A mystery with heart and lots of laughs
349643
Veronica Donavan is a forensic pathologist for Scotland Yard, but she has just followed a lead on a serial killer to Denver, Colorado. She is particularly interested in this murderer because her younger sister, Emily, was one of his London victims. However, in an attempt to avoid being kept off the case due to her personal involvement, she doesn't reveal this fact to her Denver team - at least not right away. Soon after she meets her investigating team, the murderer strikes again with the same modis-operendi: strangulation and flowers left with the body of a teen-age girl.

Complicating the investigation for Veronica (Roni) is a member of her team that she met while kickboxing at a local gym. Dean Colby is working on this case and also working on her. Their romance gets off to a steamy start and then he is assigned to guard her, because the killer has insinuated that she is going to be his next victim.

This book is fun. The characters are likeable and well developed. For most of the book, I was drawn in like I would be while watching a good TV police drama. I was slightly put-off by the initial sexual encounter because I didn't feel that I knew them well enough to be privy to a rather graphic sex scene. However, it didn't spoil the book for me.

I did think that the book could have used a little extra editing at the end. Vance needed to come up with another way to describe feelings than to say "choked with emotion" or a variation of that phrase. It was overused to the point that I started counting the times it came up.

Notwithstanding, I would recommend this as an amusing mystery romance.

Armchair Interviews says: If you like some good romance mixed with your mysteries, check this book out.
2440816
Everything about A DOSE OF MURDER seemed to bring to mind Will and Grace meet McGyver. *grin* A fabulous, zany, well-rounded (some literally *eg*), cast of characters and intriguing storyline make this a must read, in my humble opinion.

Pauline Sokol, the protagonist of the novel, is just so REAL. The mysterious Jagger can sneak up on ME, anytime, and friends and family are hysterical and well-meaning.

All around great comedic mystery (even though there are a couple of murders --) read, and I can't wait to get the rest of the books in the series!
2089837
I loved this story.  The mystery kept me guessing to the end and I enjoyed the humor and the diverse cast of characters with all their relationship issues.
96046
The Open and Shut case is imaginative, clever, and most of all hilarious. The book is definitely a page turner.  What could be better than a mystery that is so funny it makes you laugh out loud!
3978382
This well written mystery blends intrigue with humor and will keep you guessing until the end. It is wonderfully entertaining, written with a unique style and memorable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
2662711
I love the comfortable tone in this light-hearted whodunit that flowed easily from chapter to chapter, quickly becoming a page-turner that I did not want to put down. This mystery had a few twists and turns where I thought I had it figured out until that aha moment when I knew exactly who the killer was and it was fun watching it all play out. The author did a great job in the presentation of this story pulling me in so that Im rooting for Sarah and her merry band of sleuths whose age range from teens to the 70s. I like the camaraderie and the dialogue between this group and their interaction amongst the people of North Harbor. This was a wonderful read and I cant wait for more adventures with Sarah and her friends in the next book in this delightfully charming new series.
3365586
First of all, a big thank you to Cristina Hodgson for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

A Little of Chantelle Rose is a fun read, full of laughs and some mystery. Chantelle is just scraping through life at the start - working in a coffee shop and living in a little bedsit in London. She appears in a crime film as an extra but when it's released she gets a call from a Hollywood director asking her to appear in one of his films for a million dollars.

I loved the adventures of Chantelle and her friend Tammy as they go a road trip to Kent, discover a gorgeous little cottage and get Tammy's expensive Jag stuck in the mud. I was laughing along Chantelle and Tammy, I really felt like I was becoming their friend after their misadventures.

Chantelle goes on a wild ride from London to LA to Kent, falling for two guys, Robbie and Lionel. She becomes friends with Gabby who loves to go for a run at half 5 in the morning and she makes an enemy with Vivian who wants Lionel for herself.

Chantelle was a very lovable character, I really enjoyed reading about her, she was funny and she didn't know what she was doing. But Chantelle made it seem like this was okay. I loved how down to earth she was, she struggled when she first arrived in LA and I understood why but the more time she spent around the Hollywood crowd the more she seemed to fit in.

This was a really easy book to read, full of joy as well as some sadness in regards to Chantelle's family and a mystery to be solved. I loved the whole mystery, I thought I'd guessed what it was but I was wrong when all was revealed! I loved how this book didn't take itself seriously, it was the perfect book to read over a weekend, it was fun and it was very enjoyable.

