Dying to Get Her Man

Rating:
Summary: Another success from Judy Fitzwater
Review: Dying To Get Her Man by Judy Fitzwater is a marvelous addition to the Jennifer Marsh series. I have read each as it came out with great enjoyment. They just seem to be getting better with each one. I eagerly look forward to each new title.

Jennifer is more intimately realized in this book than in earlier ones in that we really begin to see her fears and obsessions as human flaws. She is just as funny as ever (as is the critique group) but I really liked and felt for her this time. The various "romantic" relationships form the theme running through this story. Don't get me wrong, the theme stuff doesn't get in the way of an exceptionally compelling mystery plot. Far from it. It only adds depth and texture.

As usual, Fitzwater (and Jennifer) are a step ahead of everybody else (especially including the reader) as the mystery unfolds. The danger is leavened with even more humor than normal (I don't find Jennifer and her critique group laugh-out-loud funny, but they produce in me a series of small chuckles which seem to repeat themselves periodically for days as something jogs a specific memory.)

I decided to post this not to tell you about the story but to recommend some of the best humorous mystery reading being published today. My advice is to get this book and read it as soon as you possibly can. I just know that when you do, you will be running right to Amazon to get the rest - and I envy you. I have gone back and reread all of them with great enthusiasm but there is nothing like the thrill of that first discovery. Each new book is like an opportunity to check back on old friends and meet new ones. I hope this series continues for a long time. The world needs more people like Jennifer and her friends.

Rating:
Summary: Jennifer is intrigued by "The Bride Who Died"
Review: Jennifer is feeling a bit pressured to express her feelings for Sam Culpepper, so she distracts him by trying to get information about a recent lurid death. Suzanne Gray has committed suicide by freezing to death on her fiancee's grave. Something doesn't seem right to her about the murder and she is determined to find out what really happens. The next day Sam's engagement announcement is in the paper, and she isn't in the announcement. Sam's old flame Belle, a tabloid reporter is staying with him claiming that a mobster is trying to kill her, the reason for the bogus announcement. Something is not quite right about Belle, another mystery for Jennifer to solve.

I really enjoyed this novel. It moves incredibly fast and all of the plot lines mesh well. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Rating:
Summary: OK if you need a quick read
Review: This book is okay if you need a quick summer read, but the writing is terrible and the plotline is incredibly thin and transparent. The author should work on fleshing out her characters and putting a bit more effort into writing a true mystery, and not something where the murderer's identity is obvious in the first few chapters.