Humorous mystery but the almost too witty dialogue gets old. I don't think the main character, Claire is a very good mother, either. She does so many things and seems like she never even thinks of her daughter or where she might be. ( )

Still sick, still reading mysteries. ( )

Substance: Comedy-murder, some mild titillation, but relatively benign. Detective (such as she is) solved some what and why, but not the who.
Style: Breezy and easy, but not memorable. ( )

Joan Hess is a humorous murder-mystery genius! If you want funny but not ultra-cutesy, she is the way to go. Claire Malloy returns in her role as the bookshop owning, mother-of-one, paramour of a (somewhat exasperated) police detective, and semi-reluctant investigator of lethal crimes that seem to enmesh themselves throughout her life.

In this, the 10th book of the Claire Malloy series, when the estranged wife of a new resident artist is found murdered in the smoky remains of his home, it us up to Claire, her daughter and her daughter's best friend, to figure out whodunit. ( )

http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/2008/09/mystery-sequel-round-up.html ( )