Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Two of ThreeMurder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews
St. Martin's Press, Jan., 1999.Hardcover, 332 pages.
ISBN: 0312199295.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Meg Langslow is in the middle of her worst nightmare;
she's the maid of honor in three weddings in the same summer.
Her mother, her business partner and her brother are all getting
married -- and all expect Meg to take care of every detail from the
decorations (peacocks for the lawn), the dresses (hoopskirts
so big no one can fit through the door) and the perfect
theme (all 600 guests being required to wear Renaissance
costume in the blistering heat). Just when she thinks
things can't get any worse, her new love interest shows
distinct signs of being gay and her new stepfather's
sister is found murdered after one of the pre-wedding parties.
Now her real father decides to play Sherlock Holmes while
a murderer stalks the town. Of course, the weddings must go
on -- even if the scenery is cluttered with the
occasional corpse.
Donna Andrews' debut novel won the 1998 St. Martin's Malice Domestic Award, and it's easy to see why. The writing is fresh, funny, and wacky without being obnoxious. The heroine Meg is delightfully droll while recounting the antics of her nutball family in a small town setting. A fresh face has appeared on the cozy mystery scene which has livened things up considerably. Fans of Dorothy Cannell and Anne George should take note.
--Claire E. White
Cooks Overboard by Joanne Pence
HarperCollins, Dec., 1998.Paperback, 287 pages.
ISBN: 0061044539.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Food writer Angie Amalfi has finally gotten her
homicide detective boyfriend Paavo Smith to take a
vacation: a cruise to Mexico. With visions of a marriage
proposal dancing in her head, Angie slips on her red
bikini and sets sail for romance. But, alas, it is not meant
to be. Paavo is distant and withdrawn and the crew is
behaving quite strangely (the cook jumped overboard before
they even got out of port). The other guests seem just as
odd. It eventually becomes clear that there are a number
of real-life spies on board, who are all convinced that Angie
is some kind of Mata Hari, possessing some secret
formula that they all want. When people begin turning up
dead, Paavo finally takes an interest in saving their lives
and outwitting some professional spies before
getting off this death cruise.
Cooks Overboard is the best Angie Amalfi book yet. Taking an amateur sleuth out of her familiar surroundings is always a gamble, but in this case it works perfectly. The idea of the bumbling Angie being taken for a master spy is quite funny and leads to a series of ridiculous predicaments, skillfully managed by Pence. Great fun for readers in the mood for a madcap, upbeat jaunt.
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