the slots and gambling it all away. Stephanie takes Lula and Connie with her to AC to try to get Grandma Mazur and the money back before anybody gets hurt.
Thoughts:
With Stephanie, if you put together Lula the ex-hooker, Connie the busty no-nonsense bond office assistant, and Grandma Mazur the old lady who thinks she's a teenager, all hell is going to break loose, and hilarity will ensue. Evanovich really knows what will make the most ridiculous thing happen, and goes out of her way to make it so. As always with the Between-the-Numbers books, this one is centered around Diesel, a magical-ish guy who kinda has a thing about Steph, rather than being completely in line with the rest of the Numbers. No matter what, though, this is a fun time, and if you're in the series, don't miss the Betweens, because they're just as much fun as the regular books, if not more.
Book 53 of 70
Pages: 256
Genre: Mystery, comedy
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Only if you're reading the Plum series. But heck yes.
Another Between-the-Numbers book in the Stephanie Plum series. This comes between Thirteen and Fourteen, and it's the St. Patrick's Day book. Diesel appears again as Stephanie is completely out of the holiday spirit. Grandma Mazur gets her hands on a duffel bag that was left on the sidewalk by a short guy wearing green. Of course that means he was a leprechaun and she found the pot of gold. Stephanie finds all this out the hard way, when the little guy comes after her, wanting his money back. He's stolen it from a mobster who wants it back in a bad way. Grandma Mazur, being the crazy grandma she is, has taken the cash to Atlantic City, where she's playing the slots and gambling it all away. Stephanie takes Lula and Connie with her to AC to try to get Grandma Mazur and the money back before anybody gets hurt.
Thoughts:
With Stephanie, if you put together Lula the ex-hooker, Connie the busty no-nonsense bond office assistant, and Grandma Mazur the old lady who thinks she's a teenager, all hell is going to break loose, and hilarity will ensue. Evanovich really knows what will make the most ridiculous thing happen, and goes out of her way to make it so. As always with the Between-the-Numbers books, this one is centered around Diesel, a magical-ish guy who kinda has a thing about Steph, rather than being completely in line with the rest of the Numbers. No matter what, though, this is a fun time, and if you're in the series, don't miss the Betweens, because they're just as much fun as the regular books, if not more.
Book 53 of 70
Pages: 256
Genre: Mystery, comedy
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Only if you're reading the Plum series. But heck yes.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Taking a break from Skye Denison, we're heading back to another series I've reviewed extensively. As a reminder, Andrews's books about Meg Langslow always feature a crazy family with off-the-wall murder investigations. Previously, there've been murders at a wedding, a TV convention, inside a computer game company, and during an Extreme Croquet tournament. This murder was no different. Meg and her fiance Michael were just trying to move themselves into their long-renovated, now-liveable house, but Meg's father, helper to all he meets, decided to foster a colony of penguins. In Meg's basement. Without her knowledge. Oh, and he found a body. The body turns out to be the owner of the town's zoo, and Meg's yard, along with her parents' yard and the yards of some of the neighboring farms, becomes home to not only penguins, but llamas, monkeys, lemurs, wolves, and a few dozen other species. Meg is less than thrilled, especially considering she is planning a big family party for Memorial Day, as well as her secret elopement with Michael. But all that is just par for the course when it comes to a Meg Langslow book.
Thoughts:
I enjoy the insanity of Andrews's Meg series. Meg is fun, and she actually knows how to put her foot down when it comes to some of the ridiculous things that her parents come up with. Some, not all, but that's better than other heroines we've come to know and tolerate, isn't it? The book is light-hearted and silly, complete with animal shenanigans and family idiocies. Meg is a great detective heroine who, while still snooping around in the police's investigation, doesn't usually wind up doing the whole job for the cops. She just supplements the evidentiary coffers a bit. A nice, welcome break from Skye's nosy busybody.
Book 1 of 50 for 2012! First book finished in the new year!
Pages: 328
Genre: mystery, comedy, slight romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Of course! This series seems more one-shot-ish than the Swanson series, so I feel okay in recommending picking any one of them up by themselves, though knowing Meg and her family from the beginning makes them all the more amusing.
