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Summary: As LOL funny as the Plum series
Review: I've been waiting for another author to make me laugh out loud since I first read "One for the Money" and this is it! Read it and you won't be disappointed - this is the real deal.
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Summary: Murder, She Wrote
Review: In 'Dating Dead Men', Harley Jane Kozak marries Murder and Romance, then gives birth to good clean fun. With a heroine in desperate need of a "What Not to Wear" intervention, and a hero who may or may not be the good guy, this story moves the reader forward so fast they'll get page-turning papercuts. Like every good novel in this genre, the clues are well paced and sneaky enough to fool you every time. The characters are so three-dimensional that after romping with them for a few chapters you want to have a big dinner that includes them all. I'm on the waiting list for the sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: not bad, but there's too much going on
Review: It's almost like Kozak wanted to throw in every interesting book idea she'd ever had into one book. Wollie, the main character, has so much going on in her life that no one could really blame her for being stressed. She wants to upgrade her greeting card shop from Welcome! to Willkommen! status, which means she has to make sure that her shop in absolutely perfect for the entire duration of the extremely strict evaluation process. Wollie is also part of a research project for a book called _How to Avoid Getting Dumped All the Time_. This means that she has to date forty men in sixty days, which is tough, even when your life isn't complicated. Wollie also has to deal with a murder, the mob, and other criminals. She gets kidnapped by a charismatic and attractive man she calls Doc, which leads the mob and those other criminals into believing that both Doc and Wollie know the location of a valuable item. Then, of course, there are the interesting minor characters, my favorites being Wollie's paranoid schizophrenic brother and Doc's mute daughter. You'd think that, somewhere along the line, Wollie would prioritize in such a way that her own life would be at the top of the list, but this isn't really the case. Wollie tries to juggle EVERYTHING, since the future status of her shop seems to be just as important to her as her life. This makes the book very complicated and hectic near the end, which is sad, since I would have enjoyed everything more if it hadn't gotten so hard to follow.
Rating:
Summary: not bad, but there's too much going on
Review: It's almost like Kozak wanted to throw in every interesting book idea she'd ever had into one book. Wollie, the main character, has so much going on in her life that no one could really blame her for being stressed. She wants to upgrade her greeting card shop from Welcome! to Willkommen! status, which means she has to make sure that her shop in absolutely perfect for the entire duration of the extremely strict evaluation process. Wollie is also part of a research project for a book called _How to Avoid Getting Dumped All the Time_. This means that she has to date forty men in sixty days, which is tough, even when your life isn't complicated. Wollie also has to deal with a murder, the mob, and other criminals. She gets kidnapped by a charismatic and attractive man she calls Doc, which leads the mob and those other criminals into believing that both Doc and Wollie know the location of a valuable item. Then, of course, there are the interesting minor characters, my favorites being Wollie's paranoid schizophrenic brother and Doc's mute daughter. You'd think that, somewhere along the line, Wollie would prioritize in such a way that her own life would be at the top of the list, but this isn't really the case. Wollie tries to juggle EVERYTHING, since the future status of her shop seems to be just as important to her as her life. This makes the book very complicated and hectic near the end, which is sad, since I would have enjoyed everything more if it hadn't gotten so hard to follow.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Debut from a Promising First-Time Novelist
Review: Meet Wollie (short for Wollstonecraft) Shelley. She's the manager of a struggling greeting card store in a seedy part of Los Angeles. Wollie dreams of someday having enough time and money to design her own greeting cards full-time. Right now, though, Wollie has no time to spare. She is desperately trying to keep her store afloat, helping to care for her schizophrenic brother, and has agreed to participate in a dating experiment --- dating forty men in sixty days --- to help a radio shrink do research for a book on dating. When Wollie drives to her brother's mental hospital late one night, she almost literally runs into a dead body. Then she's held hostage by a mysterious (but incredibly attractive) man she knows only as Doc. Who is this guy, and how is he involved with the murder? Why are two Swedish hit men on Wollie's tail? What is a ferret's favorite food? And will Wollie find the man of her dreams on the dating circuit or in a more unexpected place? These are just some of the burning questions answered in the course of DATING DEAD MEN's wacky, fast-paced plot. Fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series will find much to enjoy in this mystery, the first in a series. Spunky Wollie keeps up a hilarious commentary on everything from the mystery itself to the absurd fashions she is required to wear on her dates. Wollie's sidekicks, including her uncle and her co-workers at the store, also add comic flavor to the tale. Unfortunately, many of these supporting characters drop out of sight midway through the book, as the plot grows increasingly complex. As the mystery plot grows more central to the story, the weaknesses of this first novel show through. The two stories --- about the mystery and about the serial dating --- are not sufficiently integrated, and the relationships among the various mobsters can be as difficult to unravel as a plate of spaghetti. There are some really poignant moments here, though, particularly regarding Wollie's brother and Doc's mute daughter. These thought-provoking characters help add depth to the novel, and readers will look forward to learning more about these characters in future installments. DATING DEAD MEN is a light-hearted romp through Los Angeles's singles scene and its crime scenes, and fans will be cheering for Wollie to find love and nab the bad guy in one fell swoop. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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Summary: Read slow, laugh lots.
