Just Desserts (Savannah Reid Mystery Series)

Rating:
Summary: Foodaholic female ex-cop
Review: I think this is first in the series. The great attraction is the character of Savannah Reid who is forty plus and gets fired from the local police force for being overweight and sets up as a private eye. She is overtly heterosexual. Many varieties of sex are hinted at but the main carnal pleasure described is food, and there is some excellent food description.
On the negative side: The murder mystery gets solved by a new character being introduced who tells Savannah who did it. A few sentences like "Savannah had only one cognitive thought after she hit the floor" and an unlikely confession by the murderer.

Rating:
Summary: Like dessert, delicious quick-read mystery
Review: I withheld the fifth star because although I enjoyed reading it, the literary quality just isn't there and it lacked a certain something I can't quite put my finger on that five-star books have. Still, there are enjoyable characters and the pacing is quick. Great airplane or doctor's office reading, however. It will hold your attention and not require intense concentration.

The plot involves the murder of a designer who is married to a well-loved politician. Savannah Reid, California police detective, is assigned to this politically sensitive case, and from the beginning, gets put under pressure by her superiors to find the "right" solution without ruffling feathers. A subplot involves a visit from a strong-willed but naive teenage sister.

This is the first book I've read in the series, and I liked it enough that I intend to read more. However, I would also add that this probably isn't a book you'd send your grandmother or your pastor, although the sex and language issues are very minor.

Rating:
Summary: SWEET!!
Review: This is the first book in the Savannah Reid series. It's a great start to a very enjoyable series. Savannah is super. Keep 'em coming !G.A. McKevett - who are you ? I'd love to read more of your works !

Rating:
Summary: And Her Real Name Is...
Review: To answer the previous reviewers' question, the author's real name is Sonja Massie, and she's written other books under that name.

I really enjoyed this debut of the character Savannah Reid. In this book she's introduced as a police detective in her forties (a nice change of pace) who gets chosen to head up the investigation into a city councilwoman's husband's death. It is a powderkeg, and unfortunately for Savannah, she does her job too well, much to the dismay of the powers-that-be. The price she pays for her tenacity is the loss of her job on a trumped-up rules violation. Needless to say, when she is asked to continue investigating the case by the person who is the prime suspect, Savannah agrees. On top of all this, her very naive yet stubborn teenage sister arrives unexpectedly from Georgia, announces that she is going to stay with Savannah permanently, and promptly becomes involved with an older man well-known to the local police dept.

Savannah is interesting, independent character. She seems to be comfortable with herself, and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Ms. McKevett has also created a nice assortment of secondary characters with their own quirks and flaws. The mystery had some nice twists and turns. I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: And Her Real Name Is...
Review: To answer the previous reviewers' question, the author's real name is Sonja Massie, and she's written other books under that name.

I really enjoyed this debut of the character Savannah Reid. In this book she's introduced as a police detective in her forties (a nice change of pace) who gets chosen to head up the investigation into a city councilwoman's husband's death. It is a powderkeg, and unfortunately for Savannah, she does her job too well, much to the dismay of the powers-that-be. The price she pays for her tenacity is the loss of her job on a trumped-up rules violation. Needless to say, when she is asked to continue investigating the case by the person who is the prime suspect, Savannah agrees. On top of all this, her very naive yet stubborn teenage sister arrives unexpectedly from Georgia, announces that she is going to stay with Savannah permanently, and promptly becomes involved with an older man well-known to the local police dept.

Savannah is interesting, independent character. She seems to be comfortable with herself, and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Ms. McKevett has also created a nice assortment of secondary characters with their own quirks and flaws. The mystery had some nice twists and turns. I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: SWEET!!
Review:  

Savannah Reid is an intelligent, witty detective who will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic women protagonists in their novels. She is tough, but sensitive, and has a caustic sense of humor about her body and her life. The plot revolves around a murder of the estranged husband of a highly visible local politician. The ways in which Savannah solves the murder as well as the other dilemmas facing her in her life are original and satisfying. I highly recommend this book. (I just wish I knew the author's real name as G.A. McKevett is a pseudonym so that I could read her other works.)

Rating:
Summary: Fun and fast read.
Review:  

Savannah Reid is an intelligent, witty detective who will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic women protagonists in their novels. She is tough, but sensitive, and has a caustic sense of humor about her body and her life. The plot revolves around a murder of the estranged husband of a highly visible local politician. The ways in which Savannah solves the murder as well as the other dilemmas facing her in her life are original and satisfying. I highly recommend this book. (I just wish I knew the author's real name as G.A. McKevett is a pseudonym so that I could read her other works.)