Rating: 
Summary: Funniest Book of the Year
Review: If you like Janet Evanovich's books, you'll like this new series by Maddy Hunter. The laughs never stop coming, and yes, there's a mystery to solve. One by one, the elderly tourists on a group tour of Switzerland are dying under mysterious circumstances. Emily Andrew, who's accompanying her grandmother on the trip, helps a sexy police inspector in his investigations. I laughed hysterically all the way through the book, and I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series. This will be one of my "Best Books of 2003". Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Maddy Hunter's First Book is Pure Fun
Review: If you like Janet Evanovich, then you will enjoy this book. "Alpine for You" is funny and irreverent, full of lively and enjoyable characters and great word choices. I love the way she gently spoofs Iowans. Her description of the game of one ups manship as played by the senior circuit was really memorable. I look forward to her next book and getting to know Emily better.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: It's difficult not to compare the two -- Evanovich has a heroine who has bad luck with cars, Hunter has a heroine who has bad luck with water. The parallels go on and on -- both involve madcap comedy combined with mystery. Although I think Evanovich does it better, I still found myself laughing out loud at places in this book. They mystery wasn't very much of a mystery, but the location in Switzerland added to the appeal of the book, and her humor about tourists in Europe was pretty funny (taking photos in the fog, for example). The plot involves a tour group of seniors from Iowa who are in Lucerne in the off-season. Our young heroine is with her grandmother, the youngest by far on this tour. There is a death of one of the tour group members -- a Lothario who has slept with half the middle aged and older women in town, and some of them are on this trip. A drop-dead sexy Swiss police detective is investigating this death (and others that follow), and of course are heroine's knees turn to jelly every time he walks in the room. This is a "fun" book rather than great literature. I will read more books (this is the first of a proposed series) but will wait until they come out in paperback -- hence the four stars rather than the five I'd give Evanovich.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Evanovich, you'll probably like this mystery
Review: It's difficult not to compare the two -- Evanovich has a heroine who has bad luck with cars, Hunter has a heroine who has bad luck with water. The parallels go on and on -- both involve madcap comedy combined with mystery. Although I think Evanovich does it better, I still found myself laughing out loud at places in this book. They mystery wasn't very much of a mystery, but the location in Switzerland added to the appeal of the book, and her humor about tourists in Europe was pretty funny (taking photos in the fog, for example). The plot involves a tour group of seniors from Iowa who are in Lucerne in the off-season. Our young heroine is with her grandmother, the youngest by far on this tour. There is a death of one of the tour group members -- a Lothario who has slept with half the middle aged and older women in town, and some of them are on this trip. A drop-dead sexy Swiss police detective is investigating this death (and others that follow), and of course are heroine's knees turn to jelly every time he walks in the room. This is a "fun" book rather than great literature. I will read more books (this is the first of a proposed series) but will wait until they come out in paperback -- hence the four stars rather than the five I'd give Evanovich.
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious Senior Citizens tour to Switzerland
Review: Move over Evanovich, there's a new author in town. This book is terrific! Emily Andrew accompanies her grandmother on a seniors tour of Switzerland. She expected a travel brochure vacation, but the fog never lifted and the food was nondescript. Iowans are fanatical about being on time, so much so that they are usually half an hour or more early. This about drives Emily crazy. She has lived in New York long enough to no longer have the compulsion to be so early. Andy Simon, the tour escort, was a Senior who was always sweet talking the ladies. Then he is found dead. Emily agrees to be the tour escort in Andy's place. Sexy Detective Etienne Miceli begins investigating Andy's death. He and Emily hit it off immediately. With Emily's suitcase missing, she ends up wearing her grandmother's clothes. Plus Emily always seems to end up swimming to save something important dropped into water. She is running out of clothes and watches. Then a woman from the Rhode Island contingent on this tour falls to her death. Emily is convinced a murderer is among them. Who could it be? These are senior citizens. Could one of them be killing of the others? This book was one of the best I have read for a long time. It was hilarious. The things that Emily had to endure and the way she describes and sees things is truly funny. I highly recommend this book. I can't say the scenery was beautiful due to the fog, but she describes it so well that you can see it as she does. The characters are an absolute hoot. The romance between Etienne and Emily is tastefully described. You won't be disappointed by this book. I can't wait to read the next book due out in August 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Give me more!!
Review: On a friend's recommendation, I picked up a copy of this and loved it. A la Evanovich, the main character in Hunter's mysteries is hysterical -- smart, funny, but not altogether "with it" when it comes to solving murder mysteries or living life. She means well, and has a good head, it's just that things don't often go her way. I totally enjoyed laughing while reading, with some of the impossible but hysterical situations she found herself in. If you like Evanovich, you'll love Hunter! Too bad there aren't many more of h er books out there yet!
Rating: 
Summary: Obvious, self-conscious humor, ouch!
Review: Recently, knowing I would be temporarily vertical and a supply of mysteries would be the most effective means of staying sane, I bought both of Maddy Hunter's travel-oriented paper-back releases, Alpine for You and Top O' the Mourning. I really don't like "coy". I don't like "cute". Sorry, but this is the first time I have ever thrown books away, partially read. So sad. This is a good premise for travel, "sense of place" books; Ms. Hunter failed to exploit it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wonderful!
Review: Romantic mystery is my favorite genre and that's exactly what this is. The author puts our heroine is sometimes perilous, often funny situations--even when she's finding dead bodies. Emily's grandmother and her Midwestern sensibilities make the most outlandish things seem plausible. If anything, this book could use a little more romance but, that's promised in the next book in this series so, we'll see what happens. I highly recommend this one. You'll learn about Seniors Tours to Switzerland, the sights in Switzerland, hotel service in Switzerland, the police, and the wonderful people from Iowa and others on this tour plus, you find out who done it and why. This is the perfect book to take on vacation--even if you're not on a Seniors Tour or going to Switzerland. It's just great fun. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wonderful!
Review: Romantic mystery is my favorite genre and that's exactly what this is. The author puts our heroine is sometimes perilous, often funny situations--even when she's finding dead bodies. Emily's grandmother and her Midwestern sensibilities make the most outlandish things seem plausible. If anything, this book could use a little more romance but, that's promised in the next book in this series so, we'll see what happens. I highly recommend this one. You'll learn about Seniors Tours to Switzerland, the sights in Switzerland, hotel service in Switzerland, the police, and the wonderful people from Iowa and others on this tour plus, you find out who done it and why. This is the perfect book to take on vacation--even if you're not on a Seniors Tour or going to Switzerland. It's just great fun. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Promising not praiseworthy
Review: The plus to the first book in this new series is the wit of heroine Emily Andrew and the author's knack for characterization in comic scenes involving confrontations over medications, ice cream sundaes, and Swiss watches. Hunter obviously owes a debt to Janet Evanovich.
The downside is the pacing of the novel and lack of suspense. The narrative drags when Emily discusses the motives of possible suspects with her Nana or Detective Etienne Miceli (a Joe Morelli knock-off). And, while Emily is confounded by the number of tour companions who could be the murderer, the reader is not. Hunter sketched several characters so well it would have been difficult to accept them as the murderer. I also regret that Hunter sacrificed a character that would have been a great sidekick for Emily.
That said, keep a look-out for the second installment, "Top O' the Mournin'." The first chapter was included in my copy of "Alpine for You." It looks promising.
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