I loved Cristina's writing style, I was whizzing through the pages just to see what happened next. It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm really hoping there will be another instalment with Chantelle and friends.
4382546
This story centers around Cass, a big city psychologist who comes home to Bay Island to start a new life after experiencing a heartbreaking loss in her career. She decides to open her own psychic shop while rekindling some old friendships with her childhood friends which creates some pretty funny interactions throughout this cozy mystery. The story begins when Cass has a bad feeling during a reading of a local girl named Ellie. Ellie has a tough life. She is married to a loser and her mother is Marge who is not only a hard woman to like, she is also not a big fan of Cass and her choice of careers. She feels that Cass is a bad influence on her daughter and voices it loud and clear to anyone who will listen. When Marge ends up dead, Cass becomes a suspect and the story takes off on a funny, light hearted journey. With the help of her two best friends, Bee and Stephanie, Cass looks to clear her name while trying to keep herself out of the town gossip. Not easy in a small town were gossip goes hand in hand with going to church. Along the way she meets a handsome stranger which gives a taste of romance without it consuming the story. I found I craved a little more of Luke, the romantic in me wanting them to fall into each others arms till the very end (crossing my fingers in story two).
In the end, I just loved this story.  The characters  made me laugh often and her additional role as a foster parent to a big ole dog named Beast makes for some amusing moments. The hunt for the killer went in many different directions throughout and I was surprised to learn that my guess for the killer was way off. All in all, this was an easy read and I am looking forward to the next story in the series.
3527801
Loved this book!  It had fun, mystery, and some interesting giggles!
3514477
I have always enjoyed Duffy Brown's books, and this one had me laughing out loud.
Evie is adjusting to life on Mackinac Island, getting ready for her bike shop partner, Rudy, and candy maker Irma to get married. The former boss of her best friend, Fiona, shows up unexpectedly and ends up dead that same night. Since everyone seems to have tagged Fiona for the murder, Evie tries to figure out what happened while trying to find Irma's wedding dress, painting bikes, and maintaining the idea that this is all part of an elaborate mystery weekend at the island's Grand Hotel.
All of the action takes place in a matter of days, and Evie finds more ways to get herself into and out of trouble than most of us could manage in a decade. And having a serious crush on the sherif and watching her mother move into her new law office practically right behind the bike shop.
Brown keeps the reader breathless, grinning and guessing.
My only regret is that we have to wait for the next one.
2981697
This really was a funny mystery.  Nothing was as it seemed, and the author uses humor throughout the plot twists so the reader never gets bored, and at times laughs out loud.  At times the author included actual information to inform the clueless.  It was fun to be on a vicarious trip with the characters and their unique way of handling an improbable situation.
2563024
A little humor, a little romance, a little mystery, and a whole lot of fun.
4847756
Seniors' Sleuth is a delightful cozy mystery full of humor, warmth and intriguing plot-twist that kept me guessing right till the end. Usually I can surmise the answer to the mystery before the end, but in this novel, I couldn't - and yet, the end was fitting and believable, to my delight. The main character, Winston, is a nice guy if a bit of a bumbler, but his persistence and his dedication pay off. It isn't a fast-paced novel but the story never drags as we follow Winston's sleuthing through twists and turns from suspect to suspect to the charming and satisfying end. Well done, J.J. Chow!
3776262
This is my first book by Laurien Berenson, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed the mystery, but loved that it was chock-full of canine cuties too. We live near a Christmas tree farm that has been up for sale a while, so when Melanie Travis' brother bids on one and inadvertently wins it, I was all in. The unfolding mystery involving a homeless man, was very engaging. The characters were well fleshed out and Aunt Peg, well she's terrific. Readers of holiday books, mysteries and cozies should enjoy this book.
843888
I love this book.  It is funny and there is a mystery and romance.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  There is mystery and it is possible to figure out who is the killer and there is romance and of course, there is comedy.  I love the way she writes.
4444001
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5 stars

Let me start off by saying, if you are on the fence about this one, but like a good mystery and a girl who randomly blurts out the future: this one is for you. I really enjoyed this one and found myself giggling like a madwoman at some points because it was too true and too hilarious. There were even some points where I felt such second hand embarrassment for Jules that I had to put the book down and wait a couple minutes before continuing. This is such a fun read and I recommend it!

Jules is such a fun and easy to like character. She has her issues and her (tad bit) dysfunctional family, but she knows how to work it. I like that even though she sees these premonitions as a flaw in getting dates, she doesn't always see them as a flaw in herself. Sure, she is upset about it sometimes, but really who wouldn't be. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to randomly yell the future at somebody. But she was so much fun and tried to take matters into her own hands. I also liked that it wasn't about trying to solve the murder for her -- it was about proving herself as a person.

I kinda liked that it was just known in town that some people had "gifts" rather than Jules trying to hide what she could do. Not that she really could per say. But I like when the magic and the fantasy intertwine nicely as a part of life rather than trying to figure out how it could work. Like, I would be okay living in a world where someone could randomly tell me the future even if it didn't really make sense. And I did like that everyone was pretty open to taking it. I feel like this made the world that much more interesting. I would like to live in this town that Jules comes from.

I had some of the mysteries figured out from pretty early on but I would like to reread this one so I could see how Jules's physic premonitions helped play into the mystery itself. As much as I tried to really pay attention to them, some of them were so funny that I found myself laughing rather than taking note. And this leads into the one thing I didn't like: that there wasn't more. There were some open threads (i.e. the ketchup, the auras, the play!) that I wanted to know about. I wanted some sort of resolution for these, so if Held wants to write a sequel, I will read said sequel. But as it stands, some of these threads leave the ending feel a bit unsatisfying.

I could go on and on about the things I liked about this one, but really you should see them for yourself. This is one of those novels that is most definitely cheesy, but is still a super fun read. And the romance wasn't overbearing so there's that too! But I don't want to go into detail about that because I might spoil it. Anyway, this one is available now (and only $6! WORTH IT), so you should pick it up!
4565214
I think Agatha Raisin might have an older relative living in Appledore  this is a  woman who has appeared in 21 previous novels but even if youve never met her before, youll feel as if you know her. Shes a funny, quirky woman who meddles in everything an nothing and theres an awful lot of secrets to meddle in here! It might seem like a  nice village a picturesque village that you would want to visit but don't  let the bunting and the tapestry fool you.

Theres a lot of digging around for secrets here  if you though there were secrets buried in St Mary Mead or Midsummer then you need to visit Appledore. A bit crowded to say the least!

Theres something very heartwarming and deliciously delightful about an old woman who stops at nothing to solve a mystery the police cant solve and Miss Seeton has this in spades. She draws some psychic sketches and sees things no one else can see.

As for the other characters, the Nuts (yes this is their name) are as you might imagine and the plot also has moments they could put their name to, nothing disappoints in the laugh out loud, gasp in a pantomime flourish.

A light read thats a lot of fun