Lethal Lessons

Rating:
Summary: A good afternoon read
Review: I was drawn to this book because of its setting -- a mental health clinic. I was both hopeful and afraid that I would see some clients of the clinics used as characters in the book (these can go either way -- respectful and funny, or disrespectful and mean). What I found was a good, quick afternoon's read. Liz James is a character I like and will want to visit again. The setting of Lethal Lessons is secondary to the story -- the staff of the clinic could be any English Department at any university . Plotting was good; dialog was enjoyable, there was plenty of action but not too much gore. This is one of those "medium boiled books" that are a smidge past cozy, and not hard-boiled either. My favorite!

Rating:
Summary: Amateur sleuth gem!
Review: This is a witty, wry satire of women's empowerment classes crossed with a suspenseful amateur sleuth mystery that is crackling with authenticity (it is set in Houston and written by a Houstonian) and has interesting, well-developed characters. The story revolves around Kate Quinlan's Powerful Women workshops and the Powerful Women who decide to "help" Kate (because she "deserves better"!) by running down her husband. Kate's colleague Liz James is drawn into the situation when the suspicion falls on Kate. To reveal any more of the plot would be a crime. This novel is a little bit hard to find, and because it wasn't written by Mary Higgens Clark, nobody has heard of it. This is an underappreciated gem of a book, which is both funny and suspenseful. There's more bang for your buck in this novel than in many bestsellers.

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