Review: So I'm reading this book on an airplane laughing aloud several times a page and I look up to see at least three people staring at me.One lady points at the book and gives an encouraging nod so I show her the cover.She holds up her hand,gives the "hold it right there" sign, opens her laptop and takes down the title. Someplace in Phoenix is a woman laughing aloud and thanking me.It was nothing.Really. OK, you're welcome.
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Summary: And I'm only about halfway through
Review: This book is funny and the characters are delightful. I've been reading it on the commuter ferry, and I keep disembarking with a smile. I look forward to seeing the movie. Too bad Sandra Bullock isn't a blonde, she'd be perfect as Wollie.
Rating:
Summary: You go, girl!
Review: This is a great read! And a grand-slam outta the park for first-timer Kozak! With abundant wit, humor, and brains, Wollie Shelley takes on L.A., her franchiser, her best friend, serial-dating, her take-no-prisoners assistant, nutso brother, and a sexy kidnapping stranger in this wonderful mystery romp. Yay! for Wollie. Yay! for Kozak. Can't wait for the next one.
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Summary: Who knew dating could be so deadly!
Review: Wollie Shelley has to date forty men in sixty days as part of the Dating Project, a research project. She will earn $5,000 from Dr. Cookie Lahven, a bestselling radio personality psychotherapist.. All of her dates have to be selected related to her list of requirements. Her friends Fredreeq and Joey are doing the initial screening for her dates. She receives an outfit to wear on each date and has to keep a journal afterwards. Wollie has a small card shop "Wollie's Welcome! Greetings." She's trying to upgrade her status to Wilkommen! status which would allow her to buy her shop. She has to make it through the inspection by Mr. Bundt. Near the end of that inspection, he informs her that there are two more inspections. These will be done by plain clothes people. In other words, spies! Her shop is located on Sunset Boulevard, east of Highland, smack in the middle of a small strip mall. This was not an optimum location. Her philosophy is, hookers need greeting cards, too. Also during her inspection her brother P.B. calls. He is a paranoid schizophrenic living at Rio Prescado, a stat-run mental hospital. He hangs up before she can find out why he's calling. Later she gets in touch with P.B. Turns out he's concerned about a dead body. Wollie doesn't know what to think about this. He does have delusions and lots of anxiety. He asks her to bring him more foil. She says she'll bring out to him that night. After her latest date, she goes to the hospital to deliver his foil. As she was approaching the hospital in her car, she discovers a dead body in the road. Now she's concerned P.B. might have something to do with this. He's never been violent before. But she is still unsure. She goes to P.B.'s room. He is asleep and she hates to wake him. She just leaves the foil. When she gets in the elevator to leave, there is an empty gurney and a man. He is dressed like a doctor. At first she is scared. Then she finds herself attracted to him. She didn't talk to him as she's afraid she'll blurt out about the dead body she saw. They are joined by two guards. When they get off the elevator, the doctor ends up shoving the gurney at them and kidnapping Wollie! Things escalate from there. Turns out the "doctor" is on the run from the mob. Men begin chasing them. Not only is Wollie's life in danger, her future with Welcome! Greetings is at risk. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it hard to put down. Wollie is such a fun character and her friends and dates really add to the story. Then there's the "doctor" and all the escapades with him. What a fun book! I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading the next in this series. Can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: smart, funny, wry, clever
Review: You can not find a fresher combination of side-splitting humor and sharp intelligence. Our heroine is independent, feminist, human, falliable, funny, intelligent, bright and down-to-earth! This author is sharp, sharp, sharp. It's so nice to see a mystery that doesn't treat women like Miss Marple looking for a cheesecake recipe. Kozak is very witty and to be watched. Her characters are funny, diverse, madcap and amusing. Her protagonist is strong and intelligent. Enjoy!
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