I had never heard of this book, apparently the first in a series, but it was offered as a free monthly selection by Kobo, so I took a chance on it. It was worth the price, anyway.

Sorry, that's an easy cheap shot. It's really not a bad book at all. There are some abrupt scene shifts where it almost seems like some paragraphs got chopped out for space, and some of the descriptions and characterizations lean a little too heavily on cliché, but the mystery is fairly satisfying if not surprising. The book reads like a poor woman's Janet Evanovich, but where Stephanie Plum is a wisecracking Jersey goil with an unfortunate tendency toward the madcap screwup, Sherri Travis just seemed a bit pathetic and the antics seemed a bit forced. Then again, maybe I just prefer Jersey to Florida.

Diana Gabaldon offers a list of recommended reads on her website for fans to fill the gaps between books in her Outlander series. I think she calls it The Methadone List. Similarly, if you are a Stephanie Plum fan looking for some methadone to fill your time between books, you could do worse than this series. For me, although I like the Plum books (at least the first dozen or so), I'll likely pass on the rest of the Sherri Travis series.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for quality mysteries with farcical humor set in Florida, you could do far worse than read any Carl Hiassen book you can get your hands on. Even if you have to (gasp!) pay for it. ( )

This book, by a Canadian author, was recommended to me by an acquaintance at my monthly bookclub. The member raved about it and said that I must read it and I did, unfortunately it does not live up to its billing. A very easy read but the real mystery for me was how the author got this published in the first place. ( )

What a fun book. Sherri is estranged from husband Jimmy. When Jimmy's boat blows up it is assumed that Sherri killed him because, well, who else would? Sherri has to do some detecting on her own to try and find out what actually happened. Is Jimmy really dead, or is he hiding?

There are plenty of twists and turns to this mystery and a lot of really fun characters who populate Sherri's world. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. ( )

*Reviewed for NetGalley*When her husband's boat explodes in Jacaranda Bay, Sherri doesn't believe he was on board. Detective Styles however is convinced that Sherri had finally had enough of the cheating, lying, manipulative b**d. A videotape , buried in the pot plant on Sherri's balcony seems to provide some clues but before she can figure out just what it means, the tape is stolen and someone tries to kill her.Margarita Nights is the first in The Sherri Travis Mystery series by Phyllis Smallman. Sherri lives in the small coastal community she grew up in, bartending at the Sunset and helpless to resist her bad boy husband. Sherri is a character with spunk and is wholly likeable. She hides behind a wild-child persona, developed to protect herseld from her mother's chaotic love life. Fiercly independent and yet vulnerable, Sherri is satisfyingly complex.She is supported by an array of equally flawed characters. Andy suffers schizophrenia, Evan and Noble share a secret, Peter and Dave prop up the bar at the Sunset dispensing advice and she can't figure out what Clay wants with her.The premise is a mystery, as Sherri tries to unravel the mess her husband has left behind and Smallman sustains the who/why done it quite well to the conclusion. I did feel that the pacing circled itself a few times, going nowhere and then jerking ahead, only to stall again. I think part of the reason for that is the crowded cast and at times teh author sacrifices flow for character development.For me, Sherri and the quirky Florida beach town community of Jacaranda are appealing and the mystery held my interest. An entertaining mystery I look forward to reading the second in the series, [b:Sex in a Sidecar|6080280|Sex in a Sidecar|Phyllis Smallman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278793072s/6080280.jpg|6256968] ( )

Phyllis Smallman was kind enough to send me a copy of Margarita Nights, and I'm so glad she did! This was definitely a read-all-at-once book, which I did while on my Thanksgiving vacation last week.

I was feeling a bit sniffly, and it was a good excuse to retire early, but stay up waaay too late.

Sherri Travis describes herself as "white trash" (which is really just a persona she adopts when she doesn't want people to see how smart she really is). She tends bar at the upscale Sunset in Jacaranda, a small town in Florida, a job she's happy with because she can play golf during the day. When she hears that her estranged husand's boat has exploded with him on board, Sherri is at work, but a witness claims she was on the boat shortly before it blew up.

Sherri knows she is innocent; in fact, she's convinced that Jimmy blew up the boat and absconded to escape creditors. Since she's the prime subject, she has a lot to gain by proving her theory, and she sets out to do so.

Accompanying Sherri on her quest to discover what Jimmy was involved in is intriguing, interesting and ranges from hilarious to heart-wrenching. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Sex in a Sidecar, published just last month. ( )