Taking a break from Skye Denison, we're heading back to another series I've reviewed extensively. As a reminder, Andrews's books about Meg Langslow always feature a crazy family with off-the-wall murder investigations. Previously, there've been murders at a wedding, a TV convention, inside a computer game company, and during an Extreme Croquet tournament. This murder was no different. Meg and her fiance Michael were just trying to move themselves into their long-renovated, now-liveable house, but Meg's father, helper to all he meets, decided to foster a colony of penguins. In Meg's basement. Without her knowledge. Oh, and he found a body. The body turns out to be the owner of the town's zoo, and Meg's yard, along with her parents' yard and the yards of some of the neighboring farms, becomes home to not only penguins, but llamas, monkeys, lemurs, wolves, and a few dozen other species. Meg is less than thrilled, especially considering she is planning a big family party for Memorial Day, as well as her secret elopement with Michael. But all that is just par for the course when it comes to a Meg Langslow book.
Thoughts:
I enjoy the insanity of Andrews's Meg series. Meg is fun, and she actually knows how to put her foot down when it comes to some of the ridiculous things that her parents come up with. Some, not all, but that's better than other heroines we've come to know and tolerate, isn't it? The book is light-hearted and silly, complete with animal shenanigans and family idiocies. Meg is a great detective heroine who, while still snooping around in the police's investigation, doesn't usually wind up doing the whole job for the cops. She just supplements the evidentiary coffers a bit. A nice, welcome break from Skye's nosy busybody.
Book 1 of 50 for 2012! First book finished in the new year!
Pages: 328
Genre: mystery, comedy, slight romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Of course! This series seems more one-shot-ish than the Swanson series, so I feel okay in recommending picking any one of them up by themselves, though knowing Meg and her family from the beginning makes them all the more amusing.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Murder by Peacocks (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Meg Langslow is a blacksmith who has been asked to be the maid of honor in not one, not two, but three weddings. All within about six weeks of each other. And each one of the brides are bonkers. Her best friend, Eileen, wants to attire everyone in velvet, medieval style ensembles. Her future sister-in-law, Samantha, is crazy and, among other things, wants peacocks wandering in the yard for no real discernible reason. Her mother is planning on marrying a bore of a man and ignoring how much Meg's dad still loves her. Oh, and in the midst of this crazy summer of wedding planning, someone gets killed, and Meg's dad tries to deduce whodunnit, causing the killer to go after him too.
Thoughts:
Hilarious. I will be going after every book in the series. The next one is Murder by Puffins, which is the one that I saw first. Andrews' writing is great, and the voice of the book is like an old friend telling the story of her crazy summer of weddings. It's written day by day, too, with each chapter being a different day. And often times, if I'm reading a particularly slow passage, I will pause and check the number of pages, to see how much I have left, or if I'm almost to the end, I'll check. I didn't even think about it during this book, because I was so engrossed in the book. It's just that good. And anyone who's going through or who has gone through planning a wedding will appreciate this immensely. Stacy, I'm looking at you.
Pages: 311
Genre: Mystery, chicklit, humor
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend This?: YES.
10 down, 40 to go!
Meg Langslow is a blacksmith who has been asked to be the maid of honor in not one, not two, but three weddings. All within about six weeks of each other. And each one of the brides are bonkers. Her best friend, Eileen, wants to attire everyone in velvet, medieval style ensembles. Her future sister-in-law, Samantha, is crazy and, among other things, wants peacocks wandering in the yard for no real discernible reason. Her mother is planning on marrying a bore of a man and ignoring how much Meg's dad still loves her. Oh, and in the midst of this crazy summer of wedding planning, someone gets killed, and Meg's dad tries to deduce whodunnit, causing the killer to go after him too.
Thoughts:
Hilarious. I will be going after every book in the series. The next one is Murder by Puffins, which is the one that I saw first. Andrews' writing is great, and the voice of the book is like an old friend telling the story of her crazy summer of weddings. It's written day by day, too, with each chapter being a different day. And often times, if I'm reading a particularly slow passage, I will pause and check the number of pages, to see how much I have left, or if I'm almost to the end, I'll check. I didn't even think about it during this book, because I was so engrossed in the book. It's just that good. And anyone who's going through or who has gone through planning a wedding will appreciate this immensely. Stacy, I'm looking at you.
Pages: 311
Genre: Mystery, chicklit, humor
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend This?: YES.
10 down, 40 to go!
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