Rating: 
Summary: Writer's Block
Review: This was a very readable debut mystery novel. I like the fact that Jennifer Marsh was an *unpublished* author, rather than the typical successful author pursuing mysteries in his/her spare time. It was also nice to see the workings of a reading group. So often authors thank their reading groups on their dedication pages, and I always wondered exactly what the group did for them. Now I know.The plot seemed a little silly at the start, what with Jennifer setting herself up as a murderess in order to gain publicity. It seemed to me that she had to be on the verge of madness to let things go as far as it did, and I found that to be unsettling. Who sends out threatening letters on their own letterhead? She is supposed to be knowledgeable about crime but doesn't know about current stalking and harassment laws? Perhaps it was supposed to be funny, but it didn't make sense character-wise, especially since the opening pages mentioned that she was a "good Baptist girl". That's really my only quibble with the book but it was a big one, dropping the rating from four to three stars. Contrary to the other reviewers' opinions, I found Jennifer's mental conversations with her unfertilized egg, which she named Jaimie (being a non-gender-specific name) really funny, especially when she felt that Jaimie was putting pressure on her to hurry up and choose it a daddy. All of the secondary characters were nicely drawn, each with a distinctive character, and her potential love interest was suitably gorgeous. I'll definitely continue reading this series.
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