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Rating: 
Summary: C-minus
Review: Desiree Shapiro annoys the heck out of the police department when she investigates a murder in her neice's apartment building. She annoys the heck out of me too. Although she's pretty funny, the overweight idea is played out and doesn't add much. I kept waiting for her sideshow investigation of an old friend's seemingly unfaithful husband to tie in ingeniously, but it never did. The list of suspects is long and confusing, but in a bad way. Every other chapter ends with a (cheap) cliffhanger pointing to a different person, which I found annoying. The key point in the mystery could have been delightful in the hands of Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, but in Selma Eichler's it's silly, obvious and not very plausible. But if you want a book to read in the bathtub or something, it's moderately entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A Disapppointment
Review: Desiree Shapiro is a full figured private eye living and working in New York City who usually handles fraud and domestic cases. One day, there in a murder in her niece's apartment building. She is asked to clear the grocery boy accused of the murder, but then another murder takes place. Are the two connected? And what can she do about her attraction to one of the suspects?I started out liking the book. I found the humor fun and the character likable. But the plot was boring. I figured out a key plot point chapters before Desiree did. There is a subplot concerning a friend's husband that adds nothing but pages to the story. The plot advances very little until the climax is reached. I was disappointed I wasted my time with this book. It is a great character destroyed by a weak plot.
Rating: 
Summary: A light read.
Review: Desiree Shapiro is a fun, enjoyable and interesting character. This book is a well thought out enjoyable read with only a few minor draw backs. First, the fat humor borders on excess. Second, the niece's relationships and the additional girlfriend plot were distracting. Overall, however, I enjoyed it as fluff reading. It was pleasant to have mind candy with a female heroine that wasn't of the trashy romance variety. I plan to read the rest of the series as I feel the need to let the stresses of my life disappear for awhile.
Rating:
Summary: A light read.
Review: Desiree Shapiro is a fun, enjoyable and interesting character. This book is a well thought out enjoyable read with only a few minor draw backs. First, the fat humor borders on excess. Second, the niece's relationships and the additional girlfriend plot were distracting. Overall, however, I enjoyed it as fluff reading. It was pleasant to have mind candy with a female heroine that wasn't of the trashy romance variety. I plan to read the rest of the series as I feel the need to let the stresses of my life disappear for awhile.
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: Desiree Shapiro, plus-size private eye extraordinaire, is visiting her niece, when a murder takes place in the building. Desiree is immediatley called on to protect a young grocery delivery boy from being charged with the murder. Soon on there's another murder in the same building, and Desiree feels her detective work is getting her nowhere. Until she finally gets what she thinks is a lead, and turns out to be wrong. Overall, this book was somewhat of a disappointment. Desiree is a likeable character, but the amount of relationships, characters, and situations, went a little overboard. I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a light mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Good and Cozy
Review: This first book in the Private Eye "Desiree Shapiro" mysteries was pretty good. But advertised as a "Queen-Size Manhattan PI", which is why I bought the book thinking 'here's something different', there wasn't much reference to her being fat. The author could have done a lot more with that angle and should have since that is the series' signature mark. Still, the plot was fine; characters pretty good; and it was a fairly fast read. It was easy to keep track of what was happening. I found the writing to be charming, with a good sense of humor. I'll read another.
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