C.O.P. Out

Rating:
Summary: Mrs. Herndon!
Review: I grew up a block or so away from the author, so I'm biased, but I love these books. They perfectly catch the flavor of the Southwest and its culture, friendly, spicy, and yes, a little strange. I must admit it's a little strange reading sex scenes written by someone else's mom (Mrs. Herndon!!!), but these are a great read. The stories and characters are witty, engaging, and lots of fun. I just wish Mrs. Herndon would write them faster so I wouldn't have to wait so long for the next installments!

Rating:
Summary: As great as usual
Review: Monica Ibarra, a Los Santos police officer for under a year, is on foot patrol accompanied by Hope Masterson Quatres, a C.O.P. volunteer. Hope, a mayoral candidate's wealthy wife, wants to help her spouse on his run while doing something she believes in: civilian support to law enforcement officials. C.O.P.s never lost a volunteer until Monica spotted a car thief, told Hope to hide behind a dumpster, and called for back-up.

Hope is found dead and Monica is near death. The incident is a political hot potato handed to the Crime Against Persons detective Elena Jarvis and her partner Les Weizel. The autopsy reveals that Hope was murdered from a bullet fired from Hope's gun. Elena refuses to accept the obvious and begins to look elsewhere for answers. She quickly uncovers a powerful Mexican drug operation partnering with one of the city's most powerful individuals. Now she must prove it before she is unemployed from an internal investigation of her efforts.

There are few guarantees in publishing, but an Elena Jarvis mystery is as close as a reader can get to a sure thing. Nancy Herndon is a colorful story teller, who cleverly imbues her tales with enlightening cultural information, unusual but likable continuing characters, and realistic suspects. Each book in this series has been high quality. C.O.P. OUT is one of the best novels of the collection because there is more insight into the balancing act between the lead protagonist's personal and professional lives. Happily, another Herndon hit for her myriad of fans to peruse.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: great fun
Review: This was the first Elena Jarvis book I have read. I do not know how it escaped me. It has an well defined plot- with very engaging characters. It is not a formula and it keeps you in supense until the end.